Mines a 54 Plate with 122k on the clocks....apart from the DMF and clutch being replaced at 108k. There is very little wrong with it mechanically, just a few interior blemishes at the moment.

Mines a 54 plate with 72k on the clock, only thing to go wrong is a turbo, but that was my fault.

Apart from that, not a jot wrong, I'll be keepng this car for at least another 70k and I would buy another, well, another Skoda, as we will be having kids when the time is right so a bigger car may be requred.

Now for the 'bullet proof reliable' MX5. Bought a 2004 car in May with 40,000 miles on it. It's needed a new alternator (£300 for the part alone), front wheel bearing and replacement airbag control sensor (£520 part). Good job the warratny covered all that. Also needed a new pair of tyres to replace an exisitng almost new set becuase MX5s are frankly dangerous if all four tyres don't match. Read the MX5 forums and you will read about failed six speed gearboxes, juddering clutches and dealers who can't manage to set up the geometry properly.

Much as I love the MX5 can you guess which car I think is more reliable???

I've got an MX-5 (2002) so couldn't help commenting here!

Re: what's failed, you've been exceptionally unlucky IMHO. MX-5s have a (deserved) reputation as one of the most reliable cars you can buy, but you can be unlucky as with any car.

Re: the need for all four tyres to match, that's hardly a fault of the car is it?! It's a lightweight sports car, tyre choice makes a big difference (as does geometry, much more important and complicated to get right than with typical FWD cars) and if a previous owner hasn't got the sense to make sure the tyres match, you can't blame the car for that. I'm willing to bet this is equally important with other similar cars, e.g. MR2, S2000, etc.

Re: the MX-5 forums, I've not noticed anything about 6-speed gearbox problems but I'll take your word for it. As for clutch judder, that was a fairly isolated problem about 6 years (or so) ago and was sorted under warranty. As for dealers/geometry, you are right here. I had my car done in a Toyota dealer (via Mazda), it took four visits to get it right. If I didn't have an independant expert helping out, I'd have been none the wiser after the first visit, which was done with a machine with a bent arm (the Toyota dealer wasn't pulling a fast one, they didn't know about it themselves, my expert friend basically helped them track it down!). Again though, this isn't the car's fault. It's just that it's more complicated than most cars to get right. No excuses though, the dealers should get it right and they often don't!

Mine is an August '06 with the stutter and I've done 68,000 in a little over 2 years. It's had a few things go wrong, but compared to my last Peugeot 407 it's been a model of reliability. It's certainly never dumped me at the side of the road. Now it's out of warranty (on mileage) I use a specialist workshop (Unit 18 in Milton Keynes) and that makes it even more cost effective to run. I'm completely smitten with mine, and I drive it whenever possible even though it's no longer my daily driver (replaced by a very dull, metallic grey, Passat estate).

Get one. You won't regret it. It will put a huge smile on your face.

Agree with all of the above. I have an '06 vRS and it has been completely problem free (touch wood) since the day I drove her home. Like you I was a little worried about some of the things I read on here after joining, but from what I have read I have a feeling it is the slightly older Fabias that tend to have the door leak problems (though others can correct me if I'm wrong). I haven't done a lot of miles in mine, but as far as I can tell it still feels as solid as when I first bought it second hand a year ago, so I would definitely recommend one. Still smiling one year later.

In response to a number of posters above, I agree that if you read any car forum, you'll pick up on lots of problems, because people only tend to post if they have problems. Therefore it seems that every car has lots of problems.

However, I'm increasingly concerned about the failure rate of the 2.0 TDIs. There seem to be too many cases of these blowing for my liking. Another important point too, is there are faults, and there are FAULTS. Most niggles on most cars don't end up leaving you with little change from £2k.

I doubt this problem is purely a VW one; I've read about turbos going on other car forums, but the 2.0 TDI seems to have a way higher % than what I've read about elsewhere. Even for a forum where people post problems, there are a lot of reported blown turbos on the 2.0 TDI, IMHO. E.g. I've read about blown turbos on the Mazda 3, but the numbers are much lower, taken as a % of the posts...

All this said, Skoda are still right up there towards the top of my list for my next car, because I genuinely think they have good build quality from what I read in the motoring press. BUT I think the odds of me getting a 2.0 TDI have all but vanished now. It's either a 1.9 TDI or a 2.0 FSI...

If you look for a perfect car with no problems on any of the forums, you will end up with a push-bike. People now expect top quality for very little money, and expect all cars to be perfect, and there is no such animal. Skodas are among the best cars available for the price. The VRS in particular is a very clever car. Stunning performance with decent MPG, or stunning MPG if you only hit the loud pedal when really needed. The words cake and eat it spring to mind.

Yes there are some problems, but some of these will be due to power increase modifications putting extra strain on the power-train and subframe flexing. Given the amount of electronics crammed into modern cars, I'm amazed they even run at all

The best cars these days are probably the Lexus, and top end Toyota models, but they ain't cheap, and you can still get a duff one.

Last night I was at a roundabout waiting for lights to change to get onto the M8 motorway, sitting there at 2:00am in the inside lane. An audi TT pulls up in the outside lane, and the guy is reving the engine waiting for the lights to change. Off he goes, I launch the VRS and a second later he is staring in disbelief as he gets left for dead. The cost.......Priceless

My honest advice (and I'm a cynical young git lol) is great car Shame about the service afterwards from Skoda.

This my own opinion (Not shared by everyone I must add) but the way around this is to find a VAG specialist in your local area as, firstly they are cheaper than Skoda.

Generally more interested in doing a better job because they are a smaller garage so good service is crucial for them to survive and profit.

Hope you listen to this good advice and buy the car cos it is a great little car mate. I love mine Fabia VRS that is.

Despite my concerns, I decided to go for it in the end and bought an Octy!

Skodas have a good reputation for reliability, I know you can be unlucky but that's the same with virtually all cars.

Fingers crossed then, I'll be listening to that turbo very carefully until I start to relax

You think Skoda service is bad, try owning a Merc.

I've heard their aftersales is shocking.

Some garages are better than others.

You pay your money.....................

I'm on my 3rd vRS Fabia mate and i love this one as much as the other 2!!

Ian:)