Regular "lurkers" on the forum will know I've been rather unhappy with "Twinkle" - our Ibiza - for some time now. We've had a number of VAG products in the family from both SEAT and Skoda and all have been pretty good - with the exception of one which was my oldest boy's 1.6CR engined Fabia Scout - This experience was far outweighed by my SEAT Cordoba estate 1.9TDI VE engine which went on for about 20 years and just refused to die! Unfortunately the latest addition, bought 2016, was my Ibiza estate 1.0 TSI (EA 211 engine) which anyone who follows my posts will know about with it's turbo and gearbox problems but it also now has some other niggles and I've just lost confidence in it.
I've been blowing hot and cold with the idea of replacing it but putting off because it still goes acceptably well some of the time. However with the unfortunate recent death of my brother we are having to travel up and down from North Edinburgh to the Scottish borders where he lived and back several times a week to sort out his, rather complicated, affairs. I can see this going on for some time and it's a round trip of around 80 miles each time. The time is upon us to bite the bullet and get a new, or nearly new, car.
I've been looking at suitable replacements and turned up a few interesting prospects but whenever I looked more deeply at them I always seemed to run into something I really really didn't like. For instance dual mass flywheels, concentric clutch slave cylinders, "Wet" cam belts, cam chains with a bad reputation for giving problems and failing early, Electric hand brakes, and more. The list goes on and often the vehicles under consideration would have more than one of these "horrors".
So I ended up coming back to the SEATs and Skodas. After a lot of consideration, not just concerning the mechanicals but also what we needed for our purposes and that I fancied something with a more comfortable ride than the rather harsh Ibiza to cushion my old bones I ended up taking a drive in a standard SE spec (the FR has "sports" suspension) SEAT Arona with the mid spec 110Hp engine and the SE spec Skoda Scala with the same engine (I like conventional small estate cars and have fancied the Scala since I first saw one only a few months ago). Both would have been acceptable. Then it was time to get Mrs J into one and see what her preference might be.
There's a choice of two Skoda dealers near us and my instincts told me to go to the smaller one as I've heard good reports of them, however they only do the Skoda so we ended up at the, considerably nearer, multiple brand outlet where she could sit in both the Arona and Scala. Suffice to say she found both more than acceptable - Mrs J doesn't "do" getting excited about cars - but I found the Arona doesn't come with a spare wheel and there doesn't even seem to be the option to specify one. Also the standard wheel is quite big and with a comparatively low profile tyre (why low profile on an SUV?) One or two other minor and pretty insignificant items also put me against it - the fact it's a higher riding SUV being one of them.
So our very nice and long suffering salesman conducted us into the Skoda showroom and presented us with a Scala. It was the Monte Carlo version, bright red and very flashy. Many things I didn't want on it, like the large diameter wheels fitted with rubber bands for tyres and stupid amount of electronic extras and gizmos. for instance an electronic "virtual" dashboard which can be reconfigured in about 4 different ways and a display in the middle of the dash which was big enough to rival our TV back home. Unfortunately the sales chappy was well into his stride trying to sell it to Mrs J - should have told him he was on a looser there. Before I did my stint for about 5 years in car sales, the boss sent me on a full time study weeks course on car sales and the psychology behind it. I was most amused to see this chap following much of what I'd been taught. Started at the front of the car pointing out the "features" (all lost on Mrs J) led her down the N/S and around the back, opening the boot and pointing out the exceptional capacity of same. Then up the O/s where he opened the drivers door and invited her to sit in. All text book stuff done to perfection. At that point I couldn't hold the laughter back. He looked very puzzled so I had to explain to him why I was finding it funny. He too found it funny and from that moment on the ice was broken and we talked about his passion for old BMWs etc etc. Anyway, the Monte Carlo wasn't practical because it's deeply sculpted and very beautiful sports seats have such deep side "wings" that when the seat is far enough forward for Mrs J's short legs to work the pedals she then couldn't get out between the steering wheel and the side wings on the seat unless the seat was pushed rearward on it's runners. Good, that's the Monte Carlo eliminated - far too flashy a vehicle for me anyway.
