NickMorgan

Thanks Mattyboy. I have given up on the idea of a diesel Skoda. I have never been a fan of diesel, but thought it would be good to have decent mileage from them. However, the stories on here have put me off! I think the 1.2 petrol Fabia is what I will get. My wife has a Mk II and she loves it.

Interesting debate. Thank you everyone for your input. I liked the idea of the Greenline because I was swayed by the advertised fuel consumption and I do like my wife's four cylinder 1.2 petrol Fabia II. Fuel consumption was my first priority, but the local garage pointed out the cost of the DPF and its propensity to corrode. I also read about people's concerns about having to replace the cam belt at only 4 years or 40,000 miles. Interestingly the local garage recommended the 1.0 Fiesta, saying that it drove very nicely. They obviously hadn't heard of any issues with it. I see that the Fiesta is advertised as giving 74mpg. The Peugeot 208 1.0 does the same. The Fabia III 1.2 does 70mpg. I know that these are the advertised figures under very controlled conditions, but they serve as a good comparison. I think that the Favia III 1.2 petrol is my current choice!

Thank you everyone for your responses. I think I will give up on the idea of a diesel. Maybe a Fabia 1.2 petrol, but according to the details on Autotrader the three cylinder and four cylinder engines give the same power and fuel consumption and both are £120 road tax. Which is the better engine for a B road commute?

Sounds like the best bet. Shame the diesel engines seem so unreliable. I am not really a fan of diesels, but the fuel figures tempted me. We had a Fabia III hire car with a three cylinder engine as a hire car when we were on holiday in Spain this summer and it was a nice car. My wife's Fabia II 1.2 is a nice little car, too.

Oh dear, that all doesn't sound very good. The car would certainly have to be reliable. I wonder if I would be better off spending a bit more and going for the Mk III 1.4 diesel?

Hello, I will shortly be moving house, so will have a 45 mile each way commute. My wife has a petrol Fabia, which we love, and I currently drive a Honda CR-V, which only does about 30mpg. I have been considering getting a Fabia Greenline, but wonder whether the 3 cylinder 1.2 will cope with the commute and if it will have much power when I need to overtake. My local garage say they are good cars, but that the DPF and downpipe corrode and cost £1,600 to replace. I notice that the 1.6 diesel is almost as economical and I guess it may be better for overtaking or towing a trailer. Do they share the same DPF? Any advice on which car to go for and what issues to look out for when I buy one would be very much appreciated.

Hello, I have just joined. My wife bought a 2011 Fabia Elegance petrol earlier in the year. We love it. Next year we will be moving to the Scottish Borders and I will have a 45 mile commute, so I intend to buy a Fabia diesel then. I will have loads of questions about diesels nearer the time!