please help people, currently driving mk2 FL Octavia VRS .. coming up to change in next few months

looked at new one and to be honest not like ... gone to big, to expensive and not that nice on the eye

so before I go to the dark side (golf GTi, SEAT leon cupra , Focus ST etc ...) .. thought I would look at new fabia VRS

so grabbed brochure and quite impressed ....

but then I read they going to stop making them, and then reading on here all it seems to be is issues all the while

so can I ask .... is there a issue with Fabia VRS ... and as they are stopping making them is it a good time or bad time to buy one ... is it worth going over to the Dark side .... !!!!

thanks good people

 

No word of them stopping selling the current vRS before they stop building the current MK 2 Fabias.

 

Just not going to be a MK3 vRS is what is being said, & there is nothing official on what engines they will get anyway.

rather different things really.

 No word of when the 1.4 TSI 180ps Twincharger Engine will stop being produced, they just Launched the 2013 Ibiza Cupra with them fitted.

 

It is a good time to pick up a bargain of a a used or new MK2 vRS Hatch or Estate.

 

george

If you like the strengths and can put up with the weaknesses of the Fabia vRS then it's a good buy at the discounted prices available. 

(...and let's not get into them here, plenty has been said already,and there is a search button...)

I don't buy all this stuff about reluctance to look at the entire market place and make the right choice for YOU...as I've said before,no car maker has ever done anything truly exceptional for me to stay loyal to them and I don't anticipate any ever will.

Edited 18 September, 201312 yr by XK140

please help people, currently driving mk2 FL Octavia VRS .. coming up to change in next few months

looked at new one and to be honest not like ... gone to big, to expensive and not that nice on the eye

so before I go to the dark side (golf GTi, SEAT leon cupra , Focus ST etc ...) .. thought I would look at new fabia VRS

so grabbed brochure and quite impressed ....

but then I read they going to stop making them, and then reading on here all it seems to be is issues all the while

so can I ask .... is there a issue with Fabia VRS ... and as they are stopping making them is it a good time or bad time to buy one ... is it worth going over to the Dark side .... !!!!

thanks good people

 

Hi David

 

Use our Fabia VRS for the last year or so instead of the Octavia VRS and like the change.

 

Fabia is just as quick about to about 120 as the Mk2 VRS, clearly the Mark 3 is a whole lot faster.

 

Fabia is 20% better on fuel (does use Momentum of course which I expect Tescos Evesham sells.

 

It is comfortable, lower revving than the Octavia VRS due to the 7 speed box.

 

Mines on variable so it does 20K between services.

 

I am a DSG fan so no issue there. 

 

if I need to move something big then we still have the Octy.

 

Fuel tank is quite small but easy to use the vent method and get 50 litres in and 450-500 mile range.

 

Mine burns a bit of oil but not significant in cost or frequency of checking so happy on that score.

 

What is not to like?

I've just done 5000 miles in mine since buying it in May this year. Haggle a good deal (around £14k) and as far as I am concerned you really can't get much more car (brand new) for your money anywhere else.

I totally love mine, it drives great, has the power and speed to surprise many other drivers, will do 45mpg easily and can be as involving or as easy to drive with the DSG as you like.

I only considered it as we needed an auto (partner has auto licence only) and I am very pleased with my purchase. Issues were with earlier cars and there are less problems with the newer ones - under warranty it doesn't really matter anyway. 

 

Buy new, get the warranty extended to 5 years and enjoy. I have owned a wide variety of cars and this is turning out to be one of my favourites. 

I've had 2 , I like the first one so much I bought another, I get  50 mpg on the way to work, then go to the race tracks when I can! sorted the suspention with spring s RARB decent tyres ect ,

 

done more than 60k in both cars combined, and in ALL that mileage just had a track rod end replaced.

 

both cars do NOT have oil issues.

 

its not the best hot hatch , but a few choice mods can make it nice , and its cheap!

 

here's my beast , go on , go to the dark side

 

Fabia vRS is just sooooo "last season".....! Lol

In all seriousness a lot depends on what your budget is. If you can comfortably afford a new golf GTI of or focus ST they are the better cars imho.

Fabia vRS good points :

Cheap price / decent bhp/£

Cheapish to run

Good space/practicality

Quite rare car on the road.