So round the corner into a more general part of the showroom - the Monte Carlo had been in a more "intimate" setting - and we came across the other Scala display model, an SE-L. This is the "normal" top of the range spec. It's got lots of stuff in it I don't especially want but the seats etc are "normal" and Mrs J actually found them very comfortable and she like the car - in fact very similar to our existing Ibiza Estate, maybe 10 cm longer and a couple wider. Ok I'm interested in the SE spec with the 110hp engine, can we get a drive of one. No demonstrator but he might be able to find a used one we could try. Car found, trade plates attached, young salesman installed in rear seat and off we went. I want to try it through the traffic and out on the dual carriageway said I, Ok? Fine he said, so off we went, must have been away for best part of an hour. Slightly heavier car than the Ibiza with it's 95hp engine so the 110 hp in the Scala gives pretty much identical performance, possibly very slightly quicker. Ride is considerably more compliant on it's 205/55R16 Good Years but I suspect the springing and shockers are a little "softer", still well controlled in the corners though and very comfortable and quiet on the motorway. Still small enough to be handy and nippy in the town though. Yes, I thought, as we were turning into the garage parking area, One of these will do very nicely and, being VAG, I can still call on the expertise of my friends at AVW (our local VAG indy)
Back at the showroom our friendly salesman was hovering in wait (he later admitted that his sales target, for new and used, for that month is 27 vehicles and so far he's sold 12 - no wonder he was keen!) How did you like it? He asked. Very much I replied, have you got a low mileage SE spec with this 110hp engine maybe a year to 18 months old? Not at this branch but I'll check group stock for you. Oh dear, none in stock but I could let you know as soon as one comes in. Aronas are much more plentiful he said hopefully. Nope got to be a Scala. How about a new one? Used cars are at an all time high pricewise just now, you might get a surprise how affordable a new one can be? Ok, lets do the figures. I was astonished to find a new one with interest free credit etc, etc, came in at a price we could afford but no standard SE's immediately available and I don't want all the bells and whistles in the SEL, and it cost more. So I was about to walk, and he could see I was, so the old "hang on while I get the sales manager" ploy was deployed. Ok, lets see what he can come up with. Give him fair doos he was very nice and knew a lot about race cars so we got on well (careful Jock, remember he wants to sell you a car!) Amyway, after talking about the motor trade and swapping a few tales, I threw the "Pre Reg" towel into the ring. Ah, said he, though you wanted a new one? Nope, we were looking at used actually but a prereg would do very nicely. Took him a good 15 minutes on the computer to find one of the next month's allocation in the docks compound in Glasgow. It's the only one I can find in your preferred spec and it's in non metallic "Energy Blue" - like that Kamic over there he said pointing. Looks fine to me, in fact I rather like the shade and the fact it's not metallic for touch ups (didn't say that to him though) Trying not to look too enthusiastic I said, Ok, lets do the figure then, by the way what will you give me for the Ibiza? Nearly choked when he offered nearly £1,500 more than Peter, at the wee garage down the road from us had told me it was worth and had been in fact offered at the Renault garage against a Captur. When the figures were all done he was offering the prereg (sept 23 plate, don't ask) Scala 1.0 litre 110hp SE spec for £4000 under current list. I signed up. Now just got to wait till 28th Feb to take delivery.
Phone call. The car's here if you'd like to come by and view it. Confirming though that Skoda won't release the car to us/you until Feb28th. So this afternoon we went to inspect it.
Oh yes, I'd been wondering how the non metallic paint would look but actually I really like it, thank goodness. Can't show you the front or rear as the plates are already on it. Then I found myself looking at the wheels. Oh, I like them, just like a slightly larger version of what's on the Ibiza, but hang on, the SE has cruder 5 spoke alloys doesn't it? The SE-L has wheels that look like this, oh damn, it's an SEL, they've made a mistake. But no, the SE-L has 17" wheels and these are 16" went through and looked at the SE-L in the showroom, similar but slightly different, strange? Then took a much closer look at it and it's a relatively rare SE "technology" spec car - half way between the SE and SE-L. Loaded with quite a lot of extra goodies the SE doesn't have but none of the "silly smart" stuff on the top SE-L. Rechecked with the salesman, Yes that's what it is and yes that's the car you've signed up for and bought. I'm absolutely cock a hoop!
Some more pictures now just to make you drool:
Nice big 195/60R16 spare - "proper" tyre although I think I can get an alloy with 205/55R16 in there. The well is certainly deep enough and the diameter is good but it may foul the rear trim (which you can't see at the bottom of the picture)
Dash is analogue - which I wanted - and looks lovely with a very similar layout to my Ibiza:
"Silly" big screen in the middle, which I could do without. Would be better with a nice row of analogue guages don't you think? Quite a nice light coloured trim underneath it though - don't get that on the standard SE
Engine is recognizably from the same family as my Ibiza but there's more room under the bonnet so stuff like the air filter are better located and you can see the brake fluid reservoir for level checks. It's now got a big black oil separator/breather on top of the cam cover - no EGR on these engines:
The top belt cover is now metal, was plastic on the Ibiza:
And, for those who know their VAG EA211 engines, the twin thermostat/water pump assembly on the back end of the engine, which previously was plastic and was getting a name for warping and leaking when they aged, are now all metal! Yeah!
