Hi guys,

My name is Rick, I'm 20, And I work as an airbrush artist and computer systems builder

This week I plan on buying a felicia fun pickup!!!

I have been browsing the forum all day and it looks like a fountain of knowledge, but i ahve some new questions about the pickup i am about to buy.

I have driven past this car every day on my way to work and today noticed the for sale notice, they seem to be very rare and i would love the opportunity to own one.

1. how do these things go on fuel? at the moment i get around 250 miles out of a tank in my current ford fiesta, which sets me back around £30 ( 97RON)

2. how easy is it to come across parts for these things? there are a few bits broken like the rear light etc

3. is the leather inside real leather? or Vinyl?

4. what should i expect to pay for a pickup? I am goign to have a second look at it tomorrow so i will get miles etc.

5. is it possible to get covers for the pick up bed?

6. what are the main things to look out for before i buy it, things that you may say ''if it has x y and z wrong with it, walk away! )

7. the guy who is selling it is a mechanic, and he has told me the truck is essentialy a 1.6 VW golf... i don't believe him! is there ANY truth in this? ( from what i have read on this forum it doesnt sound true )

8. Does the felicia fun have power steering as standard?

The car in particular that i am looking at is a 1.6l model, but the interiorr is absolutly minging, i dont think i have ever seen such an un clean car in my life! the once yellow 'leather' is almost black! THe car used to belong to a landscape gardener, who used to leave the searts down, and the car is just scruffy inside!

He is asking for £1200, but i think this might be a bit steep considering its condition.

Sorry for the 'first post, so many questions' but i dont think i could find a better community to ask! really toppa place! if i go ahead with the purchase i will keep my progress here!

thanks in advance,

Rick

Hello Rick

Welcome to Briskoda:) I have to be honest i cannot help you with your many questions,but be patient the clever ones will answer;)

4. On the price, when considering I think one good idea is to look on Ebay to see what they have sold for in the past (and consider why the one's that didn't sell might not have) and what condition they were in.

For example, this one sold for less and came with the truckman top and appears better condition than the one you describe. SKODA FELICIA FUN PICKUP on eBay, also, Skoda, Car Parts, Cars, Parts Vehicles (end time 20-Feb-08 12:22:54 GMT) Buyer could have been lucky though as another sold for nearer £2k with a broken truckman top. 1999 SKODA FELICIA FUN YELLOW on eBay, also, Skoda, Cars, Cars, Parts Vehicles (end time 22-Feb-08 14:28:22 GMT)

7. AFAIK main VW bits are engine, interior dash switches and steering wheel. AFAIK the chassis is not based on a VW, but either way don't worry about it, just don't get caught in the trap of thinking you're getting a VW in disguise and that VW is better than Skoda or justifies spending more on it. Skodas are usually good cars, VW based or not No matter what the old jokes said

Hi Rick , here are a few answers fur you

1 i get between 35 and 45mpg out of mine depending how i drive/ town/ moterway etc

2 lights are readily available via dealers or ebay

3 the trim is real dead cow

4 expect to pay between £1000 and £3000 depending on condition and age S-Y reg

5 tonneau covers are available via a bloke called Leon Moss who used to run the Fun Club (pm me for details

6 the main thing to look for is rust around the rear suspension strut tops, general condition of all the plastic trim (bumpers are especially expensive), usual stuff when buying a car

7 it is not based on a golf, the design is pure skoda, it used the polo derived 1.6 aee engine with a few parts out of the vw parts bin, ie steering wheel, electrical items

8 yes power steering was standard

hope this helps

steve

On (3), if the leather needs cleaning, try browsing through the back of a practical classics type mag, looking for leather cleaners.

The Yellow Leather loses it's colour after a while... I've noticed. I believe it is VW based as there is a VW Caddy pickup which the Felicia Pickup is based on.

Hope I'm right!

...I believe it is VW based as there is a VW Caddy pickup which the Felicia Pickup is based on.

