I have had a 2003 Fabia 1.4 for the past 2 years which I loved. Unfortunately it was written off last week by a woman who decided to run a red light. Grrr. :'(

Anyway, my Dad's friend owns a Skoda garage and the only thing he has in my price range at the moment is a 2002 Fabia 1.9 SDI. It is in very good condition etc and has similar mileage to my previous car but is it as good as the petrol 1.4? I really don't know much about cars!

Thanks

Personally.. If your not a speed monster I'd say it was actually better!

you'll get higher MPG and the SDI's have allot less known problems then the 1.4 16v's...

Test drive it, and if ya like it.. get it.. It certainly shouldn't' be any worse then your last (RIP) Fabia!

On the down side will be more engine noise, and like I said, not quite s spritely.

Of course, this is always subjective.. and this is just my opinion.

Edited 7 June, 201016 yr by Rob.

I had one as a courstey car for a couple of days. Its not quick but did get over 70mpg according to the trip computer.

Andy

If you're happy to go everywhere in a leisurely fashion (and nothing wrong with that) then the engine is basically bomb-proof if looked after - as thousands of minicab drivers everywhere will testify.

The only thing wrong with the 1 i had was its speed, (not very good). i did find a tuning box on ebay for about £60 and it took 2min to clip on and made a noticeable difference. little puff of smoke when giving it the beans.

the SDI is a great car very very fuel effient I get over 65 mph on a "brim to brim" without trying.

the down side is that it is not quick 0-60 but get it rolling on the motorway and it just keeps going up and down hill all day

test drive it and see what you think

My Son's got one and he's delighted with it. He's only 18 so we're all glad that it's no speed monster.

He's getting 65+ to the gallon and he's got it insured under his own name which hasn't broken the bank.

Good little car I'd say.

Mrs Grr has one and it has a character and driveability of its own.

I find it a likeable car to drive, soaks up the bumps well, cruises endlessly if required,

idiot proof to drive, excellent brakes (compared to my vRS), cheap to run and tax,

Just not a drag racer in any way, I find it quite a calming drive actually and never complain when I have to drive it.

It's a nice little car, just a bit noisy when you rev it hard.. 2 sets of mats helped a little with that

Ours has nearly done 100k on a 54 reg and apart from the console bushes needing doing soon

can't say we've had any trouble at all with it. My other half loves it dearly and calls it her "tractor"

i looked at one but the 6000 mile service interval put me off, meaning i'd have to service twice a year or so

If you had a 1.4 16v would you be happy with the sdi's performance??

surely a turbo'd version would suit better?

1.4 tdi or 1.9 tdi?

have a search around you dont need to get it from that specific garage, private could get you a better deal

Get one, you won't regret it.

It's a lovely car, more tractable and easier to drive than a TDI. I've just speant a week driving my other half's TDI, it was GREAT to get back in my SDI.

Mine is really quick too, I can't believe it's only 60 odd hp.

If you had a 1.4 16v would you be happy with the sdi's performance??

surely a turbo'd version would suit better?

1.4 tdi or 1.9 tdi?

have a search around you dont need to get it from that specific garage, private could get you a better deal

I have a tdi hire car (not a skoda) at the moment and while I like it the power, I don't feel desperate to own one. It's much trickier to keep to the speed limit in town I find!

Also the insurance will only cover a hire car until Friday as they have sent out the cheque for my Fabia which was written off and I really need a car to get to work. I trust this guy as loads of family and friends use him so if he says it's a good runner and the general view is that the sdi is ok then I will have to go with it. Time and money are not really on my side.

If you had a 1.4 16v would you be happy with the sdi's performance??

I'm betting the fact the car does something when you put the go pedal down, rather then think about it for a half second will make up for any speed loss.

TBH, the 1.4 16v feels slow for a 16v.. so I'm guessing you'll probably like the SDi's torque.

I went from a 1.3 Escort to a 1.4 16v Fabia.... The escort felt quicker!

