Octavia vRS, what to look out for?

[nlm13]

Hi there,

I am looking to replace my runabout as it isn't going to pass any more MOT's due to rust etc. I've seen a nice looking Octavia vRS estate nearby, but was wondering what to look for on these as no prior knowledge of this model.

The car is a 54 plate 1.8T petrol with 100k miles, full skoda service history, and looks in good order, a few small scrapes but nothing too bad.

So the my question is how reliable are these? I'm going to try and arrange a test drive on Friday, is there any thing I should be looking for other than the usual?

Any help appreciated.

[anonymous-user]

Solid cars, just look for the usual

[Witchfinder]

nlm13 said:

The car is a 54 plate 1.8T petrol with 100k miles, full skoda service history, and looks in good order, a few small scrapes but nothing too bad.

The Mk 1 vRS is generally good. The ubiquitous VAG 1.8 Turbo is a strong engine, and is good for 225 BHP with a simple remap. I had a 52 plate hatch for a couple of years (you can see the blog in my profile). I had a couple of issues with it, but nothing too serious. Replaced the dump valve with a Hyperboost dump valve as the plastic ones are prone to failure.

What they're like at 10+ years old, I'm not sure however. The seats are likely to be ratty in a car that age, as the white fabric was prone to fraying and picks up dirt really easily. Mine were beginning to show wear even at two years old.

There's a really good community over at briskoda.net - highly recommended.

[matchmaker]

One thing to look out for on the 1.8T is a blocked oil strainer. Common problem but cheap to fix.