Was this the Nikisil issue which affected the '96-'99 engines?

Chris

It was the earliest Nikasil - the V8 from 93 on was the first one to suffer it

I eventually got rid of the car when the quote for a new aircon compressor exceeded the car's trade-in value !

My previous car before the fabia VRS was a coupe 20VT which I owned for 4 years. The fabia is a better all round car for my driving style so I am glad I made the change. The ultimate performance of the fabia is of course considerably less than the coupe but it is much more accessable. The performance of the fabia from 2000-3000 rpm is better than the coupe and this was the rpm range where my coupe spent most of its time.

I cannot comment on the 330d though. Try both and see is my suggestion.

I have just joined on here to read up a little on the Fabia VRS.

I also used to own a Fiat Coupe 20vt (std) but sold it to get a more practical car for the future. I thought about the FVRS but never looked at or drove one (got the typical 'dont get a skoda ) Instead I got a 1.6 Astra. Now dont get me wrong, its a nice car but I really miss the usable torque from 2-3k, as above, the range I used to use in my coupe. Hense I am now looking at a diesel (Astra/Leon/FVRS) to rekindle the enjoyment of driving but with the mpg.

Someone mentioned in an earlier post about soul. I know for a fact the the Fiat Coupe had a lot of it and always used to bring a smile to my face when cleaning (once ever 2 weeks), or driving. The Astra doesnt seem to have any, I cant even be that bothered to wash it at the moment.

Does the VRS have soul? Do you feel exited when you are going to drive it & Does it bring a smile when you do?

Oh yes! It certainly brings a smile to your face! I always look forward to going for a drive. The biggest smile you get is from the surprise on other peoples faces!

Does the VRS have soul? Do you feel exited when you are going to drive it & Does it bring a smile when you do?

Everything's relative Depends what you mean by soul, but I don't think it has it - it's no Alfa V6, etc it's just a diesel shopping car with a body kit ... imho

Chris

Everything's relative Depends what you mean by soul, but I don't think it has it - it's no Alfa V6, etc it's just a diesel shopping car with a body kit ... imho

Chris

Maybe that wasnt the best way to word it. Maybe I should have used 'character'

The Fiesta Zetec-S I had before the coupe was a fantastic drive and I always loved getting into it and driving it 1 hour to my girlfriends (now wife). The Fiat coupe took that to another level, even going out of my way to get a few more minutes behind the wheel, then a sneaky glimps back as I walk away, apreciating the curves one last time. The Astra feels like its get from A to B as quick as possible without a memory of the experience. Even my wifes 206cc has character and is fun to drive.

I know the Fabia isnt going to be an italian coupe, but I am looking for that excitement of going out for a blast again but still with the practical side.

I have just joined on here to read up a little on the Fabia VRS.

I also used to own a Fiat Coupe 20vt (std) but sold it to get a more practical car for the future. I thought about the FVRS but never looked at or drove one (got the typical 'dont get a skoda ) Instead I got a 1.6 Astra. Now dont get me wrong, its a nice car but I really miss the usable torque from 2-3k, as above, the range I used to use in my coupe. Hense I am now looking at a diesel (Astra/Leon/FVRS) to rekindle the enjoyment of driving but with the mpg.

Someone mentioned in an earlier post about soul. I know for a fact the the Fiat Coupe had a lot of it and always used to bring a smile to my face when cleaning (once ever 2 weeks), or driving. The Astra doesnt seem to have any, I cant even be that bothered to wash it at the moment.

Does the VRS have soul? Do you feel exited when you are going to drive it & Does it bring a smile when you do?

Driving the coupe was an occasion. It looked good made a magnificent sound and was stupidly fast. It never let me down but in the latter years of ownership there was always that nagging doubt that something engine related and expensive was going to happen. The chances to use anything like the full performance were few and far between and running costs were getting silly.

The fabia is a car whose talents grow on you - good performance, cheap to run, good handeling/ride compromise and a feeling of solidity that any Fiat is going to struggle to match. The car exudes a feel good factor. The looks grow on you too! I suggest that you test drive one and see what you think. I would recommend trying one with at least 10k miles as they take a while to loosen up.

