Hi everyone, Just thought I`d introduce myself to you good folks. At present I`m on my 7th, car, a 2001 Fabia Comfort, which I have been very satisfied with. not a lot has gone wrong; a new mechanism for the drivers door window, and this summer a new radiator being the sum total in 67,000 miles. Hopefully before christmas I shall be in possesion of a 1.4 Roomster SE; room for the mutt behind a dog guard instead of on a filthy back seat! My late father bought a new Octavia in about 1960 and what a querky car it was. The accelerator pedal was an almost vertical metal plate, rounded at the end, and the handbrake was situated just under the parcel shelf. If I remember, the car also had a column gear change. The car was painted in a kind of cherry red (don`t remember the official colour), that quickly became dull and resisted any attempts at polishing. The Skoda finish is certainly a bit better now. I wonder if anyone remembers this car, or even driving one. Maybe my recollections are at fault.