Since this new scrappage scheme has started I've been considering a new waggon. I want a car that I just get in and turn the key, no stress. I've been considering the ford ka (5995), fabia 1 (5995) and suzuki alto (4800). I'm favouring the skoda currently as ford wont throw anything in or match the spec on the skoda, I'm concerned about the suzuki being a little tinny. What I'd appreciate is some honest opinions on the fabia and what I can expect for mechanical reliability. (I'm happy getting my hands mucky so tech speak is OK).

Thanks all

(copied over from the fabia 1 thread, sorry)

I don't think you would regret the Fabia, It is significantly bigger than the other 2 and I'm sure would be much more comfy for most journeys.

The Alto looks nice but it only gets 3* in the Euro NCAP tests where as the others get 4* I know it may not be the same as a real crash situation but it gives an idea of the cars strength.

Have you test driven any of them?

David

The Fabia would be the better buy, it's bigger and more comfortable. Had a look inside an Alto at the weekend when one of the local shopping had a Suzuki promotion display - awful, no proper glove compartment, just a slot thing. Being a brand new car you shouldn't get any mechanical issues - that would be covered by the warranty (If you do service it yourself you would void the warranty)

the skoda will hold its value much much better than the other two, plus the build quality is second to none, fords drop in value like they have been in an accident as soon as you drive them out of the garage, and the suzuki shouldnt really be a choice!

If you're looking for a balanced and unbiased opinion, you're in the wrong place.

People here will swear blind that a Skoda is better than any BMW or Mercedes.

What do you expect?

The new KA is supposed to be good (the old one was a rustbucket). However my comment is I think you'll find the Fabia a much larger car than the other two.

If I'm not much mistaken, the new Ford KA is based on the latest Fiat 500 floorpan/components which in turn I believe is based on the current Fiat Panda. Given the choice of those 3, I'd go for one of the Fiats.

For me, the answer depends on whow long you intend to keep the car - I suspect the Fabia will have the best long term build quality but all of them shuold be OK for 5 years. My experience with modern cars is that the body and mechanicals tend to be capable of far outliving the electronics.

Pete

Thankyou all for your opinions. I did expect a skoda biased opinion here (obviously) but I was curious to see what people who own these cars thought. I also have a VX220 as a toy but wouldn't recomend it after having had a few interesting experiences. I generally find most forums are honest. The suzuki is a bit of a swerve ball really, the spec is amazing for its price but I am expecting the build to be poor (not seen one yet) it was just the price that tempted me. I've had some good luck with fords so the ka was an obvious choice then heard about 2500 scrappage on the fabia so had a look there. The only thing that puts me off the skoda is that I'd have to get new diagnostic equipment to suit the VW/Audi/Skoda plug.

Once again thankyou all for your opinion.

My comments are only with a bit of bias as I bought a Fabia because it met my requirements and joined the forum afterwards. Have a 1.4TDI Level 2 and nearly covered 40k in the two years I've had it. Nothing has yet gone wrong nor does it have any odd noises coming from any part. My only complaint with it as a car is you are unable to get a constant temperature during the winter but that is it.

I smile when I get in any other VW/Audi and spot all the common parts that I know I paid a lot less for!

Once again thankyou all for your opinion.

Hi. From your prices it sounds like you are considering the cheapest and least powerful Fabia in 1 spec, the 1.2 59bhp 6 valve. If you drive out of town, and you're prepared to pay around £700 more, I'd recommend you go for the more powerful version of this engine, the 1.2 69bhp 12 valve. This latter is well reviewed and is surprisingly perky.

Once again thankyou all for your opinion.

Hi. From your prices it sounds like you are considering the cheapest and least powerful Fabia in 1 spec, the 1.2 59bhp 6 valve. If you drive out of town, and you're prepared to pay around £700 more, I'd recommend you go for the more powerful version of this engine, the 1.2 69bhp 12 valve. This latter is well reviewed and is surprisingly perky.

agree with that worth the extra cash to get a better spec, and engine

Hi. From your prices it sounds like you are considering the cheapest and least powerful Fabia in 1 spec, the 1.2 59bhp 6 valve. If you drive out of town, and you're prepared to pay around £700 more, I'd recommend you go for the more powerful version of this engine, the 1.2 69bhp 12 valve. This latter is well reviewed and is surprisingly perky.

agree with that worth the extra cash to get a better spec, and engine

Agreed with this statement, also the interior is much better in te Fabia Level 2 and the 70bhp 1.2 engine is better and not bad in and out of town, my parents have one and it is great little car, the ford is poor to say least build quality in and out, and the Alto is so small you may struggle if you go on holiday (You might fit a extra pair of pants in there)

If you can not go the extra in cash you will still have a much better car over the other two. I will whole heartedly recommend the fabia over the others.

Regards

Timelord

We have a 1.9 Sport and just love the drive. Not quite got the get up and go of the Fabia vRS, but still gets a

move on when required.

It will also manage over 60 MPG with me driving it

Not as fast as my Octavia vRS, but still love driving it

I drove a 1.4 PD TDi (3 cyl) 80 bhp for a week while awaiting delivery of my Superb and whilst I found it spacious (for a small car) and quite fun to drive compared to a petrol (torquey TD etc.) the noise of the engine was very noticeable and would have really got to me after a while. My Superb has the 1.9 PD TDI 105 bhp enginer which although not very refined compared to the new CR diesels, it is so much more quiet than the Fabia I drove. May be to do with better sound-proofing or something.

