Audi A3 vs Skoda Octavia

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Hi guys. The other half is changing the car and we are looking at two cars in particular.

Audi A3 http://www.carzone.ie/search/Audi/A3/1.9-tdi-/201029198948842/advert?channel=CARS 16,500 EURO- 2008 UK IMPORT

Skoda Octavia http://skoda.olearysgarage.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=201024198465737 15,995 EURO

Have to say the Audi was a lovely car to drive and its a five door which is a big plus. Downside is relatively high mileage for age of the car. I have heard that Audi A3 are poor on reliabilty. Any truth in this?

The Octavia was also nice to drive and has alot more room. I believe they are rock solid in reliability. Anyone have any negatives in this area?. At 17,000 miles the mileage is very low.

Which one would ye be swaying for? Are they both overpriced?

jaffa20

Why not try the Audi A4? Would prefer it over both of the above. I don't care about boot size though so some on here might not agree

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jaffa20 wrote: »

Why not try the Audi A4?

What year would you get for around that price would you say?

jaffa20

Divorce Referendum wrote: »

What year would you get for around that price would you say?

Probably around 07. I'd look into importing one from the UK if it was me though. Better spec.

Zonda999

Beware with the A4 though, it wont feel any roomier inside than the A3 and it will feel smaller than the skoda, you'll be looking at a high mileage 07 for 16k too

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Zonda999 wrote: »

Beware with the A4 though, it wont feel any roomier inside than the A3 and it will feel smaller than the skoda, you'll be looking at a high mileage 07 for 16k too

Ya the A3 was better than i thought quite roomy inside. Would anyone be worried about 60,000 mileage on the audi? My girlfriend will be driving quite alot.

-Corkie-

Divorce Referendum wrote: »

Ya the A3 was better than i thought quite roomy inside. Would anyone be worried about 60,000 mileage on the audi? My girlfriend will be driving quite alot.

Thats a nice A3. I would take it over the octy. They have a good residual value. Pity they never put chrome on the A3 like the rest of them..

bazz26

The A3 and Octavia have the same running gear and engine so I cannot see how one would any more or less reliable than the other.

The Seat Leon might be worth considering too, basically the same car as the A3/Octavia too but prettier:

http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=201009197131624

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bazz26 wrote: »

The A3 and Octavia have the same running gear and engine so I cannot see how one would any more or less reliable than the other.

The Seat Leon might be worth considering too, basically the same car as the A3/Octavia too but prettier:

http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=201009197131624

Ya thats very true that why I was wondering why some think the Audi is unreliable. Had a look in google search and have found some reliability index. Not sure how its calculated though.

http://www.reliabilityindex.com/comparison

john hanrahan

hi ive been driving an audi a3 on holidays at the moment and its an impressive car, great fuel economy i thought it small enough and i'm not tall.

high mileage i'm not so sure especially if ye will be seriously adding to it, there will be 100k before ye know it and not a chance of getting a fraction of your money back.

16k should be able to buy you a great car currently

its never easy

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john hanrahan wrote: »

hi ive been driving an audi a3 on holidays at the moment and its an impressive car, great fuel economy i thought it small enough and i'm not tall.

high mileage i'm not so sure especially if ye will be seriously adding to it, there will be 100k before ye know it and not a chance of getting a fraction of your money back.

16k should be able to buy you a great car currently

its never easy

Ya the mileage is a big concern on the car but I suppose the price reflects it for that model. She does a fair bit of driving, probably 20,000 miles a year.

The Express

That's silly money for an two year old, pre-facelift Ambiente spec Octavia, it really is. Considering a brand new model Ambiente (which now features air con) is only about 20-21k on a straight deal

As for the Audi, I'm sure it's a nice drive and has nicer plastics than the Octi and the 4 rings on the grille might even impress some people. but it too is a fairly basic model by UK spec standards - a 16k Audi with a bit of mileage that doesn't even have a drivers armrest?

If I were you, I'd get my hands on a UK spec '08 Octavia Elegance - which adds a shed load of stuff over the well specced Irish Elegance: larger alloys, rain sensor, parking sensors, 6CD changer, Cruise control, etc.

Which is what I did when I was in a similar position to you earlier this year. I've no regrets about it and, as the car has everything I want, I'll probably keep it for years to come. Cost me 16k at the time.

Also, I'd set my sights further than my home county if I was spending that amount of dosh on a motor again.

Best of luck whatever you do (and be v. careful with any UK imports you look at).

PM me if you want to know an Irish skoda dealer who supplies genuine ex-UK cars.

EPM

That A3 is very basic. Like the Octavia. Nice Stylance spec Leon can be bought for a hell of a lot less. Have you looked at a new model Mondeo? Some bargains there and should prove pretty reliable. Beware of buying high mileage though as modern diesels give trouble around the 80-120k mark it seems...the last thing you want is a big bill in a years time...

tobsey

The Express wrote: »

That's silly money for an two year old, pre-facelift Ambiente spec Octavia, it really is. Considering a brand new model Ambiente (which now features air con) is only about 20-21k on a straight deal

As for the Audi, I'm sure it's a nice drive and has nicer plastics than the Octi and the 4 rings on the grille might even impress some people. but it too is a fairly basic model by UK spec standards - a 16k Audi with a bit of mileage that doesn't even have a drivers armrest?

