Hi, I currently have a Fabia I VRS SE. I bought it new in 2007 and it has done 26,000 miles.

I love the car but am aware that it's the longest I've ever had a car and was thinking of changing.

I was offered £7500 in part exchange for it and think that is a good price.

I drove a Fabia II VRS earlier today.

Although significantly more HP I didn't feel it, even with the gearbox in sport mode.

I realise there would be a difference in fuel economy and accept that, as the car is designed to be a hot hatch. In all honesty, how many owners who have donw this switch are pleased they have?

The residuals on my current car have been amazing really, and I doubt I will get the same again.

Is the VRS a good move or should I stay with a diesel and get a Monte Carlo (poss a Ibiza FR) or manybe go really green and "driving Miss Daisy" and get a Greenline.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatefully received.

£7500 part ex is a brilliant price. I know it's only done 26k but i doubt you sell it for much more than that privately. It depends whether the garage will give you a decent deal on a vrs as well.

If your not doing many miles like the 26k suggests then fuel woulnt be an issue. Personally I'd do the swap but only because I like having a new car! Having had my last car for three years I couldn't wait to swap!

All the best

Hi, I currently have a Fabia I VRS SE. I bought it new in 2007 and it has done 26,000 miles.

I love the car but am aware that it's the longest I've ever had a car and was thinking of changing.

I was offered £7500 in part exchange for it and think that is a good price.

I drove a Fabia II VRS earlier today.

Although significantly more HP I didn't feel it, even with the gearbox in sport mode.

I realise there would be a difference in fuel economy and accept that, as the car is designed to be a hot hatch. In all honesty, how many owners who have donw this switch are pleased they have?

The residuals on my current car have been amazing really, and I doubt I will get the same again.

Is the VRS a good move or should I stay with a diesel and get a Monte Carlo (poss a Ibiza FR) or manybe go really green and "driving Miss Daisy" and get a Greenline.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatefully received.

I changed from a VRS I to the new one. (I was offered 4.5k part exchange with 56,000 on the clock on a 56 plate... Sounds like a good offer to me!

The Only think I miss about the Old VRS is the Fuel ecconomy. I did love the mkI the Diesel Grunt is made up for with a gear change, and learning to drive the dsg was a whole new driving experience for me. Its much esier to drive in heavy traffic, and Cruse control is highly recomended...

Although the ride is pretty stiff on the new one, I dont remember it being bad on the old one and It is not as bad as a Civic Type R. Maybe the roads are a lot worse now?

.

Although significantly more HP I didn't feel it, even with the gearbox in sport mode.

I realise there would be a difference in fuel economy and accept that, as the car is designed to be a hot hatch. In all

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatefully received.

It wont feel faster as power delivery is so much different comparing diesel and petrol engines. The mk1 had a slab of torque that pins you to your seat momentarily. And you get that everytime you change gear giving that feeling repeatedly, Its why i don't like diesels as it gives a false sense of performance.

The mk2 is alot faster but has a very smooth delivery, and the dsg smooths that even further.

You wont mimic the fuel economy, but if you can get over that, its so much better in every other respect

I was pleased with the PX offer. I doubt I would get much more (if at all) if I sold it privately and would have the advertising costs etc.

I do love the torque and how it just keeps pulling up hills, even in sixth. It is my third diesel VRS and I have loved them all. I think if the VRS had a diesel option I wouldn't even hesitate to buy.

I expect the diesels will hold their value better? The Greenline will be great for when I drive into London, but then no fun with that, just very sensible! Then again, is the DSG fun to drive?

i have gone from a Mk 1 Vrs to an Octavia TSI Vrs, I miss the shove the fabia gives you and the change of speed on the motorway but i really fell the 2.0 TSI is a better engine in evey way!! My Fabia was producing over 190 bhp and the TSI is faster in most situations

MPG is not as good but its 9 pence per litre more expensive and costs far more to service compared to the petrol

in short they ar very different cars for different purposes and i think its a personal preference

! Then again, is the DSG fun to drive?

