A big Hi to everyone in this thriving community, especially the Fabia vRS owners.

I discovered the site when researching the model before buying one second hand, back in April. Since then I've added nearly 5k to the 26k miles it had on the clock when I bought it, including a visit to France.

:thumbup:My first impressions - what a great little car! The effortless performance and decent handling, together with comfort, practical use of space, and (important to me) low running costs. I've been averaging 54+mpg which seems reasonable for my driving mix: mostly A-road commuting, some M-way and touring.

To put this in context, I am late 50's, enthusiastic about motorsport, fast cars and engineering, though never quite 'been there'. Cars I've known in the past all fairly modest - in reverse order were: '99 Rover 420 SDi (first diesel I've owned), '02 Focus ST170, '98 Mondeo 2.0 Ghia (both company cars), '90 Rover 414SLi, '82 VW Jetta, '76 VW Golf, '72 Triumph Spitfire Mk4, '65 Ford Cortia Mk2, '60 Ford Anglia. Also tucked away for weekend use is a Ford based Spartan I built in late '80s and can't part with! Its about as different from the vRS as you can get!

:thumbdwn:What don't I like about the Fabia? Well, I don't particularly like the body shape, the functional black plastic interior or the light grey trim on the seats (a popular complaint I note). But the seats themselves are great and the iterior certainly is functional. The boot is much smaller than I'm used to, but a very practical shape and with the usual hatchback versatility it suits us well.

I haven't had the 'pleasure' of garage servicing or repairs yet. I've always maintained my cars myself but this one's beyond me, especially with so little published info, so I'm nervous about the likely cost and quality (sorry, I don't have a very high opinion of the garage industry).

:(A few niggles and questions so far - the trim on the passenger side door pull (interior) was broken thanks to someone applying the big screwdriver approach to removal - I finally found an adhesive to fix back the broken clip and that's fine apart from the screwdriver marks! The drivers seat squeaked for a while, but seems to have stopped without my intervention. The brake pedal has a tendency to 'stick' occasionally when first applied, suddenly dropping to its normal 'bite point' and giving me some brakes - maybe a fault in the ABS?

:confused:The car has a single CD player. I'm quite happy with it but I'd like to connect a remote MP3 player into it if I can find out how to get access to the rear of the unit. The User Manual says that it can be configured to play the output from a mobile phone through the speakers - so I thought I could use the same connection for the MP3 player.

I hope this intro has been interesting. I'd like to hear your views whether to agree or criticise! I'd also like to hear from you if you have any advice on the braking issue, access to the CD player and use of external inputs to it like the MP3 player.

And thanks to everyone who contributes to BRISKODA.

Happy motoring

Old_Codger

:zzz:

Yes thanks, that was very helpful...

I'm giving this little car a lot of consideration at the moment.. I may just take the plunge and get one!!!

Welcome old_codger :wavey:

The little Furby is quite a surprise to people who ride in it for the first time. altho you point out the not so good points, the good ones obviously well outweigh the bad

I would be intersted in how you compare it to the Focus 170

SCOTTFREE - go and test drive 1st, whilst it looks good on paper to you, and there are several very happy owners of the vRS on this site, you may find on driving etc that you dont like it, and you wouldnt want to spend money on a car you dont like.

Happy hunting.

Hi Steve,

Just typed a reply comparing ST170 to vRS - but not sure if I sent it:O

Will check and try again in a day or two....

Old Codger

Welcome old_codger :wavey:

The little Furby is quite a surprise to people who ride in it for the first time. altho you point out the not so good points' date=' the good ones obviously well outweigh the bad

I would be intersted in how you compare it to the Focus 170

SCOTTFREE - go and test drive 1st, whilst it looks good on paper to you, and there are several very happy owners of the vRS on this site, you may find on driving etc that you dont like it, and you wouldnt want to spend money on a car you dont like.

Happy hunting.[/quote']

Hi, and welcome

Hi Steve,

Looks like I didn't post my reply (too slow???), so...

Hard to compare petrol and diesel engines. Duratec very even power right up to 7k, but surprisingly strong from 1500, though vRS superior torque would probably see off the ST170 at low revs despite the latter's higher bhp. Prefer the sound of the Duratec!

Gearboxes comparable - both 6 speed, both excellent, ST possibly a bit slicker.

Handling better in ST at higher cornering speeds - less body roll/understeer. ST firmer ride so vRS more comfortable on rough surfaces, over speed bumps etc (I was very impressed with the vRS combination of handling and comfort when I test drove it). vRS probably has the edge on braking efficiency - when working properly.

My personal preference for body and interior is with the Focus (the 'mk 1' version), though the standard half leather seats were hopeless for support when cornering. The vRS seats are about the best I've experienced (shame about the grey cloth!).

Of course the lower cost of ownership of the vRS is a strong plus - I didn't consider shelling out for an ST from my own pocket. I did half-consider the Focus TDCi though. That might be a fairer comparison.

Old Codger