Don’t know if this has been before, but the idea for this thread has come off the back of nu99et18’s ‘Favorit and Felicia appreciation’ thread and is a kind of ‘my story’ thing, a chance to let the world know how your Favorit/ Felicia/ Skoda ownership came into being. So I’ll kick off, here’s mine…

For twenty-five years the lure of motorbikes was strong enough to prevent a move onto four wheels, but a career change and a baby on the way strengthened the need for a car, lessons were taken and a few months later having passed my test, the hunt was on. Fords featured strong as they are, I suppose a natural consideration for an Essex boy (not an ounce of Yorkshire in me by the way). Dagenham was on the doorstep and there were loads to choose from. Thing was, the more I poured over car mags, the more I liked and the search not only widened but seemed to go on forever. I was deliberating too much and needed to take immediate action. When this brainstorm thundered home I had a fresh copy of Autotrader, and from within chose two Felicias (97 bohemia estate and 98 hatch) and a Mk3 escort. It was suggested by my other half that we avoid becoming sheep (bleedin’ cheek!), which whittled it down to the skodas, and although I fancied the bohemia, it had three times the mileage of the hatch. A trip to Bushey near Watford produced the felly I’ve been driving for the last six years. The price was negotiated and I got an engine and gearbox warranty into the bargain. When the seller wrote the receipt he said there was no value in the warranty as there was no way I was going to have problems. ‘I can guarantee that you will get at least five years out of that car trouble free’ were his exact words. He wasn’t wrong (long may his words bear truth).

Not long after, I moved to Southampton, and those of you living in that area that keep an eye out for fellys may have previously seen mine around the itchen/ woolston area (dark green metallic hatch), or as a regular boot seller at Bursledon. As for felly spotting at Sainsbury’s (Yossarian G), it was at their hedge end store every Sunday without fail!

It’s very much a workhorse and tbh I could have done with buying that bohemia estate, it’s moved us to Ireland, towed my old lobster boat on three occasions and heaved loads of turf for the fire down horrendous bog roads bad enough and with enough weight in the load to collapse the trailer suspension!

Over time it’s surprised me how many people have made a point of complimenting the Skoda, the most recent being a Christmas trip to Aillwee caves in Co. Clare where, despite a heaving car park, one of the ‘caves’ employees made a beeline for us to talk about the car, he had previously owned a felly, and as is often transpires with these encounters, he had fond memories and wished he still had it. Just for a moment I considered asking him ‘what’s mine worth to you then’, but then thought I might regret selling.

On my first trip to Ireland in the car (just after I bought it) a cousin actually said to me ‘what did you get buy one of those **** heaps for, you should have got one of these, (he patted his tatty VW golf boastfully), ‘you can’t beat them’! His brother had one as well and his mother, all three were diesel and on either ‘88 or ‘89 plates. Since then, all three golfs are long gone to the scrappers, but the felly has covered a further 36,000 virtually faultless miles. Touch wood that will continue; there’s currently 68,000 on the clock and the NCT (Irish MOT) is due this thursday...

A rainy Summer's night, mid-week.

Outside in the garden sits a dark-blue Honda CB500T, under veil. P175 DVN. She's a trojan, a workhorse of a bike, and one with whom I had a touch and go relationship. She was beautiful, striking, faithful. 8,000 miles on the clock and yet 15 years old - jail bait one might say.

Times were tough; and me and her, (owing mainly to my stupidity) had a few close brushes with death. It was off the back of this that we decided it was time to part ways. A few older men had came to view her beauty, and eventually she was sold to a retired teacher. I toiled and trowled the internet for a car. The utilitarian Felicia came to light thanks to the Fabia. Being of a low insurance group, the Fabia appealed as a viable option for a first car, but prohibitively high sales prices marred any potential chance of ownership.

Then it struck me - the predecesoor, the ugly, square, old banger that was the Skoda Felicia. The one with I had never heard of with no street-cred, the one with that embarressing badge on its flat-faced bonnet and the unsurely shaped tailgate with wannabe Golf tailights. What a hideous heap of crap I thought... and then I bought one and I didn't look after it and it died and it went to car heaven and then I bought another one and it was slow and then I bought another one and it was good and I still have it and we lived happily ever after the end.

In all seriousness, had three motorbikes, passed my car test, sold the bikes and got a Felly and I've loved the ever since - obviously. Every one different :]

Annoyingly though I'm wanting a Skoda Rapid (the new ones! :S ) and it hence casts the L&Ks future into doubt. I will probably scrap the diesel within the next few weeks even though theres nothing really wrong with it.