Hope I'm right!

I've understood that it's exactly the opposite? VAG just put the VW badge on it and called it "Caddy" since customers back then were prejudiced against Skoda?

Rigsby's exhaustive list answers most of the questions. But I guess that the Fun can also suffer from such Felly classics as leaking windscreen and rusty spring cups on front dampers. And the thermostat, of course - almost forgot that one

Knock the price down a bit and go for it!

I've understood that it's exactly the opposite? VAG just put the VW badge on it and called it "Caddy" since customers back then were prejudiced against Skoda?

Rigsby's exhaustive list answers most of the questions. But I guess that the Fun can also suffer from such Felly classics as leaking windscreen and rusty spring cups on front dampers. And the thermostat, of course - almost forgot that one

Knock the price down a bit and go for it!

Your not wrong swedish , the caddy is indeed a rebadged felly pickup, this was done as production of the mk1 caddy had stopped and customers were wanting a small pickup. The blokes at dub also rebadged the seat inca as a caddy van. They also bunged another grand ontop of the prices

1. how do these things go on fuel? at the moment i get around 250 miles out of a tank in my current ford fiesta, which sets me back around £30 ( 97RON)

I do about 600km on 42 liters of 95 Ron in my FUN 1,6

2. how easy is it to come across parts for these things? there are a few bits broken like the rear light etc

Rear lights can be hard to get, because of the low number of cars sold.

3. is the leather inside real leather? or Vinyl?

Its real leather, coloured yellow. normal leather cleaning fluid is fine to clean it.

Or soap in small pieces dissolved in water, and then remember to use a leather grease after.

4. what should i expect to pay for a pickup? I am goign to have a second look at it tomorrow so i will get miles etc.

I gave 10.000 Pounds, here in denmark, but the car was like new, and the prices are super high here in denmark, because of the 280% tax.

5. is it possible to get covers for the pick up bed?

Yes it is, a place in the UK makes them, i a matchin yellow, for 300 pounds, both for the rear seats and for the bed.

6. what are the main things to look out for before i buy it, things that you may say ''if it has x y and z wrong with it, walk away! )

Nope

7. the guy who is selling it is a mechanic, and he has told me the truck is essentialy a 1.6 VW golf... i don't believe him! is there ANY truth in this? ( from what i have read on this forum it doesnt sound true )

The motor is a VW Polo engine AEE motorcode.

the car dont share parts with any vw at all.

8. Does the felicia fun have power steering as standard?

Yes, it does.

Just to give you a few ideas, here are some pics of the Fun that Lummox rebuilt a couple of years ago....

Felicia Fun @ Fotopic.Net

The only think I have been told to watch out for on Felicia Funs is the rear suspension areas rusting.There's a chap called Oz in the Skoda owners Club who runs a Fun (& an Octy vRS- lucky sod!), and is compiling a register of Fun's in the UK.I think he now does the Skoda Owners Club website so you can probably contact him through that.He knows anything and everything to do with Funs!

Just to give you a few ideas, here are some pics of the Fun that Lummox rebuilt a couple of years ago....

Felicia Fun @ Fotopic.Net

A beautiful example with what looks like a great sound system, i like the tweeters in the A-posts

Hi guys,

First off, thanks a lot for the info!

Okay, so i have gone to look at the car again taking into consideration what you guys have said.

there is a tiny few blisters developing around the rear suspension posts as you said, but it doesnt look too major. ( i may be wrong though)

THe guy who is selling it is being SO stubbourn, he just will not move ont he price, and i really don't think it is worth the £1200 he is asking for. he just does not seem to be bothered about selling it what so ever, he isnt even tryign to sell it to me lol

I have since found out from doing a full vehicle check, that it was once a cat D write off, meaning that it was just cosmetic damage that was un ecconomical to repair.

Okay on to the engine,

When i started it, it started but was very quiet, it ticked over a few times then seemed to almost die, before it kinda kicked into life. but it was in no real hurry to start. is this normal ? the engine just sounded too quiet to me ?

