I have a Fabia 2 and 4 other Fabias in my family and am now considering a rear engine Skoda as a retirement hobby. Having had an apprentceship in the 60s, I am fairly good at mechanical repairs but not welding so may find a 'rust heap' too much of a challenge.

Can you give me guidance as to which 'old' Skoda would suit me best bearing in mind:-

Initial purchase price- any guidance?

Potential rust in body

Insurance costs

Parts availability

Difficulties in repairing/maintaining

My idea is to run it as a second car and do the refurbishment as I go along, I could take it off the road for a few weeks if anything major occurred.

I propose looking in local papers, Exchange & Mart and e.bay for the car - any other ideas?

Thanks, guys.

£1000 buys you something like this

http://m.gumtree.com/v?adId=1004270932

Suggest you look at www.skoda-forum.com (http://s3.zetaboards.com/skodaforum/index/), where the guys post up all manner of listings for cars advertised across the net.

If you want a car with sound bodywork, expect to pay a decent sum, although "barn" finds do crop up occasionally for a couple of hundred quid plus, though often they'll be rot boxes if not been cared for. Parts can be scarce but there are enthusiasts who can source stuff direct from Czech land.

Check out my Special K thread in rear engine projects for details of my recent acquisition!

I have owned about a dozen rear engined SKodas and they are all so easy to work on.....they are like a meccano set and they require almost no specialist tools. There is a wealth of information out there to ensure that you will never get stuck - you will need to go onto the Skoda owners forum to meet most of the people in the know though - as mentioned by Leeboy

Parts availability is almost 100% on the Estelles and Rapids (trim parts being the most difficult things) and the stuff that isn't on Ebay can be got through Skoparts international that has just been set up by 'Skudman' Paul. http://www.skoparts-international.com/

In terms of which one to buy, mechanically they are all very similar from the MB1000 through to the last Rapids off the line in the 90s. There are only really 2 types of engine (iron head 5 port and alloy head 8 port) and with the exception of the 135RIC Rapid, they all used carbs.

Price wise, you will get a decent Estelle for well under £1000 if you keep an eye on Ebay and a Rapid for a touch more.

Rust is probably the biggest enemy because things like engines and gearboxes can be bought 2nd hand or rebuilt fairly easily. In terms of rust, you can get repair or replacement panels for all the Estelle and Rapid models still and for the S series before it....I am not sure about the MB but I suspect not everything. S and MB body parts are hard to come by, so if you cant weld yourself and don't have any contacts I would go for an Estelle or Rapid. Rapids are generally more desirable.

Edited 21 December, 201213 yr by hawkeracing

EBay is a good place to find cars for sale. Word of mouth is also handy. If you're on facebook then the Skoda Owners Club GB has a page on there where cars come up occasionally.

Earlier models from 60s/70s are worth more, cheapest way in being a ropey Estelle.

Hawkeracing means the "skoda forum" (www.skoda-forum.com).

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Skodanorman is right about the 60s and 70s cars (MBs and S series) which can fetch thousands....in particular the MB and the S110r coupe. They are also much harder to find and often are LHD imports from Eastern europe because few survived over here.

They are utterly beautiful though. Google "1000MBX" for something really stunning!

It would depend on whether you prioritise a certain model or owning a rear engined skoda at the soonest opportunity. As pointed out they're broadly similar. I like late Rapid's because of the styling, extra refinement and deliverability (5 speed gearbox) but it's still very close to most other models so if I was wanting the rwd Skoda experience I wouldn't be too bothered by the actual model. I suppose for all-out character then older the better.

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Hands up those who got sick of bar room motoring experts dissing rear engined Skodas, when they had never owned one. I got heartily sick of it, bloody idiots.

I owned a 1977 Skoda Estelle 105S for a couple of years and apart from routine servicing, it caused no trouble at all. Although not the fastest thing on four wheels, it returned about 35-40mpg and once fitted with a set of decent radials, handling was satisfactory also.

Did you find anything that takes your fancy?

Not seen anything yet, still keeping my eyes on local classifieds, Gumtree etc.

A one year gap between question  and reply......that's impressive!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SKODA-ESTELLE-105-S-/221375084963?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item338afbb9a3 ?

Thanks, will check it out.