apples and pears - you are better to decide what you want from a car and what you want to do with it first!

I see what your getting at here. I'm looking for a sporty diesel hatchback as my commuter car and second car. It has to seat four (2 kids) and be cheap to run but still give that fun factor. When you start looking in to it there's really not many cars out there that tick the boxes if your around the 5k budget and want sub 80k miles. Besides these two I was also thinking about the megane 175. I keep coming back to the fabia on the running costs, you can't ignor that it's going to be the cheapest to run while still giving similar performance. The modeo has a lot of appeal especially if you drop on one with recaros. Then again an se fabia looks so nice in the blue with the leather seats. As said here do the research then test drive a few.

Octy vRS TDI. Job done.

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This thread's got to have been a wind up, surely?

This thread's got to have been a wind up, surely?

 

why? when I got my Ibiza the other cars I genuinely had in mind were a 5 series, a Fiesta or a Superb. looking back, I should've got a 3 series...

I see what your getting at here. I'm looking for a sporty diesel hatchback as my commuter car and second car. It has to seat four (2 kids) and be cheap to run but still give that fun factor. When you start looking in to it there's really not many cars out there that tick the boxes if your around the 5k budget and want sub 80k miles. Besides these two I was also thinking about the megane 175. I keep coming back to the fabia on the running costs, you can't ignor that it's going to be the cheapest to run while still giving similar performance. The modeo has a lot of appeal especially if you drop on one with recaros. Then again an se fabia looks so nice in the blue with the leather seats. As said here do the research then test drive a few.

So your referring to a mk1 fab vrs?

This threads far too vague on models to make any kind of decision off.

The mk1 and mk2 vrs's are completely different cars.

So your referring to a mk1 fab vrs?

This threads far too vague on models to make any kind of decision off.

The mk1 and mk2 vrs's are completely different cars.

Yes definitely the mk1. I can not see any reason you would be comparing the mondeo with a mk2. The main reason you buy a fabia is surely for the economy benifits. The way I read this thread is that he's looking for a performance diesel (yes I know there no real performance cars lol) I've been looking at what's about for a couple of months now and really there's only a few cars to choose from in my mind.

I've driven both a fabia and a mondeo but not an st. On the face of it the fabia is a no brainier, cheap to insure, cheap to run, pretty solid with no dpf. The mondeo seems to have more faults but as said people tend to look for solutions to problems on forums so when you do a search it comes up.

I was slightly put off with the reports of rust on the fabia and leaking rear doors which came up when I started searching.

Plus on top of this you can get a good car or a Friday night one. Basic used car buying checks should help with this.

This thread interested me as I'm in a similar boat. Another plus with the fabia is it comes backed up by a great forum.

The way I read this thread is that he's looking for a performance diesel (yes I know there no real performance cars lol)

BMW 335d? 286ps 0-62 5.9

BMW 335d? 286ps 0-62 5.9

Can they be had for £5k? If so, BARGAIN!

BMW 335d? 286ps 0-62 5.9

Your in E46 territory at 5k which means older, higher miles and the turbo and swirl flap issues.

Like I said - mk2 Octy vRS TDI. All boxes ticked. Want more carrying capacity? Go estate. Done.

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Like I said - mk2 Octy vRS TDI. All boxes ticked. Want more carrying capacity? Go estate. Done.

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Just out of reach at 5k your looking at 90k plus miles and there's limited choice at this price. I think you need to spend at least 6k. I agree it ticks all the boxes, I'd have one, especially one with the limited edition interior.

I've owned a Fabia vRS and driven a Mondeo ST.

The Fabia is: unrefined, grunty, overweight, economical, cramped, reliable, understeery. It has a boat anchor of an engine that tunes well, goes well and makes granite look tricky and unstable, as far as reliability goes. It has a stupid interior that is very easily soiled, unless you buy an SE. Handling is uninspiring and it is very heavy (1315kg). It is economical, average to insure, cheap to tax and cheap to run.

The Mondeo is: lively, inspiring, fluid, spacious, fragile, moderately quick. I have heard horror stories about the engine, which is slightly underpowered for the size of the car. It revs nicely though, and has a good powerband. The handling is nothing short of superb. It has an amazing chassis, which flows beautifully even on standard suspension and is a real joy to drive. It's comfortable despite its handing prowess. Huge inside, and a nice place to be than the Fabia.