Viewing 32 posts - 1 through 32 (of 32 total)
  • Subaru Legacy 3.0 B spec or Skoda Octavia VRS?
  • fettling
    Free Member

    Need to reach out to the great and good of STW and get your opinion on my car dilemma.

    I have test driven 2 cars now (after much internet research) and have the following dilemma;

    £7K 2007 Subaru Legacy 3.0 B Spec (petrol) 95K miles
    Auto with paddle shift, iDrive and lots of toys
    or
    £7K 2007 Skoda Octavia 2.0 VRS (petrol) 53K miles
    Manual with sat nav but not so many toys

    Both are in great condition and provide the essentials of extra space for dog and baby. The Subaru is a beast that in straight auto mode is a pleasure to drive (i-Drive for when I get bored)
    Skoda appears to be the sensible option as it is more economical and will hold more value due to reduced mileage.

    Like both cars, but the Subaru appeals due to being a nicer environment to be in for those family holiday drives. A bit worried about the extra cost of ownership. Also I feel the Subaru is a bit overpriced for the mileage (seller is willing to budge, not discussed how far as yet).

    Am I missing something..? Anyone been in a similar dilemma..?

    allfankledup
    Full Member

    Which one do you think would give you
    A) more pleasure
    B) a safer environment for your babe?

    Personally I would ignore the mileage and buy the Subaru

    tom200
    Full Member

    Spec B is beast of a car, I sold my 55 plate one for 5k with v low mileage about a year ago. The newer (2006 on) model are often cheaper due to the ridiculous tax.

    I’m sure the Octavia is a fine car, but every vw I have ever driven has been very dull.

    The legacy is a piece of engineering genius. Don’t let the economy put you off!

    fettling
    Free Member

    My heart is drawing me to the Subaru, it is a great drive…
    The only thing that made me cringe on the Skoda was the sound the boot makes when you shut it, kind of a clank like you’ve trapped a wire coat hanger in it.

    wrightyson
    Free Member

    Subura or a load of whizz for when you have to drive the skoda any distance.

    honeybadgerx
    Full Member

    I had a 55 plate 2.0 petrol legacy and really liked it, drove well, reliable, and as a bonus for mtn biking had a huge boot that goes very flat with the seats down + a flat boot lip (not sure if the octavia has this or not).

    suburbanreuben
    Free Member

    95k on the leggy means it’s just about run in…

    King-ocelot
    Free Member

    Do you really need to ask this question? Octavias are like Coldplay inoffensive and no one can really claim to despise them, and the VRS is like Coldplay trying to do heavy metal at a village hall. It’s all very sweet and harmless.

    Duffer
    Free Member

    VRS is like Coldplay trying to do heavy metal at a village hall. It’s all very sweet and harmless.

    Brilliant!

    I’m going to do the honest STW thing and recommend the one i own; Heavy Metal Coldplay for me! Reliable, comfortable, massive inside and interesting enough to drive (although mine is a diesel).

    robinlaidlaw
    Free Member

    The Spec B will be so much more fun and the reliability will go a long way to balance the fuel costs. One possible cost – new shocks, if they need done, are very dear as they are very high spec inverted struts. Was the suspension all silent on your test drive? Is there enough history to see if the shocks have been changed? Otherwise there should be no problems.
    £7k for a 95k miles ’07 plate seems a bit steep, I’ve been watching them recently and they are going for less than that (admittedly an ’06 but it is the face lifted model):
    http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201402181894814/sort/default/usedcars/radius/1500/postcode/ab157yz/keywords/spec%20b/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/make/subaru/page/1/engine-size-cars/3l_to_3-9l/model/legacy?logcode=p

    fettling
    Free Member

    Whilst the Octavia may be sweet and harmless it still represents nearly 90bhp more than I have ever had under my right foot previously.
    An awful lot of fun in VGC… car is 1 previous owner, the MOD.

    fettling
    Free Member

    robinlaidlaw, My question to the garage is going to be how close can we get to £6K Assuming it has tax and MOT for at least 6 months I think the right price is between £6k and £6.5k
    One of the hazards of living in the SE is that used car prices seem a little bit higher.

    King-ocelot
    Free Member

    I did have my tongue in my cheek when I wrote that. MOD will be well maintained I presume?

    fettling
    Free Member

    No unusual noises from the suspension, could do with driving along a road with speed bumps to confirm. Previous owners receipts not present so no easy way to confirm the shocks have been done. Pretty much full Subaru service history though…

    fettling
    Free Member

    General consensus on internet seems to be ex Police > leave well alone, ex MOD > well maintained

    hora
    Free Member

    At a party

    ‘Hello I drive a Skoda’

    ‘its a quick though’

    Roight

    Duffer
    Free Member

    car is 1 previous owner, the MOD.

    That sounds suspect to me. Firstly, most (all?) MOD white fleet vehicles are leased in, and most of those are Vauxhalls. Secondly it’s a petrol, and the MOD only run diesels as a matter of policy. Thirdly, any demobbed vehicles go under a contract to a company called Witham Specialist Vehicles in Lincolnshire.

    I’m not saying it can’t be genuine, it just seems very odd to me. I would get it HPI’d before signing anything.

    Inbred456
    Free Member

    [video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EMptncwI_s[/video]

    I in know way endorse the way this Spec B is being driven.
    It could be a child’s face.
    Do you still need to ask? We have been discussing these on another thread “Living with a WRX estate” and this car came up and it’s a belter. Defo worth a look. Northwind do it you know you want to!

    vinnyeh
    Full Member

    My old 3.0 outback, (same engine as Spec B, no hp change) used petrol at an alarming rate, doubt you’ll see 30mpg, even on a journey

    Price is way too high I reckon. Both cars are estates I guess? That vintage Legacy is quite small in the back, as well, Octavia is more practical. Though I guess that doesn’t matter too much 🙂

    hexhamstu
    Free Member

    I’ll sell you a 2005 3.0r for £1000. 136k on the clock. Problem solved. only 1 owner (My father who has moved to aus). It’s got plenty of little dings on it and the wheels need a refurb.

    martymac
    Full Member

    my legacy has 97k on it and feels like a new car to drive.
    the mondeo i had before was starting to show its age by that mileage.
    the handling cant be compared to a front wheel drive car at all ime.

    peterfile
    Free Member

    At a party

    ‘Hello I drive a Skoda’

    ‘its a quick though’

    Roight

    To be fair, if you’re at the kind of party where people talk about what car you drive, you’re probably at the wrong party 🙂

    It’s amazing what some people think a car says about them compared to what other people thinks it says about them though isn’t it?

    There was a nice VRs estate parked up near me while camping Shieldaig a couple of months ago. Before I’d even spoken to the owner, I’d made an assumption that he probably wasn’t a wang. Based on nothing other than his choice of car! Nuts.

    However, on a recent watch thread on here, someone took a picture of their (probably quite expensive) watch whilst standing in front of their car and carefully angling the arm and adjusting the focus so that you could also make out the RS6 badge on the grill. Once I’d removed myself from the black hole of cringe that I’d fainted into, I thought…he’s probably a wang.

    Our secretaries and more junior staff all drive quite flash cars here, yet the directors all seem to drive Volvos and Skoda superbs.

    br
    Free Member

    One of the hazards of living in the SE is that used car prices seem a little bit higher.

    Nope, try living in the sticks. Whereas when we lived in the SE, whatever car I fancied there’d be ten of any colour within 30 miles, at all budgets – here odds on there’ll be none…

    I’d check the tax on those two cars, as I suspect the Subaru will be circa £500pa with the Skoda £300ish.

    hora
    Free Member

    It’s amazing what some people think a car says about them compared to what other people thinks it says about them though isn’t it?

    Its why people jump into high ££ monthly-lease Audi’s or (nowadays) Landrover Evoke’s and yet live in a average semi in suburbia.

    Nothin as queer as folk.

    vinnyeh
    Full Member

    Our secretaries and more junior staff all drive quite flash cars here, yet the directors all seem to drive Volvos and Skoda superbs.

    Most likely the secretaries and junior staff only own one car.
    The directors probably have garages stuffed full of proper exotica for the weekend.

    I’d check the tax on those two cars, as I suspect the Subaru will be circa £500pa with the Skoda £300ish.