A couple of months ago I went on a week long camping trip and when I got back I was desperate to take my car for a spin. Not bad considering I've owned the car for nearly 2 years (my longest car ownership BTW).

Just had a test drive of the new 335D - all I can say is petrol has had its day at least on the public highway.

The 335d produces 282hp and a huge 427lbf!!! Cost in SE trim is about £33k vs 330d with 231hp & 360lbf for £28k.

Its auto only and apparently takes 6.1 to 60 and is limited to 155mph. Mpg combined is 38-40 (which is very acceptable).

You can select gears if you wish and hold them up to the red line (but not to the cut out) I selected 6th and let the car slow until it was at 900rpm and floored it - to my surprise it surged ahead I can confirm there is no turbo lag it just builds and builds.

Apparently at 1300 rpm - 4000rpm it produces 380lbf and peaks somewhere about 2000rpm. Make no mistake this is a seriously rapid car.

Best bit of all at 90mph in 6th gear (and a slightly greasy m way) the traction control light started flashing and power was cut.

This is certainly a car I want to buy - apparently many owners chip this car god know why as it is savage enough as it is.

Over the 15-20 min drive clearly at harder than normal driving it delivered over 30mpg which I am astounded with. The Sales rep confirmed that driving normally it is hardly any different from the 330d (auto)

All I need to do now is sort out finances.

Have any of you tested this yet/heard about it?

BM3W / BM5W / BM6W - Passion for M cars: We cannot proceed.

Best bit of all at 90mph in 6th gear (and a slightly greasy m way) the traction control light started flashing and power was cut.

OMG :eek:

Then get it re-mapped by DMS and you're looking at 343bhp and even more torque...:eek:

My mate has a 535d M-Sport re-mapped by them and it's a killer.

The chap in the link I posted can get 700Nm from a remap. The 535d I had never got near the claimed mpg figures mind you.

The chap in the link I posted can get 700Nm from a remap. The 535d I had never got near the claimed mpg figures mind you.

My mate's averages 35mpg with the re-map...

How you came to this dilemma is beyond me :confused:

They are clearly different cars and the Skoda has no hope in the power stakes.

Personally I would go for the Skoda purely on economy. Both Fuel and Costs for maintanence / servicing.

Good luck.

Well it started with the fact that you can buy VRs's for £7k from looking at auto trader & after haggling then there would be even more in that category.

If your looking at the price then the 330d 184hp is a price comparator.

Assuming that they both lose 50% of their current value over the next 3 years that means a pre tax & ins & fuel & servicing monthly cost of circa £100.

The 335d & 535d came about due to investigating the 330d & 530d (note 530d can be bought for £4995).

Assuming economy alone then the VRs over the 330d then yes the VRs is cheaper but add in the fact that the 330d is a far better car & you would keep it longer etc this means the relative monthly depreciation would negate the efficiency of the fuel unless of course you do vast milages annually.

Trying to achieve 330d levels of performance out of the VRs is clearly stressing the engine over its manufactured levels & clearly taking the stresses much closer to max tolerence. MPG is also lower given this state of tune.

I guess its possibly the age old arguement "If you want a fast car buy a fast car in the first place"

I'd take a 530d over a 330d any day, but it would have to be the '02 onwards (?) facelift

Chris

The 02 onwards has the 204hp engine & yes the facelift.

Opting for a W-01 Reg your in the £4.9k-£6.5k price bracket and for an 02 facelift + engine performance step (bigger engine too 2.9 to 3.0) you are looking at starting from £8k.

Note 5 series will be slower however if opting for the touring in either version the 5 series will beat it hands down on space.

Good road test of Superchipped Fabia with comparisons to the BMW 330d -

http://www.superchips.co.uk/roadtest/skodafabiars.pdf

Interesting thread! I just picked up a 2001 BMW 330D Sport with 70,000 miles yesterday. Initial impressions are that the BMW is faster from a standing start to 60, probably due to the weight being transferred to the rear under acceleration, so the rear has more grip and can get the power down (particularly in first gear). BUT, in gear acceleration doesn't FEEL as fast as a remapped Fabia (maybe it is?).

