Skoda Octavia Estate - Cheap, reliable car

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
View Threaded
Sun 30 Aug 2015 14:28
Skoda Octavia Estate - Cheap, reliable car - Evan
Hi all,

I'm planning to buy a used car. I live right in central London and won't need to use it much - maybe once or twice a month, with most of the driving being longer trips outside London. I reckon I'll only do about 3-4k miles per year.

I've been poring over this site and can't make up my mind whether I should get an old banger like a 05 Octavia 1.9 diesel (<£3k) or whether I should get a 3-4 year old Hyundai i30 still under warranty (about £7k).

My main criterion is reliability.

Followed by:
- cost
- space
- economy
- not too sluggish

I'll probably only keep the car for 2-3 years.

Any suggestions would be most welcome. I have very little experience with cars and no real interest in them. I'd just keep getting hire cars (there are loads within walking distance) but I'm sick of the hassle.

Thank you in advance. I appreciate that my logic may be confusing.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 30 Aug 2015 15:03
Skoda Octavia Estate - Cheap, reliable car - dan86

Have you thought about joining a car club like zip car there will be loads of cars near you if you're in central London and hat way you only pay for it when u use it you won't need to insure tax or mot the car?

Edited by dan86 on 30/08/2015 at 15:04

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 30 Aug 2015 17:33
Skoda Octavia Estate - Cheap, reliable car - Avant

In your position I'd go for a petrol-powered Toyota Auris of an age to suit your budget. If you need more space, go for a Toyota Avensis. A Mazda 3 or 6 is a poaaibiity, but there will be more Toyotas to choose from.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 30 Aug 2015 18:46
Skoda Octavia Estate - Cheap, reliable car - Big John

With your mileage don't buy a later diesel with a DPF - saying that the Octavia 1.9 pd won't have one.

If getting a newer car buy a petrol!

Edited by Big John on 30/08/2015 at 18:49

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 30 Aug 2015 19:50
Skoda Octavia Estate - Cheap, reliable car - Andrew-T

I've no experience of London, but if you own a car you will need a space to keep it, which may cost. With the frequency of use you describe, hiring or sharing may solve several problems.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 31 Aug 2015 07:37
Skoda Octavia Estate - Cheap, reliable car - daveyK_UK
You should get a new shape 63 plate Nissan Note for 7 grand
Reply | Report as offensive | Link