As posted here several weeks ago my brother had his Zafira written off. The insurers paid out promptly and within days he bought a BMax 1.6 Powershift. Oops. Within 48 hours he realised it was too small for his needs... Carrying gardening tools/mowers around, despite having a towbar fitted. And he thinks it's cheap & nasty inside.... Now he has seen a 63 plate Octavia 1.6 Tdi 4x4 estate at a different garage.
Personally, I think the 1.6 will be underpowered....only the 2.0tdi is available in the new model, and I read somewhere that the 1.6Tdi could be unreliable, although I think it has been sorted in the latest version.
So should I keep my nose out, or subtly point out my misgivings of this purchase?
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Don't know what engine is in the Octavia, but we tried a 110bhp 1.6 Golf SV last year. The engine was smooth, but had a narrow power band with a big hole at the bottom end. However, a friend of ours has a Passat saloon with, I believe, the same engine, and it feels totally different. I didn't drive it but it seemed more than adequate from the passenger seat, and he wasn't thrashing it, plus he gets around 55mpg. The 1.6 110 in various incarnations seems quite popular here in Austria.
The 1.6 105hp as fitted to the 2007 Golf seems noisy and needs working hard, is it this older engine fitted to the Octavia? If so, then I'd share your misgivings.
I think he should try it TBH, it may well work for him.
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Of course you should tell him what you know, or at least point him towards reliable information on the subject. HJ maybe? But having done so, leave him to make his own mind up and say no more about it even if it turns out to be another wrong decision if he goes ahead anyway.
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In the real world the 1.6TDIs use as much fuel as the lower power 2.0TDIs. Maybe persuade him to try a decent test drive and also try a 2.0TDI. But a 1.6TDI and 4x4.... why? If a 1.6TDI is okay for him then the RFL on a FWD variant will be lower and the purchase price too. Less to go wrong as well.
He won't listen - he bought the B-Max! I assume you warned him about that too.
Last edited by: rtj70 on Fri 9 Sep 16 at 19:49
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Yes I did rtj. Diplomatically.
I've looked at 'real mpg' figures elsewhere, and according to them the 2.0Tdi 4x4 is more economical than the 1.6 Tdi. No idea why 4WD is required... I live in a much hillier & remote part of the world and coped ok with Michelin Alpins on my 330 for 6+ years.
A 1.6Tdi, and the older one at that, coupled with lugging around a 4WD system will be sluggish at best. Enough to make Brian seem sprightly!
For a few hundred more there is a newer model Octavia 4x4 Tour in white for sale privately on AT within a reasonable distance... He will take a hit p/exing the BMax, so I would sort out the gearbox problem ( yes) whilst under warranty then sell privately or punt off to WBAC and bite the bullet.
Hope the wafter is behaving itself Runfer, and you continue to sell footwear profitably.
ps. Returning to Turkey soon for a number of weeks before the tourist season ends in late Oct.
Regards
LL
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Wafted round Ireland this week as it happens. So far it wafts reliably thanks !
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It appears to be a done deal. I pointed out the 'real mpg' site on HJ and the better figures for the 2.0, and the private sale of a later model 2.0tdi for only a few hundred more.
The BMax is going back to the original selling garage... No idea what loss has been made on it over 4 weeks, plus a tow bar was fitted. The 63 plate 1.6Tdi is being bought from another garage , despite no longer having a p/ex. Personally I always cut out the middle man and buy/sell privately, but at least I have given my opinion.
I still think that a 1.6 109? horse engine lowering a 4WD Octavia is going to be underpowered when fully loaded, and give poor mpg. The main thing he is happy.
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Then I'd wish him well with it. Probably quite a nice car in truth. I'm not totally convinced that power is everything in modern motoring anyway. It can be fun of course, but mainly what you benefit from nowadays is fitness for purpose, reliability and comfort. Going fast, or regularly faster than our camera infested roads permit is a one way ticket to fines and points.
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The 1.6 TDI in the Avis Touran I had earlier in the week was perfectly adequate; admittedly it only had me in it, but on the other hand I wasn't hanging around... It averaged low 40s to the gallon in auto form and being thrashed so I can't see it getting much less than that if it's any consolation! I also have a, completely unsupported by analysis, hypothesis on the relative fuel economy on small engines vs larger ones, which is that people who do higher mileage are more likely to buy a larger engined car. But higher mileage probably means longer journeys, on which most cars are more economical than when used for shorter ones. So in short, which ever engine you get it's the type of use that is the main determining factor, not engine size!
