Hi.

My old man is looking at buying a 03 Fabia 1.4 MPI Silverline. We are a VW group family and friends so i know they are pretty good little cars.

Am just wanting to know what to look out for, On the 2003 Fabia 1.4 MPI Silverline model ?.

What is the real world MPG around town and motorway?

And is £4190, With 16,000 miles with one old lady owner with full history a good deal?. Everything is like new, Expect a scratch on the LHS front bump which i will touch up for him.

Thanks

Luke

If its the 16v give it a wide berth,

Many stories of piston ring problems (big bucks)

I tryed looking, But it doesnt say its a 8v or 16v with the 1.4 Silverlines. Am guessing an 8v?.

Luke

If it has MPi on the tailgate it'll be the 8-Valve.

Also thought the MPi only ran to 2001.

Anti-Roll Bar bushes prone to failure.

Power Steering Sensor can also fail.

Leaky door seals.

The above are a nuisance rather than a major headache.

Oh right, Am 90% sure i saw MPI (the I was in red) on the boot. But this is a 2003 car from a dealer.

Luke

SWMBO has an 02 Silverline 1.4 8V

She loves it - too slow for me but actually quite refined and nice to drive if you don't want speed

My 1.4 8v MPI does anything between 36MGP to 41MPG commuting. Based purely on if my journey is a stop/start 1st gear job or a 'normal' one.

Motorway, I tootle between home and Staffs very regularly and if I keep around 70MPH can happily return around 49MPG average. If I poddle along around 60-ish when traffic is heavy that can even reach 55MPG.

Not too shoddy for such a small petrol engined car.

I have a 2000 Fabia 1.4 Comfort MPI (8v) that's done around 46,000K and generally I'm very happy with it. However, like many cars, there are a few known problems. Main ones I've encountered:

1. Power steering sensor failure (just needs sensor replacing)
   
2. Rear door trim failing (can let in water)
   
3. Coolant leak (I just top up regularly!)
   

Have a read of:

Skoda Fabia Hatchback (00-07) Reader Reviews - What Car?

Owners' Reviews - Parker's

Skoda Fabia Reviews - Carsurvey.org

Good luck!