Hi there,

 

I'm looking into buying a second hand Fabia, looking for any common faults, and things to look out for on a Fabia at this age. Priced at £1,200 It has around 90k on the clock, good MOT history (and fresh MOT) with nothing sticking out, apparently has a "good" service history but of course I haven't looked at that yet. Timing belt done 20k miles ago with proof.

 

Any recommendations on what else to look out would be much appreciated! 

 

Thanks

Make sure it has been serviced with the right oil, if possible. Take it out for a test drive and if you hear creaking going over speedbumps etc then you should get the console bushes seen to or use it for bargaining with the seller and get the job done later. Make sure all of the electrics work too; test the windows, rear screen heater, air conditioning (if applicable), recirculation, and so on. Make sure your fuel cap opens okay if it's one of the pull-release types too, mine is missing the spring but I've bodged my way about that one.

 

Edit: Check for leaking rear doors too.

 

Hope that helps you somewhat.

Edited 3 December, 20214 yr by AnnoyingPentium

Not easily possible to check correct oil has been used for services gone by but rest sounds about right and dont worry to much if the front or rear doors are leaking at the bottoms as its a common fault on fabias and very easily remedied but still can try to use it to your advantage.

1 minute ago, Stewartasb said:

Not easily possible to check correct oil has been used for services gone by

 

Aye I know, hence the "if possible" bit. I'm about as good with diesels as I am at art, and I got told not to take art as a subject at school.

As Ryan said above - Judge the car on the condition and test drive. 

 

As yet and I am open for correction on this the Mk1 Fabia tends not to suffer catastrophic rot.  Get a good look around and satisfy yourself that all is in order - Make sure the panel gaps and paint finish are uniform. Any crash damage and signs of fresh paint would ring alarm bells with me anyway.

 

The person selling - are they trustworthy ....? 

 

Take the car for a drive - Are you happy with the way it drives? - Does it pull to the left or right ? Does it make untword grinding when you brake ? Does it brake square ? Does it bounce or rattle when it hits a bump or a ramp ? All these can be used to bargain with but altogether and Id walk away !! 

 

Do a bit of due diligence and a HPI check or take a friend or relative along and get their take on it !

 

I know of a 1.4 TDi with 172k miles and still going great - The secret is regular servicing and driven sympathetically. 

 

£1200 ..? Offer them £900 and see what way they are thinking .. Then go half split every time a figure is mentioned ... I love to haggle and bargaining. 😆

Mk1 fabias tend to be pretty good rot wise only place ive ever really seen consistent rot on mk1,s is on the rear boot above the number plate lights it tends to hold in there.

Just now, Stewartasb said:

Mk1 fabias tend to be pretty good rot wise only place ive ever really seen consistent rot on mk1,s is on the rear boot above the number plate lights it tends to hold in there.

 

I've got a small bubble (I think) on my tailgate just above the number plate, but it's nothing I'm worried about. Sills do rust if harbouring grit and water but only if you maybe clean it once a millennia or just have blatant disregard for your car's paintwork.

Also, check your spare wheel well for water. Mine didn't have any when I bought the car but about a month later it was full, turns out one of the vents was leaking on the rear.

Assuming at that price and year it is a Bohemia (often referred to incorrectly as a Classic) with the nice interior, tinted windows, roof rails on estate and alloys, or an Ambiente which isn't quite as posh. Probably in Mk2 price range. I ran a 56 plate 1.4TDI classic estate to 172K, only changing as I had the 1.9TDI Elegance itch to scratch (heated seat, cruise, rear parking sensors), gifting the 1.4 to a friend who put even more miles on it.

 The 1.4TDI come in 70, 75 and 80 BHP, my classic was 70 BHP which I thought was OK and never felt underpowered even though I drove over the Pennines to work every day, until I drove my current 80 BHP Greenline - night and day.

Edited 3 December, 20214 yr by KeithCheetham
Additional power info

1 minute ago, KeithCheetham said:

or an Ambiente which isn't quite as posh

 

Ambiente gets electrically adjustable heated mirrors over the Bohemia though. So it wins in my book.

Thanks all for the replies, it sounds like it's just general used car things to look out for, although ill keep an eye out for any leekage/damp smells. The bloke selling it is an old chap that buys and sells cars as a retirement hobby apparently. The price did seem a bit much for a car of that age but all used cars seem to be pretty expensive at the moment...

