Skoda, my experience

Life Cars & Motorcycles
1

Well they have new dealers and new models in Taipei now, but these past few weeks i havent been too pleased.

Basically i visited the branch in jung-he about 2 weeks ago and was shocked by the price point for their octavia VRS estate, they wanted the same money (1.38million) for this car as the golf GTI (1.38million).
If you know the VRS in other countrys, it undercuts the GTI by significant margin, it should be 1.1million or under.
But no, thats their price for the 1.8tsi, which has only 2 airbags, base spec interior and 15’’ wheels… oh how i laughed, or rather got pissed off and sent a complaint direct to Skoda!.

I got an email back from Brain liu (hmm i sent it to skoda but they sent it to taiwan… great) who is the deputy general manager (sounds like the office, you know assistant to the general manager :roflmao: ) for Skoda Taiwan.
He wanted to reassure me of… well nothing really, just a bunch of BS really about how its an emerging brand in Taiwan. (FYI i couldnt care, i just want to buy a car!).

So i replied asking if they can give me info on when the yeti or fabia VRS is coming.
He replied back saying some point this year… great, i’ll hold out for that!.
So i pressed for more concrete info like what specs of yetis, colours, prices and perhaps a more definate date.
I didnt get a reply for over 4 days, so i resent the email worded more simply and he replied back rather rudely stating they cant discuss unreleased models at this time!.

Hang on a minute, unreleased models?.
My older brother is whizzing about in a yeti as i type (in the uk), its not like these cars are shrouded in mystery!.
All i wanted was price and when they will be here, i did explain to him that im buying a car right now and i am willing to wait 2 or so months if the right car is coming.

Seems like they dont want my business and the way i got that reply and judging by the crazy prices they put up for the octavias, im probably wasting my time :frowning:

Lets place some bets shall we!

I guess the skoda yeti 1.2 dsg will be priced at 900,000nt and the fabia VRS (if it comes out) will be 1.1milion.
May not sound like a lot of money to you but in the uk these cars are priced at 700,000ish each.

oh just found out these skoda importers also import VW… i feel maybe they are not wanting to compete with themselves and just brought in skoda to save themselves having a undercuting competitor?! :ponder:

2

You do realize that “skoda yeti” was the bad guy in The Usual Suspects right? Who makes up these names, Moldovan sixth graders reading Where the Wild Things Are in the original Klingon?

3

no that was keyser soze (spelling) :wink:

4

that was the point

I thought Skoda was a BMW company now. Doesn’t that immediately trigger a price increase of 50%, like the MIni? A VW doesnt get the same price raping unless it has four rings on the grill

5

Skoda is part of the VW empire which includes Audi, Lamborghini, Porsche , Bentley. Seat … what else … lemmee think.

6

Bugatti and Scania (trucks and busses) to 49,29%, Porsche just to 49,9%, Audi to 99,95%, MAN t0 about 29%, Suzuki to about 20%…

7

[quote=“smellybumlove”]Well they have new dealers and new models in Taipei now, but these past few weeks i havent been too pleased.

Basically i visited the branch in jung-he about 2 weeks ago and was shocked by the price point for their octavia VRS estate, they wanted the same money (1.38million) for this car as the golf GTI (1.38million).
If you know the VRS in other countrys, it undercuts the GTI by significant margin, it should be 1.1million or under.
But no, thats their price for the 1.8tsi, which has only 2 airbags, base spec interior and 15’’ wheels… oh how i laughed, or rather got pissed off and sent a complaint direct to Skoda!.[/quote]

The Octavia Combi 2.0 TDI RS, I can get a deal for 1,320,000NT if you want one.

The 1.8 tsi I can get for 1,080,000NT I think, but I haven’t spoken to Skoda for around three months, so I don’t know if my “special” prices have changed.

Give me a shout if you need any help.

U.K. Prices:
Golf 5 door GTI: £24,835 =1,207,000NT
Skoda Octavia 2.0 TDI vRS: £20,795 = 1,011,000NT

Taiwan List prices:

Golf GTI: 1,388,000NT
Skoda Octavia Combi 2.0 TDI RS: 1,410,000

8

Yep so theres a fair mark up on the VRS!.
I was really itching for the petrol VRS combi, but its gonna be too much i think.

Oh and the 1 million price i was offered too for the 1.8, but once we got to the numbers it turned out they were just giving 150,000nt of stuff for free and the price was still well over 1.1 million!.

Wanna know what the free stuff was?.

4 extra airbags for a total of 6 (standard anyway surely?)
16’’ wheels… oh wow.

