Be Excellent To Each Other

New car that we're picking up next Saturday.



I don't really need a car day to day so it's mostly my wife's to replace the Nissan Leaf but it'll be great to have something that'll do a few more miles so we don't need to take the campervan for any longer trips. Absolutely loved it on the test drive, bags of power and compared to the Leaf it feels like a fucking spaceship.

Polestar?

Yeah, new to us, not new new.

Very nice! When do you get it?

Picking it up Saturday, anyone want to buy a used Nissan Leaf?

You didn’t trade in the leaf? Power move.

They were offering less than we buy any car so worth punting it on autotrader for a bit then just taking the wbac price if it doesn't go.

Ah fair enough. More money to spend at Gotham Garage.

Tenner, final offer.

Just signed up for the salary sacrifice scheme for a car.

Ordered this subtle car..

I really wanted another Octavia hybrid, but Skoda are not doing this option for a while.

That looks rad - I like the colour and the black accents.

I nearly got the RS but I didn't really offer anything over the Sportline besides the green paint - and that very nearly swung it in the end.

I like the colour from a safety perspective. It always bothers me how silver cars just vanish in heavy rain, fog, snow, etc. This is the safety vest of cars.

Definitely won't be losing it in a car park either.

Yes it was the green paint that swung it, as I really like the colour on my Octavia.. It is no different than the sportline really. I think it gets a slight power boost.

you say that.. I was nearly crashed into as'the did not see me'

In the safety green car? I’d say if they didn’t see that then they maybe need to have their eyes reassessed.

Yes in my safety car

I think you need a safety car jingle to play whilst you’re riding around.

You wouldn’t hear it over the colour.

I do like it though, Kov.

It does indeed, which will get it to 62mph 0.2 seconds faster

It's still the most powerful production Skoda they've ever made, though.

Fab.. 0.2 seconds, that will get me to the office quicker

Had the Celica re-liveried with metallic vinyl because the previous (matt) one was faded, and a lot of it had to be removed to deal with some rust that was growing on the rear arch...



Gallery

Noice

Do you take it to car shows?

Looking good!

I do love that white, red and green colour scheme, it looks really cool

Im thinking about buying a Passat estate (they're called 'wagons' out here), something in 6-8 years old would seem a good pick for me. Something that's a bit better to drive than my ~20 year old focus, with the ability to lug stuff around if required.

Consider a VW transporter similar. Same footprint, but makes shit so much easier.

I love having the van.

It depends on what you're lugging about and how often. The Passat will be much more pleasant to drive, day to day.

You get Skoda down there? Buy a Superb instead

Get a 360

No, mainly because I find them to be very awkward. Now that it's looking (mostly) tip-top again, I might take it a couple of local meets, but I'm too old for that shit nowadays, they're all populated by 19 year olds in unmodified BMWs with young women hanging off their arm looking bored

We do, and I really like the look of the Superb, although there doesn't seem to be as many in the price/age/mileage range we are looking at.

There's a couple of nice looking Octavias (including some RS ones, one is red and looks whizzy) but I think I want something big and wafty rather than smaller and pointier.

Very very tempted by this for 20k AUD, ticks all the essential boxes and loads of 'nice to haves' too.

Boring colour but powerful vroom vroom engine.

Lady T was onboard even before I told her it was a quick car

Mine's 6 and a half years old now (also a 2018 one) and still basically issue-free. Only 36k miles in that time though.

Just need to get the turbo bolted on to boost it to 420bhp, then it'll be super-fun.

Pics of all the mods plz

Would you recommend it, Bik, and what are you general feelings like for that car?

What's the overall experience like, also costs such as servicing, economy to run, tyre life. I haven't really looked into that bit much because I'm still all like WOW BIG CAR, GADGETS, and VROOM.

The last good car I had was a 2006 Focus ST3, which I regretfully parted ways with in 2010 (Lady T generally gets the nicer family car these days, and I have the older bangers).

Helen had an ST for a bit, so we can compare!

I remember the ST being way more hilarious as an acceleration machine, not just because it was manual. I think smaller turbo and/or shorter gearing, as well as lighter.