When revving it there seemed to be a slight vibration around the 3,000 rev range, might have just been because it was cold though. is this normal too ?

Under the bonnet all looks okay, slight bit of condensation evidence ont he oil cap, nothign too bad io dont think.

I am kicking my self for not taking a picture, but there also seems to be some oil coming out of the rocker cover gasket. I know this is not a major problem. Is it cheap to fix?

Lastly, it has done 108,000 miles. How does that sound? It sends shivvers down my spine to be honest, but again every one i have spoke to has said it is nothing for one of these beasts.

Thanks again guys, and sorry for the extra questions!

Lastly, it has done 108,000 miles. How does that sound? It sends shivvers down my spine to be honest, but again every one i have spoke to has said it is nothing for one of these beasts.

Mileage just made me think of the cam belt. That should have been changed at some point - although I do not know if the 1.6 AEE is a non-interference engine or not.

he just will not move on the price, and i really don't think it is worth the £1200 he is asking for.

Walk away and wait for a better one to come along

Hi Guys!

I bought the car today, i took a mechanic friend with me and we took a lonnng time looking at everythign and i ended up buying it for £1100!

oh boy, these things are ******** brilliant! I'm so happy with it right now:)

Spent the day cleaning it, and will do the same tomorrow. just took it out for its first drive and I'm loving it!

what a car.

Now, heres the catch

i opened the coolant tank, and inside there is a little bit of dirt around the rim, and a hint of a slight film inside the tank. could this be oil? it looks like it, but doesnt feel like it.

in other words, could this be the head gasket?

I know it is STUPID of me to notice this now by the way. I know i should have checked.

Please tell me this is normal

If it is the CHG, how much are we looking at to replace it?

thanks guys,

I hope i am now welcomed to the community as an owner of one of these fab trucks!!!

Rick

Sounds like the head gasket is going, keep an eye on it while you get some prices, but get the cam belt done at the same time

Surely your 'mechanic' friend can change a head gasket :confused:

Surely your 'mechanic' friend can change a head gasket :confused:

Yea, It is my bosses dad... he was just in the area at the time though,

Our family knows plenty of garages, and there are plenty of people in my street who could do it... Being involved in custom painting... i know a lot of other folk who know their way around an engine. SO really i can take my pick... altough i would like to do it my self as I want to learn more about these engines, so i would love to do it my self really. ( with help )

oh, i forgot to say... the Felly has been driven about 30 miles since the previous owner had it, it has been movesd from the garage to the street in the morning, then back again later on... every day. I would imagine this would cause masses of condensation, which could be the answer.

there is no Mayo on the dipstick, but there is mayo in the oil filler cap ( which when we first looked at it, just appeared to be caused by condensattion )

Do you think i am safe to clean the mayo off the cap, run it for a week and see if it comes back ? if it does, is it wise to try steel seal ( which i have read about on this forum) before trying to replace the head gasket?

I'll keep a close eye on the coolant level, and an eye on the mayo... I just dont know how long it is safe to leave an engine with a possible leaking gasket before it causes damage, such as blowing and warping the head.

Do you think i am safe to clean the mayo off the cap, run it for a week and see if it comes back ? if it does, is it wise to try steel seal ( which i have read about on this forum) before trying to replace the head gasket?

clean mayo from oil cap. Could also do an oil and filter change which would get rid of oil with water in, but with a long run the heat should make it all condense. Keep a firm eye on all fluid levels, preferably every day at the moment - and it's probably best to carry a bottle of oil and a bottle of coolant and deionised water.

If anything funny is going on then the next step is to get the cylinders compression tested which can give an indication as to whether the gasket is blown between adjacent cylinders.

I wouldn't bother with steal seal myself - although as you say some people seem to have good luck with it.

The bed cover..

Cool

Of all my cars I miss that one the most.