Its awesome. But, you need to learn to use the dsg as it takes a while to gt used to. It so involving when your on the bends using the paddles, as you can really throw it around without needing to let go of the wheel. Im a big fan of the paddlesnow. I wasn't at first though

Its a difficult one this. There is no doubt that the Furby VRS1 was a classic. 2 cars before this I had a Peugeot 205 1.8 STDT which was a spiritual predecessor IMHO.

But, if we are talking standard un-remapped machines, then the VRS1 is a warm hatch at best. The sudden narrow-band-shove from a diesel can deceive you into thinking its a faster car than the figures bear witness to. Yes there are genuinely fast diesel machines as well, my colleagues 535d bimmer proves this to me regularly.

Janner explains this better than I, but the VRS2 acceleration is RELENTLESS, and that in itself is deceiving. You think OK its pulling well and then realise you are doing 125. You will lose 10-12 MPG at least in all conditions changing from VRS1 to VRS2. If however you really really REALLY thrash your VRS1 everywhere (not many do), you will only be losing 5mpg.

To be honest the VRS2 out-handles the VRS1 by 40% on bog-standard machines. There will be plenty of folks arriving here with trick springs/shocks telling you how well there’s handles but its meaningless comparing customised machines.

Its a subjective call. If you love telling people how many mpg you get, don’t buy a VRS2, don’t buy a car, tell them how much you save by walking. If you love genuine, meaningful acceleration, consider the VRS2.

The DSG isn’t for everyone either. It has its own pitfalls, but it has its own rewards as well, and you just don’t get these from a 100 mile test drive, and most folk don’t even get a 100 mile test drive in a car they are going to drive 50k in.

Keep the mk1 it's a classic, the mk2 will soon be forgotten for all the wrong reasons

Keep the mk1 it's a classic, the mk2 will soon be forgotten for all the wrong reasons

Mr. Seboni’s technophobia is legendary on Briskoda, but his anti-VRS2 stance is also informed, by his own admission, by the fact that he is not allowed one!

It is only fair in this context to point out that I am an early-adopter tech-embracer so my view may be equally skewed by this.

As for folk who want to continue driving "classic" cars, this is a slippery slope with beards and morris-dancing at the bottom.

Mr. Seboni’s technophobia is legendary on Briskoda, but his anti-VRS2 stance is also informed, by his own admission, by the fact that he is not allowed one!

Spot on!

The vRS is my first car with DSG and first with a supercharger. I was worried I'd miss a manual or it would be a reliability gamble. But in reality I don't miss it that much. Leaving it in auto is a massive bonus when in heavy traffic which I am in these days for at least 30 mins a day. The paddles do take a while to get used to but they are fantastic and make so much sense. They give much more control than I thought they would. I normally let the box change from 1st to 2nd. For some reason it holds onto 1st for a little too long in manual for my liking and then I use the paddles for the rest. 6th and 7th are really overdrive gears for economy. I haven't tried it but apparently it will hit it's top speed for 140mph in 5th gear.

I went for the estate so has loads of space but is still a lot of fun to drive. It will understeer and is noticeable at low speeds but to be honest almost every FWD car I've driven does this. The XDS system works really well and you really fire out of corners much faster than you normally would.

Economy? I always run mine on Momentum or VPower and Momentum is cheaper in most places than diesel at the moment. I definitely feel the difference over 95 and it only put premium fuel in it now. Round town doing 20-40mph driving tidy it will do 30-38mpg. On a run I have over 46mpg going to Preston and back and I wasn't hanging about. I think that's fantastic for a petrol hot hatch that has 180bhp and can top 140mph! If you drive it hard it will drop but that's to be expected. Mines done 2.5k now but it's still running in. It's used 1 litre of oil in that time but I took Sharkrider's advice in driving normally from day one and not babying it.

Spot on!

