How do.

I don't currently own a Skoda, but I am thinking of buying a Fabia vRS.

I came to this forum to find out as much info as possible prior to a purchase. The good, the bad, the mod options and so on.

My current car is an Alfa Romeo GTV 2.0, slightly modified (chipped, brakes, suspension, wheels, ICE etc)

I have owned it for 2 years, covered 40K miles in it (car now coming up on 100K total), been to italy and back 3 times in it (with one detour to the Nurburg Ring) and it has never put a foot wrong.

But, alas, reality has dawned and low 20's mpg and the prospect of some big bills coming up, means the sensible thing is to change it.

I started off by thinking about upgrading to a V6 GTV, but although this results in an increase in fun it also involves an increase in insurance, fuel, loan repayments, maintenance costs, risk, marital problems...

So I have subsequently run through all the options and come to the conclusion that a new Fabia vRS is the potential answer - cheaper to insure, tax, run and 3 years without fear of an MOT or large repair bills (plus the boot is twice as big).

My only reservation at this stage is will I enjoy driving it? A sedate test drive has not really answered that one so I would be interested to hear from anyone who has made a similar change in direction with regard to their car ownership.

I have owned Italian cars for the last 6 years and never owned a diesel before, so this is potentially a bit of a culture shock for me. Any reassurance given that this is a good move to make will be gratefully received!

Cheers

Neil

Its all Good.

There's no Bad.

The 'mods' aren't Ugly.

If you sort out the suspension and remap it, you'll enjoy the driving . And you'll be 'laughing all the way to the Bank' with the fuel savings. And cheap Insurance ( oh, and Road tax ). :orb_clap:

John.

Search the fabia forums for the words:

misting

leaking

handbrake

misting

leaking

handbrake

Mine's fine. ALL cars have an 'Achilles Heel'

Search the fabia forums for the words:

misting

leaking

handbrake

Alternatively, you could always buy an Octavia and make a few quid at weekends, ferrying people to the Airport and Nightclubs!

John.

To be fair I'm not sure it will be the car for you.

Yes you can mod it to make it slighty quicker, but if your a petrol lover it will ever be the same. In my old age I've come to love the diesel I like the ease it which it pulls, but it will ever give you a feeling of a petrol.

If I was you I'd ask for a longer test drive and test drive other cars on the market before you take your step.

Alfa's are lovely cars to look at and the sound is pleasant, diesel clatter may not be your thing.

BUT.....................if your looking for a cheap small(ish) hatch that covers most needs the fabia is a good buy.

Goochie is right they do have a few issues, but what car doesn't

Thanks for the feedback.

I think a longer test drive may be in order.

To be honset I never considered buying a diesel car until this year. You tend to become a bit sound obsessed if you have owned a lot of italian cars.

My current alfa howls like a banshee and redlines at over 7200rpm, so I would be lying if I said I was not going to miss that. but I have had to put my sensible trousers on for 2006 and a TD hatch makes far too much sense to ignore and represents the best compromise.