Yoss

I stand slightly corrected. Emerald green has forest in brackets but that looks lighter than mine, though it is a very small picture, so I'm none the wiser.

That is a lot of colours. I'd like to see orange tangerine metallic. There must be different colours for different markets, we certainly didn't have that many in the UK. I'm not sure what colour mine is. Where can I find the code? I read somewhere it's in the spare wheel well but I can't find anything there. I have the words 'forest green' hand written in my handbook but that's not even on the above list.

Okay, that sounds interesting. You could do with a decent set of wheels to handle all the extra power. The standard wheels can barely handle the power of the original engine. Or maybe the roads in Jordan are all straight. Dont worry there's nothing wrong with your English. I'm often amazed when we get people on here from all over the world talking to each other in English when it's not your first language. Also, that looks like an Opel Ascona behind your car in the last picture. I haven't seen one of those for years.

Hello Omar, can you tell us more about the engine? I can see Toyota on it but it looks very compact. What size is it? How easy was the swap and does it include the gearbox as the gearstick I can see in the interior picture doesn't look standard either.

I got the right peas.

I have 15" Ronal Turbos on mine with 195/50 tyres. The ride is still fine, better than my other cars anyway and handling much improved. I love the six spoke alloys, the first picture in Ricardo's post but they were rare even when new but if I ever find a set I would buy them. I also agree with Ricardo that 14" is probably the best size. As the pitch is 4x100 try looking for old VW wheels. The Polo from the same time had some quite nice six spoke 14"s. Or try looking up mk1 or 2 Golf alloys, that should throw up lots of results.

I would have to disagree there. I think the 1.6 is a bit quicker, especially off the mark. I know they're not a lot quicker but that's not really the point. It is a lot quieter and smoother with lots of low down torque so you don't have to change gear as much. And with the higher gearing they are much more relaxed at motorway speeds. With all cars now being 15 to 20 years old and numbers dropping (there's rarely more than about a dozen on ebay or autotrader now) I would just say go for the best condition one regardless of engine type.

Hello, yes I'd say very reliable. Mine just passed its MOT again this morning. 9000 miles since the last one, one advise for slight play in a rear wheel bearing, which is adjustable so no new parts required. I've had two Felicias over ten years and that's about normal. As above, the diesel is an SDI so is rather slow, the 1.3 doesn't have great power either but is happy at higher revs so goes fairly well. The 1.6 has lots more low down torque but doesn't rev as well so not a lot quicker but is smoother and quieter, also has higher gear ratios. Mine doesn't shake at any speed! And the handling I think is as good as any of its contemporaries. I've got wider tyres on mine now which does help as they can be a bit understeery. But they are very light and have great visibility which is something that has been lost in modern cars with their thick pillars, supposedly in the name of safety. Basically two trim levels, LXi and GLXi, which has velour seats and a sunroof but also a few special editions which have various options as standard, electric front windows, alloy wheels, passenger airbag etc. I'd say buy one, but I am biased.

Hello Tristan. Good to know they are still out there. I must admit I've started scouring the internet looking for a good one to replace my MG ZT-T which most people seem to think is a strange thing to do. But I think it would make a good pairing with my Felicia. So any chance of some pictures?

I agree. The above sounds like the demise of MG Rover who tried and failed to find a new partner after BMW walked out. It would be very difficult to carry on alone, most smaller companies are now part of larger groups. Though I think Škoda would be a far more attractive proposition than MG Rover but would you want them to become part of GM or Renault (to pick two at random). I think they are far better of where they are and as others have said VW have many more niche brands they'd probably shift first so I can't see it happening.

I don't think build quality was a problem, they were as good as their contemporaries, though I admit the 80s wasn't a period renowned for its build quality. But Škoda were always at or near the top of customer satisfaction surveys. The handling was a bit wayward on the earlier cars though that was sorted with the introduction of the Rapid.

Yes, I'd love to see what Škoda could do on their own, but as an owner of arguably the last real Škoda design (admittedly with VW money behind it), I may be a little biased. But I have absolutely no doubt they have the capability but not sure they would have the finances on their own. I'd like to think they'd make more of their rally heritage and take on VW. That would be fun. Not sure how it could work in reality. Would probably need Czech government funds and then the EU would block it.

