MarginWalker

Probably could be specc'd if an official Fiat part... Many 500s can look girly, I agree, but Abarths in most colours far less so, IMO. I like compact, quick, good-handling cars that are all about fun, and every Abarth variant ticks those boxes.

It's crazy I know, but it would be an absolute riot of fun to drive! A fully loaded Biposto would be closer to 40 k, but it's something quite unique in my opinion. Fantastic power to weight ratio and the soundtrack would be immense. And as for that gearbox... It's something completely different. I don't view hotted-up 500s as limp-wristed at all (was e.g. the Pug 205 GTi a girl's car?) - just a ton of (quite stylish) fun! Each to their own.

http://www.dicklovett.co.uk/Dealers/Specialist/Used-Car-Details/ABARTH-500-Matt_White-2014-20444536.html A true pocket rocket with a semi-auto box - 0-60 is only 6.5 seconds though. The brand new, insane 2-seater Abarth Biposto is a bit more expensive, but offers 190 bhp, a 0-60 of under 6 seconds and a wonderful dog ring gearbox that can do clutchless changes with a bit of practice. http://www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyId=29564

No vRS for the Fabia Mk 3, sadly.I agree that the least pleasing aspect of the Mk 2 is square on sideways. I've always liked the front, back and front three-quarter aspects though. The 'on stilts' look has always been a negative for the Mk 2, but makes it a very easy car to get in and out of!

It's my car's long lost identical twin! Same everything apart from the sunroof. Great find, great price! Mine has done 45 k now and has been a stellar car. Intend to keep it for a long time.

I've read several posts about the need to use a different driving style to get the best out of the 1.6 CR. I'm not sure I like the idea of driving a diesel that you need to rev like a petrol engine but I'm sure the 105 hp version of the 1.6 CR would be a good puller for your trailer. Having driven the 75hp version of this engine (courtesy car), which was quieter but considerably slower and less torquey than my 1.9, I would advise against anything other than the 105 hp version of the Fabia 1.6 CR TDi for your needs. Some are of the opinion that the 1.9 PD is a more flexible engine than the 1.6 CR, offering more of its torque at lower revs. If you want a car less than 4 years old however, then you'll have to forget the 1.9, as it was replaced by the 1.6 in 2010, at the same time as the Mk 2 Fabia facelift. You'd be lucky to find a 1.9 PD Fabia with less than 50 k on the clock, but then we're talking about an engine that is capable of running for over 200 k miles without major issues provided it is serviced according to schedule.

My 1.9 PD averages 50-55 mpg but 60 mpg can easily be achieved by sticking to speed limits and keeping it in the 'sweet spot' rev range (1900-2100 rpm). I have managed 68 mpg once or twice. Plenty of urge when you want to make decent progress and as reliable as a Sherman tank. One of the finest sub 2-litre diesel engine designs of all time IMO, but somewhat old school in the refinement department.

Gotta say, not too excited by the images I've seen so far. Last-generation Mazda 2s, Kia cee'ds and i30s have sharper styling than that.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - the vRS in black magic is simply the best-looking Fabia there is. A lean, mean stealth machine.

Hi David and welcome to the forum. I'm afraid the Dance unit in pre-facelift level 3 Fabias has no Bluetooth functionality. You'd have to go for a retrofit with a Bluetooth kit that is compatible with your head unit. I'm no expert on retrofitting Bluetooth but perhaps consider a kit made by Parrot. Alternatively you could replace your Dance unit with the Swing unit that has Bluetooth. I'm not aware of an off-the-shelf stainless steel exhaust system for the 1.9 TDi. Stainless steel exhausts can be custom-made to your requirements by a specialist such as your nearest Longlife dealer. Will cost a few hundred but probably worth it if you intend to keep the car a long time (my level 3 1.9 TDi estate has been the most reliable car I've owned and I will certainly be keeping mine a long time).

Fair points, EM and a good post. I don't support DPF removal and they are rightly here to stay - but I really hope the designs improve quickly so that clogging/regen issues become a thing of the past, along with these heated debates. I have to say that I can easily understand the scepticism about the severity of the health issues associated with diesel nanoparticulates - you may have compelling evidence in your possession but there really isn't a great deal of solid evidence in the public domain (so far) to strongly link diesel emissions with various cancers; perhaps you need to take this a bit more into consideration before condemning the 'doubters' so readily!

Estate Man, I have no beef with your desire to see reduced levels of diesel particulates in the environment, but I find your moral stance on your tall steed just a little rich given that you happily drove around in your non-DPF 1.4 TDi for several years before you changed it for your 1.6 petrol estate.Just saying.

That's quite interesting, as my 57 plate estate was an ex-demo and I was told at the time of purchase that it was one of the first Mk2 Fabia estates to arrive in the country, a year or so before I bought it. Presumably it would have been one if the first estates off the production line. I've had no mechanical, electrical or build quality issues whatsoever, so maybe it had extra special attention at the factory. I'd like to think so anyway!

DPFs are here to stay and that's a very good thing for urban air quality. I'm confident engineers will sort the issues out, but for now, I'd rather not have one fitted to my car, especially considering the mixed journey driving our 1.9 PD undergoes, with long periods of short trips only. It's a bit selfish and environmentally irresponsible I know (and I would never consider removing one if fitted), but I'm glad my car doesn't have this particular potential hassle.

