Hello,

I have just ventured from the Yeti forum. My brother is looking to get a first car and I recommended, within his budget of around £1500, a Fabia or Octavia.

Obviously insurance is very important and therefore I recommended the 1.9 SDI engine in both.

I understand that they are very reliable, could this be confirmed by anyone who had one? I know a lot of taxi drivers use them.

I am also wondering if he only does 6000 miles a year, should he get a lower milaege 1.2 or 1.4 instead??

Thanks!

Hello,

I couldnt say anything about the petrol models having never owned one but I do have an SDI which i've had for just over two years now. In this time I have covered 40k with regular servicing and have only had 1 breakdown due to a rubber o-ring on the coolant system failing. 88p later and its all fixed.

Cant fault the car. So if he's after something reliable i would recommend it. bear in mind it will never be a tarmac terror though!

I would have thought the 1.2 is cheaper on insurance, any how thats the one I would recommend.

Depends really on which he's more used to.

A 1.2 petrol might well be cheaper to buy and insure, but if he's only used to diesels, he might find the lack of bottom end irritating.

Similarly, if he's used to small, revvy (but not very fast) petrols, he might not enjoy surfing a torque curve at 1500 to 2500 or so.

As to reliability, I know of 1.9SDi Octys that have gone on to 500_000 miles with just servicing.

Took a drive in Mrs Grrs SDI in Somerset yesterday.

As previously mentioned you won't win many races.

However my displayed Average 74.5 mpg whilst I pootled around at 50ish most of the day

is the payback for the lack of oomph.

As for reliability, nearly 2 years on from buying ours all I've had to do is replace a couple of bulbs.

It's a 54reg with 94k on the clock so far but I don't doubt we'll get another 100k out of her before she dies.

I liked it so much when she got it that it motivated me to sell my Bora 2.0 16v and upgrade to vRS-ness

I rate the SDI :yes:

Edited 24 May, 201016 yr by grr666

We've got the 1.2 HTP and it's utterly brilliant. I love driving it.

Solid, comfortable, a right laugh to chuck around, and despite the fact that it's a base model has ABS, aircon, central locking; all the toys.

And without a moment of hesitation, I'd suggest that your brother gets the SDi.

Because while the HTP is just a complete joy, the fuel consumption is miserable. Any form of spirited driving and consumption is in the low 30's. Getting anywhere near the low 40's requires the patience of a saint. Similar driving in the SDi will give you 50+ and 70+ respectively

On MPI (1.4 8v) the fuel consumption is horrendous (see below)

On MPI (1.4 8v) the fuel consumption is horrendous (see below)

I guess thats why yours is called the "blackline" and not the "greenline"

As for the ops question, I'd go for the SDI as i have been in both and the performance is not dissimilar (when in the right gear for the engine type ofc ) but the SDI does more mpg

Spose the MPI sounds a bit nicer thou

I've done 274k miles in our 2001 Fabia SDi, at 55.3 mpg average. I've recorded all fuel usage and costs, with service related ones being as follows -

10k service - £75

20k service - £140

30k service - £103

40k service - £185

50k service - £90

(Power steering sensor replaced under warranty 54610 miles)

(Indicator switch replaced under warranty 55210 miles)

60k service - £310 (including new pads and discs)

70k service - £222 (including cambelt)

80k service - £206

90k service - £205 (including front pads, power steering unit)

Rear shoes, shock absorber cover - £134 (91300 miles)

(New battery under warranty 92339 miles)

100k service - £186

Broke down in Ireland (104549 miles) - recovery truck + alternator check + circuit repair - £198

Power steering sensor - £71

Power steering pump - £470 + fitting £120 (117410 miles)

120k service - £205

Front passenger cv joint + brake pads - £225 (126350 miles)

Front passenger wheel bearing - £147 (131800 miles)

Service + cambelt - £202 (136600 miles)

Service + drivers side rear wheel bearing - £204 (150177 miles)

Two rear wheel cylinders, rear shoes - £127 ((150231 miles)

Rear window - £80 (Just crumbled away after a frosty night!)

Pads, discs + tracking - £253 (166651 miles)

Service + front suspension bushes + steering rack gator + track rod end + front strut bearings + 2 nearside springs + 2 rear wheel cylinders + shoes - £714 (175540 miles)

Clutch repair - £80 (196700 miles)

Handbrake repair + rear shoes - £290 (202900 miles)

Two rear brake cylinders - £59

Service + front pads + drivers side front spring - £326 (204290 miles)

Clutch pedal fix - £45

Bonnet repair - £40

New windscreen - £225 (220064 miles)

Service + cambelt - £245 (221514 miles)

Service - £115 (232847 miles)

Brake light switch - £28 (240095 miles)

Passenger side cv joint - £90 (245422 miles)

Gearbox recondition - £850 (247182 miles)

New radio - £98

Service + 2 front lower arm near subframe bushes + 2 rear brake shoes and cylinders + mid exhaust box + offside front ball joint - £520 (255357 miles)

Service + 2 front wheel bearings + cv boot + front pads - £526 (264625 miles)

Other costs include 36 tyres, oil and filters for changes I have done myself at 5k intervals when not in for services, bulbs, wiper blades, wheel trims, mats, tax, insurance, breakdown cover, car washes.

Overall the car has cost 16.9p per mile, which seems good in comparison with figures published by the AA.

I guess many of the same servicing issues would arise with other Fabia models. The driving has involved roughly half motorway (with a rather heavy right foot!), and equal amounts of urban and rural hours behind the wheel.

Hope this gives you an indication as to likely expenses.

Thanks very much to everyone. Very comprehensive list there Nigel. Its good to know it is very cheap to run then.

I have had lifts in a friend's early Fabia and it just feels really wel put together, there are no squeaks or rattles despite being nearly 10 years old. I am very impressed.

What's more I think its more "useful" than the Polo, which always feels a bit flimsy.

As we are not buying a new car, it would be difficult to test drive and decide on the one we want. I will ask him to check on the insurance again, as far as I can remeber the SDI costs similar to the HTP.

The 1.4 100ps sounds attractive but insurance is too much. I will report back after some further reading and see which one my brother prefers, he is currently quite keen on the estate.

Thanks again!!

Thanks very much to everyone. Very comprehensive list there Nigel. Its good to know it is very cheap to run then.

I have had lifts in a friend's early Fabia and it just feels really wel put together, there are no squeaks or rattles despite being nearly 10 years old. I am very impressed.

What's more I think its more "useful" than the Polo, which always feels a bit flimsy.

As we are not buying a new car, it would be difficult to test drive and decide on the one we want. I will ask him to check on the insurance again, as far as I can remeber the SDI costs similar to the HTP.

The 1.4 100ps sounds attractive but insurance is too much. I will report back after some further reading and see which one my brother prefers, he is currently quite keen on the estate.

Thanks again!!

I am also very impressed about the reasonabe costs of the cambelt change!