Somehow those 2 extras are worth 150k!.
Somebody needs to sort out skoda and remind them its a value brand not a luxury one.

Oh i saw you on the number 3 highway yesterday going north… well i think it was you, you took the junction before sindian.

9

They dont even sell Skoda in the USA. The A3 TDi is not being discounted currently and you have to order to get one just about, and its bout 35,000 USD for Premium Plus with Moonroof and Stronic (only choice). Includes leather (only option) , bluetooth, xenon headlights and the LED front lights. Tail lights are all LED for all Audi models now. And all Audi include 2 front airbags (federal mandate) and two side airbags in the front seats and side curtain airbags.

With import tax at 50 pct (ex factory stated price), I wonder how much that would be in Taiwan?

Id love to have one, they are awesome , drive like regular A3 2.0T and get 40mpg on the freeway, 30mpg in town. And the US govt was (last year) giving you 1500 dollars credit for your income tax . So that means taking 4500 or so of our income the year before as tax free.

10

[quote=“smellybumlove”]Yep so theres a fair mark up on the VRS!.
I was really itching for the petrol VRS combi, but its gonna be too much i think.

Oh and the 1 million price I was offered too for the 1.8, but once we got to the numbers it turned out they were just giving 150,000nt of stuff for free and the price was still well over 1.1 million!.

Wanna know what the free stuff was?.

4 extra airbags for a total of 6 (standard anyway surely?)
16’’ wheels… oh wow.

Somehow those 2 extras are worth 150k!.
Somebody needs to sort out skoda and remind them its a value brand not a luxury one.

Oh I saw you on the number 3 highway yesterday going north… well I think it was you, you took the junction before sindian.[/quote]

Me? I was sweating my arse of yesterday, running around town with everyone wanting cars for the summer, but I don’t recall being on number 3. My car’s quite obvious as it has an actaiwan sticker on the rear glass.

11

[quote=“tommy525”]They dont even sell Skoda in the USA. The A3 TDi is not being discounted currently and you have to order to get one just about, and its bout 35,000 USD for Premium Plus with Moonroof and Stronic (only choice). Includes leather (only option) , bluetooth, xenon headlights and the LED front lights. Tail lights are all LED for all Audi models now. And all Audi include 2 front airbags (federal mandate) and two side airbags in the front seats and side curtain airbags.

With import tax at 50 pct (ex factory stated price), I wonder how much that would be in Taiwan?

Id love to have one, they are awesome , drive like regular A3 2.0T and get 40mpg on the freeway, 30mpg in town. And the US govt was (last year) giving you 1500 dollars credit for your income tax . So that means taking 4500 or so of our income the year before as tax free.[/quote]

Being from the uk (land of diesels) i can assure you even the top spec diesels arent as good as the petrols!.
They have a narrow power range and arent much fun to drive.

35,000 = just over a million

In taiwan that audi is 1.7 mill.
No high spec either.

12

[quote=“smellybumlove”]Being from the uk (land of diesels) i can assure you even the top spec diesels arent as good as the petrols!.
They have a narrow power range and arent much fun to drive.[/quote]

I’m not so sure about that. I recently tested the Skoda Superb and it was exactly as its badge described. The ride was just right for Taiwan roads, the engine gave lots of torque, and coupled with the high shift speed of the five speed gearbox, it was almost seamless. I actually preferred it to driving a manual petrol in a similar car-body in Taiwan, but for one thing. The gearbox decides after a few seconds (whether you like it or not) if it wants to resort to another gear. I’m told there is no override for this and it means the greenies have had their way and are forcing you to cut your revs when you don’t always want to. Bloody dictatorships!

13

[quote=“sulavaca”][quote=“smellybumlove”]Being from the uk (land of diesels) i can assure you even the top spec diesels arent as good as the petrols!.
They have a narrow power range and arent much fun to drive.[/quote]

I’m not so sure about that. I recently tested the Skoda Superb and it was exactly as its badge described. The ride was just right for Taiwan roads, the engine gave lots of torque, and coupled with the high shift speed of the five speed gearbox, it was almost seamless. I actually preferred it to driving a manual petrol in a similar car-body in Taiwan, but for one thing. The gearbox decides after a few seconds (whether you like it or not) if it wants to resort to another gear. I’m told there is no override for this and it means the greenies have had their way and are forcing you to cut your revs when you don’t always want to. Bloody dictatorships![/quote]

I myself tried the diesel passat about a year ago, came with the wonderful DSG box.
My brother actually had one of those at the same time and utterly hated the thing (the engine and gearbox blew up one after the other!) as you couldnt ride the torque as it kept down shifting as if it was a petrol.
I came to the same conclusion, i hated it so much i u-turned after 2 minutes, it was the shortest test drive ever!.
Diesels give out torque, in order to use that you need a manual or a gearbox that lets you stay in gear.

