Faults:

Cambelt, water pump, ABS, wheel bearings, exhaust and suspension components, etc.

Alternator.

Door handles feel very worn.

Various fuses and relays failed.

General Comments:

Octavia S - the most basic model you can get. Very dull looking with wheel trims. Mine is silver.

Inside pretty dull also, grey plastic everywhere. It is all functional though, and the seats are comfortable, and visibility is good.

Ride is smooth and quiet. 1.9 TDi is probably the best engine, decent performance and good economy (I regularly get over 50 mpg).

Nothing to get excited about, but it is just a good workhorse of a car, no wonder they are popular as taxis, it wears high mileage well.

Faults:

Spent a lot on preventative maintenance - cam-belt and oil changes by the book. The car was looked after.

Suspension caused the biggest expensive at MOT time, usually something to fix; I blame the poor condition of our UK roads. Definitely hard on the suspension.

Alternator sounded noisy but did not stop working, probably on its way out.

Electric windows a bit slow to move, but nothing else failed.

General Comments:

The Octavia of this generation is a very functional car. That is, boring, but reliable enough if you look after it.

1.9 TDi is a famously dependable unit, genuine 55 mpg with good reliability. A bit noisy and unrefined however.

Basic "S" model does not have much, but the interior was still comfortable and the seats were OK for longer journeys.

Massive boot/hatch space, easily get plenty of luggage in.

Not terribly exciting to drive, but a solid workhorse. Recently sold and replaced with a slightly more modern Ford Mondeo, a much better car to drive, but just hope it is as reliable as the Octavia was long term.

Faults:

Broken driver's electric window mechanism, 15,000 miles.

General Comments:

Another reliable car from Skoda with build quality on a par or better than VW. Driven carefully, this car is miserly with fuel, yet is a great load lugger. I have loaded it with over 15 cu' of oak boards, and this made no difference to the suspension or performance. At motorway speeds, it is quiet and refined, and the seats are comfortable for long journeys.

There are a few downsides. Firstly the heating and ventilation system is very slow to start up. It takes around ten minutes driving to get really hot air, and this means defrosting/demisting the windscreen is an arduous experience. In general I found that condensation inside the car was difficult to remove; perhaps the whole system just isn't up to dealing with what is a large car in estate form.

The only other problem is the gearing. Part of this is endemic to small engined cars nowadays, and that is a lack of torque at low engine speeds. The Octavia is easy to stall in first and second gear, and city driving is arduous because of this. A lower second gear ratio would help, but much of the problem lies with the small engine with little inertia.

Faults:

Nothing, I hit a fox on a country drive, damage caused to the front bumper and driver's light. Repairs were EXTRAORDINARILY cheap, very impressed.

General Comments:

After looking at Mazda's and a variety of cars, I chose the Octavia 118TSi. Very solid car, loaded with clever features that would normally be on much more expensive cars. It shares the same engine as the Audi A4, and the same 7 speed gearbox.

It has an enormous boot/hatch, good space for my small family.

Fuel economy is great, especially on long drives, and the DSG gearbox is superb. I really don't like autos, and while it changes gear automatically, it does so smoothly, and nearly always seems to find the right gear.

Compared to Japanese or Korean cars, the Skoda's interior feels incredibly solid. I sit in a Mazda or a Ford or Holden, and really notice how flimsy they feel.

Very impressed so far; after hitting a fox, I was forced to replace my front bumper and driving light. It was a test, expecting a horrendous repair bill, I was pleasantly surprised, $420 for a front bumper (original from VW) and an original driving light $120. Those prices are below most Japanese and Korean cars, and the parts are from Europe.