Pokey engine and nice DSG box.

Fabia vRS bad points :

Poor ride/handling balance

Dull interior

Questionable refinement

Potential warranty issues with excessive oil consumption

Not the most 'fun' choice

You pays yer money and makes yer choice and all that! :-)

Edited 18 September, 201312 yr by Furbytom

Hi my fabia vrs is 4 months old 13 plate with 4500 miles best car i have brought in yeas i had a seat leon cupra mk2 before this nice car but to expensive most i got was 23mpg and that was on a run the vrs is quick and economical averaging 38mpg brilliant car, My last three cars were the leon cupa mazda3 mps  golf edition 30, all expensive to run  oh and i got my vrs with the eighbach springs which make the car look good as well as improve the handling

Fabia vRS is just sooooo "last season".....! Lol

In all seriousness a lot depends on what your budget is. If you can comfortably afford a new golf GTI of or focus ST they are the better cars imho.

Fabia vRS good points :

Cheap price / decent bhp/£

Cheapish to run

Good space/practicality

Quite rare car on the road.

Pokey engine and nice DSG box.

Fabia vRS bad points :

Poor ride/handling balance

Dull interior

Questionable refinement

Potential warranty issues with excessive oil consumption

Not the most 'fun' choice

You pays yer money and makes yer choice and all that! :-)

well said Tom couldnt sum it up better; a great bang per buck car but more compromised than more expensive/premium fast hatches as a consequence.

Its a shame Skoda did not (or maybe were not allowed to) put just a small amount of effort into resolving the weak (IMO for a 180hp hatch) handling and braking as otherwise it gives little else to complain about at the money.

still hearing about all the engine and general reliability problems on here am kind of glad now I sold it on.

I am also pleased you sold it..

It would have been horrible for you to have had to torturing yourself driving such a horrible car.

Must only be total muppets that are stupid enough to keep on driving and enjoying them, when we could have a Diesel Octavia Estate,

Remind me please, did your Fabia have reliability problems?

& what was it the vRS Octavia Estate cost you to buy and what is its value now.?

 

george

I think its an ok car.

 

Its a good practical tool, and feels sensibly priced.

 

Handling is fine, but quite numb - the most involving part was losing a wheel weight and getting feel through the wheel that way - but straight line performance to economy figures must be one of the best out there. I've had 56MPG on a 220 mile Motorway and A Road trip, door to door, cold engine, real world etc etc figures, so good economy is acheivable. It's quick enough that I'd say even without a remap it is quick enough for most people.

 

I'm a bit blah about mine because I do just see it as a tool. I wish it was a bit more involving, but its a VAG group car so I'm not surprised.

I am also pleased you sold it..

It would have been horrible for you to have had to torturing yourself driving such a horrible car.

Must only be total muppets that are stupid enough to keep on driving and enjoying them, when we could have a Diesel Octavia Estate,

Remind me please, did your Fabia have reliability problems?

& what was it the vRS Octavia Estate cost you to buy and what is its value now.?

george

wasnt exactly torture, mild waterboarding perhaps. Was a good car just not a great one. You bit a bit there George did I touch a nerve there, is this not a free speech forum?

Octavia isnt the most exciting car in the world granted but other than perhaps outright speed it betters the Fabia in pretty much every area and I have no regrets buying it; particularly given that I ended up with a Blackline DSG estate that amounted to nearly 26k of RRP factory order for 20k; whose going to argue thats not good value.

In that i ended up with a car thats not at all slow (a 170hp diesel isnt ever going to be is it), good on fuel (fabia wasnt), handles rides and brakes very competently (but there are better handling cars of course; its just an Octavia with Golf GTi chassis components, but thay inherrently makes it a better handling car than a Fabia), very comfortable, nicely equipped (nav, DAB, Bluetooth, full leather, rear sensors, 2 zone climate) and had an excellent sound system (the Fabias was crap). All that and a boot that in volume betters an A6 avant.

with all that it burns no oil, no forced regens and hasnt given me an ounce of bother in 9 months of ownership. The Fabia broke on a few occasions requiring some ridiculous warranty work (four new alloys due to corrosion, same again 6 months later, b pillar vinyl started peeling off, got redone and looked almost as bad, door rubbers got bent as a result and got a mate to sort them as couldnt face going back to the dealers, DRL light switch failed and had to be replaced.....oh and the handbrake lever broke and had to be replaced too, also had a knocking from the front suspension but dealer never resolved it).

