Used Skoda Roomster review and buying guide (2006 to 2015): which one to buy and what to check

Which used Skoda Roomster should you buy?

Buy a Roomster with a manual gearbox. The seven-speed DSG automatic is the weak point: its control unit's been called a common failure on 2010 to 2015 cars with engines under 2.0 litres, and its software can cut the engine for a moment as you pull out into traffic. There's nothing like that on record against the manual, and that's enough to settle it.

For the engine, the 1.4 TDI is the one to pass on, because it's had problems cutting out on the move, which takes the power steering and brake assistance with it. The 1.2 TSI 105 petrol has reports of heavy oil use when new. The 1.9 TDI has nothing against it on record, but that's a thin record rather than a clean bill of health.

Across the whole 2006 to 2015 run, the gearbox, the engine and the state of the electrics tell you more than the year does. Cars from 2009 onwards didn't get a spare wheel as standard, so lift the boot floor: if a later car hasn't got one, you'll need to add a spacesaver and a jack.

Which Roomster engines and gearboxes are the safe choices?

Avoid the seven-speed DSG and pick a manual. The dry clutch DSG's control unit has been described as a common failure on Roomsters under 2.0 litres built from 2010 to 2015, and its software can be slow to notice you've come off the brake, so the engine briefly shuts off partway across a junction. On a 2011 1.2 TSI with this gearbox, hesitation could sometimes be cured with a turbo shim and new software.

Among the diesels, avoid the 1.4 TDI. It's had problems with cutting out, leaving the driver without power steering or brake assistance, and repeated power steering failure has come up often. One 2007 car at 79,000 miles also had its oil pump chain drive fail and damage the engine. That leaves the 1.9 TDI as the diesel to look at, though only because nobody's logged trouble with it.

The 1.2 TSI petrol isn't trouble-free either. The 105 version has reports of heavy oil use early in its life, and one owner's 2013 1.2 TSI 86 had a leaking camshaft cover and a rattle from the transmission. One 2008 1.4 petrol with 45,000 miles kept its engine warning light on even after the EGR, lambda sensor and catalytic converter were replaced, and its cylinder compression turned out to be low.

What should you check when viewing a used Roomster?

Run every electric window up and down a few times. Several Roomsters have had window trouble: front windows sticking, one jammed fully open, and damp getting into the driver's door and its locking control unit, which can make the windows open on their own while the car's parked. Ask whether the alarm goes off on frosty nights too, because one 2012 car's did, alongside window and driver's seatbelt faults a dealer couldn't cure in 12 visits.

Try the light switch and mirror adjuster as well: on one 2007 car both failed at 19,000 miles, along with a window motor, and the bill came to £368 with goodwill refused. Run the rear wiper too, since a run of rear wiper motor failures hit in 2013, blamed on carbon brushes binding in their holders. Look at the inside edges of the rear tyres; one owner's kept wearing even after new bushes, and a twist beam bent by careless jacking was suspected.

Stop on a slope and check the handbrake holds, because one 2013 car's failed and the repair bill for the damage to its front was £3,000. On a DSG car, feel for hesitation pulling away and any moment where the engine dies as you come off the brake. On a 1.4 TDI, any cutting out or heavy steering means leave it. Ask for receipts for any gearbox control unit or window work.

Don't panic if the engine looks like it's sitting at an angle on its mounts. It's fitted on a slant from the factory, which makes the bolts at one end look sheared, and a 2009 scare about broken mounting bolts turned out to be overstated.

Paste the advert into the free check and it runs these against the listing, the MOT history and the DVLA record before you travel.

What does a used Skoda Roomster cost to run?

What do Roomster owners like about them?

There's generous headroom and legroom front and rear, so tall passengers aren't squeezed in either row of seats. The boot's a big one, and the three rear seats each tumble, fold and slide on their own, so you can set the back up for people, luggage, or a mix of the two depending on the trip.

One owner's 2010 1.9 TDI 105 has covered 160,000 miles without any trouble, most of them on the motorway, with fresh oil and a new filter every 10,000 miles. It's a diesel without a DPF, too, so there's no exhaust filter to look after on a car that's racking up the miles.

• A 2010 Skoda Roomster 1.9 TDI 105 proved reliable, reaching 160,000 miles with no issues, mainly on motorway journeys.
• The Skoda Roomster offers generous head and legroom for occupants in both the front and rear seats.
• The Roomster features a spacious boot, enhanced by rear seats that individually tumble, fold, and slide.
• The Roomster Scout 1.9 TDI was recognised in the 2008 Caravan Club's annual towcar awards for vehicles under £16,000.