paddyjoe

09' Fabia with bi-halogen headlights, maxi-dot, small leather pack (wheel, handbrake, gearstick), it's called Ambition here, which is a paddy-spec really, no AC, 2 electric windows and it ends here, can't mention any more. Manual, 117k km on clock, so it's not a big mileage for a soon to be 12 years old. It's in good nick, timing belt changed 3 years ago, new discs and pads 2 years ago. No quotes yet as not too bad at the moment but I can hear that there's something which going to go at some stage. The 1.4's gearbox is prone to fail on (shaft) bearings. Doing 10-12k kms per year which is average. I'm in the same boots as you are: this is a sound car, never let me down over 5 years and 56k kms. The one I'm looking at is a 16', 26k kms on the clock which is below average for a 4 year old, has the 1.2 with 6 speed. Ant this one has no AC either. So you've had over 5 years happy motoring. Is sounds good to me, I keep cars for a longer period. Wish I had a shed or something with a cover, I'd keep them longer. Simple things like changing oil is a pain in the bottom as I do it in an open carpark. For this reason, better changing before gets to old.

I have a MkII 1.4 at the moment and it'll be 12 years old in few months. I like it as it's 'less complicated' compared to todays cars. I'm currently looking at a MkIII 1.2 estate. It looks more pleasing on the eye, has more 'oomph' and room, the silvery dashboard insert scratches easily, inside plastic looks cheaper. It would be a mixed feelings upgrade, not sure about a small turbo, but on the other side with the 1.4's mpg the 1.2 would give me more excitement. The current car is worth about 1500-2000 quid, in good nick bar the squeaky front bushes and noisy clutch bearing, the estate I'm looking at is 10400 pounds, both on the irish market. The current one is a yellow colour, the other is white. While I like bright colour but it'd be nice to be able to get around 'unnoticed'. What are the experience of those who have made a move from MkII to III? Was it worth it? The shape of I and III appeals to me more. And looking for something small and practical. I even toyed with the idea of Ibiza, Polo 1.4 ACT's, for more sleeper surprise. Ibiza is small, Polo is dear, the Fabia III had the 1.2 110 as the top petrol. Thank you!

I have power windows on the front doors. Both have gone dead, not responding to the switches. I've checked the fuses, they are ok. Both window slider mechanisms have been replaced not a long time ago due to falling down into their slots. No response to turning the key in the lock either. I'm planning further investigation but in the cold weather I dont wan't to start breaking plastic. Would you have any pointers? It's a 2006 1.2, factory fitted key operated central locking which I upgraded to a remote one by swapping the control module out. Thanks a million!