As title suggests, looking at getting a mk1 Fabia estate for the Mrs. Of course looking for as much as possible for as little cash as I can! Something cheap to run & tax a bonus, so shuffling through Ebay I found a few that caught my eye. I'd value some valid opinions if possible please?

1. 07 reg 1.4 16v bohemia with 65k miles for £3.5k

2. 05 reg 1.9 TDi PD Elegance with 88.5k miles for £3.5k

3. 55 reg 1.4 TDi Bohemia with 88k miles for £3k

Any thoughts on these then? Thanks

Depends on how many miles a year your Mrs will do in it.

I'd probably go for #3...I don't think you can go far wrong with a 1.4 TDI.

But of course you get a few more toys on the Elegance.

Unless I was doing really low mileages, I don't think I'd risk a 1.4 16v.....due to the Piston ring issue......but maybe it was resolved by 07 plate?

As above.. get either tdi.. depends on the condition of both (and colour )

And depending if your wanting to carry big loads/ tow anything..

Iv got a 1.9tdi elegance estate + the best thing for me is the heated seats + rear elec windows

Mileage will be 4-5k a year. Exactly why I asked, as I'm not aware of things like piston ring issues, so keep them coming! Most helpful thanks

how about the 1.2 petrol on an 06? Any issues with them? There's one from a good local dealer which has just had timing belt and service done...

I'm not a huge expert on the petrol engines, but the 1.2 is probably a slightly better bet than the 1.4 16v when it comes to reliability....especially with only 4-5k miles per annum.

I do know It's a 3 cylinder engine so will be lacking in the power/torque department compared to a TDI, but most likely will be perfectly adequate.

Probably the most respected petrol engine is the 1.4 8v.....it does not have the issues of the 16v engine, but is only available on classic trim models of the Estate.

Another rarer option is the 2.0 8v petrol engine, only available on the Elegance trim.....any that I've seen tend to be really low mileage examples owned by old boys.....and in really good condition......the fuel costs wouldn't be that bad at all on 5,000 miles/year, but I'm not sure if it's a good engine from a reliability point of view.

Edited 13 February, 201313 yr by booke23

how about the 1.2 petrol on an 06? Any issues with them? There's one from a good local dealer which has just had timing belt and service done...

It wont have had the timing belt done as they have a timing chain ..

There is no interval for the chain to be replaced they only get replaced when they skip or the head gets replaced..

Its a good think that it has been replaced as they are expensive to get replaced so long as it was done by someone who knows what they are doing ..

The 1.2 in general is a crap engine and the cylinder heads are made of toffee lol..

Alot of car to pull with a 1.2 petrol aswell but if ur just pottering about and u replace coil packs straight away if/ when they fail causing a missfire.. u shud be ok..

Be alot better off with a 1.4 tdi or 1.9sdi/ tdi

Chain indeed! That's just my memory lol. Swaying towards the Elegance one with the 1.9TDi engine - 100bhp, so a bit of grunt but runs on fumes, so should be cheap enough. Seems a decent enough example - 9 service stamps for 88k and will be serviced amd MOT'd for that money with 3 months warranty with option to extend. Leaning that way anyway...

Anybody care to offer what I should be looking for problem wise re. the 1.9TDi PD engine? Thanks

It's essential the 1.9 TDI has had regular oil changes with the correct type of oil. So look carefully at service history. Wrong oil use in these engines cause premature cam lobe wear.

Check for signs of dual mass flywheel wear.

Both these issues are expensive to fix.

You probably know about the minor issues.....like rear door leaks.

Not a scooby mate! I see a post re the rear door leaks on here - what years does this affect? Thanks

Get the 1.9TDi PD Ele spec, that's what I'd do. I've got the hatch version of what you're looking at, almost 10 years old, FSH and faultless aside from the O/S/R door lock. As mentioned, decent oil and care, you can't go wrong IMO.

Not a scooby mate! I see a post re the rear door leaks on here - what years does this affect? Thanks

You can't really narrow it down to what year it effects......the easiest way to express it is:-

It effects every single damn one mk1 Fabia at some point!

If a 2005 Fabia does not have leaking rear doors, I'd put money on that it used to and has now been repaired.

There's loads of information on the forum about it, but look for damp rear foot wells...sure sign of rear door leakage.

You can't really narrow it down to what year it effects......the easiest way to express it is:-

It effects every single damn one mk1 Fabia at some point!

If a 2005 Fabia does not have leaking rear doors, I'd put money on that it used to and has now been repaired.

There's loads of information on the forum about it, but look for damp rear foot wells...sure sign of rear door leakage.

Maybe I got lucky, but haven't had that problem.

I'll be sure and study this now - just wanting to shift the Beemer and I can get moving. Ebay soon I think...