If I were you, I'd get my hands on a UK spec '08 Octavia Elegance - which adds a shed load of stuff over the well specced Irish Elegance: larger alloys, rain sensor, parking sensors, 6CD changer, Cruise control, etc.

Which is what I did when I was in a similar position to you earlier this year. I've no regrets about it and, as the car has everything I want, I'll probably keep it for years to come. Cost me 16k at the time.

Also, I'd set my sights further than my home county if I was spending that amount of dosh on a motor again.

Best of luck whatever you do (and be v. careful with any UK imports you look at).

PM me if you want to know an Irish skoda dealer who supplies genuine ex-UK cars.

I have to agree with this. This car is in a garage in Enniscorthy as well, advertised at 12K:

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Skoda/Octavia/CLASSIC-/201026198581924/advert?channel=CARS

Or the top of the range estate model in Cork, which is the same price as the one you're looking at:

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Skoda/Octavia/1.8TSI-E/201030199033170/advert?channel=CARS

bazz26

tobsey wrote: »

I have to agree with this. This car is in a garage in Enniscorthy as well, advertised at 12K:

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Skoda/Octavia/CLASSIC-/201026198581924/advert?channel=CARS

Or the top of the range estate model in Cork, which is the same price as the one you're looking at:

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Skoda/Octavia/1.8TSI-E/201030199033170/advert?channel=CARS

The first one is the old shape Octavia Tourer, they were spld along side the new model but are pretty obsolete by today's standards and their safety record would also not be great. If that doesn't bother you then should be worth a look at.

The second one is a very rare L&K model with very high spec, if your doing high mileage though the 1.8t engine might not be the most economical.

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bazz26 wrote: »

The first one is the old shape Octavia Tourer, they were spld along side the new model but are pretty obsolete by today's standards and their safety record would also not be great. If that doesn't bother you then should be worth a look at.

The second one is a very rare L&K model with very high spec, if your doing high mileage though the 1.8t engine might not be the most economical.

Ya as I said earlier she would be doing quite high mileage and we were hoping for diesel. The petrol models do seem a bit cheaper in all makes.

bazz26

Divorce Referendum wrote: »

Ya as I said earlier she would be doing quite high mileage and we were hoping for diesel. The petrol models do seem a bit cheaper in all makes.

It's a trade off really, the savings in buying the cheaper petrol model can be wiped out at the pump if you are doing enough miles. So make sure to do the maths before buying.

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Hi guys just an update. We went for this octavia today http://www.johnmulhollandmotors.com/northern-ireland/used-cars/skoda/1239/octavia-2009-diesel

Including the vrt the car will cost 16,200. Seems a decent enough saving on republic price so we are very happy. Thanks for all your advice.

cooltown

That's sad!
You went for bland and boring.:mad:
Hope you enjoy it it's a good solid family car.
It's just not to my taste!

jaffa20

Divorce Referendum wrote: »

Hi guys just an update. We went for this octavia today http://www.johnmulhollandmotors.com/northern-ireland/used-cars/skoda/1239/octavia-2009-diesel

Including the vrt the car will cost 16,200. Seems a decent enough saving on republic price so we are very happy. Thanks for all your advice.

Thanks for the update (hate it when nobody updates). Octavia wouldn't be to my taste but many on here would disagree with the booty it has on it!

Enjoy the new motor:D

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cooltown wrote: »

That's sad!
You went for bland and boring!:mad:

We wanted low mileage(25,000 miles a year will be put on this) diesel obviously and reliable. Would any other car suit the bill?

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jaffa20 wrote: »

Thanks for the update (hate it when nobody updates). Octavia wouldn't be to my taste but many on here would disagree with the booty it has on it!

Enjoy the new motor:D

Cheers mate. Its a nice car for the money really. Drove it down from Antrim today and is very comfortable. So hopefully the boardsies favourite car lives up to its bill over the next few years.

cooltown

Divorce Referendum wrote: »

We wanted low mileage(25,000 miles a year will be put on this) diesel obviously and reliable. Would any other car suit the bill?

It's just me I can't stand them. If I was you I would have went for a focus!

johnos1984

cooltown wrote: »

That's sad!
You went for bland and boring.

cooltown wrote: »

If I was you I would have went for a focus!

:rolleyes:

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cooltown wrote: »

It's just me I can't stand them. If I was you I would have went for a focus!

Well I own a focus ha ha. The octavia is for the girlfriend and her job really;). The focus is a good car dont get me wrong but Im hardly excited by it lol, unless it happened to morph into an rs overnight. Very similar cars to be honest. Both drove well, solid on the road. The spec is actually a little better on the octy, pretty nifty radio too. New model focus is out in January also so its a bad time to be buying the mk2.

cooltown

Mk 3 Focus!

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The back brake lights on it are a bit mental. The econetic engines sound good though. Will probably the most appealing aspect of them.

cooltown

Divorce Referendum wrote: »

The back brake lights on it are a bit mental. The econetic engines sound good though. Will probably the most appealing aspect of them.

We agree on something!:D