Thanks for the info. That sounds like what I'd do if I had one, too.
We use our current estate for lugging rubbish, debris and garden waste up to the tip, fetching furniture and equipment and carting musical gear around, so it's going to get a lot of abuse! However, we've seen some good prices on second hand Octavias, and given that they don't have the electronic handbrakes that the Passat B6 and above seem to have, I'm starting to favour the Skodas over the VWs.