Skoda Octavia, 2008, Espoo

Here we have a Scout that has reached senior age and has certainly not spent its life as a garage ornament. The odometer shows 465,000 km, so it has visited places that younger cars have only seen in Google Maps photos.

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

The air conditioning works. That is exactly what many people want to hear in summer heat and winter frosts.

Equipment also includes cruise control, electric windows and electrically adjustable mirrors. The driver's seat heater has apparently retired on a well-earned pension, 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 they usually cooperate, and the problem 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 entry to confirm this.

The body shows age, signs of use and rust to much the extent one might expect from an almost half-million-kilometre working life. The pictures say more than a thousand words. Winter tyres are not included. A warning light is illuminated on the instrument panel and requires attention.

If you are looking for a like-new museum piece, this is not it. If, on the other hand, you want an affordable four-wheel-drive Scout that still runs and can collect 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

Tow bar

Maximum permitted towing mass 1,600 kg

Automatic air conditioning

Engine heater with cabin socket

Front seat heaters (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
Inspection valid until: April 2027