So yeah George you could say ownership wasnt exactly problem free, used a litre of oil every 4k which whilst not terrible isnt exactly a good thing.....about the only positive is it got sold on its original CAVE engine.

My Blackline stacks up v well residually thanks because its the right engine residual wise (TSi's dont hold their value anything like as well) and an excellent standard spec. I could walk away from it tomorrow and not owe a penny. I was lucky to get some equity out of my Fabia vRS as going by their used prices now dealers look to be practically giving them away; either their making little or no profit on them or they've pulled the previous owners pants down.

*edit* personally I think the OP needs to make their own mind up, but I would be surprised having already owned a MK2 vRS FL if they find the Fabia an equivalent or better steer. If they do absolutely fair shout to them but I think its important they hear truths and facts rather than alot of the rose-tinted talk from the Fabia vRS fan boys about how good they are because quite frankly they have their weaknesses and drawbacks. The Octavia does for sure....it doesnt upset me at all if someone speaks negatively about my car because not everyone likes them; much the same as Im not the biggest fan of the Fabia vRS because its not the best or most reliable fast hatch out there cheap or not.

Edited 30 September, 201312 yr by pipsyp

wasnt exactly torture, mild waterboarding perhaps. Was a good car just not a great one. You bit a bit there George did I touch a nerve there, is this not a free speech forum?

Octavia isnt the most exciting car in the world granted but other than perhaps outright speed it betters the Fabia in pretty much every area and I have no regrets buying it; particularly given that I ended up with a Blackline DSG estate that amounted to nearly 26k of RRP factory order for 20k; whose going to argue thats not good value.

In that i ended up with a car thats not at all slow (a 170hp diesel isnt ever going to be is it), good on fuel (fabia wasnt), handles rides and brakes very competently (but there are better handling cars of course; its just an Octavia with Golf GTi chassis components, but thay inherrently makes it a better handling car than a Fabia), very comfortable, nicely equipped (nav, DAB, Bluetooth, full leather, rear sensors, 2 zone climate) and had an excellent sound system (the Fabias was crap). All that and a boot that in volume betters an A6 avant.

with all that it burns no oil, no forced regens and hasnt given me an ounce of bother in 9 months of ownership. The Fabia broke on a few occasions requiring some ridiculous warranty work (four new alloys due to corrosion, same again 6 months later, b pillar vinyl started peeling off, got redone and looked almost as bad, door rubbers got bent as a result and got a mate to sort them as couldnt face going back to the dealers, DRL light switch failed and had to be replaced.....oh and the handbrake lever broke and had to be replaced too, also had a knocking from the front suspension but dealer never resolved it).

So yeah George you could say ownership wasnt exactly problem free, used a litre of oil every 4k which whilst not terrible isnt exactly a good thing.....about the only positive is it got sold on its original CAVE engine.

My Blackline stacks up v well residually thanks because its the right engine residual wise (TSi's dont hold their value anything like as well) and an excellent standard spec. I could walk away from it tomorrow and not owe a penny. I was lucky to get some equity out of my Fabia vRS as going by their used prices now dealers look to be practically giving them away; either their making little or no profit on them or they've pulled the previous owners pants down.

*edit* personally I think the OP needs to make their own mind up, but I would be surprised having already owned a MK2 vRS FL if they find the Fabia an equivalent or better steer. If they do absolutely fair shout to them but I think its important they hear truths and facts rather than alot of the rose-tinted talk from the Fabia vRS fan boys about how good they are because quite frankly they have their weaknesses and drawbacks. The Octavia does for sure....it doesnt upset me at all if someone speaks negatively about my car because not everyone likes them; much the same as Im not the biggest fan of the Fabia vRS because its not the best or most reliable fast hatch out there cheap or not.

I think the fact that Seb 'likes' your post says it all.

After two years of ownership I'm still very happy with the Fabia - I thought about punting it last month and despite a very tempting offer from webuyanycar I'm happy I didn't. It's cheap on road tax, insurance and fuel. I'll be keeping it for another couple of years and because it was so cheap in the first place I don't give a flying one about 'depreciation'. I'd certainly rather have the Fabia than a minicab.