I'm still looking out for 130 Rapids though! haha

I grew up in Dagenham. First cars were mark 2 Escort 1.3,

mark 5 Cortina 2.0, 1985 Sierra Estate 1.6, 1986 Sierra Estate 1.8,

1988 Sierra hatchback.

Then I bought a Saab 9000 and realised there was more to this world than Fords.

I can't remember the exact reason I bought my first skoda now, I think it must have been around 2005 or 2006, having had previously a long string of vw's I needed to be good to live up to the vag name... I'm sad to say my first skoda was a 2.0 litre fabia mk1 and it was by far the worst car I've ever owned in terms or reliability and durability.. but soon after I got shot of using my fabia daily I got another vw lupo which was the 1.4tdi model so it was legendary for low fuel consumption, a mate of mine came to me one day with a felicia and asked me to fit an induction kit for his younger brother that he'd acquired for his birthday so I did that. I took it out for a drive to get some milk from the taxaco garage at the end of the road and I was like hey I actually quite like driving this, so I fire up eBay and bid on one that was ending the same evening, it was in Bristol and I went on the train and collected it the next day, the body work was really ropey, but not rotten, it's funny because every other felicia I've had since then has been rotten but the first one was totally mulled in, like dents everywhere, but it wasn't rusty anywhere, funny that really.. What a fantastic car, I stuck a new clutch in it and then thrashed the living arse out of it, can't remember what happened to that car now, I think I gave it to the scrap man because I couldn't afford to insure 2 cars at the same time any more, i wish I'd kept that one now.

I'd been building a Locost (DIY lotus 7) for years - it was up and driveable, but I'd really lost interest in it, so I sold it with the intention of buying a rally car. I got £1300 for it on eBay (lucky really), and looked around for a rally car that was in my price rance (£1300!) and that was simple and cheap to look after, and saw a Favorit. So I bought it. It was on the border of north east wales, went up with a mate to pick it and all its spares up (loads of wheels and tyres), drove it back with the seat right forward (it was bolted in place, as it would be in a rally car) and the last owner was a short-arse. I'm 6'1. Had to drive home with my arms crossed across my chest, that was the only comfortable way to do it (yes, I know I should have adjusted it but I just wanted to get home and it looked like it would mean drilling the subframes, I later realised I could have reversed them!). So started a year or so of rallying in a great car - scared myself to death as I realised I really couldn't drive on the loose, but got there in the end.

1st Felicia was much the same - I'd saved up some money, but I had a vague dream of competing in a WRC event, and for that I needed a currently homologated car, and found out that the Felicia was still eligible. Saw it on eBay, it was £2k including the trailer it was sat on, so I went and bought it. Needed some sorting (last owner was a bodging arsehole, for instance he'd fixed the gear lever steady bar to the gearbox with a wood screw) but was good and reliable once I'd got everything sorted out. The next year I entered Rally GB in it, and finished despite all sorts of issues including bending the steering rack and our service area getting blown to bits in 100mph+ winds.

2nd Felicia - needed a gearbox for the first one, bought a car from 5 miles away that had a snapped camchain. Only done 35k, it was mint, so I foolishly decided to build it into a rally car as the current Felicia was a bit tired, shell-wise. So started 8 months of sheer hell, culminating in entering Rally GB in it only for it to DNF because a bit of foam had got stuck in one of the throttle bodies, jamming the throttle open and revving like crazy (but finishing the stage), and leading the ECU to go into flood clear mode when we tried to re-start it - we didn't work that out until after we'd got home, alas. The next year it was sorted out totally, finished Rally GB without any major dramas, and similarly in 2010 (although I did destroy the rear suspension and have to nick it off the standard Felicia recce car).

For doing Rally GB, I needed a recce car so picked a Felicia to acts as a rolling parts bin in case of a major off. Got it from Devon for £325, with tax and MOT. Encountered floods on the way there that went over the car bonnet (we backed out), car was great, took beats on 4 Rally GBs doing every stage twice. At one point was left for 8 months without being looked at and still started up straight away. Legendary car, wish I'd never sold it, but needs must. Actually, same goes for the 2nd Felicia, I made a real mistake in selling that in favour of the Ibiza I currently own despite the Ibiza being a better car!

