Hi all!

Just joined this forum to ask: Should I get the Fabia Estate Greenline version or Octavia Estate Greenline version and would either of these cars be right (or good enough) for me.

I am a musician and will require the car for getting me to gigs with a drumkit and single guitar amp + 1 other passenger. The gigs I do are usually within 50miles (or less) of my home so we're looking at a round trip of 100 miles or so, once or twice a week. In the week day I'll need it to get me to students homes and or schools where I teach. This will be a shorter distance of around 60 miles return (or less) and I won't need to fill the car with gear or passengers.

I'm looking to do less than 10k miles a year with the car but I want something that's as cheap as possible to run. I've read about the low low tax on these two models and also how economic they are fuel wise. The questions I have are: Will these cars suffer from being lower performance than other larger engine models? Will this increase maintenance costs? Is there a better car out there for my needs? Lastly, is it advisable to get a nearly new car? I'm young, only 23 and have been driving for 3 years but my car is dying and I need a new one that I intend to keep for as long as I can.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks.

P.S. Admins, I'm posting this is the Fabia and Octavia sections as I'm not sure which will give me the best response so apologies for the slight double post.

For your needs, both cars in estate guise will be more than big enough (Obviously with the Octavia being bigger than the Fabia).

For the lowest running costs, get a Fabia estate.....I have a Mk1 and it's significantly cheaper than my octavia to run.

For the nicest car to drive/sit in, while still having decent running costs, get an Octavia.......IMO it's in a different league than the Fabia when it comes to comfort/quality and driving experience.

For your needs, both cars in estate guise will be more than big enough (Obviously with the Octavia being bigger than the Fabia).

For the lowest running costs, get a Fabia estate.....I have a Mk1 and it's significantly cheaper than my octavia to run.

For the nicest car to drive/sit in, while still having decent running costs, get an Octavia.......IMO it's in a different league than the Fabia when it comes to comfort/quality and driving experience.

Hi thanks. Is the Mk1 you have the Fabia Estate Greenline model? I was wondering whether the fact it's only a 1.2 would mean the parts wear out quicker, or the the fuel consumption is quite high, or it generally doesn't perform well if it has to drive 100 miles or so will a full load of musical equipment. We're talking 250kg including passengers so just under half the max weight. Is this hard for it to do?

I'm also considering getting a new car on finance, it's a car I intend to keep for a long time. I'll happily do 80k miles on it throughout this decade if I can. With this is mind, is it worth getting the Octavia over the Fabia? Is it a better quality car with parts that are more durable etc? Even if it's less economic to run?

Many thanks for your advice.

Both cars will give good service for 80,000 miles.

There wasn't really a greenline Mk1 Fabia, just a choice of 1.9 TDI, 1.9 SDI (non turbo) and 1.4 TDI. Mine is 1.9 TDI and is more than capable of carrying the loads you mention. My average MPG in it is 61 MPG. I can't really comment on the 1.2 TDI greenline Mk2 as I've never had one.......on paper it produces reasonable power and should cope with being loaded up. A work colleague has one and reports that mpg in excess of 80 mpg is possible.....but only if you cruise at 50 mph. My 1.9 TDI Fabia would get close to this if you cruise at 50 mph!

I think you would benefit with having a look around both cars at a dealer and maybe test driving them......that will make things clearer.

Do you really need a Greenline? You only do a low annual mileage. I appreciate that you want to be able to run the car for the minimum cost possible but you would probably save on the purchase price if you were to look at a normal diesel (either 1.9 or 1.6 depending on your budget) and the difference in economy in real world driving will hardly be noticeable.

Do you really need a Greenline? You only do a low annual mileage. I appreciate that you want to be able to run the car for the minimum cost possible but you would probably save on the purchase price if you were to look at a normal diesel (either 1.9 or 1.6 depending on your budget) and the difference in economy in real world driving will hardly be noticeable.

Good point.

I believe you pay a significant premium for greenline models. Maybe the standard 1.6 TDI of either model would be worth considering.

Good point.

I believe you pay a significant premium for greenline models. Maybe the standard 1.6 TDI of either model would be worth considering.

I think you're both right. Looking into it you pay a lot more for the Greenline and the 1.6 TDi is still great economy. I think this may win over the 1.6 Octavia because of the cheaper insurance. Now the question is whether to buy nearly new or brand new...