Hi all,

I currently have an 06 fabia VRS, its great for all the reasons that i am sure you all know anyway. However i became a dad last month and already i am tight for space.

I was looking at upgrading to something new and bigger but then thought it would be a better idea to perhaps get something less expensive and actually save some cash for once and pay a big chunk off my loan to at least shorten the term it will take to pay back.

The car that immediatly sprung to mind was an octavia vrs on something like an 02 plate. I have seen ones around for about 5-7k with around 50-100k miles. This would mean me getting a bigger car and ending up with a good few

I have a 53 plate vRS and also recently became a Dad...well 2 years ago (Where did the time go?). The Octy is perfect for the family as the boot swallows all the kiddy stuff and still allow Mum and Dad to enjoy a bit of performance.

In terms of fuel economy I regularly get 35mpg. I struggle to get it much below 32 so you can expect 350 on a full tank. My brother used to manage 40mpg but then he drove like an old fart. You will get lots of opinions as to what octane fuel to use. I have used 95 RON apart from the first few tankfuls and to be honest couldn't notice any real difference. Many people will tell you there is a vast difference in performance/economy but I don't believe it to be worth the extra cost. If the vRS you buy has been remapped then it is probably worth using the higher octane fuel.

Don't forget to check the baby seat fits OK because you might have to budget for a new one!:(

Same, have coped for 9 months now with jnr strapped into the recaro in the back. They are good and look great if you are looking for one. Should last me for years, as it breaks down in stages to just a booster seat.

My fuel ecomony is not as good as others, but I am on 111k and do drive a little more rapidly than I should.

Thanks for the info.

I realise i would be using more fuel than in the fabia but then petrol is slightly cheaper and as mentioned the car would be around half the price almost. This i hope would soften the blow.

I had a look at an octy the other day and the boot was huge. The perfect family car. I may well say goodbye to the fabia and get one to be honest. If i can manage 350 miles on a tank that would be great. I do 30 miles a day down the m2 from sittingbourne to dartford. Seeing as its all motorway i should get the higher mpg figures if i take it easy.

The vrs i looked at was an ex police survailance car with 99k on the clock it was 5k. I thought that was a bit much and it had no documents to document the history. am i correct in thinking i will get a pretty good one with about 50k on it for around 6-7k?

Besty, VRS-WRC is looking to do the reverse swap on the fabia boards.

Might be worth a PM.

Can certainly recommend the WRC model!

I struggle to get 32mg as well. Sadly I'm the wrong side of it though!

Though not a VRS I drive a 1.8t elegance estate and I struggle to get more than 300 miles to a tankful (despite the fuel computer promising far more on fill up!)

The best I have had on a long motorway run is 37mpg (70-80mph)

my fairly modified octavia on high milage (117K) can get 400 miles from a full tank on a long run(oxford to scotland and back at 80-90 with ocassional bursts of acceleration to play with new parts saw 350+ miles) but if driven hard all the time then sub 200 from a tank is easily done but takes some quite spirited driving and constant hard acceleration.

400 miles to a tank? HTF do you manage that bengie? On tow?

very long distance on motorways and a steady throttle

any accelerating you do you do gently rather than MOOOORRRRREEPPPPOOOOOOWWEEERRRRR in a clarkson-esque kinda way

You must have a brick under your pedal

I think the best I saw was 320 to a tank in my MKI

oh its very rare for me to get that kind of mpg and i feel dirty afterwards as i like to try and keep it below about 25mpg

I made the same swap just before easter.... (not for children though I might add!)

I used to get about mid 50's MPG on the Fabia vRS, and on the first full tank in the octavia vRS I got 33mpg...

Yes i must say i am quite tempted although a trip to the dealer today to take back the roomster i had on 48hr test drive gave me another idea. I am not so fussed on it but it may be more practical.