As bluecar1 says, all engines have their strengths and weaknesses. The OP already knows the strengths of the 1.9 PD - tough, dependable, economical, punchy and flexible with it's high torque. It's main weaknesses are poor refinement compared with newer CR diesel engines and nastier emissions. Personally, I wouldn't swap my 1.9 PD estate for a 1.6 CR, mainly because I've been influenced by the surprisingly high number of posts, on this very forum, regarding niggles (often DPF-related) and economy disappointments with the newer engine. Interesting to hear that the OP reports Mk 2 1.9 PD Fabia estates as difficult to find - perhaps a sign of the high owner satisfaction with this particular variant of Fabia! For me, it's been the best all-round car package I've ever owned and absolutely nothing has gone wrong with it in 6 years of varied driving. However, given that the few 1.9 estates available for sale are likely to be high milers, a newer 1.6 CR Fabia estate would probably be a better bet for lower hassle ownership, especially considering that long runs for DPF regens are definitely going to be included in the OP's journeys.

That's one distinctive Fabia. Nice work. Black grille looks great and the red match on grill and wheels is a nice touch.

Yep, looks less 'on stilts' than the Mk 2. Not too keen on the rear end but the front looks decent. Inevitably it will be wider than the current model, which for me is a disappointment because I have a narrow driveway (gap between side of my house and next door's fence only accommodates cars about 1.5 metres wide) - the relative 'narrowness' of the Mk 2 was a key selling point for me. I like narrower cars generally, far easier to open doors in standard parking spaces.

Could be. Try squirting a bit of WD40 in the microswitch - might be lucky! If this doesn't work I'd get your service centre to run a VCDS scan to show the error code. Removing all error codes and resetting might work. New microswitch would be last resort.

Yes, the cambelt change is an expensive hit on top of an annual service but it only needs to be done every 5 years. It's essential that cambelts are replaced at the specified intervals, especially with TDi engines. Cambelts should be regarded as consumable items on every car that has them fitted (that's most cars). The rapid wear of lower arm rear bushes on the front suspension is a well known problem across a range of VAG models and has been sorted with an improved bush design. I suspect that changing both front lower arm rear bushes will sort your tyre wear problem.Turbodiesels do tend to incur slightly higher servicing costs than most petrol engines but this is offset by the better economy (although you do have to be doing annual mileages of 15k or higher to reap this benefit) and the higher mileages that the engines are capable of (an important attribute for a long-term keeper). The 1.9 PD has an excellent reliability and durability record and there are thousands of 1.9 TDis out there that have done well over 250 thousand miles. Also consider that this engine lacks a DPF - not great for the environment but good for elimination a source of trouble that has plagued many owners of more modern diesel cars. In my experience the Fabia 1.9 TDi IS a cheap car to run (mine has had no issues in 6 years and apart from the front lower arm rear bushes has only needed tyres, regular services and a cambelt change) and offers a great package of reliability, practicality, comfort and economy. I expect it to run on without any serious issues for many years if the record of older 1.9 TDis is anything to go by. Let's just say that if you intend to trade yours for a Jazz in then I guarantee it will be snapped up very quickly.

Another possibility is worn lower arm rear bushes. This was the cause of uneven wear on my front tyres. Got them replaced with the newer design VAG bushes and all looking good with nice even wear so far. Get the lower arm bushes checked out.

Goodyear Eagle F1 Assymetric 2s would be my recommendation. Available in your size for around 80-90 pounds a corner and excellent in every area but especially wet grip and noise. I've had them on the front of my 1.9 TDi for about 2000 miles now and they are much better than the bridgestone Turanzas and uniroyal Rainsport 2s that preceded them.

I gather there have been early failures of water pumps with either impeller type, but I went for metal impellers on the advice of my mechanic, who has seen water pump failures attributed to plastic impellers in TDi engines. He always uses either the Continental or SKF complete cambelt kits rather than the VAG kit; both kits include a water pump with metal impellers. He is of the opinion that these kits are of better quality and have a lower failure rate than the VAG kit.

According to VAG, for the 1.9 and 1.4 TDi PD engines, cambelt replacement intervals are every 4 years or 40,000 miles, whichever comes first. There's a good degree of confusion over this though, as the specified belt change intervals for PD engines used to be longer and remain longer in some other regions AFAIK. I expect most PD engines out there haven't stuck precisely to this interval but I'd steer away from a 2009 model that hasn't ever had a cambelt replaced, or insist that the price is reduced to cover the cost of getting it done straight away. Tensioners, auxiliary belt and water pump (make sure new pump has metal impellers) should all be replaced at the same time - cost for this work should be around £400 at a Skoda stealer, less if done by an independent.

Hmmm, guess I've been lucky with mine so far! Most reliable motor I've ever owned. No untoward noises from the running gear thus far, although you've just reminded me that I did get both of the front lower arm bushes changed recently due to uneven tyre wear on my previous Rainsport 2s. Not too bad in 6 years of daily running though!

As said, there's no volume control from the RH stalk or steering wheel in the level 3 Fabia. In general, a decent spec though, especially considering the list price back in the day - OTR price for my 2008 1.9 TDi estate was about 15 k (I got a decent reduction off this though as mine is an ex-demo). You could get one for less than 6 k now though I gather they're pretty sought after. For this reasonable sum you get a very comfortable, well-built load lugger with cruise control (used a lot on quieter motorways and speed-restricted stretches), climate control, rear sensors, front fogs, armrest, and a tough-as-nails engine that will shift you forward very capably with loads of torque while delivering 50-60 mpg no matter how hard you drive it. I can't tell you about any issues/problems, because I haven't had any so far!