Self censorship applied here.

I may have been "tired and emotional" when posting.

A one year old that has refused to sleep since birth and a couple of shandies makes for irrational forum content.

I think the fact that Seb 'likes' your post says it all.

After two years of ownership I'm still very happy with the Fabia - I thought about punting it last month and despite a very tempting offer from webuyanycar I'm happy I didn't. It's cheap on road tax, insurance and fuel. I'll be keeping it for another couple of years and because it was so cheap in the first place I don't give a flying one about 'depreciation'. I'd certainly rather have the Fabia than a minicab.

jesus can no one say anything negative about one of these cars without childish rebuke; apparently not.

the OP deserves to hear both sides of the coin, from someone who did in fact own one of these for 18 months and hasnt slated it as a terrible car, mearly not a fantastic one that wasnt the first word in talent or reliability. Its entirely free speech opinion which I felt I should share with the OP.

the fact I have an octavia is neither here nor there really and it honestly makes no impact on me whether you want to refer to it as a minicab; there are alot of Octavia minicabs. Fact remains there are a number of members on this particular forum that cant accept a bad word said about the vRS which is pretty sad really.

jesus can no one say anything negative about one of these cars without childish rebuke; apparently not.

the OP deserves to hear both sides of the coin, from someone who did in fact own one of these for 18 months and hasnt slated it as a terrible car, mearly not a fantastic one that wasnt the first word in talent or reliability. Its entirely free speech opinion which I felt I should share with the OP.

the fact I have an octavia is neither here nor there really and it honestly makes no impact on me whether you want to refer to it as a minicab; there are alot of Octavia minicabs. Fact remains there are a number of members on this particular forum that cant accept a bad word said about the vRS which is pretty sad really.

I'm more than happy to accept criticism of the Fabia - it's far from perfect - however, as far as value for money goes I find it hard to complain.

I'm more than happy to accept criticism of the Fabia - it's far from perfect - however, as far as value for money goes I find it hard to complain.

your first reply suggests otherwise but never mind.

I agree the car is a good value for money proposition; but you have to also appreciate for a minute the things I say about the car are on the basis I ran one for 18 months so my views are not entirely unfounded; also I run a very similar car to the OP now so I consider it valid to give my opinion. Up to them whether they choose to take it on board, not down to Fabia vRS owners to get all mardy to see things they dont want said about their cars; thats not the point od a car forum at all.

I'll hold my hands up and say I've had a few - otherwise I'd probably have given a more considered response.

I hadn't visited this forum for many months due to the - often merited - negativity and my ownership experience was much more enjoyable.

I'll hold my hands up and say I've had a few - otherwise I'd probably have given a more considered response.

I hadn't visited this forum for many months due to the - often merited - negativity and my ownership experience was much more enjoyable.

fair shout Brian, i really wasnt trying to get at you or make the Fabia sound like a sack of poo because it isnt, if my posts read like that at all i apologise. id be plain lying though if i raved about it so im just been giving my honest opinion for the OP's benefit.

The fact my one wasnt entirely reliable either probably hasnt helped to shape my opinion on the car as it did go wrong a bit too much for my liking in the 18 months it was with me (was brand new as well not purchased used); that shouldnt detract from the fact its probably the quickest small car you can buy for the money and for a 180hp car its reasonably cheap to run.

Edited 30 September, 201312 yr by pipsyp

There are plenty of negative opinions already on here about the vRS given by present owners,including myself, but the essence which many critics fail to grasp is that it does offer a great package for the money,especially if you can forgive its faults and enjoy the great engine and gearbox.The fact that an Octy might do certain things better is irrelevant because it's not a direct competitor.

I used to own an Octy vRS,but I don't go on that Forum and tell them that the Fab has more exciting accelereation,because why should they be interested, in fact I don't go on that Forum at all...no Octy,I've moved on.

In fact I can solemnly promise that when I no longer have a Fabia vRS I won't bother coming on this Forum. 

PS

My car,one year old and totally trouble free,which says to me that certain past reliability problems are now solved,so criticism based on things that went wrong a couple of years ago are not necessarily relevant to the present new buyer.    

