Faults:

Mostly just wear and tear parts replaced over the years, the car has been pretty reliable.

General Comments:

An Octavia with a petrol engine is something of a rarity as most are diesel. Still, I have found this 1.4 petrol economical at around 38 MPG. Performance is average, but what can you expect from a 1.4 in a heavy car.

Inside is very dull, this is a basic model. But it is comfortable and quiet, smooth on motorways. Controls laid out well. The car is actually nice to drive, good steering and the ride smooths out bumps in the road well.

My car is red with wheel trims, not bad looking, but I would have liked alloy wheels as most other models get.

Boot/hatch space is huge, always get luggage in no problems.

Getting on a bit at 15 years old, but I am keeping this one, it has never let me down, I look after it very well (all services).

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.