Skoda Fabia RS

SK1979

Hey all

My wife has recently sold her 2000 Fiesta privately and is currently looking at a 2004 Fabia RS. The cost to change looks quite good to me at around €4k. Is there anything else to bear in mind with this change? Obviously its a diesel, and she wouldn't do big mileage (maybe 10k miles p.a.) so is it a waste to get it? The tax is a lot higher but she can afford that.

Any other issue's or things to note about the car? Is it a decent / reliable car?

ytareh

Its a vRS actually just for your own info ...this seems to be a MIGHTY motor and beat a Mini Cooper in a Top Gear circuit/lap race.Its VERY VERY powerful in a straight line but maybe doesnt handle the bends as well as it could.Fuel economy should beat the Fiesta also.Most likely a very good buy but check for general smooth running ...problems with eg Diesel Injection could be pricey.

balcan

Fabulous little car.Just make sure it's had regular servicing and needs cam belt @ 6ok which requires rollers and tensioners,About €240 for kit.Front tyre wear can be quite high as heavy engine and putting out a lot of pulling power.Wife has octavia tdi with 140k on clock and still drives as tight as a drum and has never giving any problems.Highly recommended.

TestTransmission

Remap on the Fabia VRS will bring it to a healthy 180hp I think

R.O.R

jackncoke wrote: »

Remap on the Fabia VRS will bring it to a healthy 180hp I think

I'd hate to try and fight the torque from that in the wet!

I think Fletch on here has one, he may pop up later.

www.briskoda.net would be a good place for information - they'd be much more popular in the UK than here. Seems like they are having some problems with the site at the moment though.

bazz26

€4k is a very good cost to change price.

Just look for signs of abuse or damage, they are a relatively quick car for their size so it may have been driven hard and carelessly. I would make sure the clutch and gearbox are not on the way out and the car hasn't had any previous structural damage due to being trashed about the place.

jamesd

Terrible looking Interior in them, there is a limited edition Blue model with black leather seats and thats worth watching oiut for.

fletch

R.O.R wrote: »

I'd hate to try and fight the torque from that in the wet!

I think Fletch on here has one, he may pop up later.

www.briskoda.net would be a good place for information - they'd be much more popular in the UK than here. Seems like they are having some problems with the site at the moment though.

Yes I have one alright R.O.R.
Had mine for 3 years now with no issues I can think of (apart from headlight bulbs which seem to blow too often). I have mine remapped and it's putting out 169bhp and 404Nm however it's not a hot hatch. The handling I would describe as terrible and its a very heavy car so throwing it around isn't much fun. In saying that I love the car on long journeys as the low revving nature of the diesel engine makes it very quiet and its pretty easy to overtake.
I wouldn't say it's a waste to get it though as the tax is only around the €600 mark so I think its worth the little extra every year for a bit more power. I didn't look on carzone but I'd say you will struggle to find a petrol car the same year with the same power for the money. Also as Fabia's are generally driven by old Grannies, it seems to get a very low insurance rating. My insurance didn't change when I moved from a 1.4 Escort to it, and this year (26yo and 5years no claims) I've got a quote for €580 fully comprehensive with full no claims protection.
During the Summer on long runs I can easily top 60mpg, however bear in mind if your other half is only doing short journeys, diesel mightn't be the most economical. My car can take upward of ten minutes to heat up and on a short journey will generally only average around 40-45mpg.
Niggles are the seats which are white and black and get dirty very easy.

Edit - Oh and see if you can beat the dealer down on price....I am looking at trading at the moment and have been offered anywhere from 2.5k-4k on a trade in and my car is in immaculate condition with 60k on the clock. I've decided to give it to the other half as I couldn't bare to see it go!

Is this the car you are looking at?

SK1979

fletch wrote: »

Is this the car you are looking at?

Yep, thats the car alright.

The thing that springs to mind with it is that the mileage is 60k already so the wise choice would be to get the timing belt done. Any idea of the rough cost of the total job if the kit is costing €240? Around €500 I'm guessing so this would have to be factored in.

I think the OH wants something with some poke, thats why this Fabia is appealing. I agree about not seeing much else for the same cost in a petrol. Older Golf GTI's maybe?

Her driving would be a combination of short / medium runs. I'd be a little concerned about going diesel for this reason.

tossy

Good car and the 130pd is a good engine,but much like the mk4 golf with the same engine it needs two things to be uprated straight out of the box those are suspension and a remap.I am 99% sure the Vrs has 312mm brakes as standard (same as TT MK5 GTI MK1 SS etc) so o problem stopping

fletch

tossy wrote: »

Good car and the 130pd is a good engine,but much like the mk4 golf with the same engine it needs two things to be uprated straight out of the box those are suspension and a remap.I am 99% sure the Vrs has 312mm brakes as standard (same as TT MK5 GTI MK1 SS etc) so o problem stopping

Yeh suspension is terrible out of the box...I've mine lowered with front and rear anti-rollbars and while it does handle better, it is still nowhere near close to my Dad's base mondel Mondeo is terms of comfort and handling.