Yup, we have a SDI and a 1.4TDI. Both great cars but different characters. TDI better for overtaking . SDI feels more solid, has slower acceleration but cruises at about same economical speed and has great torque at low revs. Mostly I drive the SDI and SWMBO has the TDI and I'm very happy with it. Servicing is very easy so don't be put off by intervals. No turbo etc to cause problems, they last forever. Check front suspension on the car or get a guarantee on it as this is more likely to be a problem than anything else. Enjoy

Hi, I also have an Sdi gifted to me by my auntie for my first car :p

Mines had a few problems, but is ok now :p

clutch pedal broke

1 electric window mechanism broke

1 suspension coil cracked

then rear brakes needed something doing to them

but since ive done all that mines been fine, cruises nicely managed to get 73mpg out of mine a few weeks ago :p (ps. i know they are not entirely acccurate)

i am still enjoying mine and will probably keep it for another year or so before i change to a focus :p

Hi, I also have an Sdi gifted to me by my auntie for my first car :p

Mines had a few problems, but is ok now :p

clutch pedal broke

1 electric window mechanism broke

1 suspension coil cracked

then rear brakes needed something doing to them

but since ive done all that mines been fine, cruises nicely managed to get 73mpg out of mine a few weeks ago :p (ps. i know they are not entirely acccurate)

i am still enjoying mine and will probably keep it for another year or so before i change to a focus :p

Worth bearing in mind that those problems aren't SDi specific though. And are not all common faults on the Fabia either! (well, apart from the window mechanism I spose)

Yup, we have a SDI and a 1.4TDI. Both great cars but different characters. TDI better for overtaking . SDI feels more solid, has slower acceleration but cruises at about same economical speed and has great torque at low revs. Mostly I drive the SDI and SWMBO has the TDI and I'm very happy with it. Servicing is very easy so don't be put off by intervals. No turbo etc to cause problems, they last forever. Check front suspension on the car or get a guarantee on it as this is more likely to be a problem than anything else. Enjoy

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but when you say it has 'great torque at low revs', what does this actually mean in terms of driving it?

Thanks!

Basically, you don't need to rev it up to get it to go. Put your foot down in a high gear and it will go, instead of needing a down-change like a petrol.

Basically, you don't need to rev it up to get it to go. Put your foot down in a high gear and it will go, instead of needing a down-change like a petrol.

Thanks!

As ^ they said plus you really have to try hard to stall it.

As ^ they said plus you really have to try hard to stall it.

i stalled mine :p lol i had just finished playing football and got cram rammed the clutch up @ traffic lights and stalled lol

thats the only time ive ever done it.

you can actually pull fo with no revs aswell which i found out recently

I can do 30mph in 5th on the anti-stall ...

Thanks for all your comments. I picked up the 1.9 sdi this afternoon and after realising that it won't win any prizes for pulling off at traffic lights, it is a great runner once you get it up to speed. I had a 50 min journey home, including dual carriageway and heavy town traffic and it was fine. Different noise than the petrol one obviously (my Dad thinks it sounds like a ride on lawnmower!) but other than that I like it so far!

Thanks for all your comments. I picked up the 1.9 sdi this afternoon and after realising that it won't win any prizes for pulling off at traffic lights, it is a great runner once you get it up to speed. I had a 50 min journey home, including dual carriageway and heavy town traffic and it was fine. Different noise than the petrol one obviously (my Dad thinks it sounds like a ride on lawnmower!) but other than that I like it so far!

Let see some piccy's then

i stalled mine :p lol i had just finished playing football and got cram rammed the clutch up @ traffic lights and stalled lol

thats the only time ive ever done it.

you can actually pull fo with no revs aswell which i found out recently

I stalled my vRS the other day for the 1st time since I first drove it home after buying it 2 years ago..

They go with a bang don't they, lol.. I was pulling out and luckily it wasn't that busy so no panic.. but it really confused me as it took me completely by surprise.. The only thing I can think I did was miss 1st and select 3rd with out noticing.. but i'll never know as I took it out of gear before i checked.

Edited 12 June, 201016 yr by Rob.