I'm very interested to buy 2016 Fabia with only 14,000 miles on the clock. It has done on average about 2000 miles a year. For the miles it has done it seems a great deal. I would be buying it from a Skoda approved dealer so it would come with a warranty though I'm not exactly sure what it covers.

 

My worry is that this car must have spent a lot of it's life being not driven around and wondering how it affected the various rubber or plastic components or rusting etc. I'm buying my first car so I really don't know much about this. My other thought is... If Skoda covers it for a year and I plan to use it a lot would 1 year of serious driving root out all the issues?

 

Appreciate your help!

Hi, welcome, first car only  6 years old well done to you.

 

You are quite right about low mileage not being good in many respects.  What you need to look at is what work it's had done in that time and that the work has been done on time.  Servicing often is just an engine oil & filter change and "free visual check", the engine as you probably know not one of the priority component or system on a car.

 

If you're buying from a Skoda Approved Dealer I'd expect them to at least have completed the service schedule (by time rather than mileage) but that doesn't cover all that might be needed - generally they do as little as possible not more on a car they're selling. 

 

2,000 miles a year also depends on was it one journey a year or 2,000, short journeys are good for the engine, proportionately more wear on other components too and not good for battery charge.

 

If you've not already done so you need to test drive a few other similar 2016 Fabias to see how well they should drive or how well the one one want to buy drives in comparison.   Check the operation of the brakes and ask how worn they are and check the as much as you can and know how - low mileage cars can be driven by people who are not good drivers and easy on the car's mechanics.

 

12 months good use should turn up many niggles or issues but how many you can get covered under the warranty is a very different matter.

 

First two things that come to my mind are tyres and battery.  Regardless of the thread on the tyres they're 6 years old and might not have had regular or far enough use to keep them in good condition - but the dealerships didn't use to change them if they had 3mm or more tread on them.  I would still measure them in case of uneven wear and have a good look at the wheels at the same time for knocks and grazes.  You might not get anywhere with the tyres but it can be mentioned as an accumulator to other things you might find.

 

If the car battery hasn't already been changed then see if you can get that included, see later for how important the battery is, particularly on a VW.

 

One of the best things you can do is get a copy of the Driver's Handbook (Owner's Manual) and read it before buying the car and then you'll know what's on the car and it can do and what's not and you'll probably know more than the salesman, and if you refer to it you'll know more than many long term owners.  PDF copies here. - https://manual.skoda-auto.com/004/en-com/Models

 

You can also check for any Recalls here. - https://www.skoda-auto.com/services/recall-actions

 

And Updates here. - https://updateportal.skoda-auto.com/

 

 

 

Good luck.

 

 

 

3 hours ago, MrZ said:

It has done on average about 2000 miles a year.

Don't pay a low mileage premium price, and make sure it's been serviced on age, not mileage.

3 hours ago, MrZ said:

how it affected the various rubber or plastic components or rusting etc.

Forgot to cover this.  The condition of the car should tell you a bit but it will depend on how much the seller knows (or wants to tell you).  Was it kept in garage or outside, but then a poor quality garage can be worse for rust.  If it was kept outside always parked in exactly the same position their might be more rust one side or area than others, perhaps even fading of paint or internal fabrics but hopefully not or not too much at this age of car.

 

If it's outside it might have been always kept fully locked with the windows up so days like today the internal temperatures would be high but these cars are test to take such but it'll certainly get more sever and extreme heat/cold, wind/rain/sleet/ice/snow cycles parked outside than in a heated and dehumidified garage.

 

Personally I'd want it fully serviced by time interval on all items before I bought it so that I could as soon as possible use it the way I wanted.

 

If you've not already done so you can research the common problems with the model generally but also specifically to what is fitted to yours, the engine, gearbox, toys inside, put the details here and others will know.

 

Even though I've known for decades that "German engineering quality" isn't all it's cracked up to be (Merc, BMW, VW (Skoda)) and allowing for the price difference to generally more robust and reliable marques like Toyota and Honda I was surprised that my wife's car needed the front dampers and brakes replacing at 41k-miles, 6 years - but we don't know the history of use for the car's first 10k-miles.

 

I've changed the gearbox oil and coolant but you'll never get the dealership to and many owners say it's not necessary.  Which brings me on to the often debated cambelt change, if relevant to your model, it's in the schedule for 5 years so you want it by the Dealership if the car's supposed to be fully serviced, plus anything else relevant in the service schedule (these won't/might not(?) include driver's maintenance items that some bother with and others don't.