One nice wee touch which made me laugh but is very practical, is the screen wash reservoir filler which fold out to form a funnel:
So that's all for now folks. Bit over 4 weeks to go and I just can't wait, but nice to know it's sitting there waiting for me. Only thing is, having worked intimately on Twinkle the Ibiza for the last however many years, I'm feeling a bit of a traitor chopping her in for the new "cuckoo in her nest". I'll get over it though? Maybe?
PS Scala's got 9, Yes NINE miles on it's odo.
I've been blowing hot and cold with the idea of replacing it but putting off because it still goes acceptably well some of the time. However with the unfortunate recent death of my brother we are having to travel up and down from North Edinburgh to the Scottish borders where he lived and back several times a week to sort out his, rather complicated, affairs. I can see this going on for some time and it's a round trip of around 80 miles each time. The time is upon us to bite the bullet and get a new, or nearly new, car.
I've been looking at suitable replacements and turned up a few interesting prospects but whenever I looked more deeply at them I always seemed to run into something I really really didn't like. For instance dual mass flywheels, concentric clutch slave cylinders, "Wet" cam belts, cam chains with a bad reputation for giving problems and failing early, Electric hand brakes, and more. The list goes on and often the vehicles under consideration would have more than one of these "horrors".
So I ended up coming back to the SEATs and Skodas. After a lot of consideration, not just concerning the mechanicals but also what we needed for our purposes and that I fancied something with a more comfortable ride than the rather harsh Ibiza to cushion my old bones I ended up taking a drive in a standard SE spec (the FR has "sports" suspension) SEAT Arona with the mid spec 110Hp engine and the SE spec Skoda Scala with the same engine (I like conventional small estate cars and have fancied the Scala since I first saw one only a few months ago). Both would have been acceptable. Then it was time to get Mrs J into one and see what her preference might be.
There's a choice of two Skoda dealers near us and my instincts told me to go to the smaller one as I've heard good reports of them, however they only do the Skoda so we ended up at the, considerably nearer, multiple brand outlet where she could sit in both the Arona and Scala. Suffice to say she found both more than acceptable - Mrs J doesn't "do" getting excited about cars - but I found the Arona doesn't come with a spare wheel and there doesn't even seem to be the option to specify one. Also the standard wheel is quite big and with a comparatively low profile tyre (why low profile on an SUV?) One or two other minor and pretty insignificant items also put me against it - the fact it's a higher riding SUV being one of them.
So our very nice and long suffering salesman conducted us into the Skoda showroom and presented us with a Scala. It was the Monte Carlo version, bright red and very flashy. Many things I didn't want on it, like the large diameter wheels fitted with rubber bands for tyres and stupid amount of electronic extras and gizmos. for instance an electronic "virtual" dashboard which can be reconfigured in about 4 different ways and a display in the middle of the dash which was big enough to rival our TV back home. Unfortunately the sales chappy was well into his stride trying to sell it to Mrs J - should have told him he was on a looser there. Before I did my stint for about 5 years in car sales, the boss sent me on a full time study weeks course on car sales and the psychology behind it. I was most amused to see this chap following much of what I'd been taught. Started at the front of the car pointing out the "features" (all lost on Mrs J) led her down the N/S and around the back, opening the boot and pointing out the exceptional capacity of same. Then up the O/s where he opened the drivers door and invited her to sit in. All text book stuff done to perfection. At that point I couldn't hold the laughter back. He looked very puzzled so I had to explain to him why I was finding it funny. He too found it funny and from that moment on the ice was broken and we talked about his passion for old BMWs etc etc. Anyway, the Monte Carlo wasn't practical because it's deeply sculpted and very beautiful sports seats have such deep side "wings" that when the seat is far enough forward for Mrs J's short legs to work the pedals she then couldn't get out between the steering wheel and the side wings on the seat unless the seat was pushed rearward on it's runners. Good, that's the Monte Carlo eliminated - far too flashy a vehicle for me anyway.
