Good Afternoon Forum

 

I'm approaching 50 this year and was looking at a Fabia vRS or similar to scratch that mid-life crisis itch

 

Currently a Toyota Auris driver (2ltr Turbo Diesel 125bhp....... I know........POWER!!!)

 

I've looked at a couple (not yet driven one) but this one is favourite

 

Year: 2014

Miles: 39000

Service History: All with Skoda Main Dealer

Previous Owner: "Older" lady who didn't know what she was buying

Dealer: Currently being retailed by an independant dealer for £7280 (that his bottom price - £8K on the windscreen)

Engine: CTHE variant

 

Obviously I've read some horror stories about the 1.4 TSI engine in the vRS 

 

Is there any general advice for things to look for when looking at the Fabia vRS

 

Any general guidance would be appreciated as you only get to learn by asking questions to the people that have "been there....done that!"

 

Welcome.

 

Best find out what has been done at the Main Dealers in the way of servicing. They do not do much.  Get any warranty history and Service Campaign History.

What tyres are fitted?

2015 Oil & Filter change. Look see. Report.

2016 Oil & Filter change, pollen filter, Look see. Report.

2017 Oil & Filter change, Brake Fluid Change.  Was that done?  MOT, was there any advisories?

2018 Oil & Filter Change, Spark Plugs, Pollen filter, Air Filter.  Was that done?  MOT, was there any advisories?

2019 ?

 

Has Service Campaign '34H5' been done or was it not needed?  Software Update of the DSG.   Anything else done that is on the Skoda system?

 

I phoned Marshalls Skoda in Leicester this morning  (not the dealer selling the car) and they advised that all the servicing was up to date - Car has done 39,000 - serviced at 38,000 and plugs, filters etc were changed at 34,000. I think the previous only had taken out a PCP so that's why the mileage is normal and the service schedule is up to date

Price seems good.  Is there a Warranty?  If just 3 months,

then you can take out a Skoda one after that, i would do that.

 

Check how the discs are looking for corrosion / scoring, and look at the exhaust back box.

One expense that can come up is the Waterpump, so budget £500 or so for the future.

 

There were a couple of members here who's Mum had a Mk2 vRS. (and never knew what they were buying / leasing.. ye right!)

Is this one blue?

Edited 9 May, 20197 yr by Skoffski

I've been to take a look at it's really clean and the history held on the Skoda service network seems to support that it hasn't been abused (but you can never tell if you've got a good one or not (until you've lived with it for a while) 

 

Just checked the MOT history and there is only an advisory for a tyre

Where is it advertised ? link the advert ?

 

Makes what I paid for mine a better deal than I thought.

 

ALL cars have issues, I love mine, thinks its superb.....yes things can go wrong but do on any car, the fact its a CTHE and has a full history, you cant really "better" that in all honesty.

Edited 9 May, 20197 yr by UrbanPanzer

http://www.brantroadmotorcentre.co.uk/used/skoda/fabia/1-4-tsi-vrs-5dr-dsg/for-sale-in-lincoln-lincolnshire/aetv78669084/

2 hours ago, flatbadgers said:

http://www.brantroadmotorcentre.co.uk/used/skoda/fabia/1-4-tsi-vrs-5dr-dsg/for-sale-in-lincoln-lincolnshire/aetv78669084/

 

 

2014 & the mileage is very appealing however as base models come..... this is it, No climate control, no parking sensors, no RNS stereo Nav(Bluetooth etc). If you could bargain with the dealer to get a lower price I'd go for it but in my opinion if you bought this you'd soon wish you had gone for one with the optional extra's.

 

Personally I wouldn't pay over 7k for it, To put it into perspective I bought my 2012 with 34k nearly 2 years ago private for £6k and that was ex demo with a fair few optional extras.

 

Hope this helps buddy, There are some super rare models out there with sunroofs and heated seats but they are few and far between.

 

The description has stuff the car might have and never had but Skoda gave as a description.

So no 'Black side protection mouldings' (unless that is the B pillars.) & no 'Front Fog Lights'.

Edited 10 May, 20197 yr by Skoffski

Looks like it "may" have cruise control......cant be sure.

 

Mine has parking sensors, nice to have but did not play part in buying car.

 

SAT nav is easily added, and when I was looking could not find one with sunroof or heated seats.....again cruise can be added.

 

Climate control...............mmm just as easy to turn a knob and I would never have it on auto anyway, just burns more fuel.....it has aircon which is all you really need (sometimes) in the is country lol, think I have used mine 3 times.

 

For me looks very tidy and thats the most important with any used car in my opinion, the other stuff can be added if you desire over time.

 

I have added Sat nav (twice)  as just updated to columbus unit, retro fitted rear electric windows and cruise is next on the list.

