Skoda Octavia, 2008, Espoo

For sale is a Scout that has already reached senior age, and has not spent its life as a garage ornament. The odometer reads 465,000 km, so it has been to places younger cars have only seen in Google Maps photos.

When started cold, the exhaust sometimes produces enough smoke for the neighbours to briefly think a new pope has been elected. Once warm, things calm down. There is no reliable information about oil consumption, so we will not guess.

The air conditioning works. In summer heat and winter frost, that is exactly what many people want to hear.

Equipment also includes cruise control, electric windows and electrically adjustable mirrors. The driver's seat heater has apparently retired deservedly, but the passenger side is still warm.

Two keys are included. One of them probably believes that changing the battery is the owner's job, not the key's.

The gearbox has a little personality of its own. First and reverse may occasionally require some persuasion before engaging. Eventually cooperation is usually achieved, and the issue is not constant.

The service book contains the latest entry from 2023 (oil and filters). There is an entry for the timing belt from 2019. The previous owner's recollection is that the belt may have been replaced again in 2024–2025, but there is no receipt or record of this.

The body has age, signs of use and just as much rust as can be expected from a working life of almost half a million kilometres. The pictures say more than a thousand words. Winter tyres are not included. A warning light is illuminated on the instrument panel and needs attention.

If you are looking for a museum piece in as-new condition, this is not it. If, however, you want an affordable four-wheel-drive Scout that still moves, can fetch firewood, tow a trailer or drive to the end of a cottage road without every branch causing a panic attack, this could be your next adventure companion. The car may not be perfect, but at least it has already proved to be tough

One set of tyres with alloy wheels

First registered in Finland

Cruise control

Towbar

Maximum permitted towing mass 1,600 kg

Automatic air conditioning

Engine heater with interior socket

Front heated seats (driver's seat heater does not work)

Two keys

Remote central locking

Electric windows

Technical specifications
Power: 103 kW
CO2 emissions: 173 g/km
Kerb weight 1,605 kg

Additional information
MOT valid until: April 2027