Still prefer a petrol anyway even if the dieselw as manual!.

Sulvaca:

If you know the guys at skoda, maybe you can try and get some info about the yeti and fabia.
I just wanted to make sure they ordered the right spec, i was hoping that if i ordered one at the same time they order their stock, perhaps i could get a different spec/colour than the limited choices they supply.
Oh and yeah an idea on the price so i can make sure i can afford it!.

14

They are supposed to have new, beefier gearboxes in them now. Yes, it was a known issue in the past. We will yet see if they have truly resolved them with the latest ones.
Still. Its European! As European cars go, I would choose a Skoda over anything else I can think of. That’s after exhausting all the Jap offerings though, and I could stretch to a Subaru I think instead of even a Skoda.

15

Interesting. Would very likely buy a Skoda if I went back home next year. Then again I think I will be hanging around one more year (repeat: one more one more one more one more…) and thus we most likely will go for some Japanese stuff again here. Was considering a Skoda here too, but I think it does not really make sense for Taiwan, especially after reading this.
Would need a station wagon for the dog cages in Taiwan, so probably it will be another SUV thingy. Not too many station wagons around here, right?

16

[quote=“bob_honest”]Interesting. Would very likely buy a Skoda if I went back home next year. Then again I think I will be hanging around one more year (repeat: one more one more one more one more…) and thus we most likely will go for some Japanese stuff again here. Was considering a Skoda here too, but I think it does not really make sense for Taiwan, especially after reading this.
Would need a station wagon for the dog cages in Taiwan, so probably it will be another SUV thingy. Not too many station wagons around here, right?[/quote]

The Mazda 5 has a five seater version as well as the seven seater and the rear seats fold flat for loading such things. Its pretty much the same deal as a station wagon in most practical senses, has plenty of space and drives very well indeed. Its a fraction the price of any new VW brand or product, and an even greater saving purchased used.

The other option is the Toyota Wish. Again very practical in most senses but doesn’t drive as nicely as the Mazda, doesn’t respond as well in the steering or engine department. It doesn’t have the great Mazda side sliding doors either. It is a bit more reliable than the Mazda however and suffers slightly less depreciation over time.

There’s plenty of Korean stuff out there that also looks interesting to some, but I can’t be bothered to mention any of it because it just simply isn’t as good as anything Japanese in any way but initial sales price. “Stay away from it” is always my general attitude.

The size and dynamics of your vehicle choice will of course be dependant upon the load which you are carrying. If you are putting cages into a car as a permanent fixture, you might consider adapting the floor if you are carrying bigger dogs. The weight and size of cages can often damage the interiors of most wagons and the like if they aren’t fitted properly.

If you’re talking gigantic dogs and cages however, then what about a small van?

17

I tried to understand why you rate the mazdas so highly, but i just cant agree.

The mazda 5 is woefully underpowered with a 140bhp 2 litre engine, to make matters worse its mated to a 4 speed slushbox… i cannot put into words how much i hate 4 speed gearboxes, even when on a 3 litre twin turbo engine they suck!.
Then the price… well its alright i suppose for the top spec its over 800k, not really cheap in my books.

I was considering the mazda 3 hatchback 2.5, its got a 5 speed slushbox and handles like a go-kart, but then its 900k for one and when you line it up against a golf 1.4tsi which is more powerfull and has a better gearbox, its only 100k difference.
That and the residuals suck.

anyway back to the skodas…

18

[quote=“smellybumlove”]I tried to understand why you rate the mazdas so highly, but i just cant agree.

The mazda 5 is woefully underpowered with a 140bhp 2 litre engine, to make matters worse its mated to a 4 speed slushbox… i cannot put into words how much i hate 4 speed gearboxes, even when on a 3 litre twin turbo engine they suck!.
Then the price… well its alright i suppose for the top spec its over 800k, not really cheap in my books.

