Well today it finally rolled over to 100,000 miles and celebrates it's 9th birthday on the 2nd February so is getting on a bit (must be one of the first estates as they were lauched on the 1/2/01).

(Yes I did go down side roads just to get that picture.:no:)

It's a 1.4 16v (AUB) Fabia estate in Comfort/Ambeinete guise. Bearing in mind it had a list price of ~£12k when new it's had around £6.5k spent on it in repairs and servicing, excluding tax and tyres!

In majour parts it's had (based mainly on service history/invoices);

• a new steering rack (£500 parts from Skoda!)
• full exhaust system, inc. Cat
• 2 wheel bearings
• rebuilt brakes (fair enough)
• several misfires/lambda probes/EGR values/manifold pressure sensors
• console bushes
• suspension creaking - later the passenger front sping snapped in two!
• HT leads/coil packs.

Plus the piston rings are going, looking at around £600+ to replace making the total nearer to £7 - £7.5k on parts + labour and servicing over its life thus far.

Does around 4mpg too on a journey of about 3 miles town, 17miles 50-60mph roads with a gentle foot but nearer to 30mpg around town.

For a car maker with such a good reputation for realibilty - I don't really see how it's justified. But my expectations might be too high as this is my first proper car so not sure what to expect. Or maybe they got better with time.

To be spending around 75% of the cars cost in maintaince seems excessive to me, but . . .

All that said, a lot of the work was financed by previous owners, the engine is renowned for being crap, and the steering rack was a balls up from the start.

Despite all this it still drives well, and goes really well for what it is, still find it fun to floor it when the time suits. Paint has lasted well too, not a single stone chip to be found. I would still buy a newer/lower mileage one again if I could find the right one and do love the car. Would love a vRS if anyone is willing to swap.

Good going. My 2003/03 Fabia vRS is about 400 miles short of 130k now. Should reach it by the end of the week

Well today it finally rolled over to 100,000 miles and celebrates it's 9th birthday on the 2nd February so is getting on a bit (must be one of the first estates as they were lauched on the 1/2/01

It's a 1.4 16v (AUB) Fabia estate in Comfort/Ambeinete guise. Bearing in mind it had a list price of ~£12k when new it's had around £6.5k spent on it in repairs and servicing, excluding tax and tyres!

In majour parts it's had (based mainly on service history/invoices);

• a new steering rack (£500 parts from Skoda!)
• full exhaust system, inc. Cat
• 2 wheel bearings
• rebuilt brakes (fair enough)
• several misfires/lambda probes/EGR values/manifold pressure sensors
• console bushes
• suspension creaking - later the passenger front sping snapped in two!
• HT leads/coil packs.

Plus the piston rings are going, looking at around £600+ to replace making the total nearer to £7 - £7.5k on parts + labour and servicing over its life thus far.

Does around 4mpg too on a journey of about 3 miles town, 17miles 50-60mph roads with a gentle foot but nearer to 30mpg around town.

For a car maker with such a good reputation for realibilty - I don't really see how it's justified. But my expectations might be too high as this is my first proper car so not sure what to expect. Or maybe they got better with time.

To be spending around 75% of the cars cost in maintaince seems excessive to me, but . . .

All that said, a lot of the work was financed by previous owners, the engine is renowned for being crap, and the steering rack was a balls up from the start.

Despite all this it still drives well, and goes really well for what it is, still find it fun to floor it when the time suits. Paint has lasted well too, not a single stone chip to be found. I would still buy a newer/lower mileage one again if I could find the right one and do love the car. Would love a vRS if anyone is willing to swap.

I think that your MPG figure of 4mpg on a 20 mile journey is slightly below what is expected (ha ha!). I've always taken the view that you should set aside maybe £2000 a year to run a small car - in a period of 10 years ownership, so I would not worry about spending yy% of its show room price. Its just really up to the individual how that £2000 X 10 = £20,000 is spent over 10 years - maybe better quality car with less repairs but more depreciation - but its the same in the end its a total of £20,000 over 10 years coming out of your pocket. That is the way I've done this for about 30 years, I ignore quotes like "bin it" its not worth spending that money on it, as usually that comes from someone that has just spend a King's ransom on a slightly newer "shed" which is about to financially ruin him! Just my two pence - that's all!! It can be difficult to know when to "let go", if you have a wedge of cash saved up and an eye on another car - then just let it go, if not your £700 engine repairs will repay you after another 6 month's motoring (at my rate of about £2000 a year).

Edited 1 February, 201016 yr by rum4mo

I guess the thing is, you maybe don't know how the previous owner drove it, or where they drove it? Maybe they ragged it & generally abused it a bit, or the roads where heavily pot-holed? Whilst I wouldn't expect everything on your list, there's a few of them I would (console bushes had known issues, exhaust pipes go eventually). My parents vehicles (20yr old saloons, just under 200k) had a few issues over their earlier life too (exhaust, 1 wheel bearing, misfires, suspension) - I guess a few of them are to be expected ...

Your doing ok mate,

As you know I had a 2001 Y plate AUB before my vRS, That had issues as well and I do wonder if the earlier Fabia's where just a tad under developed? They were the first on the platform, weren't they?

Also, bought my 2001 AUB on 52k ish.. drove till 72k ish with several issues.

My 04 vRS? Bought on 49k ish and now on 63k ish with no major faults........ yet. Mainly just small thing's I keep causing myself.