Reeky

I think it might be called "offroad mode" or something?

Yeah, the Yeti has a newer system (Haldex 4) than mine did (Haldex 2), I could definatelly notice mine when it kicked in, it worked excellently at low speeds, and to be fair, it wasnt bad offroad once it was moving, but if you stopped on soft ground, that was it. It also didnt have a "locking" button like a Yeti, so that didnt help it either. Anyway, enough about Octavias and Yetis, lets get back to Fabias, 1.9 PD105 or 1.6 CR105? I with the 2.0TDI CR140 from the 3 door Ibiza was available in the estate, but it wasnt.

Yeah, I mean it wasnt too bad for say pulling out of a wet/greasy junction, but lets say it takes half a second to kick in (I've no idea how long it took, I never timed it) well thats pretty instant when youre almost stationary, but at 60mph, thats 3 car lengths.

Yes, more than once I think.

Cant remember what that had on it, winter tyres of some sort, iirc. The problem wasnt the tyres, because I took it into a field (the great equaliser) and as soon as the haldex had engaged and was sending power to all 4 wheels, it was great, but it was just so slow to respond that on the road, by the time it had finally kicked in, it was too late. Its a shame, because the steering feel wasnt bad for what it was, it was just let down by the dimwitted AWD system. If I wanted a bigger car, an Octavia VRS would cartainly be on my shortlist, but what Im after is a small car with a big boot.

From memory, that was with bridgestones. And "driving to the conditions" is obviously what I did, I didnt crash, but because of its turbocharged nature, it would wheelspin or bog down, I could never launch it well in the wet (Ive never had such problems with NA petrol cars)

Well, on roads that you know, you can "push the envelope" a bit sometimes. In the octavia scout, that was so rubbish it understeered if you tried to swerve to avoid said sheep, but in the subaru, you can drive like a propper looney on a B-road if you know nothing is coming the other way. The biggest "problem" Ive had with 2wd cars, particualrly FWD diesels, is that on low speed corners, or junctions, particualrly in the wet, they just spin the inside wheel and dont really go anywhere.

Mine was a 58-plate, iirc, and its haldex had been serviced correctly. I mean, possibly I was expecting a lot more from the car than I should have, but I was very disappointed with the way it drove when I put my foot down. Also, it drank quite a lot of fuel. I completely accept that this is because of the way I drove it, but I averaged about 35mpg. If I drove my subaru at a similar pace, Id get 26mpg or so, and given the price difference in the fuel, I decided Id rather have the subaru. When I drove the Octavia carefully, I could get mid-high 50s, I almost managed 60mpg once, but that was a very slow journey...

This is a really good point. Especially in my Legacy, the thing that dictates how fast I can drive is how much of the road I can or cannot see, most of the time. So it seems a bit silly driving a 3.0, 250hp+, 1600kg car that drinks 20-25mpg when all I need is enough grunt to get past a bus or a lorry or whatever.

I imagine it would soon pay for its self in fuel saving! I once managed over 70mpg from my Ibiza, Ive yet to get 30mpg from my Legacy. Although that does remind me, Id definately need an LSD, I suspect? Thants the main reason I havnt bought a diesel BMW.

Probably - otherwise it tgets REALLY expensive. Those are all quite big and lardy compared to a Fabia/Ibiza. The only other small estate I can think of is the Subaru Impreza, and the quick versions of those drink as much fuel as my Legacy, and they need 99, and they need timing belt services etc. I did look at one of these, and other clubmans. I was shocked at how little space there is inside them, and how big they are on the outside. As you might have guessed, I don't buy my cars based on fashion trends, so the mini isnt a car that I find particularly appealing. Also, the AWD is just a haldex system, so I might not bother with that, unless the newer systems are MUCH better than the old ones. Looks like the 1.6tdi is the best place to start then?

My first car was a 1.6 TDI Ibiza estate (same as mk2.5 Fabia estate) and Ive since had many different cars, but I keep coming back to Fabias/Ibizas as the right combination of size, running costs, etc. Just one thing - theyre all so slow and/or boring. So, the options that I've considered; - Manual converting the mk2 Fabia VRS estate. Apparently this is very very difficult, or impossible. - Tuning the 1.9L PD engine in an early mk2 Fabia. Apparently the PD105 (the only 1.9 sold in the mk2 Fabia) is rubbish, and cant handle much power. - Tuning the 1.6L CR engine, as was found in my first car. I've seen one user here manage over 240hp from this engine (without water/meth injection) and Id love to know how much this cost. I should mention a power target I guess - I'm not particularly sure, as much as the front tyres can handle, as much as I can without having to spend twice the value of the car on mods, as much as I can without sacrificing reliability, etc etc. Or would I be better off buying something sporty to start with, like say a BMW 330d, or a V6 Audi A4? They seem quite big and heavy, given that they've got smaller boots than the Fabia! Thanks!

Thought I'd give a bit of an update. Sold the Skoda and bought another Legacy spec.b, almost exactly the same as the last one, only slightly better condition (thankfully!) For any keen drivers out there who are thinking of doing what I did - dont! Haldex is no match for Subarus permenant AWD system. From personal experience, I actually found the Scout worse than a normal 2wd VAG (of which Ive driven a few). Basically, the system is too slow to respond, and it only works when youve got your foot on the accelerator. So, if you turn into a corner spiritedly, naturally it understeers, so naturally you lift off the accelerator, as you would in almost any other FWD car, but now the haldex never kicks in, and so theres no point having it. If you keep your foot down and wait for the system to kick in, it takes so long that you've already understeered off the road before any power goes to the back and the understeer is tamed. Honestly, in my opinion, its rubbish. But what if you want it for a spot of offroading? Well obviously it hasnt got low range or locking diffs, but you know that already. What you might not know is that its got a torque limiter in 1st and reverse gear, so if you stop on say some soft sand or mud, youll sink and it wont get going again. And then youll have to ask someone with a land rover to come and pull you out. Ask me how I know. Sure, if you just want it because you think you need it, go for it. If you actually needed it, you'd know better and you'd buy a proper 4x4. If you want it because youre worried about snow, then fair enough, but only if you fit winter tyres. If you want it for towing - then yes. It actually helps quite a bit when pulling out of steep, wet junctions, in 1st gear. But other than that, just get the normal, 2WD one, because its a bloody good car. Or the VRS if you fancy a bit more poke. As for me, Ill keep my subaru, and just pay the extra at the pumps.

Yep. Prices from body shops through insurance were £2200-2350, which would definately have gone through the other drivers insurance. One kindly offered to do it for £380 cash if I supplied a matching door, so I found one all the way near Durham for £50 (although over 210 miles away) So £500 from the person who hit me, without the hassle of insurance and the increased premiums. Happy days. In other news, it cost me £50 in diesel, which is less than 40mpg, so I think after its fixed Ill sell it and buy another subaru. Also not a fan of the haldex at all.

So someone hit my car in Tesco a few days ago. I got massive quotes to repair it through insurance (nearly the value of the car) but also a much much lower price if I can supply a matching door. Preferably complete with trims and electric bits, but Ill buy it either way. Minor damage is also fine (trolley dings, small scratches etc) Willing to travel anywhere in UK if I can get it this weekend. Thanks!