Hi all,

I'm new to this forum (obviously) so hopefully i've put this question in the correct place...

OK, I currently own a Vectra 3.2 GSI... very good car but loves the fuel... which is clearly where the VRS comes in...

Prior to the Vectra I have a Pug 306 Rallye... good car but also loved the fuel and was a bit 'fragile' shall we say...

A mate suggested the VRS as a replacement for the Vectra... but i've a few questions, hopefully you'll be able to help me out...

First up, i'm a lanky 6'4" fella, will I be comfy in one... i'll avoid the sunroof versions of course...

Next. do they have IsoFix fittings in the back? I'm going to be a dad in November (happy days) - so really would be a plus if the VRS has these...

Also, are there any common faults to look for, and how often should the cam belt be changed...

Hate to admit this to you guys, but have looked at the Golf GT 150... any comparison to the VRS? To be honest i've always liked owning something a bit different from the norm, and the Golf, to me atleast is as bland as they come...

I'm looking at spending around £5,500 - is this realistic to get a half decent one?

Pretty keen on the black ones - have seen a few with a black grille surround rather than the chrome one - was this an option or an aftermarket thing?

Anyway, I think that's enough questions for now!!

Sorry to bombard you all with so many, and I guess if I spent half a day searching I may have found the answers... but I don't have half a day!!

Cheers again...

Ian B

I'm slightly over 6'4" and I don't have any problems with seating position unless I want to fold the rear seats down.

As far as I am aware none of the Fabia Mk1s came with IsoFix seat fittings. Someone will be along to correct me if I'm wrong.

Cam belt should be changed every 4 years or 60,000 miles (whichever comes sooner).

Leaking door carriers and front suspension wear seem to be the most common thing to go wrong. You'll probably need to do a full search to find out about other problems.

I would think that £5,500 would get you a decentish one. Of course the only one really worth getting is the SE and they're still starting at £9K from a dealers:). Not that I'm biassed of course....

Standard grill surround is silver, but I believe painting it black is fairly easy. Again, you'll probably have to use the search facility to find out more info.

First up, i'm a lanky 6'4" fella, will I be comfy in one... i'll avoid the sunroof versions of course...

I'm 6'2" and have no probs with headroom in my vRS. I do have to move the seat back a fair bit for my long legs but the steering adjusts for rake AND reach so no worries there .

A couple of weeks ago I bought a 05 black Vrs with 72k on the clock with full skoda service history for £4900 from a fellow briskodian. I had up to about 6.5k to spend but this was by far the best example without having to trek halfway across the country. 5.5k should be fine but if you want a standard one (like mine except for the black grill) you might have to accept a slightly higher milage, as the standard ones have more often been used as a milage car. No complaints from mine yet apart from the brakes not quite as responsive as I would of hoped, oh and my rear washer stopped working the other day! Did a 400 mile trip in it yesteday and returned 48 mpg and that was tanking it pretty much all the way, just as fun to drive as my S3 was but cheap!! Good purchase in my opinion.

don't do it, save yourself before you fall in love with the fabia!! you will kill for it.

The latter vRS has isofix - well, mine does anyhow!

Driving position is good for taller drivers, the steering wheel and seat adjusts enough for me and my dad (i'm 6' 3'' and dad is a touch over 6' 6'')

Cam belt is as above, every 4 years or 60k miles.

You should be able to buy a decent private sale vRS for £5,500 (plenty on here!) or spend £6000 - £7000 for an 04/54/05 vRS at a dealer.

On the isofix thing I would'nt let it put you off a mk1 as my baby seat was sold with a base that fastens into the seatbelt, really simple to use.

The Grill you've seen is either the OEM painted black or the chunkier Milotech aftermarket jobbies from Superskoda.com - again these need painting though but I did find a cheaper one on ebay which is just as good!

If you need boot space though I'm not sure the Fabia vRS is for you, when my C-Max family wagon breaks down (quite often) and have to use my vRS its a squeeze with the pram in the boot and because of the car seat in the rear it pretty much renders your front passenger seat useless.

I love my vRS though, rock solid reliability and plenty fun