Yes, it counts with how the "stuff" under the bonnet is, the add ons are just add ons and nice to have, my Audi S4 bought slightly used is a poverty spec one, but as I like doing things I added the front PDS and OPS as well as DAB radio as per factory fit, everything else about that car was 100% especially the "stuff" under the bonnet and under the car.

Thanks Forum for all the input - With regards to spec  i'm coming from an 11 year old Auris so my expectations of toys and finish were never high. That said the variant I own has - Keyless Entry, Push button start, auto mirror, auto wipers, auto lights, cruise control, electric windows front and rear. I listen to Radio 5 and couldn't give a stuff about bluetooth connectivity. As a daily driver it's got to be practical and if I put my foot down it's got to have a bit of poke to get round things and keep things in the rear mirror

 

Any opinion is appreciated to help me make my mind up to buy or not to buy

Agreed as said above under the bonnet matters however my issue is I like to try get the most “bang for buck” when buying used cars.

 

I’ll be totally honest when I bought mine I never even considered or put in enough effort to find out about the optional extras, I soon realised how crap the standard “swing” stereo is, That was upgraded to an OEM nav/Bluetooth unit which I got cheap but would set you back £200+, Also in the scenario you want parking sensors there’s another £100 easily and the climate control unit itself may be less than £50, retrofitting it is a complete ballache. The 2014 model your looking  at also comes with the newer steering wheel which in my opinion makes the old MK1 style heater controls look ancient. I’d take a rough guess and estimate about £500-600 to the mentioned OEM optional extras added including cruise control.

 

Again it’s all your own choice on whether these little things matter but my choice would be to browse a few other deals and see how they add up to the one your looking at and go from there.

Edited 11 May, 20197 yr by Mickmartin

@flatbadgers

I like KISS,

so keep it easy to look after & maintain / repair, so with a Fabia vRS it is about how it drives, i could not care less about a sunroof, rear sensors, rear electric windows, even if it had a radio. 

All about having fun if bought to drive and as a keeper.

4 minutes ago, Skoffski said:

@flatbadgers

I like KISS,

so keep it easy to look after & maintain / repair, so with a Fabia vRS it is about how it drives, i could not care less about a sunroof, rear sensors, rear electric windows, even if it had a radio. 

All about having fun if bought to drive and as a keeper.

 

Wouldn't you take added extras into account when considering the value of a car?

@Mickmartin

No because i have had fully loaded that was not a good car and basic that was a cracker to drive.

If you want bells and whistles get a Volvo or the likes, if you want a cheap 2 pedal hot hatch to enjoy driving get a fault free Mk2 vRS Fabia hatch or estate IMO.

 

If you only have one car and want fully loaded then maybe look for a full spec one.

15 minutes ago, Skoffski said:

@Mickmartin

No because i have had fully loaded that was not a good car and basic that was a cracker to drive.

If you want bells and whistles get a Volvo or the likes, if you want a cheap 2 pedal hot hatch to enjoy driving get a fault free Mk2 vRS Fabia hatch or estate IMO.

 

If you only have one car and want fully loaded then maybe look for a full spec one.

 

I myself have two cars but 6k Was still a good wad of cash in my books, I totally get what you mean however in that scenario if it was a weekend toy the OP’s after.......spending 7k on a mk2 Fabia Vrs I wouldn’t recommend.

 

I guess it all depends what the OP plans to use it for? a daily or a bit of fun.

I would not spend £7,000 for a bad one, there are plenty for under £4,000 and has been for years.

If i wanted a good one then i would spend £7,000.  But then it is a Lottery.

All cars might have issues, but the CAVE and CTHE have the risk of more than many can risk being landed with.

Going 2014 is a good move, but still you need to be aware of the Timing chain issue and also '34H5' as there have been even a 2015 registered 2014 vRS needing a new DSG.

Did pop into the local Skoda dealers yesterday and it's had the 34H5 done; 

 

Service History
Date of Service - Type of Service - Vehicle Mileage
06/09/2018 - MOT (passed) 34,879
06/09/2018 - Inspection Service 34,879
06/09/2018 - Brake Fluid Change 34,879
06/09/2018 - Aircon Service 34,879
18/09/2017 - MOT (passed) 26,826
18/09/2017 - Oil Change Service 26,826
05/10/2016 - Interval Inspection 17,047
17/09/2015 - MOT (passed) 7,693
17/09/2015 - Oil Change Service 7,693
24/03/2015 - Used Car MPC 2,187

 

I have found when browsing prices..... they tend to be lower north of the border. There are examples on ebay for around £6K but I'm being ultra cautious when considering the engine and how it might have been maintained

 

The intention was the vRS to be the new daily driver and still have a bit of a budget to purchase a older MX-5 for the summer.