I spent the first few years driving MK1 & 2 Escorts which i loved but then bought a Capri which i hated! I totaly lost interest in classic Fords after that car. I fancied something a bit different so took a trip to my nearest Skoda dealer and ended up with my first Felly....a 98 1.3 GLi in met green. That was 12 years ago and i'm still driving these great cars. The GLi wad sold to make way for a Classic estate which was a real 'jack of all trades' car,carrying my work tools during the week then loaded with camping gear for weekends away. That car took me all over the country and never let me down. I was stupid and sold it! Bought a Clio which i hated and only kept a few months when i found my current Felly...a 99 1.6 GLXi est in Black Magic. That was 5 years ago and it is the best car i've ever owned...she's not far from 100k but still drives like new. I won't make the mistake of selling this one. But i'm looking for another 1.3 to make a pair!

my felicia is my 1st legal car i have been thinking off selling her but i can't part with it people rip it because its a skoda but its never let me down drove up north once at 115mph for about a hour and still keeps going that was a baby 1.3mpi now its got the 1.6mpi with the added rare air con and still fighting strong car as only done 66k even the Slxi felicia was a low mileage car i have spent loads of cold hours converting my car as i had to cut bulkhed to fit air con box its not even got any rust anywhere i will be running this in the ground as it owes me nothing cheap insurance and tax all ways passes mot advisory on last one as i forgot to fit split pin on track rod after droping the 1.6 in it. and when that time comes where it goes to car heaven i will be breaking it so another felicia can live on air con can be fitted to a 1.6 as well so that will be the best thing on breaking it when the time comes

This thread presents a vision to me of us all sitting in a circle & one by one offering up our ownership confessions!

Having dabbled with a range of different cars in my youth, the most enjoyable being the V6 Capri, at a time when fuelling up was still affordable & didn't need a mortgage to insure it, I eventually came to Skoda around 10 to 12 years ago. It all started with a curious look at a Favorit (Blackline Estate), took the plunge & the rear box sheared off not long after arriving home, so not the most inspiring start to Skoda ownership! Turned out to be a cracking little car & then progressed onto a Felly Estate (1.3mpi). Both great workhorses/faithful servants & so much so that SWMBO joined the club with a 1.8 Mk 1 Octy. Lovely car but just needed to tweak the running costs so ended up px'ing against our current 1.4mpi Fab. Around summer 2008 saw the Fun advertised on the North Kent coast & she's still with me :love:. In with the mix also had a 1979 VW Camper for around 18 or so months, great fun until the dreaded corrosion caught hold again.

I think I may now be a Skodaholic & it's good to finally come out of the auto closet!

I started with Triumphs and BMC Landcrabs when they were still quite common and could be picked up for about £250 with MOTs and you'd run them til the Mot ran out and scrap them giving you plenty of spares for the next one. I was still running them as everyday cars until the wife started driving about eight years ago. she didn't want to be driving cars that she couldn't gaurantee would get her to her destination. Fair enough, i guess, I did always have at least two cars on the road at the same time in case one broke and quite regularly had to get out and tinker en route, though that seemed perfectly normal at the time.

So when Lorraine started driving we took on her dads old Felicia 1.3 LXi estate, pre-facelift and ran it for seven years and it sailed through every MOT with minimal work carried out in between each one, just basic consumables really, exhausts, break pads, that sort of thing. I have to admit we treated the car badly, like a builders van half the time. When we bought our first house all the building materials went in the back. Loaded it up with paving slabs, bricks, cement, anything really and it just took it.

Then last year with the Felly at 140,000 miles and with the rear arches slowly dissolving and a few other electrical gremlins we decided to trade up and, going back to my Leyland roots bought an MG ZT-T. Within a few weeks we realised this was a mistake. Nice car when it works but not exactly trouble free. Added to that Lorraine was never really happy driving it becuase of its size. And also, when talking to people at work about the problems with the MG it seems everyone has trouble with their cars and think nothing of spending several hundred pounds getting through MOTs. But the Skoda was never like that so we started looking for another Felicia. Spent several months looking for a good one and rejected several before we found our dark green SLXi with 38,000 miles (now up to 40,000). This one definitely won't be treated as a builders van though, the interior is mint. I have a few plans for this car but I have to sell the MG first and no one seems to want it!

Still have one Triumph too, a 1300TC rebuilt very much to my own spec. I shall be buried in that car. Oh and a Routemaster bus. You can see why I need to sell the MG!

By the way, Gardenerchris, that looks like a very smart car in your avatar, any chance of some bigger pics?