Apart from that, the superb is better. Bigger (as driver, passenger, or pile of stuff in the boot), more comfy, marginally less thirsty (the published consumption figures are a lie though), infotainment is alright (android auto ftw)

The only thing I don't like is that the driver's seat doesn't go down far enough for my enormous spine. I don't think that's be a problem for most people.

The superb was at a disadvantage because I came from my 535d estate, which was more of all that, but less fun at legal speeds. I thought a lower power screamy petrol with flappy paddles would be better, and it is.

But not enough, so I've got shocks and springs on it - as a sportline without DCC it was a bit too wallowy on shit English country/A roads - and cold air stuff (make intake go GRRRR TSSHHHHHH) with boost piping and intercooler in the boot waiting to be installed, and a turbo and ECU/TCU flasher under my desk at home.

tl;dr it's good enough that this is the longest I've owned a car and I'm modifying it instead of chopping it in against something else. It's a golf r in big pants, there's tonnes of aftermarket if you felt the same way.

And I had a civic type r, Renault sport twingo cup and M3 convertible in the past, as well as the intercontinental ballistic barge that was the remapped 535d. Only lasting regret is the M3.

Would probably recommend/10

Those Superbs do everything you’d expect, and the 280bhp engine is plenty powerful as standard.
Briskoda.net will give you all the information you need.

Except 34mpg, they don't do that.

Servicing isn't the cheapest, even at a trusted independent, because the gearbox and 4wd oils are really expensive. They're not quite an every year job, but they're more frequent than VAG will lead you to believe. Tyres are expensive, I assume not just for the sportline.

Brake discs and pads are cheap if you get non-oem ones.

The water pump and suspension top mounts will go. The top mounts are cheap, the pump is an expensive part buried under loads of stuff. At 120k that must've been done by now. If it's habitually run low on oil the cams will fail. Big job, check the maintenance history. It's all mostly pretty resilient though.

Do not ever go to a main dealer, I assume stiffing the customer is standard practice in aus as well.

Get an OBDII jobby, tell the throttle it's an Audi and the 4wd you want increased traction. Cheap wins!

Absolutely in love with the Polestar. It's such a comfy cruiser that just wants you to trundle about in safety, but it's an absolute bruiser as well. I don't think that drubbing beamers and Audis in the traffic lights GP is ever going to get old. I'm such a child, if someone wants to go I can't help myself.

I have felt the same with my Octavia when in battery mode.

It flies.

I bought that Skoda in the end. The dealer was a 2 hour drive away, so I took the work van, did some deliveries along the way, and went to check it out and buy.

Lady T's dad (who is visiting) came with me, the idea being he would drive the car while I finished the van run off and took it back to work. However, Lady Ts dad decided he'd go off and see a friend further away, and would stay there. It felt a bit of a bummer to have just paid and see watch someone else drive away from the dealership in my car, but TBF I am borrowing some of the dough from him and I still have the shitty old focus so it didn't take long for me to re-square that feeling.

Anyhoo, once it (eventually) came home, the kids took a look. Here's a snapshot of their feelings:

"The outside looks like 'nah' "
"But the inside is like 'mwah' (chefs kiss sound)"
"I don't hate it as much as I thought I would from the pictures"
"It's better than mums car, and we want to be driven in this instead" (not sure Lady T will. be pleased as her car was significantly more costly and newer)
"It'll be better when it smells like our car, this smell makes me feel sick"

Things they like:

The little coloured strip around the interior, which can change colour, and the little screen next to the speedo also changes colour slightly to match.
The 'long item' hatch in the middle of the year seats. They all spent time crawling in and out of the boot through that
The abundance of little storage nooks and things, like the hidden bit in the centre console for a pen.
Lots of buttons to press and gadgety stuff
That the rear passengers can adjust the front passengers seat to annoy them
The sheer amount of space
The big sunroof (even hough they hate the big sunroof in Lady Ts car, go figure)
zoomies in sport mode
The hidden umbrellas stashed in the doors