jonzero1

I have logged about 20 full tanks on my 56 reg VRS and get an average of 48mpg which I think is pretty decent considering I tend to be one of the faster cars on my drive to work (14 miles, varying from dual carriageway to stop-start town driving). My VRS computer tells me I'm getting anywhere between 50-65 mpg to/ from work. Reality is 48 mpg so probably around the 22% innacuracy OP is getting.

I have put up with the stutter for 6 months of ownership, it was really starting to *&^% me off! This weekend I removed the vacuum line and blocked it up. I wish I had done it before - the car runs far smoother now, and 5+ mpg more on my daily commute. The dash warning light has come up, but I can live with it for the mo. When it comes to the MOT I will tell the garage to put the pipe back on if the emmissions are too high I may try your idea out just to see if it will remove the warning light and stutter. Keep us posted

I'm 34 and have owned my Mk1 silver vRS for about 6 months. Great little car. I have been trying to convince my younger brother (20) to get one as for a fairly nippy car the insurance group is pretty low. Seems as though there's a fair few young'uns who have had the same idea!

IMO it depends on your driving style as to whether it's better or not. If you are consistent and light on the loud pedal the results are similar to cruise. I find that on or off I average about the same, but I like using cruise control to keep me away from speeding fines!

I would opt for Xenons, cruise control, sunroof, ESP, CD changer. Xenons are superb (had them on my Clio 172 and missed them ever since) cruise (cheap option imo, and great on those monotonous m'way drives) Sunroof (I always liked sunroofs but since A/C they are only ever an optional extra) ESP (peace of mind in crappy weather) CD changer (yes I'm old school and still use CD's most of the time!)

I think ASR is a fairly crude traction control system. It just measures the difference in the speeds the front wheels are spinning and removes drive from the one that is spinning faster, until both wheels are at same speed. I would defo spec ESP if I was buying new, it is far superior.

Too busy drooling over your wheels to notice the lights Swings and roundabouts IMO, I probably prefer the standard lights if I'm being picky. No performance enhancement, in fact seeing as they reduce night visibility, loss of performance??

Now why doesn't that surprise me

This is what I like about this forum. Someone posts a derogatory remark about Skodas and 100 people turn up with something positive to say! Give yourselves a pat on the back.

I like your analogy, very well put. If the back of the car breaks right, steer right to correct it If the back of the car breaks left........ ABS is designed to let you steer while breaking, not necessarily stop quicker. Brake before clutch, in any gear other than 1st, (maybe 2nd). Helps to control the stop. Allow up to 10 times normal stopping distance ( which will give you more time to react gently to traffic ahead). Remember there is a reason the Coppers call them 'collisions' these days instead of accidents. An accident implies there is no-one at fault. Planning ahead is the key. Of course, no-ones perfect though!

Telling people on a Skoda forum to not buy a Skoda? Talk about shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted In my family we currently own 6 VAG cars (Skoda/Audi/VW) and overall probably 10 +. None of us have ever had a 'major' problem, only the odd extra bits at service intervals. My vRS is the 3rd VAG I have owned personally and I plan to keep buying them in the future. There are lemons out there but that's true for all marques.

Hi Sandy, Good idea to check for known problems before buying. Here's a link to a thread which may be of interest, basically people listing work they've had done on their cars. http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/181083-how-reliable-is-your-fabia-vrs/ This site is a fantastic resource for Skoda info - there are a lot of knowledgable people on here willing to help out. I am not one of them! I say buy one, you won't regret it Jon

Here's mine, I have given them all marks out of 10 for how I felt about them at the time. Passed in 1993: 1. 1986 D reg red Peugeot 205 1.4XL. put XS wheels on it & GTI front bumper (with no fogs!) 7/10 2. 1986 D reg black Peugeot 205 1.9 GTI .Quite simply the best car in the world (to me, at the time, just mine though, noone elses was as good) lowered on springs at the front. 10/10 3. 1993? L reg red Peugeot 306 1.8XT. I wanted an XS or GTI 6 but couldn't afford one! 8/10 4. 1993 L reg Honda CRX ESI. Manual roof. Was great on our honeymoon to France. 8/10 5. 2002 02 silver Renaultsport Clio 172. The Clios are fantastic IMO, but had to go when my daughter was born. 9/10 6. 2003 03 metallic green VW Passat SE 1.9tdi pd 130 bhp Estate. My first foray into German cars. Still own this beast and love it as a motorway cruiser. Handles like the ark royal. 10/10 7. 2007 07 black Fiesta zetec 1.4 tdci climate. For some reason I hated this car after the first month of ownership. 5/10 8. 2006 56 silver Skoda Fabia vRS. I love cars again now. So far this has lived up to my expectations. 9/10

I guess feedback could be a problem, hadn't thought of that. I think I'm gonna take the plunge and buy one for £10 - £15 - If it doesn't work well at least it won't cost too much. I will look for one with a USB out for charging too. Thanks for your help

drove my fiesta 1.4 zetec diesel 70 miles to pick up my vRS. drove at around 70mph all the way and got 63mpg. That car was gutless and paid £30 per year road fund license. Drove the vRS back, booted it off most roundabouts (as you do when you get a new toy) and got 63mpg! Often pull onto my drive slowing down from 60 6th gear straight into first. As they showed on topgear with the M3 / Prius test, it's how you drive that saves the most fuel.