So round the corner into a more general part of the showroom - the Monte Carlo had been in a more "intimate" setting - and we came across the other Scala display model, an SE-L. This is the "normal" top of the range spec. It's got lots of stuff in it I don't especially want but the seats etc are "normal" and Mrs J actually found them very comfortable and she like the car - in fact very similar to our existing Ibiza Estate, maybe 10 cm longer and a couple wider. Ok I'm interested in the SE spec with the 110hp engine, can we get a drive of one. No demonstrator but he might be able to find a used one we could try. Car found, trade plates attached, young salesman installed in rear seat and off we went. I want to try it through the traffic and out on the dual carriageway said I, Ok? Fine he said, so off we went, must have been away for best part of an hour. Slightly heavier car than the Ibiza with it's 95hp engine so the 110 hp in the Scala gives pretty much identical performance, possibly very slightly quicker. Ride is considerably more compliant on it's 205/55R16 Good Years but I suspect the springing and shockers are a little "softer", still well controlled in the corners though and very comfortable and quiet on the motorway. Still small enough to be handy and nippy in the town though. Yes, I thought, as we were turning into the garage parking area, One of these will do very nicely and, being VAG, I can still call on the expertise of my friends at AVW (our local VAG indy)
Back at the showroom our friendly salesman was hovering in wait (he later admitted that his sales target, for new and used, for that month is 27 vehicles and so far he's sold 12 - no wonder he was keen!) How did you like it? He asked. Very much I replied, have you got a low mileage SE spec with this 110hp engine maybe a year to 18 months old? Not at this branch but I'll check group stock for you. Oh dear, none in stock but I could let you know as soon as one comes in. Aronas are much more plentiful he said hopefully. Nope got to be a Scala. How about a new one? Used cars are at an all time high pricewise just now, you might get a surprise how affordable a new one can be? Ok, lets do the figures. I was astonished to find a new one with interest free credit etc, etc, came in at a price we could afford but no standard SE's immediately available and I don't want all the bells and whistles in the SEL, and it cost more. So I was about to walk, and he could see I was, so the old "hang on while I get the sales manager" ploy was deployed. Ok, lets see what he can come up with. Give him fair doos he was very nice and knew a lot about race cars so we got on well (careful Jock, remember he wants to sell you a car!) Amyway, after talking about the motor trade and swapping a few tales, I threw the "Pre Reg" towel into the ring. Ah, said he, though you wanted a new one? Nope, we were looking at used actually but a prereg would do very nicely. Took him a good 15 minutes on the computer to find one of the next month's allocation in the docks compound in Glasgow. It's the only one I can find in your preferred spec and it's in non metallic "Energy Blue" - like that Kamic over there he said pointing. Looks fine to me, in fact I rather like the shade and the fact it's not metallic for touch ups (didn't say that to him though) Trying not to look too enthusiastic I said, Ok, lets do the figure then, by the way what will you give me for the Ibiza? Nearly choked when he offered nearly £1,500 more than Peter, at the wee garage down the road from us had told me it was worth and had been in fact offered at the Renault garage against a Captur. When the figures were all done he was offering the prereg (sept 23 plate, don't ask) Scala 1.0 litre 110hp SE spec for £4000 under current list. I signed up. Now just got to wait till 28th Feb to take delivery.
Phone call. The car's here if you'd like to come by and view it. Confirming though that Skoda won't release the car to us/you until Feb28th. So this afternoon we went to inspect it.
Oh yes, I'd been wondering how the non metallic paint would look but actually I really like it, thank goodness. Can't show you the front or rear as the plates are already on it. Then I found myself looking at the wheels. Oh, I like them, just like a slightly larger version of what's on the Ibiza, but hang on, the SE has cruder 5 spoke alloys doesn't it? The SE-L has wheels that look like this, oh damn, it's an SEL, they've made a mistake. But no, the SE-L has 17" wheels and these are 16" went through and looked at the SE-L in the showroom, similar but slightly different, strange? Then took a much closer look at it and it's a relatively rare SE "technology" spec car - half way between the SE and SE-L. Loaded with quite a lot of extra goodies the SE doesn't have but none of the "silly smart" stuff on the top SE-L. Rechecked with the salesman, Yes that's what it is and yes that's the car you've signed up for and bought. I'm absolutely cock a hoop!
Some more pictures now just to make you drool:
Nice big 195/60R16 spare - "proper" tyre although I think I can get an alloy with 205/55R16 in there. The well is certainly deep enough and the diameter is good but it may foul the rear trim (which you can't see at the bottom of the picture)
Dash is analogue - which I wanted - and looks lovely with a very similar layout to my Ibiza:
"Silly" big screen in the middle, which I could do without. Would be better with a nice row of analogue guages don't you think? Quite a nice light coloured trim underneath it though - don't get that on the standard SE
Engine is recognizably from the same family as my Ibiza but there's more room under the bonnet so stuff like the air filter are better located and you can see the brake fluid reservoir for level checks. It's now got a big black oil separator/breather on top of the cam cover - no EGR on these engines:
The top belt cover is now metal, was plastic on the Ibiza:
And, for those who know their VAG EA211 engines, the twin thermostat/water pump assembly on the back end of the engine, which previously was plastic and was getting a name for warping and leaking when they aged, are now all metal! Yeah!
One nice wee touch which made me laugh but is very practical, is the screen wash reservoir filler which fold out to form a funnel:
So that's all for now folks. Bit over 4 weeks to go and I just can't wait, but nice to know it's sitting there waiting for me. Only thing is, having worked intimately on Twinkle the Ibiza for the last however many years, I'm feeling a bit of a traitor chopping her in for the new "cuckoo in her nest". I'll get over it though? Maybe?
PS Scala's got 9, Yes NINE miles on it's odo.
Last edited:
