Should i be worried?

As I've mentioned elsewhere on this board, VWA stated when they first brought Škoda back that they are positioning this brand against non-European competition, however even against the other VAG cars, as others have pointed out, the raw numbers do not tell the whole story.

From personal experience, before deciding on the RS, one of the options I looked at was the (on paper, similarly priced) Jetta 147. Along with a couple of other features, the heated seats stood out for me on the RS, as my other half is perpetually cold, and the thought of not having to resort to shorts and T-shirts in the car in winter time just so I'm not baking to death was sufficient to convince me of their usefulness. To get heated seats on the Jetta, however, required optioning the full leather pack - at $3000! Plus you only get 17" alloys, and no DRLs (not even an option). It was easy to rule the Jetta out at that point. So the "VW is cheaper AND better" line of thought doesn't hold out when you look a little closer.

I was looking at the 147 Jetta as well, but it came only in DSG and the tiny boot opening wrote it off straight away. Also a few people I knew with them complained about the crappy suspension setup and how rough it was.

Seriously doubt I will proceed with my order on the RS wagon. For VW to price there vehicles the same as Skoda or cheaper, the only country literally in the world to have this scenario I have serious doubts the brand is on any long term agenda for VGA. My dealer also hinted that the release date for the Yeti has not been confirmed as they are unsure whether it will even make it here............said in general conversation but really put me off.

I hate to say it in this forum but I will be going for the 118tsi with sport pack in the golf wagon, not the same but it doesn't come with stress and doubt the RS will

Best of luck with the golf wagon. I am sure it will be a fine car.

On the whole, Skoda has the same process as VW. If you ask VW about the release date of the Golf R, you will find a similar answer as the release date of the Yeti.

My previous car was a VW Golf GTI, and I'm not too sure what my next car will be as yet, but I am sure I wont be getting another VW, but whether it is still a VAG car remains to be seen. The supposedly diminished amount of stress and doubt buying a VW never appeared and in the long run increased for me. (For me, it was 2 recalls, 1 A/C compressor and various other issues) That said, maybe you might get lucky. :D I had a whole heap less issues from my old 8yr old Rav4. My friend just bought a Passat CC late last year, and I'm afraid to say that VW has had the car for longer than he has... Unfortunate, as it is a nice car... But for every one of these stories you hear, I'm sure there are 10s of feel good stories.

The Skoda looks like a good deal in that it is cheaper than a VW (RS vs GTI) and yet has enough of the shared engineering from within the VAG group. I don't know about the short term resale, or if the bugs from being a VAG car are still there, or even the quality of servicing of the car, but it is looking like a good compromise. (To put things in perspective, the only Skoda dealers I have spoken to are the NorthShore group. They did mention that they have already taken a deposit on a Yeti and are expecting delivery earliest mid this year)

If you really want less stress and doubt, I don't know if Euro cars are the way to go... They definitely do provide a greater sense of safety, and development...

my 2c

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Originally Posted by RSwag

Seriously doubt I will proceed with my order on the RS wagon. For VW to price there vehicles the same as Skoda or cheaper, the only country literally in the world to have this scenario I have serious doubts the brand is on any long term agenda for VGA. My dealer also hinted that the release date for the Yeti has not been confirmed as they are unsure whether it will even make it here............said in general conversation but really put me off.

I hate to say it in this forum but I will be going for the 118tsi with sport pack in the golf wagon, not the same but it doesn't come with stress and doubt the RS will

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I think the Octavia RS is the best of the bunch - there is no VW equivalent so I wouldn't discount it just yet.

To gauge the level of features between Octavia and Golf Wagon, I had a look the Octavia 1.8TSI ($35,290 DSG) vs the 118TSI Comfortline ($33,990 DSG). The main features are pretty much the same - similar engine output (Golf down 10 Nm in torque, but uses the 1.4L twincharged engine vs the 1.8L in the Octavia), 6 airbags, 16" alloys, dual zone climate control etc. The main difference I can see is that the Octavia comes with the RCD510 standard. Its advantage will be in the option prices - eg $2,830 vs $3,300 for leather seats; plus it has options simply not available on the Golf, like Xenon headlights and driver electric seat with memory (the latter not available on the RS also, sadly :mad:).

So I suppose to be fair, anyone researching their next car should take all their desired options and costs into account. But as the base spec level of the above 2 models I looked at (which is not poverty packed by any means), the Golf Wagon certainly has the advantage both in dollar terms and brand cachet.

Also need to add that I would not have any qualms buying a Skoda. It has so much VAG components that spare parts, servicing etc will not be an issue even in the event that Skoda Aust no longer exists. And I think the RS will have such a niche market that its value will hold up well.

Anybody who is buying a vehicle purely on price should be frequenting Proton or Kia dealerships not anything from the VAG stable.

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Originally Posted by Spook

It has so much VAG components that spare parts, servicing etc will not be an issue even in the event that Skoda Aust no longer exists.

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This is what gives me some comfort, although I have a Scout rather than an RS. No equivalent in the VW range, although Audi now has the Q5. If Skoda is still around once the Scout gets the DSG, they should shift quite a few.....

Aways remember when comparing prices on VAG products , they do not discount VW , you will get a big discount on the skoda , just marketing .

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Originally Posted by spellbound

Aways remember when comparing prices on VAG products , they do not discount VW , you will get a big discount on the skoda , just marketing .

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Dunno about that. When I was getting a Passat quoted up in September last year, I got a corporate discount in the order of $4,500.00 which was around 10% of the list price. Superb quote came in with a similar discount. Adding all the accessories, made the end price about $3,000 in favour of the Superb.

I went for the Superb because there was one in the country ready for delivery and would have had to wait till January 2010 for the Passat.

I'm glad I didn't wait for the Passat. The Superb has exceeded my expectations.

Skoda sales were up 53.1% last year, I don't think they're leaving anytime soon...and that's all they want as well, growth! And I think Skoda Aus headquarters are already as useless as T's on a B, imagine them with 1000 car sales a month. Terrible!!!