The vRS is my first car with DSG and first with a supercharger. I was worried I'd miss a manual or it would be a reliability gamble. But in reality I don't miss it that much. Leaving it in auto is a massive bonus when in heavy traffic which I am in these days for at least 30 mins a day. The paddles do take a while to get used to but they are fantastic and make so much sense. They give much more control than I thought they would. I normally let the box change from 1st to 2nd. For some reason it holds onto 1st for a little too long in manual for my liking and then I use the paddles for the rest. 6th and 7th are really overdrive gears for economy. I haven't tried it but apparently it will hit it's top speed for 140mph in 5th gear.

I went for the estate so has loads of space but is still a lot of fun to drive. It will understeer and is noticeable at low speeds but to be honest almost every FWD car I've driven does this. The XDS system works really well and you really fire out of corners much faster than you normally would.

Economy? I always run mine on Momentum or VPower and Momentum is cheaper in most places than diesel at the moment. I definitely feel the difference over 95 and it only put premium fuel in it now. Round town doing 20-40mph driving tidy it will do 30-38mpg. On a run I have over 46mpg going to Preston and back and I wasn't hanging about. I think that's fantastic for a petrol hot hatch that has 180bhp and can top 140mph! If you drive it hard it will drop but that's to be expected. Mines done 2.5k now but it's still running in. It's used 1 litre of oil in that time but I took Sharkrider's advice in driving normally from day one and not babying it.

nice to hear its going well it will loosen up even more from the miles you've done, it will get faster, and give better economy I'm up to 21,000 miles now, with no faults, only 250 mil of oil between 10-20k and thats just because I was being anal, it would have done the stint without a top up! no top up since the last service....

to the OP; its a bit of a dilema.. a low mileage SE could become a classic, but thats SERIOUS money you've been offered for it! I'd change if I was you, here's why...

like you, I have had a succesion of fast diesels, and I too love the feel of that torque "shove" .. when I test drove the vRS II it didn't feel any faster than my grane punto sporting (165bhp 314lbs/ft) but in the real world it truely is.... the lack of torque doesn't affect it, we did a hill climb at WSM and my car was easily keeping up with modded mark I's up that hill (mostly helped on the ice like surface by my winter tyres and the XDS!) but also by the DSG, the gearbox is fantastic, I will never go back to manual now, as others have said, you need to learn how to use it, you cant just jump in and drive it in auto expecting the same, or drive the paddles like a manual box... just learn the tech though and you'll be laughing.. down my fave backroads now, paddles only, blipping it down approaching bends (the engine singing between 4.5-7k) is an absolute joy! and going on themiles you have done, you wont notice the lack of fuel economy.

another reason though is the money you've been offered! one of the reasons I did it was the money, I was offered £3000 for my GPS (07) with the knowledge that it was ex-driving school, mapped, and 107,000 miles! in 3 years that car would have been worth £500, so I bit their hand off!

the SE will be a classic, but it will still devalue unless you are going to store it as it is!

go for it

I was a MKIvRS-driving MKII sceptic but a test drive in a MKII won me over.

Did a three-hundred mile round trip yesterday (including a couple of uphill charges in 'Sport') and averaged 43mpg (brim-to-brim measurement). Admittedly, in a similar trip in the MKI it would have been around 15mpg higher, but it's still excellent for a performance petrol.

After 24 years of driving manuals this is the first auto I've driven - still finding my feet, so yet to advance onto the paddles.

However, I will still miss shifting through the box, and riding the torque in a MKI.

I was a MKIvRS-driving MKII sceptic but a test drive in a MKII won me over.

Did a three-hundred mile round trip yesterday (including a couple of uphill charges in 'Sport') and averaged 43mpg (brim-to-brim measurement). Admittedly, in a similar trip in the MKI it would have been around 15mpg higher, but it's still excellent for a performance petrol.

After 24 years of driving manuals this is the first auto I've driven - still finding my feet, so yet to advance onto the paddles.

However, I will still miss shifting through the box, and riding the torque in a MKI.

get on those paddles! you will still enjooy shifting through the box, but this time, with the blip of fizzing high revs into a corner ect

get on those paddles! you will still enjooy shifting through the box, but this time, with the blip of fizzing high revs into a corner ect

^^^^^

What he said

Paddles are awesome. Especially entering a corner hard on the brakes downshifting with the paddles. Sounds awesome, really helps with the braking, and since the clutch hasn't been dipped theres no change in braking due to the car coasting with the clutch disengaged. And because your hands haven't left the wheel you can concentrate on cornering even faster.