I was considering the mazda 3 hatchback 2.5, its got a 5 speed slushbox and handles like a go-kart, but then its 900k for one and when you line it up against a golf 1.4tsi which is more powerfull and has a better gearbox, its only 100k difference.
That and the residuals suck.

anyway back to the skodas…[/quote]

Well you compare apples to oranges in relation to your car categories. Slushboxes are fine when put into the right context. If you want a true driver’s car, then you don’t want a Mazda 5 in the first place.It happens to be the best handling seven seater in Taiwan that I know however. I much prefer a slower slushbox than a broken German manumatic, but then I’m more practical. And yes, slushboxes would be not much fun on a 3.0 litre saloon car. The last I checked they don’t bother fitting them to Impreza STIs either.
Sorry, but how fast around corners can a car go with dogs cages in the back?
We are talking affordable alternatives to cars which cost far, far more. I am talking about a 500,000NT plus alternative to a car well over a million NT i.e. the Mazda 5 (used) versus the Skoda which is very difficult to find used as there are few examples. Of course the Mazda isn’t a complete alternative to the Skoda, as it has more seats (generally), has more practical side sliding doors, but won’t go as fast when pushed to its limits. Not forgetting the vast majority of cars go at the same speed when travelling most of Taiwan.

If a Mazda 5 is woefully powered, then what sort of acceleration speeds are you expecting/demanding from a seven seat, five door which spends its time driving around on Taiwan’s roads? And if its a car needed for the pure fun of driving flat out, then why go for a large loader? In this case it certainly would be wiser to look elsewhere.
Smellybumlove, of course you hate the low powered Mazda 5. You have a 3.0 litre bells and whistles saloon. And how many dogs in cages does it have to cater for?
I hate Ferraris too. Far too pretentious for me! It doesn’t mean they’re all crap though. Some people like them for posing in and a few of them even drive them as they were designed to go. Horses for courses. You can’t say a car is crap when you haven’t a better alternative. As far as I can tell, I haven’t seen many realistic alternatives to the Toyota Wish and Mazda 5 which can claim to compete as well in this category and price range. And that’s why I choose the Mazda 5. I also always happen to note that used ones are the way to go for the very reason you mention. The depreciation on new ones is too high. If its going to be new, I would suggest the Toyota. Used however, you get a much better deal on a Mazda.
For your information I would go for a new VW or Skoda too. They are less reliable and more troublesome to repair than Jap cars when in Taiwan. One must take advantage of their warranties. Older VWs and the like quickly loose money and become less attractive to most buyers. This is why most of them are taken on by specialist centres and fewer can be found on the average forecourt. Most dealers don’t want to take the chance on their quality and leave it to those with more experience and a cheaper parts supplier. The same goes for BMWs and Mercs.

19

Well its easy to assume i was biased for performance, but when i said its woefully underpowered i meant that the engine config is just not upto the task of carrying a family and dogs.
That kind of car needs TORQUE, now either a bigger engine (2.5 mazda engine perhaps) or a diesel is the right setup for it.

a 2.0 n/a engine is not good enough in a 7 seater!.

As for the residuals of the VW’s

My god they are rock solid, i was looking at gtis 2 years ago and they were 700k+
I look now and they are still 700k+ but with more owners, more damage and more bullshit by the salesman… yes i gave up again.

I emailed skoda again, i just want a date and potential spec on the yeti, everybody i know is rabbiting on about how awesome it is.
I gotta admit a 4x4 which handles like a GTI with a proper DSG gearbox is right up my street.
You may not know but i have 2 kids and i carry crap about like everybody else too :wink:

Oh and im buying new, so its warranty coverage for me, skoda gets 5 years which is 3 more than VW!. :bravo:

20

Sorry, but any “performance” car has a glue sniffing price put on it in Taiwan. It doesn’t matter if its chiselled out of rock and runs on swamp tar. Regardless of age, somehow there is a rule of thumb which suggests that because it has some extra letters after its name then it should cost the earth to buyers. Of course the sales never pay anywhere near that when buying them in however.
The absolute best examples of glue sniffing prices on “performance” inspired vehicles are Japanese ones. Just look up anything like Celica, Civic, MR2, Miata etc.
I know of an eight year old Taiwan MR2 being advertised for exactly the same price as a brand new U.K. version. Its hard to be more disillusion than that.

In Taiwan, if its rare, then its stupendously priced, not worth half the sticker numbers and is aimed at anyone with an ‘Ah’ at the beginning of their name, sits on a forecourt for a good, long time and is more than likely, eventually purchased by a mouth breather who’s mother’s uncle knows the salesman and gets a discount.

Performance car prices make absolutely the least sense of any in Taiwan, and they never reflect the real buy-in price of the car.

Well Toyota, Mazda, Mitsubishi and VW would tend to disagree with you and so do I. Its plenty for hauling people and limited luggage from point A to point B without causing everyone to vomit all over the seats. Unless of course the seven seater in question comes from Volvo, Range Rover, BMW, Mercedes or anything American. They are all built from granite and require nuclear fission reactors to make them move.