2 minutes ago, Lewbs said:

The price did seem a bit much for a car of that age but all used cars seem to be pretty expensive at the moment...

 

I wouldn't have grudged it for age and the mileage given the current climate. Mine cost me £1,495 in March and it had done just shy of 52k miles at the time, being a Dec 2006 model too.

2 hours ago, AnnoyingPentium said:

 

Ambiente gets electrically adjustable heated mirrors over the Bohemia though. So it wins in my book.

Yep until some idiot side swipes one then a pia to get hold of lol.

2 minutes ago, Stewartasb said:

Yep until some idiot side swipes one then a pia to get hold of lol.

 

True. My car lives on my driveway so I should be alright. It doesn't get parked on a street too often either. All I need to watch out for is shopping trolleys and people in cars chucking their doors open in car parks.

Yep I'm same but they still got clattered and have 2 shopping car park dinks I need to get out from idiots hitting doors off mine luckily I know the tricks for getting these out having eirked at a car plant I've been taught by body guys how to do them 😀

 Although they were motorised on my Elegance I never adjusted them after the initial set, and someone took one out while parked so I fitted a heated but non motorised with the correct colour cap, moved the glass by hand when fitted - sorted. Heated is a definite advantage, but motorised - no. Think the motorised on the Ambiente does not counter the alloy wheels, better interior, leather steering wheel etc of the Bohemia. When they do get "clattered" it is generally the diecast mounting bracket that breaks so suggest regularly folding in/lubricating as there is a reduced chance of outcome only being a requirement to fold back out.

6 minutes ago, KeithCheetham said:

Think the motorised on the Ambiente does not counter the alloy wheels, better interior, leather steering wheel etc of the Bohemia.

 

The heating elements in my mirrors are a godsend at this time of year.

 

I'm in the process of turning mine into an Ambiente "Plus" with just that in mind. I've got the alloys. Just need the rest still. Plus I've got a better interior light than in the Bohemia (it's the little things ).

 

Back on topic, both are good choices but if you'd prefer alloys and a frankly superior interior then go for the Bohemia or other models. Just watch for the common wear issues on these seats. It has been covered in quite a few threads.

Edited 4 December, 20214 yr by AnnoyingPentium

So it turned out to be the Ambiente model. The handling and suspension when giving it a test drive was surprisingly very good, everything in order. Clutch and gearbox are great. Good pull and turbo working fine, no strange noises. Engine sounded good but has fairly gunky looking oil so will do a couple of oil changes in a short time (within a couple of thousand miles), got some 505.01 oil which is believe is the correct spec for the 1.4 tdi.

Only strange things it does is that the central locking locks the car after 15 seconds automatically, and the full beams don't work (surprised as it had a recent mot). Still though for an old car around a grand i'm pretty impressed.

the lock thing is anti theft so nothing to worry about and assuming its just bulbs easy fix mate

Ah so it's a feature 😅 will enjoy locking in my keys in the near future...

14 minutes ago, Lewbs said:

Ah so it's a feature 😅 will enjoy locking in my keys in the near future...

 

It's only if you don't open a door within the set time IIRC. My Ambiente does it too.

 

Hope you enjoy the motor. 

yep i did about 6 months ago lol after 30 seconds it locks.

If it locks itself even with the drivers' door open it's a sign of a failed/failing microswitch on the drivers' door lock unit inside the door. It's a very common fault on VAG cars of this era.

8 hours ago, Lewbs said:

Only strange things it does is that the central locking locks the car after 15 seconds automatically,

 Which can be disable with VCDS if not wanted. How many keys do you have, may be worth getting a blade cut to photo on Ebay if you are nervous of self locking. Can be kept in wallet and used to unlock if keys locked into car away from home, but will not start car as immobiliser chip would be un-coded. Also, try locking/unlocking car with key in door to ensure the lock is not seized as its too late if battery in fob fails or remote becomes un-synced (not unheard of) - immobiliser would not be affected so car would still start.

 You will find the oil turns black in a short period of time being a diesel, but no harm in doing a change. Also look at pollen filter, when really dirty they can block  airflow in heater ducting which can in turn burn out the resistor for the heater motor speed control.