Hi newbie here,

 

I am looking to buy my first car in the next few weeks and have been pondering over what car to buy for ages.

I currently have it narrowed down to a Fabia 1.2 Classic (54 bhp) or Corsa 1.2 Comfort.

 

I've been trawling this site as well as others looking at reviews and researching common faults etc and it truly has left me undecided.

 

Always been a fan of Skodas; VW build quality and their unassuming styling to name but a few.

A Corsa was always the last option as I've always been a bit skeptical of their reliability and insurance costs more.

 

Lately I've been reading about the leaky doors (not much of an issue) and timing chains going on 3 pot 1.2 VAG blocks, which has been casting slight doubts in my mind.

I was led to believe chains lasted longer than belts, typically the life of the engine, but I've read some people's chains (mostly SEAT owners) have snapped before 50k and others having them replaced at around 60 - 75k.

 

How common is this on the 1.2 classic 6v and are there any other common faults on that model that I should be aware of?

Now I know every car has it's weak points and not every car's perfect, but reliability is key for me hence why I firstly considered a Skoda.

 

Specific fabias I'm looking at are a 54 reg 1.2 with 62k and an 06 reg 1.2 with 83k.

Is it a good first car or will it be slightly under powered?

Any advice much appreciated.

 

Thanks,

 

Somebody else will be able to chip in about the HTP engine, but as a first car, the Fabia is great! 

 

I was in the same position as you 9-10 months ago, but ended up picking up a TDI, as it was only a few quid more to insure with Tesco Clubcard discount, and I'm doing the miles to justify it. In fact, the insurance was still lower than other cars I was looking at, at the time. After buying mine, a work colleague bought a 1.2 Fabia, which they're very happy with, although they don't do anywhere near the amount of long trips I do.

 

As folks said to me on here, I wouldn't worry too much about the common problems you may find searching the internet as anything may go wrong with any used car. For example, my rear doors don't leak, which is great. However the previous owner had crunched up the gearbox enough to make it require attention.

 

Even so, I don't feel I could've made a better choice for a first car, for my needs. It's comfortable on long trips, with either a car full of passengers, or a car full of gear. I get funny looks at the tip when I keep taking stuff out of the back of the car, long after bigger cars have been emptied.

 

I remember when I was researching the HTP engines reading that the tensioners on the chain that cause the problem were changed after 2003, but I'm sure someone else with first hand experience will be able to say whether or not this is true, or whether they've had any issues.

You might also consider the 1.4 mpi . Various threads in this forum suggest that it is probably the most reliable engine among the petrol models albeit a bit thirsty.

i can vouch for the 1.4mpi had mine over a year and not a thing has gone wrong and it's pretty much 30mpg

I am in agreement with the argument for a TDI - I do a lot of miles in my 1.9 and for the couple hundred pound extra I've spent on insuring it, this has been balanced out by the amazing economy. I love my TDI! Bought in April with 132k, now just about to go over 142k. I'm robbing it of dear life!

 

Whatever Fabia you go for, just go for a Fabia. They are great first cars full stop. And better so, nobody else has one! 

I had a Fabia 1.2 HTP 12v as my first car, it was a great car, took it's fair share of abuse and never set a foot wrong.. I'd advise staying away from the corsa, my sister had two in succession and both were riddled with issues, and I'm willing to bet you'd get the Fabia insured for much less..

 

One thing I would say Is if you can afford it, get the 12v rather than the 6v, In my experience the 6v does feel abit underpowered and the extra torque of the 12v does come in handy..

Yes, the economy's great on the TDI.

 

I drove from Sheffield to Glastonbury festival and back via Nottingham with a car full of camera equipment, camping gear, a passenger and all their clobber on a single tank of fuel, even though I sat in traffic for two-three hours on the Monday when leaving the site.

thanks for the advice guys.

Go For it Lovely Car's Strange some people say the 6v is underpowered i have never found mine to be so in normal use,cruise's happily at 70-80mph on the Motorway which is all anyone need's,i have alway's had bigger engined car's and still find the Fabia perfectley adequete