Hi guys I am totally new to skodas so new that I haven't yet bought one, I have a mind set of getting a 1.9 diesel but don't know which one to go for, speed is not a priority by the way and I only have a budget of £2500 so I would like some expert advice on which fabia I should be looking to get for the money. thank you so much in advance. Karl

Hi guys I am totally new to skodas so new that I haven't yet bought one, I have a mind set of getting a 1.9 diesel but don't know which one to go for, speed is not a priority by the way and I only have a budget of £2500 so I would like some expert advice on which fabia I should be looking to get for the money. thank you so much in advance. Karl

Well I have a 2001 1.9 sdi. It's done 150k and, apart from the arb/bushes now giving me a bit of bother it's been great. I can get anything between 60-70 mpg out of it if I drive like Miss Daisy!

I would go for a 'basic' model - without aircon, electric windows, central locking - less to go wrong. I've done 298k miles now in my 10 year old Fabia SDi and it passed it's MOT last week with no work required. The most expensive fixes required have been reconditioning the gearbox when the oil drained out at 247k (£850) due to some bolts loosening, and replacing the power steering pump at 117k (£590). Most other servicing costs have been due to wear and tear of suspension items/bearings/cv joints/brakes/cambelts, which I guess you'll get with most cars.

I would go for a 'basic' model - without aircon, electric windows, central locking - less to go wrong. I've done 298k miles now in my 10 year old Fabia SDi and it passed it's MOT last week with no work required. The most expensive fixes required have been reconditioning the gearbox when the oil drained out at 247k (£850) due to some bolts loosening, and replacing the power steering pump at 117k (£590). Most other servicing costs have been due to wear and tear of suspension items/bearings/cv joints/brakes/cambelts, which I guess you'll get with most cars.

Wow Nige thats a fair mileage you done there, is the SDI the basic model

Wow Nige thats a fair mileage you done there, is the SDI the basic model

No it's the non turbo 1.9 diesel. (Suction Diesel Injection)

Originally developed as a marine engine dontchaknow.

My other half has one. Ours has done over 100k and drives lovely.

Terrific little car, various trim levels available Classic (Base level of trim)

Ambiente (somewhere in the middle, Ours is an Ambiente) and Elegance which is the top spec.

1.9SDI is a great engine if you'r not in a hurry. Bulletproof and economical, however the nippier-feeling 1.4TDi 3-cylinder turbodiesel is often seen as a good alternative.

You'd probably also find 1.9TDi 100bhp turbodiesels (like mine) for your budget too. Again, an economical engine (though not quite as much as the above two), but with a bit more grunt to make overtaking etc easier

On the whole, the Fabia is a reliable small car. Most of the issues (console bushes, leaky rear doors) are well-covered on here and have relatively straightforward fixes.

No it's the non turbo 1.9 diesel. (Suction Diesel Injection)

Originally developed as a marine engine dontchaknow.

My other half has one. Ours has done over 100k and drives lovely.

Terrific little car, various trim levels available Classic (Base level of trim)

Ambiente (somewhere in the middle, Ours is an Ambiente) and Elegance which is the top spec.

thanks for that grrr, this intended motor is for the other half to and think she will be quite happy with the non turbo model but if it was for myself it would have to have a turbo

thanks for that grrr, this intended motor is for the other half to and think she will be quite happy with the non turbo model but if it was for myself it would have to have a turbo

I know what you mean....

That's why about a year after buying the SDI we welcomed

my vRS into the family.

I know what you mean....

That's why about a year after buying the SDI we welcomed

my vRS into the family.

[/quot

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What are these car like for RUST and can anyone tell me what the rpm is at 70mph on the SDI compared to the TDi as the car will be doing a lot of motor way miles so don't want to be listening an engine revving is head off all day

Edited 3 February, 201115 yr by mrkb

What are these car like for RUST

I've seen worse thats for sure.

As long as they have remained uncrashed/repaired I doubt you'll have

much trouble.

My vRS is 6 years old and has a tiny bit of rust on the bottom of the

tailgate, the rear bumper has been either fitted badly or the cars had a minor rear ender

causing the bumper to rub on the tailgate.

Mrs Grr is quite partial to low speed collisions (usually in car parks )

but has only managed so far to damage plastic components.