Also if you feel the need to change gear with the stick, then just use it in tiptronic mode

^^^^^

What he said

Paddles are awesome. Especially entering a corner hard on the brakes downshifting with the paddles. Sounds awesome, really helps with the braking, and since the clutch hasn't been dipped theres no change in braking due to the car coasting with the clutch disengaged. And because your hands haven't left the wheel you can concentrate on cornering even faster.

Also if you feel the need to change gear with the stick, then just use it in tiptronic mode

Time to take the manual to bed methinks. I've hardly had a spare minute since I got the car, hence only driving it in auto mode. Don't even know how to work the radio or set the Bluetooth up yet!

i had my mk1 for over 7 years with zero problems but i felt that couldnt go on for ever so i needed a change

the mk2 is a very different car with quite poor economy if you drive it hard BUT i got this vat free and to price a decent hp diesel would have cost several thousands more to buy, no brainer really

especially with the miles you do itll still work out cheaper

the monte is a nice looker but thats it, no way can it compete with the mk1 vrs and so you would always be dissapointed with it, its a great motor but just not as good, which its not meant to be. its unfair to compare the two. i guess from any other mk1 then the monte would be a step up but not from a mk1 vrs, the only fabia you can do that in is the vrs

regardless of what some would say about the dsg, (ive never owned an auto before) i absolutely love driving this, from day one its never bothered me not having a manual. its so relaxing and just sooooooo easy around town, overtaking etc etc i now hate getting in the wifes car. i only use D mode as its enough and i also only use 95 ron unleaded, booting it hasnt given me any dash light like some have had but that may or may not be an issue later in its years, who knows?

what i will say is a mapped mk1 will beat the standard mk2 in normal driving conditions like overtaking and i recently got 4k for my 04 with 68k miles on it so looking at that youd still get a good price in several years and could enjoy a mapped car for £300 ish. all depends on whether youd like that new car feel/smell or just something different which mapping would give you

a mate recently tried the seat version and he said the fabia had better build quality and so didnt buy it so thats something to think about too

I have both a MK1 (revo mapped)and a MK2. The MK2 is standard and blows the MK1 away. Its much quicker off the mark, loads more fun in the corners, its a much more fun car to drive (more of a drivers car) and the interior is light years ahead too. Having said the the Mk1 is much better on longer journeys and as such a better motorway mile muncher.

The MK2 is slightly more costly on fuel but it sounds like you dont do that many miles anyway so shouldnt be too much of an issue. Insurance is about same on both.

I really do like my MK2 and would get another (or a Polo GTI)

I have both a MK1 (revo mapped)and a MK2. The MK2 is standard and blows the MK1 away. Its much quicker off the mark, loads more fun in the corners, its a much more fun car to drive (more of a drivers car) and the interior is light years ahead too. Having said the the Mk1 is much better on longer journeys and as such a better motorway mile muncher.

The MK2 is slightly more costly on fuel but it sounds like you dont do that many miles anyway so shouldnt be too much of an issue. Insurance is about same on both.

I really do like my MK2 and would get another (or a Polo GTI)

I concurr, over many hundreds of miles at meets so far (I've now covered 21,000 miles in my mark II) the standard mark II is quicker than a remapped mark I ask any of the mark I drivers who have tried to keep up with me (all below the speed limits of course)

Thank you for all the posts and the personal messages I received.

I think I need another drive of the mark II. Although £7500 is a great part exchange allowance, as the VRS currently has no amazing VAT free offers my cost to change with options would be £10k.

So, I want to make sure I like the car. Fuel economy isn't a great issue as I have a 8 miles journey to work, which can mainly be stop and start and I often drive to Brixton around the South Circular, which can also be stop/start.

