8th Jun 2001, 05:26

Another thing lest people forget is that Continental cars nowadays have caught up with Japanese reliability. Don't believe me? Go find out from the JD Power survey and you will be surprised. This surveys owner's satisfaction of the product. Period.

But have the common Japanese cars caught up with the Continental X-factor?

29th Jun 2001, 16:41

Hi.

I never understood this oil change/service interval figure. With all the cars I have driven, I have never seen any difference with when to change the oil because of what the manufacturer says. I check the level and the condition of the oil myself and decide when it needs changing. This has always been consistent with every car I have had with driving style and quality of oil rather than the manufacturer's specification.

Regular oil changes may mean more cost, but they also give the car much better fuel economy, so pay for themselves in the end.

Regards the complaints about the Skoda's second gear - surely this should apply to the VW Golf/Bora and Seat Toledo/Leon, since they have the same running gear?

21st Jul 2001, 06:10

How do you drive 300km on a full tank and have the pointer only go down to the 3/4 mark. I am very interested pls answer!!

21st Jul 2001, 06:23

I am going to buy a car soon. I am deciding between the Skoda Ambiente 1.6/M and the Mazda 1.6/M. I like the design of both cars but I like the power the Skoda offers a lot more. I also like the features and the smoothness of the Skoda.

The problem is that the Skoda is $10,000 more and the service centre is all the way in TUAS!! I live in the east. It takes too long for me to go to Tuas. Also they sold no cars for the month of June. I'm scared they will buckle up and leave because of low sales and I will be left in the lurch. There is also a very low OM value for the Skoda. Another issue is that I have to pay $100 for a new key and they only give 2 keys. I will have to fork out $100 for spare keys and new keys for each member of my family. The key of the Mazda is only $3 and cheaper at the local locksmith. I like the safety features, but am not willing to pay $100 for a new key.

Please inform me how I can convince my Dad to buy the Skoda. I love it and want to drive when I get my license next year.

26th Jul 2001, 06:58

About the 3/4 tank rule, there is no hanky-panky going on. It is all legal and I fear not being stopped at the checkpoint. No such thing as tampering or installing secret switches for my car. NO WAY. I won't risk the new car being impounded! The trick is to fully fill your tank to the brim. Get it? Really to the BRIM! I get some petrol overflowing sometimes. If you drive the Octavia I can give you some tips, like venting off the vapour in the tank just to squeeze in a little bit more petrol. But do you? Otherwise what I describe you will not understand. Also, my tyres are slightly overinflated...

26th Jul 2001, 07:01

If the fact that the key costs $100 is holding you back, well here is some good news. It only costs $60 (anyway, that was how much I paid for it). Now go get one!

26th Jul 2001, 07:04

About the 3/4 tank... I forgot to mention that the tank is HUGE! I've driven 800kms on a single tank of petrol. With the aircon 'on' of course. Howzat?

30th Nov 2001, 18:03

I have owned a Seat Toledo for just over two years and have done 52.000 miles in it. The car has been completely reliable, never even the slightest rattle. I am not gloating. Buying a car is always a gamble. I know that the Skoda Octavia is also an excellent car. I also owned various Volkswagens in the past and I was lucky.

Long live all V.W. products!

13th Jan 2002, 07:23

I am thinking of getting a Black Skoda Octavia Ambiente (M). I wonder whether there is a need to apply a coat of V-Kool or similar to keep the car cool. The car agent claimed that the glass provides some filtering but I am skeptical. Any advise?

26th Jul 2002, 10:31

Comparing the Toledo 1.6A and Octavia 1.6A Ambiente. The Toledo has more luxury features, vanity mirror with lights for passenger and driver. Individual reading lights above each of the rear doors. Cruise control. Roller blind. If you opt for the original radio/cassette & CD changer, I was told that the rear seat has an ear-phone outlet that allows a passenger using ear-phone to listen to cassette while other occupants listen to radio or CD. Finally, I felt Toledo offers a quieter ride than the Octavia.

However, the Octavia has more room than the Toledo, especially rear leg room. Octavia being a hatch the boot is more accessible. Toledo's boot lid is rather short and this makes accessing the inner boot difficult unless you have long arms. Getting in and out of the Octavia for rear seat passengers is easier. Centre arm rest of the rear seat in the Toledo is hard. This makes for an uncomfortable hard back rest for the passenger sitting in the centre.

27th Jul 2002, 15:24

I test drove a Skoda Octavia, it was an excellent car. I own a Seat Toledo TDiSE, it is a superb car. 63,000 miles and always totally reliable. Not even the slightest rattle, squeak or vibration. I carry a full-sized cello in a large hard case and a lot of other bags in the boot. The Toledo boot is a lot larger than the Bora boot. The Toledo looks particularly good in dark "Indigo" blue. I have lovely comfortable seats in mine and a 6 CD autochanger with eight speakers etc etc. My friends, relatives and family love travelling in it.

11th Feb 2003, 00:53

Well, I've finally found the discussion group I've been looking for. Reviews and comments on the SKODA OCTAVIA are really hard to come by. Well I've just made an order for a 1.6M Ambiente and am really looking forward to it. I've always believed that the Skoda is a great automobile and that value is you get is just unbeatable. I can't imagine wasting another $30,000/- on a Bora. I don't see the point and I don't need the snob factor. Well anyways, would love to find any common problems the car has posed and whether it has left any one of you stranded anywhere. Also, I'm really interested to known about the large tank the Octavia has. Would really love to save on petrol. When you say 3/4, do you mean 3/4 or just under? And when you say 800km, are you including the reserve tank? Appreciate your comments.