Mine was purchased because it was cheap :p

Stepdad actually bought it from his niece. She was off to uni and needed to sell her car which just happened to be a 1.3 MPi 5 door felicia. Stepdad offered her £400 and that was that. I was about 15 or 16 I think. It was always his and had a full SORN declaration, living on a farm it was used to teach my siblings and I how to drive a vehicle. Then on my 18th birthday my parents decided to just give it to me so now that I have my license, its registered and insured in my name and has become my first car.

I have had problems with the radio turning itself on and draining the battery flat. That resulted in several jump starts and even a few bump starts. I have numerous minor faults (11 advisories on its MOT) and at 20:45 today, somewhere between the key and the starter motor something is broken and now the starter motor doesnt turn over

I have covered 2000 miles in it so far though and it is now coming up for 107000 overall. Hopefully if I get the starter fixed it will do a few thousand more :p

Mine was purchased because it was cheap :p

Stepdad actually bought it from his niece. She was off to uni and needed to sell her car which just happened to be a 1.3 MPi 5 door felicia. Stepdad offered her £400 and that was that. I was about 15 or 16 I think. It was always his and had a full SORN declaration, living on a farm it was used to teach my siblings and I how to drive a vehicle. Then on my 18th birthday my parents decided to just give it to me so now that I have my license, its registered and insured in my name and has become my first car.

I have had problems with the radio turning itself on and draining the battery flat. That resulted in several jump starts and even a few bump starts. I have numerous minor faults (11 advisories on its MOT) and at 20:45 today, somewhere between the key and the starter motor something is broken and now the starter motor doesnt turn over

I have covered 2000 miles in it so far though and it is now coming up for 107000 overall. Hopefully if I get the starter fixed it will do a few thousand more :p

Hi, In respect of your problem try checking the wire/connection onto the starter solenoid. Mine had the same issue, everything illuminated but nothing at the starter!

Wiring was the first thing i checked. I sat there freezing my balls off without car heating (I was fearing that it might have been partly battery related so didnt want to waste it with the heater on) trying to read a haynes manual with my phone backlight, thankfully it was just a few pages in and the pictures were conveniently from the same engine as mine (1.3mpi). Wiring seemed good to me.

It is due to go to the garage early tomorrow. Officially being looked at on thursday but they said they will try to look over it ASAP. Hopefully it is indeed the solenoid wiring or something as I have heard about quite a few faults from that, I did actually hit a speed bump quite heavily before arriving at my delivery so that might well have jarred something loose. Otherwise I have no transport to 6th form and no car to work in.

A v6 dual ram 2.6 Carlton, sounds superb and goes like an armchair on steroids but the twitch in my right foot was getting over involved with the loud pedal, the quest for a low cc motor, that was not the normal astra, escort etc was on. Much debating was done on eBay, many other sites were surfed but nothing came to light, not until I spotted a rather shabby looking felicia estate, void of turbo and auto gearbox, it was local, wasn't rotten and it had an mot and tax. The fact it was for sale in a typical back street city garage, owned by a chain smoking, sheepskin wearing car dealer, did little to impress me. It was cheap and it went forward and back in a fashion. A few days later and one is on here, still alive and skodaing away with the rest of the rat race.

Well my Skoda life came around just after passing my test in June 2011. I needed a car and quickly so I could take full advantage of my new licence... After looking at the standard cars that are cheap to insure (corsas, clios etc) none struck my fancy... thats when 'Felicity' was revealed.

It was my nans car believe it or not and she was selling it as they only wanted one car.. at first I was very I don't want a bloody skoda as it seemed an old persons car (haha) but after finally getting the car that soon changed and now I love the motor, and she has been well looked after with, then, weekly car washes. Got her at 33.7k and I'm now on 51.7k

Now I'm going to be selling my beloved soon for something more economical for the miles I do each day, I'm stuck whether to leave Skoda (Seen a nice Mondeo near me) or stick with it

Lee.

thats when 'Felicity' was revealed.

That is exactly what the previous owner called my felicia. To me its never had a name, but my parents stick with the felicity name.

Ahh the Slowda (going by the badge).

I was looking at loads of cars, Volvo 340's, old rovers, Skodas. I wanted something original for my age group, pre-2000 (most new cars are boring tbh), cheap and easy to maintain. The Skoda fitted the bill perfectly. Bidded on it on ebay for £400 and won! Yeah it has a scratch and or dent on every panel but it works, it's functional, original, hard wearing and surprisingly quick.

I love it, I would have another but I got a few other cars to tick off the list, only if their was a PD130 Felicia.