So my lease car ends soon and I’m in the market for a new car. I’d rather not have a monthly outgoing for a lease again and have £15k I can spend. I only commute 1 day a week (30 mile round trip)

I’d like something I can carry my bike easily in. I considered a Transporter, as I love the idea of a camper one day but realise I don’t have the budget.

So now I’m looking at Octavia VRS Estate, similar to this

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202205256092082

Is there anything better to consider at £15k?

That’s a lovely looking car, but for the mileage you speak of you’d probably be better off getting the petrol version; more for your moolah and less baby robins faces will die as an added benefit.

Probably not, Octavia’s are great cars and generally reliable. I’ve had two now both for 5 years + and both north of 100k miles.

I’d second getting a petrol one & possibly a manual if you can find one (personal preference really but also suspicious of more complex dsg box)

I would say that car looks pricey. I know prices have increased but I paid a main dealer £14k for a 2014 vrs with 30k in 2017. So for a similar car with twice the mileage and at 7 years old to be the same price feels expensive.

if bike carrying ease is the #1 priority I’d be looking at something bigger than an octavia. You can thread a long bike in with the wheels on, but its a bit of a pita. Something taller won’t look or drive as nicely, but will do the bike part better. Gran tourneo connect/alhambra/galaxy/berlingo.

For that mileage have you considered a bicycle?

But on a more useful note £15k will get you a very nice van and leave enough cash to convert it to a bike-carrying camper

If it was my money: £10k on a nice SWB Vivaro and 5k to convert it into a camper with garage for 2 bikes

Any links to these nice Vivaros for £10K?

Gran tourneo connect/alhambra/galaxy/berlingo

+1

Petrol + More tyre sidewall

Superb estate. That kind of size. Just makes putting in / taking out bikes a more comfortable experience, roomier in the front for getting changed etc

But on a more useful note £15k will get you a very nice van and leave enough cash to convert it to a bike-carrying camper

it won’t

£10k on a nice SWB Vivaro and 5k to convert it into a camper with garage for 2 bikes

£5k on anything and £10k to spend on bikes…

FTFY 😉

I’d be tempted by a van but the prices seem crazy.

I know my mileage is low but it will be mostly used for bike trips most weekends, so will still be doing plenty of miles with bikes in. That’s why I was considering a diesel? Also thoughts on DSG vs manual? For relatability?

Any links to these nice Vivaros for £10K?

I looked at one for £9000 on Saturday…. nice… Mmmmm that’s an optimistic statement.

It was OK… but DAMN the clutch was heavy and it’s VERY VERY van… it’s so van it’s, well, a van !

In the spirit of recommending what you own…

SMax.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/325242976614?hash=item4bb9fdf966:g:CJEAAOSwy2xitpZC

or

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202202042153089

In more spirit of recommending what you own…

Caddy Maxi.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/579849180015453

a bit red on the inside, but was tempting for a bit.

Berlingo, Petrol.

Any links to these nice Vivaros for £10K?

Here’s 2 I found in about 40 seconds of looking

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/2150603701786160/?ref=search&referral_code=null&referral_story_type=post&tracking=browse_serp%3A162e564e-8067-40f2-a3a1-de053b996802

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/549933543280897/?ref=search&referral_code=null&referral_story_type=post&tracking=browse_serp%3A162e564e-8067-40f2-a3a1-de053b996802

Less than £15k gets you a really nice japanese import MPV – they do these boxy sliding door things really well. Tend to be auto and petrol but not a big deal if you don’t do big miles – go for 2007 onwards and it’s compliant for ULEZ and other clean air zones that a £15k diesel van may not be.

I spent less than half that on a Honda Stepwgn. Carries bikes, camping stuff, tip runs, etc with ease and it’s as reliable as you’d expect a petrol Honda to be.

@simon_g how are you finding the ground clearance? Any issues in car parks at rough forests?

Caddy maxi kombi…

Haven’t had a problem. We camped at Mendip Basecamp in the summer of covid and that had a really rough track up to the camping field, made it up with no scraping.

As above Caddy Maxilife or Berlingo Multispace – I’m clacking around in an old Peugeot Partner (Berlingo) Multispace and it’s great as a utility mobile for bike hauling/tip runs/doggo walking/car camping etc

Based on commercial vehicles they are cheap to run as parts are cheap to tempt fleet users.

£15k would get you the newest shape Blingo/Partner

Don’t buy a T5 to convert into a camper. The novelty of not being in a tent is nice at the start but we found that after 7 years and with growing kids, it was just too cramped so I’ve torn the camper interior out of ours, fitted a second row of seats, carpet lined it all and fitted a split charge system and made it infinitely more usable.

We have the T5 and a C-Class estate. Obviously far more of a ball ache to put a bike inside any estate vs rolling a bike into a van to the point where we’ve said we’ll always have a van of some form now. Bikes, fishing gear, loading it up for holidays etc – just so easy.

Don’t buy a T5 to convert into a camper. The novelty of not being in a tent is nice at the start but we found that after 7 years and with growing kids, it was just too cramped

What a weird statement to make! So you have too many kids for a small camper so no one else is allowed one?

Whatever estate floats your boat then get a towbar fitted for a rack. Have tried every possible combo (vans, pickups, cars, roof bars, tow bars etc) and for me it’s by far the best compromise.