On the buy / sell privately I'd pretty much almost buy from a dealer. Firstly you do have more comeback, and secondly you can see a lot more cars in a short space of time by using them. While I do like cars, I don't want to spend weekend after weekend looking at them. Selling I'm ambivalent, but again there a time vs extra money received factor as well - there's only so much hassles and time I want to spend to get £500 more. £2k more and I'll be more tolerant... ;)
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With very few exceptions, I always buy & sell privately, trusting my instinct on getting a good 'un. I never spend time trailing round garages... Far more productive with word of mouth in the pub, networking with friends or looking at AT online. When I bought the 330, it was almost 6yo, two previous owners for 3 years each. I was more interested in seeing how neat & tidy the house & garden was, which has a direct correlation ( IMHO) to how people look after their 'stuff'!
And I put down a £1k deposit on it before even driving it... At the time it was covered in snow at the end of a long drive only passable with 4WD.
I compared the garage Octavia '63 plate with the newer model private '64 plate.. Which is still under manufacturers warranty. The WBAC valuation ( always bottom book I think) was £3k under the advertised selling price for the '63. The valuation for the '64 was £1k under selling price.
My current 1.6Tdci Focus is fine performance wise for all intents & purposes, and the average Joe, but loaded with 3 passengers & some luggage makes a huge difference.
I think the VAG older 1.6 Tdi will really struggle when fully loaded and towing a full trailer, but I won't be driving it!
Have a nice weekend everyone.. I'm away with my favourite LCC to warmer climes this afternoon.
Adios
And that isn't a flounce......
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>>I still think that a 1.6 109? horse engine lowering a 4WD Octavia is going to be underpowered when fully loaded, and give poor mpg.>>
The torque is more important overall. What are the figures for this particular engine?
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Stu, torque is 184lb ft. The torque on my 2011 1.6Tdci Focus is 177lb ft, and that can't pull the skin off a rice pudding, although 137k miles 'may' have reduced it somewhat. I don't know.
I do know a 4WD Octavia estate is lugging around far more weight than my Focus though!
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My Sports Jetta's 168bhp VW TSi petrol engine (twin charged) has 240Nm (177lb ft) of torque from around 1,750rpm to 4,500rpm and up to 80 per cent to 6,000rpm, which certainly gives it plenty of kick even with four up. The Octavia is the class equivalent from VW.
But I appreciate that you need to use the gears more in a diesel to get the most of the torque output, although I must confess that one of my offspring's Ford 1.8 Tdci diesel unit from the early 2000s (it had the highest power output of the three options, 115bhp and 250Nm at 2,000rpm) certainly didn't hang about if you stirred the gearstick pretty rapidly...:-)
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In all honesty, I think the problem probably lies with me... The acceleration with my 177lb ft seems woeful, but after several years with the 330 I suppose that's only natural. I'm having great difficulty adjusting to the Focus, although in truth it is brilliant at what it does for the cost. Eminently practical, very frugal, decent handling, cheap to insure and tax .... But I'm just not gelling with it.
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I know what you mean - some cars are like washing machines. Very competent doing what they need to, but quite dull and forgetable
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>> I know what you mean -
Me too. I ran a Maxi for 14 years!
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>>I ran a Maxi for 14 years!
I always thought there was something about you that I couldn't quite put my finger on, until now CS.
Do you play bowls by any chance?
;-)
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>> Do you play bowls by any chance?
No, but I was in a skittles league years ago!
As for the Maxi; I pretty much regretted buying that within about 24 hours of picking it up,
but it was fairly cheap as BL had just introduced the Maxi II.
I would almost certainly have parted company with it after 12 months or so if it wasn't for the rapid depreciation and the fact that it had a horribly vibrating clutch which, despite being in and out of the dealership many times, was never much better, and it would have been difficult to sell.
However, it was a good workhorse and was frequently used for carting furniture around.
Cheek...
;-)
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>>it was a good workhorse
Most definitely - all-in-all not a bad car at all in its day, it just lacked development, as with all BL's jalopies.
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He picked up the car yesterday... Sent me pics of it. It was advertised as a 1.6, and inputting the reg to the WBAC website shows it as a 1.6, but the V5C shows it as a 2.0 Tdi. How strange.
Shonky 'Arfur Daley' type forecourt in a not very nice part of town... Personally I would have liked some explaining before handing over any money.
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Mrs B's car often comes up as the wrong model variant by reg number, but it has a private plate so I assumed that was probably something to do with it
I thought it pulled from the V5, but not sure how frequent errors are.......
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When I got my Passat CC it wasn't showing on AskMID initially. Then it was showing as something other than a VW. I was more concerned if the DVLA records were inaccurate due to what the lease company had registered - it was sorted after a few months.
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is the 1.6 available as a 4x4?
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I was thinking it was the 'old' model, but as it was reg in Sept '13 it must be the new model.
It was available as a 1.6 105 until July 2015, alongside the 2.0 150
Doubtless I shall find out which engine variant it is in the fullness of time
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Skoda Octavia II - Should I or shouldn't I ? - Mike H
