Hey guys,

I'm looking to get a Fabia VRS inspected and I'm just off the phone with the RAC and they're asking £220 for an 'Essentials Plus' inspection. Is it worth it? Apparently with the regular 'Essentials' they don't check for crash damage etc. so I'm thinking I might need to shell out on the more pricey option. The AA don't cover Northern Ireland for this sort of thing so the RAC are my only option. The car is a 2006 and still under warranty, so am I bonkers paying that sort of cash for an inspection?

Any help would be greatly appreciated and might stop my head from imploding.

Cheers,

Vista

Do you have no mechanic friends or aqquaintences that can have a look about the car for you?

i went for one on an old car i brought a few years ago was a 2.2 astra coupe bertone ltd ed (long story) think it was with the AA!

went for the top spec one and reason behind it was there was redress with the one I had so that in the future should something crop up that was not spotted you could claim for it so was additional peace of mind. does not hurt to be mindful at all.

Last year i paid the AA £195 to comprehensively inspect my 05 VRS...i didn't want to travel 230 miles to find a dud! When spending a lot of money on a private sale i think it offers peace of mind

I recently bought my VRS and looked into this, but decided it wasn't worth it. The first option is pretty much useless - so long as you have a good look around the car and take it for a test drive I doubt you'd miss anything that RAC would pick up. The 'Plus' option is much more comprehensive, but I'm pretty technically minded and didn't see the point as I'd be able to check 90% of their list myself.

Providing that you (or a friend) know the difference between a spark plug and a glow plug I'd just have a poke around. Have a look at the list of things RAC check for and do it yourself. Don't be afraid of getting right under it and also have a good look at the service history.

As it's a 2006 model and as it's under warranty I personally wouldn't bother

Does the inspection offer any kind of guarantees, if so - how long for?

I'm guessing as its a 2006 car that it's a good few grand and as such, unless you are confident to look yourself/have a friend that is, it could be good peace of mind. That said, if it has FSH and is under warranty and HPI clear.. I'd probably be inclined not to bother...

I might get off the fence at some point.

Thanks everyone for the advice. The RAC took an age to get back to me today and in the end they can't get out to the car until Wednesday. The seller is at a course from Wednesday on and had specified that this weekend - tuesday was the best he could do to make himself available. There seems to be no real guarantee or anything, but just wanted piece of mind. Also thought it'd help when it came time to shift it.

I don't really have any friends who'd have more knowledge than myself really as I've done all the research and given it a thorough going over. The seller has a few interested parties now, but is holding on for me (don't know for how much longer though). When I went to see it, it ticked all the boxes and the guy seemed very genuine. Full Skoda service history, HPI clear and warranty. It pulled a little to the left, but apparently that's normal. It's a great price, £7900 (which is sort of why I was worried) but after thinking about it (and dreaming about it).... I'm going to confirm the deal tonight. Here goes! :eek:

Thanks again,

Vista

get in there, fingers crossed,

i got my fabia on an 04 private sale, as long as you have had a good look round it, checking all the lines match up, i.e bonnet lines, doors, boot etc, no ripples in pannels, no big scuffs under the car,

you will be fine,

the best part is to come, the drive home in it,

£7900 is an incredibly good price....cheapest 06 vrs i can see on autotrader is £9k! Good luck!