Bike can still go inside if it really has to but 99% of the time its on the rack keeping mud and filth outside. Your also not stuck driving around in a van the rest of the time which I never really got on with though the kids loved.

Would look at the petrol vRS over the diesel, one linked above looks expensive to me.

For that mileage I’d be getting an older estate for 3-4k and trousering the rest

But then I’m pretty tight

Wbac offered 17k for my 14 plate golf GTi recently. Less than half the miles of the estate posted by the op but a bit less practical. Offered over 19k for my partner’s 18 plate auto A6 estate with average mileage. Vehicles are not cheap at the moment.

As an owner of an Octavia VRS of a similar vintage to that I’d comment on that one you linked to specifically;

– Diesel – meh, get the petrol. The diesel shouldn’t be labelled a VRS in my humble opinion.
– DSG – I love mine, but that’s in the petrol. I don’t know how well it matches the diesel engine. My car (64 plate) is on 110k now and the DSG hasn’t put a foot wrong.
– That one has the most basic infotainment system. Nothing wrong with it, but be aware it doesn’t have, and you can’t add, Apple Carplay or Android Auto due to the screen size. If there’s one thing I wish my car had it would be Carplay (followed by adaptive cruise control).
– All the things it lists as extra features I’m pretty sure were standard on a 2015 VRS. So although it says ‘well spec’ed’ I don’t think a anything has been spec’ed up from standard.
– Pretty certain those are the 19″ wheels, even though it says 18″. People say they are a lot harsher than the 18″. So actually that is one spec upgrade from standard.
– 5 owners seems a lot in 7 years.
– It’s the correct colour 😉

Thanks everyone, I’d definitely swinging more towards the Octavia. I know a few have mentioned it seems expensive, any links to better priced ones?

Also for the Octavia experts, how would I know if it supports CarPlay? Is there something to look out for if the listing doesn’t mention it?

Older Octavias are great but the drivers seat area isn’t that big if you’re over 6ft. The Superb is a much better option is you’re tall.

I used to have a 2013 estate but my 2010 Mondeo is a much more comfortable place to be (long legs)

I saw a titanium spec Mondeo 2.0tdi last week on a facebook for £12999 inc vat. 60k miles. Same dealer had a Transit Connect same age as Mondeo, 80k for £13999 plus vat. Worlds gone mad!

Similar budget and I’ve just brought a 3 year old Skoda Karoq. It’s a petrol model and the fuel economy seems as good if not better than my last diesel car.

Front wheel off and the bike will go in the boot so I can still use the back seats or back seats down and it will go in without taking the wheel off.

Apple site says only Octavias from 2016 onwards supported car play
https://www.apple.com/ios/carplay/available-models/

Also for the Octavia experts, how would I know if it supports CarPlay? Is there something to look out for if the listing doesn’t mention it?

The answers will be in here somewhere;
https://www.briskoda.net/forums/forum/28-skoda-octavia-mk-ii-2004-2013/

I think you need an “MIB2” class unit, but you’d need to check what model names that corresponds to. It’s all pretty complicated as the you need both the screen and the main unit (in the glove box) to be compatible. I looked into having it retro fitted and it would have involved getting both the specific screen and main unit second hand, sending them to a dude in Poland to have them security re-coded and then having them installed. Lots of risks on expensive used parts that may not prove to be the exact one you need (and/or working), plus around a grand of hard earned.

Older Octavias are great but the drivers seat area isn’t that big if you’re over 6ft. The Superb is a much better option is you’re tall.”

I’m 6’2″ and the VRS sport seats are great (not sure if those are the seats you are referring to or not).

Thanks! More complicated than I thought. I’m only short 5’10” so hopefully I’ll be fine.

Just need to find the right one now.

I enjoy driving my VW Caddy so much I sold my commuter at the time a Fiesta ST 😂

Definitely think van if you’re only using it one day a week, on my 3rd van with several cars in between including a couple of VRS. The van is infinitely more practical and you can hop in the back to get changed if it’s pissing down. If you decide on the VRS, go petrol DSG, so much nicer than the manual oil burner.

Finance the rest

Only one commute a week and your priority is bike transport? Definitely get a van!

Proper campers are going to kill the storage space but something like stitches and steel, van furniture, etc. do beds and storage leave space for bikes and don’t cost a fortune.

Vans also have the security of not being able to see inside unlike those horrid half car van things

craig24
Free Member
Thanks everyone, I’d definitely swinging more towards the Octavia. I know a few have mentioned it seems expensive, any links to better priced ones?

Also for the Octavia experts, how would I know if it supports CarPlay? Is there something to look out for if the listing doesn’t mention it?

Was the Octavia facelifted at all? The Leon was facelifted around late 67/early 17 plate & the newer car came with Android Auto/Apple Carplay. I specifically wanted phone connectivity.

I ended up getting a Leon estate – 18 plate that I bought in mid-2020 for £12k with 28k miles on, so a bit shocked to see the price of that Octavia given it’s age & mileage. I suppose the fact it’s a vRS & DSG will bump the price a bit – mine is the 150 diesel FR, rather than the 180 in the vRS.

Leons with phone connectivity are easy to spot as they have electronic handbrake, the display is bigger than pre-facelift & it only has 2 physical control buttons (and vol button) rather that loads of buttons around the screen. There’s a few small bodywork changes as well. I think the facelift has LED headlights as standard too.

EDIT -I found a few on autotrader but the links didn’t work so I took them out. Might be worth a look.