hi i have been looking at buying a fabia vrs and i will conside getting one in the near future. can anyone tell me what to look out for, what year to go for, best colour etc

i would also like to get it remapped and maybe a few other mods

any advise would be great

cheers matthew

I think you should buy an se and make a real man of yourself.

I would personally get an uprated clutch before you even considered a remap...

Ticking bomb

Yeah dont bother with a remap unless you can budget for a clutch

a tuning box is a good short term solution, thats what im using until I can afford a remap and clutch

Get whichever colour you like best

Hi Matthew.

Colour wise if you're not considering a blue SE, then I think the black or silver ones hold a bit more of their value over the red an yellow ones. I personally prefer black cars...

Things to look out for if you're buying a standard car:

Check the oil. The PD engines use a bit so its important that the previous owner has kept it topped up in between services.

Check that the timing belt has been done at 60K or at 4 years whichever came first - also its preferable that the water pump got changed at the same time too. My 60K (ish!) service plus timing belt & pump just cost me £425 quid. Brake fluid is supposed to be changed every 2 years - was an extra £35 on top of my £180 40K service if I remember.

Check the inside edge of the front tyres - if they're worn its a sign that the console bushes are knackered. Actually the standard ones aren't upto the job from new - put changing them to Seat Ibiza Cupra ones on your mods list. (it's something I didn't pick up on when I bought mine and got thru 2 pairs of tyres while trying to get Skoda UK to sort it out! - they didn't and I ended up doing it myself!)

In fact, check the rears too cos that'll be a sign that someone has put their good rears on the front!

There are various posts on knocking noises that you might like to search for too!

Check the rear carpets for water... sign the rear doors leak... not too much of a pain to fix yourself but if its within warranty you should count on taking it in.

Make sure the alloys are in decent nick. They are worth a fair bit of money if you're thinking about changing them.

They're should be two keys and a id tag with the car. Check both fobs... and you should be able to open the boot only with the middle fob button. A comprehensive collection of manuals in a Skoda wallet should accompany the car too.

There should be a strap inside the boot lid for pulling it closed! There should also be a toolkit within the full size spare steel wheel under the boot mat. Take the spare out and have a look at it. I looked at a clio for the g/f where the spare was totalled and funnily enough the car pulled to the left! On the subject of wheels - make sure the alloy wheel nut adaptor is present.

Try and get one with Cruise Control - I wish I had...

Lastly, I think, if not going for leather check the white interior is clean. If you've got a kid, go for the leather! If you've got two kids or they're getting older get a bigger car.

They've only been about since 53 plate (?) - the obvious difference between the first and later cars is the shape of the rear lights so not a lot in it - and they can be swapped I think.

Sorry for the ramble - just a few things from my part sweet, part bitter experience with my car.

It has to be said though that driving it will probably outweigh the negative bits!

Cheers.

can anyone tell me what to look out for, what year to go for, best colour etc

Hi Matthew,

Colour is a matter of personal preference and budget, but note:

- Silver is metallic, Black is pearlescent, red and yellow are 'flat' colours.

- Blue only available on SE models, so 2007 cars and they do attract a significant premium.

Manufacturer's warranty is 3 years, so buying a car younger than that will give you more confidence. Make sure cars have been serviced correctly - and if not by the Skoda dealer make sure that the 'right' type of oil has been used.

If buying a modified car, ask if any of the mods have warranties attached. If you want to make your own mark, buy standard and add your own mods. That said, mods don't necessarily improve a car's value, so buying a modded car could work out cheaper in the long run.

If you are thinking remap, as others have mentioned, you need to budget for relevant chassis/clutch upgrades so that the car can cope with more power than it was originally designed to take.

What year? Probably as late and low mileage as you can afford I guess.

Have a search around the forum for potential problems.. but one thing to remember is that people tend only to post when they have issues, so there will always be more 'problem' posts than good ones - eg. people rarely post a message saying "...just wanted to say that I had no problems with my vRS at all last month, it all worked well..."

This time of year is generally 'slower' for car sales, so might be a good time to find a bargain.

Remember that lots of things can be retro-fitted - including leather interior and cruise-control, so you can tailor your new car to suit.

I have been delighted with my (Black) Fabia vRS, it is a fantastic little car.

Best of luck in your search,

Stu

for colour mate i wold say get a red one they are quite rare and to be honest look amazing when cleaned and shiny but then i am biased lol good luck with the hunt mate some good pointers above

there were two engine types,the asz,which is the early engine,no stutter,and the later blt engine with the stutter,oddly tho the blt seems to produce more power on the rollers.

there were two engine types,the asz,which is the early engine,no stutter,and the later blt engine with the stutter,oddly tho the blt seems to produce more power on the rollers.

... and doesn't stutter if you swap the gasket over.

thanks alot for all replys.

alot of useful comments

matthew