I think my biggest concern is depreciation. I have clearly been spoilt with my current car. It was £13k new, and I paid £2600 plus my 06 reg VRS that had 26k miles on the clock. So to still be offered £7500 is fantastic. As for the Mark II, do they seem to lose a lot? Probably lose a fair few thousand when you pay full list price.

There is nothing wrong with my current car. Part of me is tempted to keep it, but I've never wanted to pay for repairs on cars, so always changed them regularly (up to now that is) as it becomes dead money. Then again am I paying over the odd's for ok, a new car with new technology and a warranty?

I'm normally quite impulsive when I buy a car, but this time, I can't seem to decide.

I've got to counter all this DSG/Paddle love as I'm not such a vRS paddle/DSG fan...

They are far too small (look at any other paddle cars)..If you accleorate hard out of a tight junction, its impossible to change gear if the wheel is beyond 90deg from horizontal cause you cant find the bloody paddle!!

Ur never quite alone driving in tiptronic/manual mode...the box will shift down without intervention

Most anoyingly if in and pushing on through a bend it will auto change mid corner, unsettling the balance...

Hesistation at junctions is HORRENDOUS!!

Ive been in a situation where I selected reverse and NOTHING happened..

DSG is awesome for tooling around town, in jams etc...

I've got to counter all this DSG/Paddle love as I'm not such a vRS paddle/DSG fan...

They are far too small (look at any other paddle cars)..If you accleorate hard out of a tight junction, its impossible to change gear if the wheel is beyond 90deg from horizontal cause you cant find the bloody paddle!!

Ur never quite alone driving in tiptronic/manual mode...the box will shift down without intervention

Most anoyingly if in and pushing on through a bend it will auto change mid corner, unsettling the balance...

Hesistation at junctions is HORRENDOUS!!

Ive been in a situation where I selected reverse and NOTHING happened..

DSG is awesome for tooling around town, in jams etc...

I'm with you on paddle size they do need to be a bit bigger hence when I come to a junction or lights I put it back into D, let it change to second then use paddles from then on. The box only shifts down right at the bottom of the rev range when slowing down. You want it to do this to help to slow down and to stop it stalling. It will drop cogs if you use the kickdown, that switch past full throttle. Caught me out the first time but I'm used to it. I have no hesitation at junctions if anything the complete opposite. Don't jab at the throttle just touch it. My dad found within 5 mins of driving it he could better control throttle position by just using his big toe (he was wearing sandals). It is quite sensitive but smoothness is key with this car. The only thing I don't trust is the parking sensors.

I read a great description of how to cope with tight turns using manual mode. The guy used the box in tiptronic using the gear lever until on the straight then used paddles..

Save your money and buy a decent car mate, I would.

I read a great description of how to cope with tight turns using manual mode. The guy used the box in tiptronic using the gear lever until on the straight then used paddles..

Obviously! I was doing that from day one as it's occasionally easier to shift from the stick (when the wheel is at a funny angle) than from the paddles. But I think we may have become a little spoilt. By this I mean that you know the stick is always there, you can use it no problem, but hey you are too bored (myself included!) to move your hands away from the wheel... Tell that to the driver of a manual... and why? because you've got used to the comfort of the semi-auto and now even the rarest move of your hands when approaching an unexpected situation, sounds too much to do? Well I'd say that's not a problem of the DSG but of your lazyness (again myself included).

I think we don't actually compare the differences of a manual and a DSG because there, the DSG wins every area hands down, instead, we compare ourselves+ a manual box as opposed to the DSG alone, doing the shifting and also trying to predict what is coming ahead on the road. I think, with the DSG in Auto, we expect a full AUTO PILOT to have control over the driving which is of course a mistaken point of view. What did your manual box use to do If you forgot to shift down while entering a steep uphilled roundabout? Oh, it would be creepy and slow as hell right? I think my point is clear...

Save your money and buy a decent car mate, I would.

Do you have a vRS? And do you have problems with it? Enlighten us please as I have not read such a negative opinion on the vRS before... Actually one of the first words I'd use to describe the vRS would be "decent" so I seem to be in some confusion here...

Edited 21 November, 201114 yr by newbie69