The Fabia vRS has 288mm brakes up front and to be honest, they can be lacking.

fletch

SK1979 wrote: »

Yep, thats the car alright.

The thing that springs to mind with it is that the mileage is 60k already so the wise choice would be to get the timing belt done. Any idea of the rough cost of the total job if the kit is costing €240? Around €500 I'm guessing so this would have to be factored in.

I got mine(cam belt and water pump) done from an independent garage (will send on the details if you're interested) for about €360.

tossy

fletch wrote: »

The Fabia vRS has 288mm brakes up front and to be honest, they can be lacking.

Ok make that 3 things that need to be upgraded

Sqaull20

SK1979 wrote: »

Yep, thats the car alright.

The thing that springs to mind with it is that the mileage is 60k already so the wise choice would be to get the timing belt done. Any idea of the rough cost of the total job if the kit is costing €240? Around €500 I'm guessing so this would have to be factored in.

I think the OH wants something with some poke, thats why this Fabia is appealing. I agree about not seeing much else for the same cost in a petrol. Older Golf GTI's maybe?

Her driving would be a combination of short / medium runs. I'd be a little concerned about going diesel for this reason.

Well you wont have to worry about her having some poke for overtaking, its not a performance car handling wise, but in a straight line it will leave most things behind.Like Fletch I have one thats been remapped as well and once on the boost it does shift, 80kph-160kph comes in no time.I haven't driven too many things with real genuine power, but Fletch has and everytime he steps back in his little fabia it still feels quick.Mine with the remap does 100kph in 7-5-7.8sec and 100kph to 150kph in lazy 5th is near enought that time as well, amazing really for a small diesel.Its party trick is 2nd, 20mph-40mph comes in a tad over 2secs.

http://www.fabia-vrs.com/press-reports/diesel-car-issue-188-christmas-2003/

If the car checks go for it imo, hard to touch a fabia vrs for power/economy/reliability, they look kinda trifty too imo:D

Very dissapointed to hear that trade in price Fletch, your one is showroom condition.What are you getting? MPS:p?

tossy

There was a time around here when if you said all of the above about the equivalent 130pd mk4 golf you would be shot

Zonda999

jamesd wrote: »

Terrible looking Interior in them, there is a limited edition Blue model with black leather seats and thats worth watching oiut for.

That limited edition race blue edition was only available in lat 06/early 07 when the end of the line was in sight, certainly worth looking out for but no doubt they earn a premium

snowman707

SK1979 wrote: »

Yep, thats the car alright.

according to my wheels .ie that car was imported and hasn't been taxed for almost 2 years

fletch

tossy wrote: »

There was a time around here when if you said all of the above about the equivalent 130pd mk4 golf you would be shot

Yes I don't understand why people slag the pd130 mk4 golfs so much yet the Fabia always seems to get praised, when they're essentially the same thing.

tossy

fletch wrote: »

Yes I don't understand why people slag the pd130 mk4 golfs so much yet the Fabia always seems to get praised, when they're essentially the same thing.

Plus the golf is actually lighter!!

Biro

fletch wrote: »

Yes I don't understand why people slag the pd130 mk4 golfs so much yet the Fabia always seems to get praised, when they're essentially the same thing.

It's only because owners go on about the Golf like it's the fastest thing on wheels, when it clearly isn't. One knob in Sligo actually has "chipped TDI, why try?" on his reg of his Golf. Guys like that need to be shown what quick actually means.

fletch

Sqaull20 wrote: »

Very dissapointed to hear that trade in price Fletch, your one is showroom condition.What are you getting? MPS:p?

I've gone off the MPS idea now, it's just too bland. I know I like understated cars but the MPS is just a step too far. Torn between an E46 M3 and a RenaultSport Clio 197 at the moment. Waiting til the new year now so who knows what I could end up with!

tossy

Biro wrote: »

It's only because owners go on about the Golf like it's the fastest thing on wheels, when it clearly isn't. One knob in Sligo actually has "chipped TDI, why try?" on his reg of his Golf. Guys like that need to be shown what quick actually means.

It's tools like that give us VW owners a bad name,he probably only has a Charlie cheapo e-bay tuning box in it FFS!

omega man

OP, check to see if its imported. The majority over here seem to be UK imports. I picked up a 05 irish one recently from a dealer for 7.5K with only 50000kms on the clock so i would get that price down. Great car i have to say. Not outright fast but very nippy in real world driving, 4th gear in the right range on the motorway is good fun. My last 2 cars were a 3 MPS and a 325i and although i sold the BMW to have a few quid in the bank i must say im lovong the little fabia. I had the timing belt checked and told fine to 120,000km but recommended replacing at 100,000km, worth checking for peace of mind. Seats are a pain, especially if you have kids! Thankfully its my run around so the kids are kept out!