They are getting a 54 plate octavia ambiant 1.9 SE with 50k on it this sat. The guy said its going up for 8500 so they would take mine in part ex and give me 1k back. Does this sound an ok price. The other thing i wondered, would the 54 plate be the facelift model or the older one?

Mark, thanks for the info on the vrs, i will have a look on the boards.

In general use i get 25mpg or less no matter how hard i try to get higher

its the stop-starting cycle round town that kill consumption and hills don't help either.

On a slow m way drive 35mpg is about as much as i can get but you do have go easy as bengie says.

If your prepared to do about 50mph on a mway you'll see over 40mpg but lets face it that ain't gonna happen

I would go for the vrs but then i am very biased towards it

hth

54plate is a face lift MK1. I don't think the MK2's were out on 54?

In general use i get 25mpg or less no matter how hard i try to get higher

its the stop-starting cycle round town that kill consumption and hills don't help either.

On a slow m way drive 35mpg is about as much as i can get but you do have go easy as bengie says.

If your prepared to do about 50mph on a mway you'll see over 40mpg but lets face it that ain't gonna happen

I would go for the vrs but then i am very biased towards it

hth

Couldn't have described the economy of a vRS better :P

Couldn't have described the economy of a vRS better :P

Thanks phil

i only know this info as after a 14 months of driving 300 miles a week i still can't get the magic 300 miles from a tank of super unleaded no matter how hard i try

it's the amount of town driving i do for work

still none of this really matters as my fuel is paid for by company :D

I still get it in the ear about how much the bill is each month

Yes i must say i am quite tempted although a trip to the dealer today to take back the roomster i had on 48hr test drive gave me another idea. I am not so fussed on it but it may be more practical.

They are getting a 54 plate octavia ambiant 1.9 SE with 50k on it this sat. The guy said its going up for 8500 so they would take mine in part ex and give me 1k back. Does this sound an ok price. The other thing i wondered, would the 54 plate be the facelift model or the older one?

Mark, thanks for the info on the vrs, i will have a look on the boards.

Que shamless plug:rolleyes: :P

If you fancy a VRS estate, i'm selling mine shortly for around

54 plate on 50K miles for 8500, isnt that a bit high in both miles and price ?

I have a 53 plate Fabia on 53k miles ( Jan 04 Reg ) and I think that is quite high milage.

The 1.9 ambiente will be a diesel , so you should easily get a target of 350 miles from a tank, my previous 2 cars were both Octy ambiente, both 90 BHP and well suited for moderate rapid progress, load swallowing boot, and decent motorway comfort. - Both were sold at 3 yrs old with 58 - 61k on the clock. I see both my old cars occasionally locally, so they are still going strong, the 2nd Octy I had I know the owner put an additional 80k miles in 2 years on it ,cant say more that that.

Check it over and drive it before deciding. and good luck.

Just found out about that octy ambiente. Its a 54 plate which should be the newer model but its actually the very last run of the old shape but with the newer bits, like the pd130 and 6 speed box. Not so tempted now especially for 8.5k. The vrs would be excellent if i could justify the fuel costs. Supposedly if i take a slow cruise to work and back each day they wouldn't be too bad!

I would love to be getting 40mpg when taking it easy but from what you lot have said i think thats wishful thinking. Anyhow i would be paying a lot less for the car in the first place.

the Jury is still out on this one!

Well i did 47mpg with My octyRS Mk1 this weekend Trip was about 100 miles long and speed was around speed limits

was that on the computer as that isn't possible from a 1.8T i'd say otherwise your gonna get 600+ miles from a full tank which ain't happening.

was that on the computer as that isn't possible from a 1.8T i'd say otherwise your gonna get 600+ miles from a full tank which ain't happening.

Since when was the Octavia fitted with a 15 gallon tank (600/40 = 15):confused: The tank is what, 55litres/12 gallons? And you wouldn't want to run it dry, so say 11.5 gallons * 40 = 460 if you are brave!

How about something like a Seat Toledo or VW bora Tdi PD 130/150

Pick those up for 4k if your lucky