As for handling, with the same driver in both cars, the BMW would leave the Fabia trailing in its dust, thanks to the near 50/50 weight distribution.

I'm quite tall and with the driver's seat pushed back as far as it will go in both cars, there is more room in the back seats of the Fabia than in the BMW. Personally, I don't care about who's sitting in the back though!

Let's not forget that there's a beautiful note from the BMW's engine. Mmmm..

As for putting a smile on your face, if the BMW was front wheel drive, then the Fabia would win hands down every time. However, the BMW is rear wheel drive, and with the traction control turned off, it's a whole different ball game... :-)

These are two totally different breeds of car so it's not really fair to compare either of them. Personally, I love(d) the Fabia but felt like it was time for a change (incidentally, it's up for sale with 65k on the clock, complete with Revo remap and stainless steel exhaust if anyone's interested!). Take both for a test drive and make your decision from there!

That's insane. We like lots of power like that.....oh yes.

As a current BMW owner (my 3rd BMW) I feel I can add to this a little.

As far as diesels go, the ones BMW offer are pretty much the best you can get providing you get the 6 pots. The 4's are 'ok' but IMO give too linear a power curve which means you have to look at the speedo to see how quick you are going. The only thing is, the BMW diesels are renowned for turbo and injector failure, especially on the 4 pots. Some people have attributed this to prolonged oil change intervals causing oil sludge buildup in the turbo thus starving it of oil.

The injectors on the 320d are expensive and a PITA to replace as you need to remove the intake manifold to do it apparently. The independant specialist I take my car too has at least 1 320d in there a week for either a turbo fault or injector failures.

It has to be said though, the 6's are immense. They sound fantastic, giving a meaty howl when revved, they are hugely torquey and still relatively economical.

RWD with all that torque would be fun in the wet though. It's probably wise to leave the traction control on unless you really know what you're doing.

After having 3x BMW's though I'm not getting another one. Yes the engines are very nice and they're lovely to drive - involving, communicative, well balanced (if a little heavy) - it's just the running costs I can no longer deal with. I've owned Peugeots, a Ford, a Vauxhall, a Honda, a Toyota, a Citroen and 3 BMW's and the Beemers have been the most troublesome out of the lot. For a

Bump

I though one of you had recently bought a 330d as you have had the VRs now the the 330d can you give a good view please.

Interesting thread! I just picked up a 2001 BMW 330D Sport with 70,000 miles yesterday. Initial impressions are that the BMW is faster from a standing start to 60, probably due to the weight being transferred to the rear under acceleration, so the rear has more grip and can get the power down (particularly in first gear). BUT, in gear acceleration doesn't FEEL as fast as a remapped Fabia (maybe it is?).

As for handling, with the same driver in both cars, the BMW would leave the Fabia trailing in its dust, thanks to the near 50/50 weight distribution.

I'm quite tall and with the driver's seat pushed back as far as it will go in both cars, there is more room in the back seats of the Fabia than in the BMW. Personally, I don't care about who's sitting in the back though!

Let's not forget that there's a beautiful note from the BMW's engine. Mmmm..

As for putting a smile on your face, if the BMW was front wheel drive, then the Fabia would win hands down every time. However, the BMW is rear wheel drive, and with the traction control turned off, it's a whole different ball game... :-)

These are two totally different breeds of car so it's not really fair to compare either of them. Personally, I love(d) the Fabia but felt like it was time for a change (incidentally, it's up for sale with 65k on the clock, complete with Revo remap and stainless steel exhaust if anyone's interested!). Take both for a test drive and make your decision from there!

Is the above what you're looking for?

I like the look of this 330D touring: Auto Trader UK - Used Car Search - Used Cars for sale online.

Not sure if you could haggle them down to within your budget though.

That one is still for sale! :eek:

Penniesworth

Most cars approaching 100k are going to start costing - and with BMW parts and garage costs I'd crap myself every time I heard a clunk / bang, felt a thump / wobble.

Yes "diesels go forever" (provided they're well serviced) - people forget there's everything else that's wearing too - transmission, suspension, electrics.

A 100k motor (say 2 years old) or a 30k motor (5 years old) - give me the 30k motor anytime (FSH assumed for both).