Hey all , there was a good write up of the Mk1 Fabia as a used car buy in todays Sunday Sun newspaper , it gets 9 out of 10 as a used car buy.

Some highlights..

" Skoda's excellent not-so-little Fabia was a winner straight out of the box and the original model is still up there with the best even though there is a new model in the showrooms"

" It's better than other later designs such as the Ford Fiesta , which is let down by poor engines , and the Vauxhall Corsa , which does not ride as well"

The article then goes on to list models and engine choices , and then bizzarely tells you to avoid the 1 litre (along with the SDi -'very slow') which I didnt think was ever imported into the UK.

In conclusion the article states..

" The ride is great , the handling hugely safe , the equipment is good in them all....including excellent seat and steering column adjustment"

In the 'vital stats' box at the bottom of the page (based around the 1.4 16V -from

build quality is right up there with the best of them"

I'll leave it to others to dissagree violently with that last comment....

I don't disagree with that last comment, it's just unfortunate that build quality seems to be **** on even "the best of them" these days...

Rob.

Overall It think the build quality is pretty good. Fit and finish are nice and tight, it's just the quality of some components that lets them down and a few design flaws. Water leaks are a design flaw and failing drop links are failed components for example.

The SWMBO's Peugeot on the other hand.....the 'build quality' is down right horrendous. Rattles left right and centre, a nightmare to work on as bits just snap off and it never feels 'tight'. Then again, it's never leaked or anything like that. They've designed the suspension well too, it's just not very well finished.

I think the French kept knocking off for lunch whilst it was being assembled.

Overall It think the build quality is pretty good. Fit and finish are nice and tight, it's just the quality of some components that lets them down and a few design flaws. Water leaks are a design flaw and failing drop links are failed components for example.

The SWMBO's Peugeot on the other hand.....the 'build quality' is down right horrendous. Rattles left right and centre, a nightmare to work on as bits just snap off and it never feels 'tight'. Then again, it's never leaked or anything like that. They've designed the suspension well too, it's just not very well finished.

I think the French kept knocking off for lunch whilst it was being assembled.

My Peugeot was shocking rattled like mad and always bits falling off it was never out of the garage and costs me a fortune every month it was another problem.

Thought I couldn't go wrong with a Skoda as they are meant to be a reliable car but how wrong could I be.

It's nearly as bad as the Peugeot and that takes some beating.

I think the French kept knocking off for lunch whilst it was being assembled.

Having seen the Xsara Picasso ads, I don't think it's the workers who are to blame!

I'm also intrigued by the "hugely safe handling" comment!

Chris

I think the problem comes from the fact that VAG cars are no longer very reliable to begin with. Then they take the cost saving exercises a step further with Skodas to bring the prices down and hey presto, we have the Fabia.

Shame really as otherwise they give the impression of being well built. The panel gaps are small, the doors shut with a reassuring whump and the interior feels quite solid. Then you get a flooded interior, freaky heater controls, clunking supsension, yadda yadda and it ruins the whole thing.

Having seen the Xsara Picasso ads, I don't think it's the workers who are to blame!

I'm also intrigued by the "hugely safe handling" comment!

Chris

Good point!

Them pesky French robots....

Not to worry, I shall be buying into the blue oval next. A Mondeo ST TDCi in a couple of years when I pass the furby onto the SWMBO. We'll see what that's like.

I had one of the early Fabia PD100s in November 2000, and the built quality was superb - nothing broke, nothing rattled and it was well sealed.

By July 2004, Skoda didn't have anything to prove any more and when I got my Fabia vRS, the fit of components was sloppy, the paint finish was worse and it was the things that were changed to turn the chassis (wheels, brakes, ARB etc) into a vRS which were all the cause of the problems.

The first Fabias are now 8 years old, and are holding up well for their age, which is what the article is saying. I suspect later examples won't fare as well.

But even the new ones are better than most of the competition.

Before we settled on SWMBO's Fabia, we tried a Fiesta, a Punto, a Corsa and a 306. They were all a similar age, however the Fabia was the only one without serious rust on the bodywork (arches for Fiesta and 306, roof for the Punto, and sills(!) for the Corsa) In addition, the Fiesta had bits missing, the 306 had a blown head gasket (it was alright when I drove it out to clean it yesterday, says the salesman!?!?!?), the clutch was shot in the Punto, and the Corsa'a interior felt like it was designed by Fisher Price (and built of the same hard plastic!)

The Fabia seemed much better assembled and whilst it wasn't fault-free, everything that's cropped up so far has been fixable by me, rather than resorting to a garage. SWMBO loves it needless to say, and whilst I reckon I'd be faster than it on a skateboard (1.4MPi), the protective side of me is happy for her to drive it, as I reckon it's a great deal more solid than the others we looked at...

Whether the Mk1 Fabia matches up 07-model superminis is a different matter, but when compared to the second-hand competition, she and I have no complaints!

The 1.0 was available on first release for a short time, but don't think many were sold. I don't think the SDI deserves avoiding - its still a brilliant engine, its just not the last word in performance!

The Fabia does feel like a well planted car, feeling much bigger than it is. I agree with the write up, and think its an excellent used buy

Got the 1.9SDi myself - OK acceleration isn't brilliant from about 50 upwards. but, it can still upset the boy racers from the light's and merc, BMW and Audi drivers all trying to get passed and you just keep applying a little more pressure with the right foot they soon realise that the car does move!!:rofl: (even get some of them to move out of my way on the way home from work:thumbup:)

with a lead foot you can average about 55-60mpg. take it easy and that can go up to about 65mpg.:eek: