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Looking to sell my 2018 Octavia VRS and move into a car like a VW Tiguan.
I've found a model that I like which is a 2.0 TDI SE-L so quite well specced.
It's priced well and has about 15-20k less miles than others at the price point.
I found a few issues when looking at it:
Discs corroded all round.
Slight dent in black plastic on rear bumper
Fuel filler flap doesn't ping open
Slight marks on the plastic centre armrest
It will also need a new cambelt and water pump in 3 months at the 5 year old point.
Strangely the exhaust rear pipes look immaculate and a lot cleaner than in the photos online.
The dealer has said it's priced well and won't reduce it.
I've not mentioned any of the above to him yet.
What would you do ? Try and haggle or avoid it.
For reference there are 13 of this model for sale between 18 and 19k on auto trader. The next one is on 72k miles whereas this one is 55k
Keen to hear your thoughts.
Are the discs lightly corroded from lack of use given the mileage, or heavily lipped. If the former no problem, if the latter, at VW prices that’s at least £600.
Cam belt is a VW fixed price on older cars roughly £450 IIRC, water pump may be extra.
The fuel filler cap issue may be the solenoid, an easy DIY fix for roughly £40 if the part bought from a motor factor, or VW would charge about £100
So on a rough estimate that’s £1000 potentially to get it exactly right. Is it that much cheaper than expected?
Edit: can you check mileage from the service history or previous MOT’s? Any VW dealer should be able to give you the former if you ask nicely, the latter can be found on line
Don't get hung up on mileage, buy on condition.
The "issues" you've described could easily be present on a car that's 6 months old so I wouldn't worry about that.
How bad is the corrosion on the discs and what does the previous MOT say about them? It could have just been sat for a while. The discs on my car look corroded if I don't use it for a couple of days and it's just over a year old.
IF the 72k miles one has had the cambelt and water pump done, then those extra miles won't make a blind bit of difference if the condition is similar.
For reference, my missus has a 10 year old VW Caddy that has nearly 180k miles on it. I drive a 69 reg Combo for work with 24k miles and the Caddy feels miles better.
The discs were raised as an advisory on the MOT before the last one but strangely not on the last MOT.
They look quite bad to be honest.
The dealer has said it’s priced well and won’t reduce it.
Might they be persuaded to throw in a cambelt?
No advice but a few questions to consider…
If a dealer is selling the car with those faults or service requirements, and another fault comes up post purchase, how do you think they would handle it? Surely a low mileage vehicle with a few niggles would command a higher price (and higher than the cost to put right) if there were no niggles.
Low mileage cars. It could be as simple as the car has seen little use due to covid - but it could also have been a 2 miles each way school and back kind of car which is far less kind to a vehicle than racking up motorway miles. Id rather buy an immaculate 80k car than a scruffy 50k one.
A 5 year old VW is £18-19k?????
The world is bonkers
How did you get £600 for discs? Brembo are £50 each for the fronts on ECP and it's a quick job to change.
Cam belt is a VW fixed price on older cars roughly £450 IIRC, water pump may be extra.
It was £300 on my Passat or £350 with the pump at the main dealer.
if the latter, at VW prices that’s at least £600.
Cam belt is a VW fixed price on older cars roughly £450 IIRC, water pump may be extra.
The fuel filler cap issue may be the solenoid, an easy DIY fix for roughly £40 if the part bought from a motor factor, or VW would charge about £100
I think he came to £600 at main dealer pricing, I thought that was quite clear
A low mileage 2L diesel used for the school run might be in worse shape than one that's spent it's life on the motorway. They don't thrive on lots of short trips.
If its DSG, avoid it. Or test drive it cold first thing in the morning and see if it judders in reverse or 1st to 2nd.
If its DSG, avoid it
[Facepalm]
Private sale at a very good price I’d be happy to accept a couple of niggly bits to sort.
£19k from a dealer I’d really expect near to perfect with not even a nick out of an alloy wheel. Maybe I expect too much?
Keep the VRS. That Tiguan is silly money for a less practical interior and worse driving experience than your Octy.
New exhaust and issues on rear end (bumper/filler cap) hint that it may have been rear-ended recently, possibly...?
You can PayPal Gift me 50% of the money I've just saved you (including costs for discs and pump). I calculate that to be £10k. I'll PM you my details.
You're welcome. 😎
How did you get £600 for discs? Brembo are £50 each for the fronts on ECP and it’s a quick job to change.
I've seen where that logic gets you .......see the guy who bought a Mercedes with faults and started fixing them as it was cheaper than buying a good one.
If its DSG, avoid it
[Facepalm]
Why facepalm?
at least £600
The wife was quoted just under a grand by Arnold Shark for a full set of discs and pads for her Tiguan (14,000 miles, lockdown surface rust). I'll be going to the local indy garage and speccing Brembos or similar.
If it’s DSG then check it has had a fluid change at 40k, if it has , then get it done again anyway. I’ve done over 100k miles in an Octavia with DSG and a T5 with DSG. Best auto/semi auto I’ve used. ( to be fair I’ve only used DSG and Fords offering in the Transit custom , oh and the 10 speed in the Wildtrak 😉)
Keep the VRS. That Tiguan is silly money for a less practical interior and worse driving experience than your Octy.
I thought the interior looked bigger to be honest. The boot was a decent size and was massive when the seats were down.
I'm after something with a higher driving position and a bit slower plus better on fuel
Bloody hell, 18 posts in and no ones complained about SUV’s being the spawn of the devil 👿
Must still be recovering from last night 😂
SUVs this size actually make sense. Easier than a Golf to get in and out, largish boot, comfy driving position with a better view and very little fuel penalty. Although if considering a 2wd one, a Touran makes way more sense than a Tiguan due to all of the above, less outlay and the cavernous interior space.
If it’s DSG then check it has had a fluid change at 40k, if it has , then get it done again anyway.
Only if its the wet style DSG. The dry style is a sealed unit and suffers from premature clutch wear. Mine went at 14k miles and no one was willing to replace the clutch pack. Tried various garages but they all seemed scared to do the work. Car basically written off.
I bought Octavia on 40k and took it to over 100k (dry clutch) . No problems.
Like everything , some good, some bad.
If I listened to what everyone said about Transit Customs I would never have bought one, but I’ve done over 60k with not a single fault
This is the car :
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111209779869?atmobcid=soc3
And this is the next one:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111189708049?atmobcid=soc3
Mine went at 14k miles and no one was willing to replace the clutch pack.
Should that say 140k miles? At14k surely VW would have been taking it on as a warrantee job!
First link is broken edit - working now. but that'll be the same engine as my 2017 Skoda superb 2.0 TDI 150 dsg, it should have the wet dsg, I think the lower power/newer models came with the dry clutch dsg.
Mine is bloody brilliant, the only issue is that I'm struggling to do long enough trips to allow a proper dpf regen, but that's not the cars fault.
As for price, about right tbh in today's market.
My superb would be 20k from any main dealer, 17 plate, 45k miles top of the range L&K model.
Sellers market and a dealer not motivated to do anything?
id leave that one unless you are set on it…
Does fuel filler cap still work? If so, surely not a hardship to have to pull it open when you are about to stick a fuel nozzle in anyway.
Central armrest is going to be marked from use - it isn't a brand new car (but at that price it should be!)
Bump on bumper should be something that can fix, but worth checking if anything else has been damaged - a rear-end dunt might have bent other stuff that is more important and not fixed.
Brakes could just be due to sitting unused for a while, brakes do tend to rust badly if not used - normally fixed after a drive but that only works if surface rust and not a properly rough disc surface.
Low mileage would be more of a concern to me and personally I'm not sure that price is good, but then I don't bother about vw cars as they are overpriced already - plenty people buy them though, so clearly I'm in a minority.
I’ve seen where that logic gets you …….see the guy who bought a Mercedes with faults and started fixing them as it was cheaper than buying a good one.
a) That's not remotely what happened and you should know cos you read the thread.
b) I'm just pointing out that £600 is a lot for discs, as you also should know. I've not mentioned spanners at all.
Nothing to add about the cars you are looking at other than to say if it’s a Tiguan you are looking at then don’t write of the Seat Ateca ( I am on my 2nd) which is basically the same car and may give you options or save a few ££s (skoda karoq too).
Nothing to add about the cars you are looking at other than to say if it’s a Tiguan you are looking at then don’t write of the Seat Ateca ( I am on my 2nd) which is basically the same car and may give you options or save a few ££s (skoda karoq too).
That's interesting. I thought they were smaller inside than the Tiguan. Will Habe a look
a) That’s not remotely what happened and you should know cos you read the thread.
b) I’m just pointing out that £600 is a lot for discs, as you also should know. I’ve not mentioned spanners at all.
Mostly pulling your pisser but 600 from what I've seen appears to be the going rate on a family car for anyone not fitting motorfactor specials.
And tbh on the Peugeot ....even parts alone I was near 400 quid for all round pads and disks......ecp brembo specials.
My old man was quoted 600euro for the front pads and disks on his nv400. I did them last year for 240 in parts (again brembo from ecp)
I did his rear disks ,pads and sliders this year when he was home. That was another 180 quid. The garage he had do them had fitted the anti rattle springs back to front so they acted like a parting tool on a lathe on the disk.
I’m after something with a higher driving position
why? I have never noticed not being able to see stuff in my regular hatchback.
and a bit slower plus better on fuel
Why? Just press the right hand pedal less, it’ll achieve both of those INSTANTLY.
Gf paid about 1k for discs and pads all round on her A6 auto at Audi recently.
For those raising eyebrows at the prices of sh cars I'd suggest you're a bit out of touch. Wbac offered 17k on my 6 year old GTi.
I dislike SUVs because they don't offer any appreciable increase in space against their equivalents and are dynamically flawed not because of their effect on baby robins but I understand they are very popular. Inexplicable to me but I'm prepared to accept tastes do differ. 🤣
" I’ll be going to the local indy garage and speccing Brembos or similar."
I thought I'd save a few quid and spec Brembos on my outback. Discs would warp and judder long before the pads were shot... It turned out the pad area on the Brembo pads was only about 2/3 that of the genuine Subaru pads, causing things to get a bit hotter than they should be, and necessitate early replacement of discs and pads.
A very false economy!
My BIL just got fleased for £500 for discs and pads on a 23k mile Kuga - another that's not been used much in two years. He can't do stuff to cars at all, other than pop fuel in. TBH, the brakes needed a good half hour heavy breaking round the local industrial estate to clear them up....
Just put a set of front pads and discs on an Aygo - £38.. hah hah hah...
I’m after something with a higher driving position
why? I have never noticed not being able to see stuff in my regular hatchback.
Dunno about the Tiguan, but from the drivers cab in my Transit , you get to see a lot more than you do in a car, be it scenery , or further up the road than the car in front. Means you can anticipate for stuff the person in the car in front can’t see
Until everyone is sitting in their high chairs...
Much prefer the slightly higher position of mid sized SUVs and economy wise they seem, here in our useage at least to be pretty similar. We have a 71 plate 1.3 petrol Corsa (son’s car) a 21 Q2 with the 1.0l 3cyl turbo petrol and a 2020 Q5 with the 190 tdi. They all do about 45-50 mpg on a typical monthly journey pattern of work and leisure. The Q2 is the most fun to drive..
I much prefer sitting higher up in my Berlingo than in a hatchback.
If its DSG, avoid it. Or test drive it cold first thing in the morning and see if it judders in reverse or 1st to 2nd
Would rather have a DSG than taking a chance on a manual where previous owner may have rode the clutch and wore it out. DSG is reliable as long as the oil is changed at correct intervals if you have a wet clutch type.
The dry style is a sealed unit and suffers from premature clutch wear. Mine went at 14k miles and no one was willing to replace the clutch pack.
Yes, early DQ250 gearboxs were prone to this but this was sorted out with software updates and they are pretty solid now. Surprised at no one wanting to replace the clutch, it's not any more difficult than doing one on a manual car.
Tbh, I’d say if you’re spending that much, you want the car to be right.
Right colour, right spec, right condition.
Miles, age matter less than condition.
Fwiw, i paid £400 for 4 discs and pads (oe spec) on a Subaru Forester, that was fully fitted, from a local indie garage.
I’m after something with a higher driving position
why? I have never noticed not being able to see stuff in my regular hatchback.
Speaking as someone who’s driving an EcoSport, having previously owned an Octavia for fifteen years, and has had the opportunity to drive hundreds of cars over the last five years, I also find the slightly higher driving position far more comfortable to get in and out of, as well as offering a bit better view all around.
I’ve noticed a tendency for some people in certain saloons and hatchbacks to have the seats set really low, whenever I’ve got in to drive them I can barely see over the top of the steering wheel! BMW’s in particular seem to be very prone to this. My late g/f absolutely hated being a passenger in the Octavia, she would only travel in the back, and would have panic attacks on occasion, but she was much happier and calmer in the Ford, by virtue of being a bit higher and having a better view out.
I dislike SUVs because they don’t offer any appreciable increase in space against their equivalents and are dynamically flawed not because of their effect on baby robins but I understand they are very popular. Inexplicable to me but I’m prepared to accept tastes do differ. 🤣
By ‘dynamically flawed’, do you mean you can’t hoon it around country lanes and ‘make progress’?
Their popularity isn’t inexplicable to me, but then I’m prepared to bet that I’ve driven a greater variety of cars than you have, and have a wider experience of driving dynamics. I can make just as much ‘progress’ in my Ford as I ever could in the Octavia, but I drive within the limits of what I’m capable of, and what weather and road conditions allow.
Certainly the Octavia had a bigger boot, but I no longer have a need for a car with that carrying capacity, which is mostly the case with those who choose to buy SUV’s and crossovers.
Then there are cars like the Porsche Macan and Cayenne, and the Alfa Romeo Stelvio, if you really want to debate the driving dynamics of SUV’s…
It turned out the pad area on the Brembo pads was only about 2/3 that of the genuine Subaru pads
Pretty sure Subaru don't make brake pads. You just need third party components of good quality and the correct size. It could be that the supplier is claiming the pads fit that particular model but they don't really fit properly.
I bought Sachs shock absorbers for the Passat because apparently Sachs make the OEM VW ones. They fit, of course, and are very nice but much firmer than the original ones. I even double checked the Sachs catalogue for my exact spec of car and the vendor had supplied then correct ones. Seems that Sachsbhad a different idea to VW about how a Passat should ride.
Can’t wait till I’m in my 60’s to get an suv type vehicle. Easier access due to mobility 😉