 

It's a shame that Skoda has discontinued the vRS from the range and I can't buy anything newer that has been fully sorted and has less question marks

 

The engine is available in the VW Polo BlueGT  but it's been restricted to 150bhp and you pay the VW premium and there isn't the budget for a full blown GTI

 

So......... may not purchase the Fabia and end up having the Auris stage one mapped which should take it to 160bhp without having to upgrade any of the internals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

?

Is it 2 previous Registered Keepers?  Or any more?

 First registered then the lady that never knew what it was, just wanted an Auto Fabia!

 

When was the car built and when first registered, was that September 2014 ?

So looks like registered as a Demonstrator and then with a Dealership for 3 months or until 3,000 miles. (2,187 miles)

?

Why a MOT in September 2015.  Was the car accident damaged?? Or just wrong info.

 

The VW Polo BlueGT can do twice the NSL and go into a corner and come out just as quick if not quicker than a Mk2 vRS.

The Polo BlueGT can be remapped easily. There are good examples around on youtube if you search.

The SEAT Ibiza FR 1.4 TSI DSG 150ps was a cracker when the Cupra Ibiza was out of production waiting for the CTHE to be produced.

I have driven them and they are just as quick, and not like chocolate fireguards.

 

A 1.8TSI 192 ps Polo GTI DSG with 250NM or the manual with 320 Nm are crackers as well.

Edited 11 May, 20197 yr by Skoffski

It looks like there were a few similar spec MK2 Fabia at dealers before the end of production.

Just more basic than dealership specced up cars.

A member posted one in the register that was delivered to his dad with 4,000 miles on it.

I'm a wee bit like Offski when it comes to the vRS, all the toys would be nice but the lack of them doesn't prevent me from enjoying what the wee car has to offer and does really well, it's practical with the 5 doors, decent economy for a twincharged motor, reasonable tax and insurance, and goes along the road pretty well when pushed.

 

Ours doesn't have much if anything in the way of extras but it's never been an issue, besides I think I've got in ingrained in my thinking from my late dad who used to spurn all the optional extras and remind the salesmen "aye, it's grand, but it's all the more that can go wrong with it". Perhaps he and I are the typical dour pessimist Scots lol.

 

Of the utmost consideration when looking at a vRS to buy is the service history, age and mileage, preferably with a knowledge of any remedial/ replacement work carried out on the engine and DSG. Nothing else really matters, if you're unlucky enough to get one with oil consumtion issue or broken DSG then it won't matter if you can use apps on the multimedia, you'll be so angry the car could be laced with gold and you wouldn't care.

 

On the other hand, if you find a low mileage 2014 one with excellent service history and a good warranty, then the smiles per mile will make the ownership experience a good one. If you buy it, do have a good warranty in place as a back up. Good maintenance is the key, try to avoid modified examples in case they've been ragdolled around towns and villages then pumped into the dealers/ WBAC when the misfires started.

 

Road tax is around £140 a year. Insurance for me on a standard 2012 vRS in a rural area, age 53 and 3 points on license was £220 this year, which I consider pretty good.

 

Economy depends very much on how much lead you carry in your right boot. On a 180 mile round trip on Motorway, Lesmahagow to Penrith and back at around 60 to 65 most of the time the car averaged almost 50mpg, other journeys regularly see anything from 43mpg to 48mpg when driven steadily. Around town and B roads the car usually averages 37mpg and that's over 5 years of ownership. However, if you want to drive spiritedly (always allow engine to warm to min 70 before caning it) then the economy will go down to around the high teens/ early 20s, and if you're unwise and lend it to a lunatic son then it has been seen as low as 10.3. 

 

Servicing costs at a main dealer are £169 for the minor service, £259 for the major service. Keeping good plugs in the engine is a must, each owner has their own favourite but I've been using Denso on recommendation of Offski and had no problems, similarly switched to 5w 40 fully synthetic oil and been fine.

 

We have had problems with engine (replaced 2014 and since been a1 tip top fine) and DSG (mech and clutches replaced last year at 66k miles), other wee issues to look for include the wires in drivers door wiring loom breaking but overall ours has been very good, and I have and would recommend the car provided it has the all important good service history.

@Sittingbull Morning, thanks for taking the time to add to this thread....... although my Dad was say...... you've got a perfectly good car why do you want to change it. I've been looking at the Skoda Extended Warranty as it's £310 for all parts and £0 Excess which I didn't think was a too restrictive cost. With regards to service history and the story of how the car ended up at this dealers i'm quite comfortable with.....it's just prying the cash out of my wallet that's the problem

Edited 12 May, 20197 yr by flatbadgers

A member has a cracker of a vRS for sale on this forum.

A CAVE with low miles and then a replacement engine fitted.   

Worth a look for anyone considering buying a Twincharger.

3 hours ago, Skoffski said:

A member has a cracker of a vRS for sale on this forum.

A CAVE with low miles and then a replacement engine fitted.   

Worth a look for anyone considering buying a Twincharger.

Any chance of providing a link or where I look on this forum?