Edited 30 September, 201312 yr by XK140

Irrespective of any engine issues, or whether or not you like DSG, or the way the thing looks, I wouldn't have any Mk II Fabia simply because the headlamps are so awful.

Make sure you test drive one after dark, with other traffic about. You can't see a darn thing. It's downright dangerous.

If you want one of these, get a Polo or Ibiza. Same fundamentals, decent headlamps.

Irrespective of any engine issues, or whether or not you like DSG, or the way the thing looks, I wouldn't have any Mk II Fabia simply because the headlamps are so awful.

Make sure you test drive one after dark, with other traffic about. You can't see a darn thing. It's downright dangerous.

If you want one of these, get a Polo or Ibiza. Same fundamentals, decent headlamps.

 

Or spend £20 and get some xenon bulbs.

Pretty balanced comments on the whole - when you take the forum mantra of read everything and consider some of it

 

The Fabia isn't a great car - it's a very good one though.  High speed it gets a bit twitchy (100+) which was scary considering my last steed was a Scirocco (again 1.4 twincharger with DSG); I was after the most cost effective bang for buck with 4 doors (for ferrying the 83 year old mother-in-law about) and decent luggage capacity and the Fabia fitted the bill.

 

Headlights?  Woeful at times.  Never got round to fitting some decent bulbs and seeing if it could be improved.

Ride?  A bit woolly and crashy at the same time.

Seats?  Marvellous IMHO.  Can do 5 or 6 hours non-stop - very few cars are comfortable enough for me to do that.

Running costs?  It's a company car, so the BIK tax bill is the bottom line for me and nothing in the bracket comes anywhere near in reality in the bang-for-bucks stakes.  It does (with being reasonably sensible) 400 miles to tank, so I don't have to visit petrol stations daily.

Not much for £17k-ish list price new that can be doing 140mph down the Autobahn one day and be taking a double bed down the tip the next.

 

Oil issues (not me, I might hasten to add)?  That's why there's a warranty.  Inconvenient when it goes wrong, but despite an engine expiry in Belgium earlier this year (burnt valve), its been more reliable than the Scirocco.

 

It's not perfect, but no cars are...

 

Would I have another?  Not sure.  When new car time comes (in about 6 months or so at a guess) I'm looking Octavia 3 at the moment (as the new Fabia might just be coming out); maybe Golf.  I don't "get" Audis; not driven one I like yet apart from a 15 year old A6 that was hanging onto life by a worn out brake pad, funnily enough.

There are plenty of negative opinions already on here about the vRS given by present owners,including myself, but the essence which many critics fail to grasp is that it does offer a great package for the money,especially if you can forgive its faults and enjoy the great engine and gearbox.The fact that an Octy might do certain things better is irrelevant because it's not a direct competitor.

I used to own an Octy vRS,but I don't go on that Forum and tell them that the Fab has more exciting accelereation,because why should they be interested, in fact I don't go on that Forum at all...no Octy,I've moved on.

In fact I can solemnly promise that when I no longer have a Fabia vRS I won't bother coming on this Forum.

PS

My car,one year old and totally trouble free,which says to me that certain past reliability problems are now solved,so criticism based on things that went wrong a couple of years ago are not necessarily relevant to the present new buyer.

Actually im sorry but id suggest the fact that even some CHTE versions are suffering oil consumption problems is a fair indication there are some reliability issues.

not suggesting there arent any good ones out there; in fact mine other than a misfire issue sorted by a software update (sorry another problem i experienced) didnt fail me mechanically but it suggests buying one can be a bit of a lottery.

also to say i shouldnt post on here because i no longer have the car isnt up to you; I have experience of owning the car so will impart my view on things as i am trying to be helpful to the OP believe it or not.

They have an octy now, is considering a fabia, i did things the other way round and prefer the octavia. The OP may end up loving and buying the Fabia and if so good for them but to say "do it, great car, you wont regret it" is a bit narrow minded and fairly reflective of alot of the views you see on here.

@OP - suggest you go and drive one and see for yourself; is a great value package but after the octavia Id be surprised if you rated the Fabia as a better drive but everyones different and you might love it.

As I have asked on another thread.  Four years on what can I buy for about £15k which does 0-60 in 7 seconds and does 45 mpg and has fairly good residuals, comfy seats, good luggage.

 

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