(Most recently she tw@tted one of her gaffers brand new golf. )

Chips away dealt with that one and patched up our car nicely...

However, when we bought hers there was some damage

on the NS door sill which had started to rust a little. I had it repaired

over 2 years ago and the rust hasn't come back through yet....

Edited 3 February, 201115 yr by grr666

I've seen worse thats for sure.

As long as they have remained uncrashed/repaired I doubt you'll have

much trouble.

My vRS is 6 years old and has a tiny bit of rust on the bottom of the

tailgate, the rear bumper has been either fitted badly or the cars had a minor rear ender

causing the bumper to rub on the tailgate.

Mrs Grr is quite partial to low speed collisions (usually in car parks )

but has only managed so far to damage plastic components.

(Most recently she tw@tted one of her gaffers brand new golf. )

Chips away dealt with that one and patched up our car nicely...

However, when we bought hers there was some damage

on the NS door sill which had started to rust a little. I had it repaired

over 2 years ago and the rust hasn't come back through yet....

Haha I think your mrs went to the same driving school as my mrs

I've seen worse thats for sure.

As long as they have remained uncrashed/repaired I doubt you'll have

much trouble.

My vRS is 6 years old and has a tiny bit of rust on the bottom of the

tailgate, the rear bumper has been either fitted badly or the cars had a minor rear ender

causing the bumper to rub on the tailgate.

Mrs Grr is quite partial to low speed collisions (usually in car parks )

but has only managed so far to damage plastic components.

(Most recently she tw@tted one of her gaffers brand new golf. )

Chips away dealt with that one and patched up our car nicely...

However, when we bought hers there was some damage

on the NS door sill which had started to rust a little. I had it repaired

over 2 years ago and the rust hasn't come back through yet....

I have a small amount of rust on the offside sill by the rear wheel arch, but the paint colour there was always slightly different from new, so I suspect there had been a bit of damage there from the start. Otherwise I've had no problems, despite having umpteen stone chips.

Rust on a VAG? A Fabia? Somthing wrong with yours! 12 year corrosion warrentee there for a reason, they KNOW it wont rust for at least 15/20 years.

So the rust issue is not a big problem then so thats sorted, I do have one problem though I have seen 2 motors that I am interested in one has 63000 on clock and one with 88000 on clock both same price but the 88000 motor is 3yrs younger and I cannot decide which would be the right one to go for as both have full service history and both excellent condition, both same model as well :wonder:

Rust on a VAG? A Fabia? Somthing wrong with yours! 12 year corrosion warrentee there for a reason, they KNOW it wont rust for at least 15/20 years.

Doesn't that only apply if the paint has been inspected yearly by a main dealer as part

of the full service? I've never heard of anybody getting warranty paint repairs unless

this has been done. I guess Skodas argument would be they had no idea how long the

damage has been present and left to worsen...

Also I thought it was a 12 year anti perforation warranty?? Happy to be corrected on the above points.

So the rust issue is not a big problem then so thats sorted, I do have one problem though I have seen 2 motors that I am interested in one has 63000 on clock and one with 88000 on clock both same price but the 88000 motor is 3yrs younger and I cannot decide which would be the right one to go for as both have full service history and both excellent condition, both same model as well :wonder:

I'd probably go for the younger one with the higher mileage.

An SDI easily has150k left in it (If correctly maintained) with only 88k

on the clock. At 12,000 miles a year that should last well into the next decade.

By then we'll all be in hovercrafts anyway

I'd probably go for the younger one with the higher mileage.

An SDI easily has150k left in it (If correctly maintained) with only 88k

on the clock. At 12,000 miles a year that should last well into the next decade.

By then we'll all be in hovercrafts anyway

Am a little tempted to go with the lower mileage one simply because condition is excellent just had its first cam belt change and for the length of time its got to last the mrs ( say hopefully 5 yrs ) the resale value will be nil anyway. comments please

Edited 4 February, 201115 yr by mrkb

At the end of the day it's up to you, if you buy the lower mileage

option, it's still 3 years older than the other and subsequently worth less

if you do decide to sell it..

Cambelt change is an expensive job of course, but I'd say the difference

in price you could ask for the newer one should accomodate that expense

and not leave you too far out of pocket.

People aren't scared off by higher mileage SDI's.

Have a read of this to find out why---> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SDI_(engine)