Second Hand Sense:WHEN PEOPLE learn you write about cars, there are usually two predictable questions: which is your favourite, and what do you drive yourself? The current answer to the first is the new Mini, because of the sheer fun it provides, and the answer to the second is one that often surprises - a Skoda Octavia.
Then you have to explain the overall logic for buying an Octavia. If you want a family car that has all the attributes usually associated with Volkswagen, is strongly built and very reliable, is spacious and has a great boot and - most importantly - represents great value for money, then it is very difficult indeed to better the Octavia.
It is, frankly, not a car that offers any wow factor whatsoever, but its design is fit for purpose, as they say. What I like most about it, apart from its solidity, is its interior space and practicality. The Octavia, in short, is one of the most cleverly thought out and built cars of its time.
The car comes with a choice of engines, from a 1.4-litre petrol (whose 80 horse power really reduces it to a basic Golf option) to a 1.6-litre petrol (the better petrol option with 115 horse power) and the 1.9-litre diesel with 105 horse power (my own choice). There are other options but these are best.
The interior is, perhaps, the most disappointing aspect of the car. There is a lot of grey and drab plastic, but you have to remember the Octavia's price base.
The Octavia has a four star - out of a possible five - rating in the Euro NCAP crash tests and has a very strong body. There have been recalls for problems with fuel pump covers and airbag wiring problems, in 2004-2005, but no major ones since then. Around town, the 1.4-litre is fine but the 1.6-litre is, overall, a better choice because of the car's size. If you do high mileage, the 1.9-litre TDi is a great option.
A 2005 Elegance model with 1.6-litre engine, 90,000km on the clock, alloys, multiple airbags, air conditioning, ABS, stability control and all electrics is on offer for €9,750. A 2006 diesel with 56,000km up is on offer for €17,950, but I also came across a 2007 diesel with just 34,000km for €15,500 - surely a sign of the times.
STAR RATING: 6/10