Should i buy Monte Carlo or not...

[SoISC1]

Thinking of trading in My Fabia from 2007 for a new one from 2017 should I do it???

[malcster]

Really your call mate 

 

A lot of variables so to speak 

 

While the fabia is a good car it's far from great and the budget feel (even though it's no longer a cheap car) is evident throughout 

 

The sign for me of a good car is if I would buy another one and this is the first Skoda where that would be a no 

 

Only advice I would give is go and see the dealer have a drive if one and see what the numbers look like

The Monte Carlo is a nice looking car btw 

[yankarinRG]

32 minutes ago, malcster said:

Really your call mate 

 

A lot of variables so to speak 

 

While the fabia is a good car it's far from great and the budget feel (even though it's no longer a cheap car) is evident throughout 

 

The sign for me of a good car is if I would buy another one and this is the first Skoda where that would be a no 

 

Only advice I would give is go and see the dealer have a drive if one and see what the numbers look like

The Monte Carlo is a nice looking car btw 

 

In which respect do you think it's far from great?

Edited 3 February, 2017 by yankarinRG

[rum4mo]

Oh malcster look what you have done - answered a question honestly, and see what has happened!

[malcster]

Oh boy here we go 

I can't put my finger on it but I'll try and put across what puts me off my fabia and I'll try and keep it brief and are only in my opinion 

 

OK so there is new style tech on this model like front assist and android auto plus depending on spec level which is great but in the same style 

 

No longer one touch windows which granted is not a deal breaker by any means but come on Skoda my golf I bought in 1993 had one touch windows and every other vag model across all marques have had it with the exception of the citigo 

 

Manual windows in the back on se spec wow not sure if it's std on the sel but wow the roomster see had electric all round 

 

Poor headlamps yes these are and easy fix but are they?? due to the ball ache of fitting in particular h7 bulbs on these and why should they be an easy fix it should have been done from new 

 

Engine noise is more apparent on this model than the 2015 1.2 86hp roomster it replaced and the same goes for road noise which is loud 

 

Poor ventilation on the majority leading to steaming up on damp mornings and taking ages to clear ok so for every one person who says it's bad there is equally a few saying there's is perfect but the only way to determine if it's isolated would be for those who say there's is fine to park in the places that  those who are having the issue do and see if the problem is more wide spread 

 

 

These are just a few of the issues I feel could be addressed in a mid cycle facelift 

 

 

 

These are not massive issues but things I have found in the 5 months of ownership 

 

Day to day it's a nice car but like I said I wouldn't buy another one 

 

 

 

 

[Keitht]

I agree the lack of one touch windows annoys me every time I use them. And the SEL doesn't have electric rears as standard, nor sunset glass. My special edition (run out model) Roomster had both of these plus the glass roof and metallic paint all for 10k! 

 

These four items would cost almost £1500 to add to even the highest spec Fabia.

 

Mind I do like the 110 tsi and the six speed box........

[macsmurf]

Another opinion, just to give balance... my Fab is a 2015 1.2 90 SEL Estate. The front windows don't bother me, I quickly got used to the way they work. And yes, the rear windows are manual, but I carry passengers in the back so rarely that it's not an issue (and those that I do carry haven't commented on it).

Agree with the headlamps, but paid Halfords to fit better bulbs for me, so no ball ache or bleeding knuckles for me!

Engine noise, well, pootling around I actually find it very quiet: if I put my foot down, I actually find the noise not unpleasant, it does have a slightly sporty timbre to it.

I haven't experienced any of the damp/condensation issues, even with regularly carrying a wet dog in the back.

Would I buy another? Absolutely, although I intend to keep this one as long as possible (£20 road tax being just one of the reasons).

A budget feel? Not from my point of view, the car feels well put together and solid. In the interests of full disclosure, I should point out that my last car was a Vauxhall Meriva, so you may feel that that precludes my opinions from having any validity...

 

[Andrew Moore]

I've had 1.9tdi o5 plate and a 1,6 CR d 11 plate and a 1.2 110 sel petrol 16 plate and other than the window button I think it's the best car ive had ,it's not noisy admittedly drive the 3 pot diesel and omg thought it was horrendous and I drive transit vans for work ,but for its money I cant complain and would definitely buy another

[SoISC1]

Thanx for youre answers i went and signed the papers just an hour ago. Picking it up on Thursday:)

i have been very satisfied with my old Fabia so i think this will be fine

[vc-10]

I think I'd buy another one? I'm not sure. Things have changed a bit on the market since last year- there's a new Fiesta coming soon, a new Ibiza just announced, and a new Polo due by the end of the year. This time next year I'd probably go for an Ibiza- I think the new one looks great, and it's likely to have the Front Assist and SmartLink that swayed the Fabia for me. Right now I think I'd either go for another Fabia, or stretch to a Polo with ACC and CarLink-App-Connect (SmartLink)

 

There are some great things about the Fabia, and some not so great things.