The three pot diesels are noisy, the general build is good but the mk2 seems to be less 'solid' than the mk1. Mechanically sound but the electronics are not 100% reliable. But, then which other cars are?

If you want the most space for the class I don't think the new Fabia can be beaten.

If I'm not much mistaken, the new Ford KA is based on the latest Fiat 500 floorpan/components which in turn I believe is based on the current Fiat Panda. Given the choice of those 3, I'd go for one of the Fiats.

For me, the answer depends on whow long you intend to keep the car - I suspect the Fabia will have the best long term build quality but all of them shuold be OK for 5 years. My experience with modern cars is that the body and mechanicals tend to be capable of far outliving the electronics.

Pete

Keep well away from Fiats they are just cheap shoddy rubbish. Of the three cars mentioned it would have to be a Fabia.

Helix,

As an ex-tech, I can tell you the Skoda Fabia Mk2 is about as good as you can get. I spent 6 months researching Skoda, VW and Fiat in particular. I concluded Skoda was the best bet. I'm not disappointed. Never had any problems with mine and it's put together superbly. Compared to Ford and Fiat with whom I've had considerable experience, there is no contest. Am I biased...you bet! Checkout the JD Power car surveys. Fiat at the bottom of the manufacturers rating, Lexus and Skoda at the top! VW somewhere in the middle. Stunning.

Hi Everyone.. I'm new to this forum , so please bear with me. I thought I would post a comment on build quality now that I'm on my fifth Skoda. I have a Fabia II level 3 TDI, And i've got to admit, reluctantly, that the build quality isn't what it used to be. However we could say that about most things today. Having had two Octavia's, one a Vrs, the Octavia is definateley the better build of the two cars. If you do your research on the net you will find that one of Skoda's newest factorys (assembly plants) is in India, and it's one of the biggest. Parts are shipped out to this plant and assembled and this includes the new Fabia. Apparently the new Fabia is very popular in India, and if you look at the front styling of the new model it does indeed have that Indian look about it. Even the ride height of the new model has been increased to cope with Indian roads. Of course Fabia's are built at other plants but it just makes you wonder sometimes if youv'e been driving a car that was built on the other side of the World...

Has anyone else picked up on this?....

P.S. This has to be the best Skoda Forum on the net, excellent......................

Welcome

In reference to the post above , where is the Fabia built for the European market , is is still CZ??

I don't know where the New Fabia is made for the Euro/GB market there could be several plants around the World involved, that Skoda now owns. But I wouldn't be surprised if a proportion of the UK cars where shipped in from India. Lest face it if a company wants to reduce manufacturing and assembly costs it probably makes sound financial sense to ship parts out to india, assemble the cars, then ship back to the the UK. I should imagine its far cheaper to mass assemble in India or other far Eastern plants than anywhere else in the World.

I think you can establish the country of origin by refering to the vehicle's VIN Number.

On another matter though, the Heritage Motor Museum looks a superb venue for the meet, and I'm gonna try and get there... It'll be good to talk to other Members who have the new Fab II.

Keep well away from Fiats they are just cheap shoddy rubbish. Of the three cars mentioned it would have to be a Fabia.

Hell Yeah!! You could of said it better..... I have a fleet of Fiats where i work and the general consenus of the Drivers is as you have stated, one I whole heartedly agree to

Timelord

In reference to the post above , where is the Fabia built for the European market , is is still CZ??

According to MSN (I'm sorry) they are made in CZ. This was from MSN.co.uk so I assume it to be cars for the European market.

2009 Skoda Fabia - Overview - MSN Cars

For me, the only real concern is the creaky dash. The build quality of the rest is just fine

Do loads of test runs in the car of your fancy, start with a Skoda and then finally go back to the first car you tested.

Ian. 24/06/2009

Can i recommend you go see the Hyundai i10 - its a far better car and better value than either the KA and most definitely the overpriced horribly tinny Alto/Pixo.

As for the Fabia, I recently scrapped an old car and I ended up going for the Hyundai i10 - but being a past owner of at 8 Skoda's including two new Fabia mk1's and Octavia Mk1 I was keen to check out the Fabia as a potential choice.

Sadly, since the MK2 was introduced I was simply appalled at the design - I know this isnt the place to criticise the fabia - but we need to be honest - it doesnt look particulary good from any angle does it? The Mk1 for me was such a classy, solid, very well balanced design and it wiped the floor with so many of it's competitors for so many years - i still miss both my Fabia's - they got everything right with it inside and out. The Mk2 was underwhelming from the minute they released pictures of it - even a brilliant advert on the telly couldnt help it. It will no doubt be good quality, but the rest is plain to see.

I was saddened as I wanted to get back into Skoda ownership after having a company car for a few years - I have always been a supporter to anyone who will listen - I think the Octavia is brilliant and the Superb I would sell my family for - but I just cannot wait for this current Fabia to be replaced - I truly cannot grasp what Skoda were thinking when they signed off the design.

So to cut a long story short - if you want a cheap car on the scrappage scheme - take a look at the Fabia and then walk on by to the next Hyundai dealership with blankety blank cheque book and pen at the ready