Well new to driving actually (October 05)....... but thats not the point

My first car was a Seat Ibiza which had a load of miles on the clock and so i decided to get rid of it.

My Dad has had his Octavia (X reg) for about 4 years and has never put a foot wrong.

I always thought that the Fabia would be out of my price range, but surprisingly it isnt.

What are the things to look out for especially when buying one?

And what are the main modifications u should do when i get the car?

Cheers

and i am getting some new alloys 17"

but where do i go to get the speedometre and milometre adjusted

Which Fabia are you looking at? As for the 17" wheels, as long as you keep the overall rolling radius the same (ie as you increase the size of the alloy, you reduce the profile of the tyre), you shouldn't need to recalibrate the speedo

Chris

if youre new to driving then insurace will be high for anything pokey.

So a pd100 or a 100hp 1.4 16v or a vrs might not be a good idea and u also said cheap and vrs aint cheap yet.

i'd buy the best one you can afford trim level and engine wise.

Classics are nice and cheap but they are very spartan.

a 75 hp 1.4 16v will be cheapish to insure and its got rear discs .

imo nothng looks worse than 17 wheels on a small car with drums

yeah thats the car that i thought i was looking for!

and i didnt know that the fabia had rear discs, cheers.

Been searching the net for ages to find a good one.

Be careful about doing any mods if the car is still within it's warranty period. Skoda are being very picky about the clause that 'any modifications invalidate your entire warranty' right at the moment.

Do a search and read some of the warranty threads on here at the moment.

Welcome to the site as well, by the way

ok cheers, didnt want to go crazy just make it look at bit better atm.

I personally suggest you own a old banger for your first 2-3 yrs of driving, as majority of accidents happen within that time frame. If you have an accident and your driving a £1,000 car you ain't gonna be upset much. But if you get a dent in a £7,000 car your not gonna feel that good at all.

If you are then willing to run the risk, to be honest with you, a Fabia 1.4 16v or a 1.9Tdi will be a good bet, both low in insaurance and nippy enough to enjoy the car.

As for modding your motor, as a new driver you would be an idiot as your insaurance will go up and it will also give you more power then you will be able to safely handle, with your inexperience.

In conclusion, buy a cheap runner for 2-3 years and then think about a more expensive car, with more power. And for gods sake insure it yourself..... the quicker you get your No Claims Discounts the better.... and then you can get a car that is higher in the Insaurance Groups. Also will make it easier to have your own insaurance when the day your parents will not be able or willing to let your go through them.

Some sage advice from a 25 year old, Rofl...... but seriously think about these points before rushing into it

QuetzVRS

too much power too handle? i race in a junior rally circuit, in a 1.9 205 so i dont think thats mauch of a issue at all

The 1.4 8 valve Mpi is only group 3 insurance , if you get a comfort spec car it will have elec front windows , front fogs and aircon , no alloys as standard tho , but your local branch of Halfords/ebay/for sale section on here could help you out on that score. It is rather slow tho , but you cant have it both ways....I've seen them for about £2500 in the North east Auto trader so you should find one on a W or maybe X plate for around that price.

Vote here for a Fabia Comfort/Ambiente 1.2 12v cracking motor, good mpg and very low insurance. Don't knock it till you've driven it.

Vote here for a Fabia Comfort/Ambiente 1.2 12v cracking motor, good mpg and very low insurance. Don't knock it till you've driven it.

Do they sound good?? I had a 3 cyl Colt the other week as a courtesy car and it sounded like a mini 911!

havent seen many 1.2s, thats why i am looking at a 1.4. Good about £3000 to spend.

If you can find a TDI I would say thats the car to aim for. I believe its a lower insurance group than the 1.4 16v, and has much more tuning potential too. You can pick up a 4 or 5 year old one now for under 5k. Just read the 3k bit... ahem I believe the 75hp 1.4 is auto only.

Sod it, get a 2k top-up loan.

If you can find a TDI I would say thats the car to aim for. I believe its a lower insurance group than the 1.4 16v' date=' and has much more tuning potential too. You can pick up a 4 or 5 year old one now for under 5k. Just read the 3k bit... ahem I believe the 75hp 1.4 is auto only.

Sod it, get a 2k top-up loan. [/quote']

Try to Avoid the 1.4 MPI 8v If you can,

Yes! Another one saved:rolleyes:

Try to Avoid the 1.4 MPI 8v If you can' date='

Yes! Another one saved:rolleyes:[/quote']

Wife had this one before the vRS and it was in classic trim but we had aircon and alloys.

It was fine.Rock solid motoring.Every single car in the Fabia range is basic really.No frills stuff.Which is fine:) .

Don't do your little motor down. :P Its a good car for those who want the Skoda reliability / build quality, etc, but can't get up to the realms of a turbo or 16v due to age/budget/insurance/where they live etc.

just done an insurance quote and a 1.9 diesel is cheaper than a 1.4 64bhp petrol???????

Just seems odd to me

Do they sound good?? I had a 3 cyl Colt the other week as a courtesy car and it sounded like a mini 911!

The Skoda 1.2s are the same

just done an insurance quote and a 1.9 diesel is cheaper than a 1.4 64bhp petrol???????

Just seems odd to me

its slower. diesel engine weighs alot

just done an insurance quote and a 1.9 diesel is cheaper than a 1.4 64bhp petrol???????

Just seems odd to me

That would be the SDi non turbo diesel??

yeah i think so, but the turbo wasnt much more on top of that.