 

The engine is a gem- I really like the TSI, and it drives pretty nicely (although it's not the most exciting thing in the world). The space is good, the Bolero infotainment is probably the best standard-fit infotainment system available on a small car (the Polo's system has a CD player and the proximity sensor, but lacks the equivalent of SmartLink, which is what puts the Bolero ahead), the Front Assist system is good (especially as it's standard on the SE and above), the seats are comfortable. VW group make the best steering wheels, in terms of how it feels, of any manufacturer in the mass market. I prefer the wheel on my Fabia to the one in my dad's old '12 BMW 320d. I like the design of the interior with the silver effect strip across the dash, and everything feels solid.

 

And the not so good- lack of one-touch windows is annoying. Very annoying, especially if you have to park in a place with swipe access every day! The stop/start system has a mind of its own. The cabin plastics feel tough, but aren't as nice as they should be in terms of feel. The rear seats in the hatch don't fold very well, as the seat base is fixed. The headlamps give a decent enough beam, but changing bulbs is an exercise in frustration- IMO the ability to easily change a bulb on the roadside should be a legal requirement. Keep-fit windows in the back of the SE are kind of OK, but the SEL really should have them. 

 

Other people have mentioned noise in the cabin- I can't say that it's bad. It's pretty average for a supermini. 

[Pumatron]

I wanted a cheap runabout car as my Fabia 1.0 s is my 2nd second car.

I ideally wanted a Polo but my budget would not stretch to newer models so knocked on Skoda's door.

Its basic but I don't at any point feel like I'm missing anything, other than perhaps an arm rest but can add that myself later.

I'm only in early days of ownership and have got a few small problems but the dealer is on the case and they are being sorted. (Squealing rear brake, split door seal, smelly a/c and smelly screen wash).

At this point I would definitely buy another as a 2nd car.

 

[pauldazzle]

Just chatting with wife about this, & we definitely won't be getting another Fabia. The condensation steaming up issue is positively dangerous, & that alone means we will be changing cars in September. No one touch windows is bit of a joke on a modern car too, especially bad when the window motor is so slow.

The new Seat Ibiza FR due out in the summer is looking tempting.

Edited 6 February, 2017 by pauldazzle

[Mp1876]

Hi Everyone just wanted to make a few comments about the windows not going down in 1. I am due to pick up my fabia Monte Carlo in a couple of weeks time and am really looking forward to it. The issue about the windows doesn't bother me in the slightest as my current car is a Dacia Logan MCV and the front windows don't go down in 1 either and even worse they put the switches in the middle of the dash?? How 90's is that??

[torslunde]

Quote

 

Lack of one-touch windows

 

Hi

Just out of curiosity, my Fabia III 2015 is an european left hand drive, and the drivers window has one-touch, while the three other windows lack one-touch.

Could it really be so silly, that right hand drive cars has one-touch on the passengers side?

 

 

 

 

Edited 20 March, 2017 by torslunde

[Ootohere]

Skoda is well known for advertising 'Simply Clever',

if they can move the pedals and steering wheel to the other side of the car then moving the drivers switches should not be rocket science to them.

[vc-10]

On 20/03/2017 at 09:34, torslunde said:

Lack of one-touch windows

 

Hi

Just out of curiosity, my Fabia III 2015 is an european left hand drive, and the drivers window has one-touch, while the three other windows lack one-touch.

Could it really be so silly, that right hand drive cars has one-touch on the passengers side?

 

 

 

 

 

You have electric windows in the back though. The UK spec Fabias with rear electric windows have one-touch for the driver's window, while the others don't, exactly like your car.

[torslunde]

12 minutes ago, vc-10 said:

 

You have electric windows in the back though. The UK spec Fabias with rear electric windows have one-touch for the driver's window, while the others don't, exactly like your car.

 

Ah OK - thanks for the explanation

 

BTW that is rather ridiculous ...

 

 

 

[vc-10]

Yup I agree. Not having a driver's one-touch window is one of the things that most annoys me about my car!

[RickW]

Same here,very annoying at ticket barriers.

[Jedispooner]

I was certainly amazed not to see a one-touch down on the drivers side. Having said that, the leccy windows are pretty quick and have a nice solid closing sound, so I'm happy to hold the switch for 2 seconds. 

 

In contrast my 2013 Mazda 2 Venture has leccy windows all round and drivers one-touch, including the 2 cm auto stop opening for the diver side, those Japanese have it sussed!