    Never sure why people worry about the extra tax, it’s only a few quid a week, neither here nor there in the scheme of things.

    robinlaidlaw
    Free Member

    My question to the garage is going to be how close can we get to £6K Assuming it has tax and MOT for at least 6 months I think the right price is between £6k and £6.5k

    Sounds about right.

    No unusual noises from the suspension, could do with driving along a road with speed bumps to confirm.

    It’d mainly be over smaller bumps you’d notice, rough, uneven road surface, mini pot holes, badly patched roads, that kind of thing. If you had some of that on the test drive and it didn’t clatter like you were carrying a barrel of typewriters, you should be fine.

    doubt you’ll see 30mpg, even on a journey

    There’s no chance unless you do long trips at a steady 50. Expect an overall of 22 if you drive in town at all, or maybe 25 if you mainly do longer trips.

    That vintage Legacy is quite small in the back, as well, Octavia is more practical.

    Yeah, there’s not a huge amount of space in the rear seats, better than a 3 series, not as good as a 5. It’s pretty easy to check if it’s acceptable for you and unless you are regularly transporting 6ft blokes in the back for long trips it should be fine. The boot is big though and the seats fold flat quite easily.

    Never sure why people worry about the extra tax, it’s only a few quid a week, neither here nor there in the scheme of things.

    Indeed, there is zero chance of predicting the total ownership costs of any car to within £200 either way over a year, why worry. The Legacy is less likely to throw a surprise £200 bill too.

    Most likely the secretaries and junior staff only own one car.
    The directors probably have garages stuffed full of proper exotica for the weekend.

    Depends on the company, at ours (total of 14 staff) the nicest car “belongs” to the part time admin, it’s a new Golf R, leased at a monthly rate the MD would never consider. He drives a diesel Astra, also leased but at half the cost.

    br
    Free Member

    Never sure why people worry about the extra tax, it’s only a few quid a week, neither here nor there in the scheme of things.

    Aye

    peterfile
    Free Member

    Depends on the company, at ours (total of 14 staff) the nicest car “belongs” to the part time admin, it’s a new Golf R, leased at a monthly rate the MD would never consider. He drives a diesel Astra, also leased but at half the cost.

    Pretty much the same here. Part of me thinks is just an aspirational thing…some want to appear more successful than they are, whereas for others there’s no interest in that (or no need). Our head of legal drives a Zafira that’s covered in paint from when a pot fell off a shelf in his garage a while back. He aspires to getting home to spend time with his family, not to portray some sort of image of his life via a lump of mental. Obviously though for him, driving is just a necessary thing you do to get from A to B. I’m sure he’d have a different car if he enjoyed driving.

    hora
    Free Member

    Where does the part time admin get the money from?! The R on a personal lease is £300 a month+

    I said this previously a bloke who used to work for us had a £450 a month Audi. He had to catch the bus as he couldn’t afford to replace the worn out tyres.

    BTW- if the Legacy fails its MOT on a rusted join in the exhaust Subaru want £1k. Its not an off the shelf part that Kwikfit can source. They can the older/less complex Legacy – not 04-.

    Apparently the rotting is common. I know this from experience.

    peterfile
    Free Member

    Where does the part time admin get the money from?! The R on a personal lease is £300 a month+

    If you’re earning £18k a year in your twenties and sharing a house, it’s probably quite feasible to fund a £300pm car if that’s want you want to spend your money on. I didn’t bother to learn to drive until I was 30, so all my money went on travel and partying. I still cry when I total up what a car costs me to run now!

    hora
    Free Member

    Its not just the monthly lease though, its petrol, insurance, handback repair charges. The handback chap who came to inspect mine told me mine was the exception (no charge/very clean/no dents). He said almost all of them are filthy and dented- and worse and the leaser is shocked and pissed off that they are going to get a list of charges!

    MrOvershoot
    Full Member

    peterfile – Member

    He aspires to getting home to spend time with his family, not to portray some sort of image of his life via a lump of mental.

    ^That^

    I like cars & have owned a few I really enjoyed, but now the chance to enjoy driving are few & far between so a reasonable all rounder is fine ie 2.0ltr TD Estate.

    I have a bloke who works for me who judges a person by his car & can’t understand why we take the piss of his blinged up BMW, He’s 66 BTW!!

Viewing 32 posts - 1 through 32 (of 32 total)

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