 

Vehicle/driving priorities are brakes, steering, suspension (all three include tyres), safety electrics (lights, horn, wipers, blower, etc.), and glass in windows and mirrors., then you can look at comfort and toys.

 

They will sell the car a a low-mileage premium, whether to you or someone else, so if you buy the car you want full valve for this (justifiable or not)  premium in that the car is premium by being as fully sorted as you can have it.  You already better understand the real value of a low mileage car than many.

 

To the salesperson a closed sale is worth negotiating with you and whoever is in charge their side as they will try to get more out of you from add-ons especially financials.

Thanks for your replies. All very useful information. My main interest is how much components like plastics and rubbers degrade if the vehicle is not used much. If for example it was used in summer mostly and then sat unused for 6 months. I want to just make sure that I'm not going to buy a car where all the rubbers/plastics deteriorated from not being used and all kinds of issues will develop. 

@MrZ welcome. What are you buying a TSI or a MPI, a manual or a DSG?    What servicing had been done, was it annual and extras like the brake fluid changed?   There are cars about 20 years old that might do low annual mileages and in good condition, poor or terrible condition.  But where they might be early or later in life matters.  South or north of the UK. Anyplace in between.  Near the coast and sea air. Parked all the time in the sun and all weathers.  Winter salted roads etc.   Each car and each owners treatment can be different.  It is not guaranteed a be cherished 1 owner car has been better maintained than a many former keepers.  Maybe the most recent owner has cared most for a car.      Wiper blades might well have been changed or are needing. Front and rear.  Tyres need looked at even though the car is low miles.  It would be nice if there is not an odd tyre fitted recently and not matching the others or at least a pair.  A Skoda approved used car does not mean that it has been serviced recently and a service would not be due in the next couple of months. ? Is it being sold with a new MOT,?  Look at the last one and previous and any advisories at MOTs.   

Edited 13 July, 20223 yr by roottoot

My younger daughter and her husband who live on the edge of London, have just passed their driving test and so looking for a car, they have come across what could be a "new normal" situation for desperate used car sales people, trying to sell "good quality" cars bought 3 months ago when the market was slow in terms of very few new cars getting sold to provide stocks of reasonably priced used cars, and now the market is starting to flow again, so expected profits are reducing, such is life for people in the used car trade.

 

Today for them will be crunch day I'd think, I just hope that they have not forced their sales person to turn round and walk away from selling that car for what they are willing to pay.

MrZ generally plastics and rubbers stand up pretty well, are you worried about internal plastics and rubbers of the engine bay, cabin, boot, exterior?

 

I know some neighbours with 17-20+ year old cars that get little more than an annual service and occasional clean that sit outside 365/6 days a year and they remain fine.   One is used a bit and shows sighs of it's age but nothing bad still very functional.  The other is 17 years old just reached 27k-miles, all very original, I've cleaned/polished it a few times over the last 3-4 years and gave it a thorough clean/ polish inside and out (engine bay, boot, interior, under wheel arches) for an MoT resubmit and the car looked good, other than tyres and windscreen wipers all AFAIK original plastics and rubber.

 

The headlining had sagged but that was cut and glued back up using an added centre strip

 

Now those are plastics and rubbers are from 17-20+ years ago not 6 years so not necessarily the same but I do next to nothing on my wife's car, it too sits outside 365/6 days a year and the plastics and rubbers all seem to be fine but the car is used every day with very few exceptions.

 

The plastics and rubbers that should concern you are tyres, brake/fuel(?) lines, wipers, lights -- which reminds me the front (head) light units do seem to craze/scratch up a bit some I've bought so stuff to try to stop them getting much worse too quickly, but in 6 years I've not really looked after the car like I would have in the past, or should have now as I get ****ed-off with doing my own car.

 

As has been put you need to find the (proven) history as much as you can of the car and also evaluate the condition it's in now.

 

You can look up mileage from previous Mots and the garage will be able to give you recorded work done on the car.

 

If you're at a new car showroom, and/or there are various ages of Fabia around you can compare the condition of the rubbers and plastics on those cars to the one you are looking to buy.

 

What are your particular concerns about the rubbers and plastics?

