thinking of buying fabia vrs. wise move? or not.reliable?
comfortable .does it hold its value. or would a golf be better to drive. golfs hold value better? whose better skoda or vw. i know skoda are vw based is there any differance
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FWIW, the Fabia is shares its main bits with the Polo, not the Golf.
The main difference appears to be the dealers. Anecdotely from several sources including this site, Skoda dealers appear to give better service than VW.
Someone on here has a VRS - try a forum search
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The only advise i can give is to test drive one,
then you can make up your own mind.
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I think they're a good car to drive, however I note that some owners seem to suffer a lot of niggling problems (mainly electrical problems). The electric power steering system seems prone to failure too - and its not a cheap thing to fix.
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I Work at a skoda Main Dealer and we don't get many problems with the fabia's steering. I Used to work for a ford retail dealer and i can say Skoda's are miles better than Fords
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I Work at a skoda Main Dealer and we don't get many problems with the fabia's steering. I Used to work for a ford retail dealer and i can say Skoda's are miles better than Fords
So you don't get problems with steering angle sensors and the steering warning light coming on? What about problems with the earthing points (by battery and under front wing?).
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So you don't get problems with steering angle sensors and the steering warning light coming on?
Is this likely to be the cause of my Fabia steering warning light coming on?
This has happened only twice in about three months, and only briefly on cold mornings. I haven't noticed any problems with the actual steering. I'm planning to get it checked before my warranty is up.
This issue aside, the car has been pretty hassle-free. I've only had cause to set foot in a Skoda garage twice (annual services) since I bought the Fabia new in 2003.
(Now I've tempted fate by saying that, I'm waiting for the sound of the car spontaneously combusting outside.)
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i can say Skoda's are miles better than Fords
You can though it does not make it true, the current Ford range has much more going for it.
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Skodas in general seem to do better in the usual satisfaction surveys than VWs. They don't lose their value in the same way that Skodas of old did either. MiL has a late Golf Cabrio and it's like driving a bus after driving the fabia. They're similar in terms of build quality though (scuttle/shake aside).
Take both out for a drive then consider if you could live with driving a Skoda. There's still a lot of prejudice against them, mainly from people in cars not as good as current Skodas.
VRs can come with decent discounts from main dealers. The best site I know of for specific advice is :
www.briskoda.net
Lots of people over there who have specific knowledge of the questions you're asking.
Swapping the BMW MINI Cooper for our Fabia has turned out to be a pretty smart move on our part thus far (cue: distant sound of piano dropping on Gold Fabia...)
Lee -- Without bills, magazines and junk mail, there is no mail
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Briskoda.net is dead I think.
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BTW - I should make it clear I wasn't 'knocking' the Skoda - I think they are very nice cars and certainly to be preferred over the Mini. Just alterting him to the fact that some people have had electrical problems, so something to watch out for.
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Briskoda.net is dead I think.
Seemed very active when I looked in just now! The only major change is that they're encouraging paying members to subscribe to a premium version of the site.
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bub
I've had a Fabia VRs for a year now and have had no problems. It's a great little car with plenty of power and amazing frugality if driven gently (up to 60mpg).
On my daily commute (20 miles each way on the M60) I average over 50mpg.
On the occasions when I've decided to floor it a bit, I struggle to get anything less than 42mpg.
Very comfortable, smooth ride despite the low profile tyres and overall a perfect commuting car with plenty of oomph and fun factor if and when required.
Size is good for parking but the boot space can get a little tight if you like golf ....
By the way, I also have a Subaru Outback for those posters that might have noticed I post on all the Subaru threads..... it's quite an interesting combination actually, having a feisty diesel hatchback and a refined, petrol AWD estate !
Our local Skoda dealer reminds of our local Subaru dealer - friendly, uncomplicated and not over-priced.
jdc
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bub,
Similar choice for me last year when I bought a new vRS. I paid £11,600 at a dealer for it. That would have got me a 2 year old Golf GT TDi or a 1 year old Mondeo TDCi LX or possibly Zetec. Test drove all 3 and chose the vRS for it's ownership proposition and the way it drove. You'll have to pay around £5K more for a new Golf GT TDi. The vRS is supposed to retain 50% of it's value over 3 years. If the Golf retains 60% then you'll still lose more with it and if you're financing some or all of it then the extra interest will add to your costs. I've done 10,000 miles in just over 3 months and averaged 44mpg. Insurance is cheap for the performance. Servicing costs are noticeably less than VW or Seat equivalents. Nothing has gone wrong with mine and it feels at least as well built as the 2000MY Passat I used to have if not better. Time and miles will tell but my Passat was virtually as new at 90,000 miles.
Be prepared for a shock if you visit a Skoda dealer - the ones I have visited are all friendly and helpful - thankfully VW gave them the bits to make the cars but not the lousy attitude and crazy servicing costs of VW dealers. This was a big factor in my decision.
Briskoda.net is very much alive and kicking - you'll find a lot of info there and quite a few former Impreza owners talking positively about their vRS's.
I like the way the vRS drives and handles especially on long journeys where the relaxed 6th gear and comfortable ride have exceeded my expectations. It's fine around town too, much better than the Ibiza equivalent. My golf bag fits in the boot - have to take the woods out then they fit in too! Nothing serious I don't like about it - couple of things I might change but don't overly bother me - no climate option just a/c, no rear electric windows and no proper drinks holders (you can buy them separately).
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My parents have just bought a Fabia vRS and brought it up from France to Frankfurt this week, and it´s a stonking little motor. In gear acceleration is just ridiculous. 6th gear is great for the autobahns.
I was impressed by the handling - with something like 65% of the kerbweight over the front axle I had expected it to understeer like crazy. Not so.
They also seem to have put a torque limiter on 1st gear to preserve the front tyres - but TBH it´s the in-gear performance that makes it such a hoot, not initial speed off the line IYKWIM.
`Sports´ seats were better than I expected - nicely subtle styling details.
Upsolute chip them to 163 PS apparently, but my Dad reckons it´s fast enough as it is :-(
Only problem now is that Mrs B wants one.
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The VRS is more or less the same as my SEAT Ibiza 130 Tdi under the skin and I'd heartily recommend it on the basis of my happy experience with its Spanish sister (!). The Skoda is more conservatively styled and has a better ride than the SEAT at the expense of a little more body roll in corners and the performance-with-economy combination is a real winner. Hopefully Skoda will increase the power to match the Ibiza Cupra when the new model appears next year.
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Well my cousin who is a real petrolhead has chopped his beloved Impreza Turbo for a new vRS. No regrets whatsoever - one of the best cars he has ever owned.
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