Nice. Another one with wheels worth more than the car!

You're probably better off looking at club polo or some such VW site. There's not really many people on here with an AFH. Just a thought.

I meant my MG, not Tom's Felicia! I've no idea what that's worth. It is unique.

Yeah, I was only joking Tom. Or at least half joking, if you'd said yes I would have bitten your arm off! Anyway it's worth next to nothing. About the same as a standard Felicia.

I'll swap it for my bright yellow MG ZT-T. It's a V6 190 so it goes quite well (though obviously not as well as your Felicia) and sounds nice. How do you insure it and with whom?

I've been googling zr seat frames and the front of the frame is similar with an angled bit that bolts on vertically. The rear fitting less so but the Felicia frames simply have bolts through the runners so you could remove the rear bracket of the MG seat and drill a hole through the runners. This is assuming the runners are the same distance apart, or at least close. No guarantee of that of course but it would be handy. You'll certainly have no trouble fitting the seats in the back of your Felly if you take the rear seats out (which, of course, you're going to have to do anyway to try and fit the MG seats). I got a whole armchair in mine that wouldn't fit in the ZT-T despite that being 16 feet long. There's much more height in the Škoda, a much more useful space. Though I did once get a 3.3 metre long piece of wood in the MG, I was quite impressed with that.

I take your point and like your analogy! But the MG rear seats are not as voloptous as you might imagine. MG Rover didn't really have the budget to do it properly so whilst the front seats have nice fat side bolsters the rears are just retrimmed Rover seats. I have a ZT-T and the rear seat is quite flat chested and flat bottomed! I agree it may not be easy but if done well would be better than fitting the whole MG seat which would limit the flexibility of the car. He could use some of the foam out of the MG seat to pad it out if need be. I realise we do now need the services of a professional upholsterer.

He does say 'if I was to take them out completely' suggesting he hasn't yet done so. I also realise swapping the covers won't be that simple. I admit I was probably understating it by saying 'a little fettling'. Might need a proper upholsterer but it would be the best solution. From what I can see of the MG seats only the back folds down. It would be a shame to lose the clever Škoda design but cars with different seats front and rear never look good.

When you say black and yellow are they the Matrix (sort of yellow and blue check material) or the Monaco's (black with yellow leather inserts)? Just curious, I have a Trophy Yellow ZT-T with blue/yellow Matrix's. The front seats of both should be mounted on fairly similar runners (though your passenger seat may be bodged) and if your lucky you may only have drill new holes in the runners. Worst case, cutting and welding of brackets would be required. The back seats on the Felicia come out so easily. If you've never done it just tip the backs down, push the seatbelts out then tip the whole seat forward. About halfway down a flat on the seat bracket lines up with a slot in the floor bracket and they just lift out and hey presto you have a van. It takes less time to do than it took me to write this sentence. Then you can see what you have with the MG seats. It might be easier with a little fettling to swap the covers over, then you can keep the clever Felicia seats. I'd like to see the results.

I think this is it.

Yes 102hp with a lighter (all aluminium) engine would be great wouldn't it. Not only faster but lighter at the front for better handling. You can only wonder where Škoda would be today if they could have stayed independent but at the time they did need investment. Before VW they held talks with Renault but all they wanted was someone to build old Renault's cheaply so they went off and bought Dacia who spent the next 15 years building Renault 12s so it could have been a lot worse. Or I could just say MG Rover, to see what happens without investment or partnership.

You are entirely correct. I've just had a look and it says 1989-1992. I know its easy to mock Haynes manuals, which is why I did, but it was meant in jest. They aren't perfect but they do help. The Felicia one is very much geared towards the 1.3, a lot of 1.6 stuff isn't properly illustrated but it sort of helps.

Over here they were standard on the Bohemia, L&K and SLXi. Didn't know the Magic had them. I know they had the alloys off the SLXi and are all dark grey but don't know if the electric windows are standard. I shall have to keep an eye on this!