 

Edited 13 July, 20223 yr by nta16
spelling

I like to look at the windscreen.  Any small chips or maybe lots of tiny specs.   My cars get blasted with sand from a quarry so not a screen horrible from road miles, just were parked.   A dealership might have the paint nicely refinished and looking showroom fresh but the car can have a screen that needs replaced if it annoys you in bright sunlight. 

@roottoot 1.2 TSI 90 SE L 2015. MOT picture is attached. It had service history every year except 2021 because of Covid. Car is near London but I don't know where the owner lived. We don't know where the owner kept the car. The condition of the car visually is very nice.

 

@nta16 I'm particularly interested in mechanical parts not interior. I'm not concerned with brake fluids, tyres because those things I can easily check if they were serviced or tyres changed. This article kinda outlines what I'm talking about and the issues I'm worried about: https://www.motorbiscuit.com/why-an-ultra-low-mileage-car-could-be-a-maintenance-nightmare/

 

A 14,000 mile 2015 Fabia is quite unusual.. The average is about 50,000. I cannot talk to the owner and find out how he drove it or kept it. But I want to decide if it's reasonably safe to good to go for such a car if it was properly serviced every year. It could well be that this car had periods of 9 months or more where it was not driven or it could be the owner did a small trip every day. i don't know but I have to make a choice. So let's assume the worst.. Let's assume this car was sitting every year out on the road in the sun for 9 months unused but was properly serviced each year. And it's sold at great value - would you buy it or walk away?

 

Thanks

Could you put up the registration number so that I can look at the MOT,s on the DVLA site?  I would not pay more than a car is worth when the country is full of ones not selling   I would not worry because of that article with a 2015 euro 6 emission car in the UK.    The average is always made up of highs and lows and for decades was supposedly 12,000 miles.    Low mileage cars are not unusual.  There are many thousands leased for 3 years by Motability with plenty doing a few thousand miles a year if even that.  Then people leasing cars privately that are going to do very few miles. 

Edited 13 July, 20223 yr by roottoot

45 minutes ago, MrZ said:

if it was properly serviced every year.

 Have you seen the service history.

 

If it was done by Skoda, any Skoda dealer car print out the history from ERWIN. 

 

Thanks, AG Falco

Edited 13 July, 20223 yr by AGFalco
Forgot Sign.

Short answer - yes I would buy it, but it's not my first car and I'm used to putting a bit more effort into a car than the average owner - I've already made repeated mistakes with cars.  I'd expect the car to be fully serviced as a 6 year-old car rather than as a car at 14,000 miles.

 

Long answer - whilst the general principals are the same the USA the UK is very different.  Personally I'd sooner see 35k-miles for low mileage but then it depends so much on the frequency and type of mileage.

 

No one here can give a definitive answer, only generalisations, we know less about the actual car than you.  Potentially if all the servicing and maintenance was done well and in a timely fashion it could be a very good car (subject to condition).

 

The main thing is to get the car moving and you'll find any niggles and hopefully drive through them and sort and improve them.

 

If the seals are dry they'll get lubricated by good quality oil with use of the vehicle otherwise you'll see leaks.

 

If the car isn't used to being driven much then you drive it progressively for it to get it used to it building up.

 

Never take anything recorded without checking it, if it has the brake fluid was changed check it with your eyes and a refractor if necessary, look at the date stamp on the tyres, the tread wear, depth and condition including inner and outer walls - don't believe something just because it's on a computer, anyone can type anything into records (you'll learn).

 

The advice is, it could be a very good deal but don't overpay - but it doesn't mean  it's all sweetness and light and a bit more effort might not be required,

 

I have a piece of string in my hand - what colour is it?

 

Edited 13 July, 20223 yr by nta16

Thanks for all your replies. Car was sold so I guess someone thought it was definitely a good deal  Overall I feel I shouldn't be worried too much about low mileage and focus on servicing of the car. Cheers!

1 hour ago, MrZ said:

Overall I feel I shouldn't be worried too much about low mileage and focus on servicing of the car. Cheers!

Full and proper servicing (rather than the very minimum 'stamp in the book' type) and condition of the car.  Even allowing for the lack of use during Covid restrictions I'm not sure you'll see too many more with just 2k-miles per year on them as those tope of owners tend to change to a new car at 1-3 years or keep them a very long time.

 

Have look for high mileage Toyotas and Hondas and if you can wait into August and September there might be even more cars around at better prices.