Buying a new Fabia 2

[skorob2007]

Originally Posted by takksi

@skorob2007 what is the "mispleasure" about? Is it the crammed interior or there are also other things besides that?

It's true about the models' ages... Ibiza'll soon be replaced. In fact, pricewise, the 1.2 Ibiza is slightly more expensive than the 1.2 Fabia, and even worse, the 1.4 Ibiza is cheaper than the Fabia with the same engine.

Yes, crammed interior, but also the build quality doesnt seem as good as the Fabias, the dash plastics seem very low-rent compared to the Fabia.The ride isn't as good either.Ive travelled in both 1.9TD and 1.2 Ibizas, both near new and compared to the Fabia equivalents, they just don't seem as satisfying.Compared to either a previous shape fabia or a new shape Fabia, the Ibiza just doesn't match up in my opinion.

[takksi]

Originally Posted by d96em

OTOH, if the car sinks so fast you're unable to escape before going underwater, chances are the water pressure on the windows will make it impossible to open them manually too (besides, a car's electrical system will still work for at least a few minutes after submerged, so there should be plenty of time to open a window). Also, what's the bigger risk - falling into a river or having an overactive kid in the back seat opening a window? IMO, it's better to prevent the more likely situation if you have to choose.

I'd say buy a window punch if you're worried about the water situation (and if you ever have to use it remember not to try breaking the windshield, because you won't be able to).

KIDS are a greater probability... besides we don't have lakes/rivers in Malta. IT has to be the sea, and usually roads are not so close to the sea except a couple of them over here... there is a greater probability of falling in a gutter in the streets when government workers are digging to pass water or drainage pipes.

[takksi]

Originally Posted by skorob2007

Yes, crammed interior, but also the build quality doesnt seem as good as the Fabias, the dash plastics seem very low-rent compared to the Fabia.The ride isn't as good either.Ive travelled in both 1.9TD and 1.2 Ibizas, both near new and compared to the Fabia equivalents, they just don't seem as satisfying.Compared to either a previous shape fabia or a new shape Fabia, the Ibiza just doesn't match up in my opinion.

I assumed so. The ride is a known factor by the way... it's because the Ibiza has stiffer suspensions than the Fabia and Polo. Thus, although it might be better at road holding, it has a stiffer and jerkier ride.

[rich17865]

just a thought, if you got a level 2 trim, then added curtain airbags, climatronic, speakers, maxidot etc. i think you will find that the purchase price will exceed the purchase cost of a level 3 that has all of those things as standard....

might save you some money

[takksi]

Originally Posted by rich17865

just a thought, if you got a level 2 trim, then added curtain airbags, climatronic, speakers, maxidot etc. i think you will find that the purchase price will exceed the purchase cost of a level 3 that has all of those things as standard....

might save you some money

We don't get level 1, 2 and 3 in Malta

Over here we get two options - (1) Ambiente, (2) Sports.

The Ambiente comes with front electric windows, a/c, front and side airbags, power steering, abs, remote central locking and some other things....

The Sports version then has a number of other extras - I listed them in one of my postings above.

[Dmac1969]

IIRC its only the UK which uses the 1 2 and 3 model names , everywhere else still uses Classic , Ambiente , Elegance and Sport.

[takksi]

Originally Posted by Dmac1969

IIRC its only the UK which uses the 1 2 and 3 model names , everywhere else still uses Classic , Ambiente , Elegance and Sport.

I can't actually understand why they don't simply standardise everything across Europe.... you go to the dealer, they give you specs, together with a brochure - the latter of which doesn't match anything with what the specs they would have given you.

[takksi]

Guys... I have a problem... I had a look at the VW Polo... and considering that I had set my mind to get the Sports Version of the Fabia, there's only around €650 difference between the sports Fabia and the Polo. There is an offer at the moment on the Polo, with 15" alloy wheels, and some extras.

Now I'm really mixed up... what shall I do?

As if that wasn't enough, with the same price you can also get a Fiat Grande Punto 1.3 Multijet Diesel @ 75bhp.

Now the differences are... the Polo is slightly smaller than the Fabia, such as 8 or 10cm shorter, 30 litres less in the luggage and so on, but it's an original VW.

On the other hand, the Grande Punto is a Fiat, but it is also longer than the Fabia and has a 75bhp Diesel engine which should be extremely economical.

Any ideas for a broken set of brains?

[HZ123]

The only issue with the Fiat which is an excellant car and well appointed is that in the UK once bought the value drops about 50% nearly in the first year. Here Fiat / Seat are often highly discounted and readily availible from the car supermarkets. As this is not an issue for you maybe the Fiat does not loose as much in Malta. In the end as the cars are similar you must go for the one that offers the most value. One big point is servising costs, to my knowledge and experience the petrol models cost far less to service than the diesel and perhaps one of the threaders can provide the Fabia cost for petrol / diesel Service A and Service B and the time spans. I appreciate this will be based on the mk 1 models. By the way weather conditions in the SE UK now are akin to a proper winters day and sometimes I wonder if in the Uk we really do not need a/c. Best regards

[takksi]

Originally Posted by HZ123

The only issue with the Fiat which is an excellant car and well appointed is that in the UK once bought the value drops about 50% nearly in the first year. Here Fiat / Seat are often highly discounted and readily availible from the car supermarkets. As this is not an issue for you maybe the Fiat does not loose as much in Malta. In the end as the cars are similar you must go for the one that offers the most value. One big point is servising costs, to my knowledge and experience the petrol models cost far less to service than the diesel and perhaps one of the threaders can provide the Fabia cost for petrol / diesel Service A and Service B and the time spans. I appreciate this will be based on the mk 1 models. By the way weather conditions in the SE UK now are akin to a proper winters day and sometimes I wonder if in the Uk we really do not need a/c. Best regards

Hmm... in Malta we do need an A/C in summer... it's usually so hot in summer that you don't even dare touch the steering. I have actually been living in SE London between Nov 07 and beginning of this April... although there were some days that were really cold, I couldn't really complain about the cold as such... I guess the weather over there is becoming a bit warmer that it used to be 10 years ago... Anyhow, Malta still remains much worse, with temperatures over 40 degrees Celcius in mid-summer!

With regards to the Ibiza, Polo and Grande Punto... well... Fiat do lose a bit their value straight away here too. The problem is unfortunately that even Skoda loses its value very easily, and possibly even faster than Fiat! In fact the only thing that was tempting me to get the Polo was the resale value for VW! Alas, the present Polo version is pretty old and the dash inside is identical to the dash I had in the 2002 Fabia. At least the new Fabia has had some revamping done to it! The Polo is also smaller than the Fabia, and doesn't feel so cosy like the Fabia inside. It actually feels a bit claustrophoebic inside the Polo. The Fabia makes you feel much more at ease. Besides that, the Fabia is a bit more elavated than the Polo with regards, which makes it easier for me to sit into as I don't hit the steering with my knee while getting into the car - like what happened when I tried to get inside the Polo.

At the end of the day, I think I'm going to not care about resale and brand name and go for the Fabia - it's the best value for money, most spacious, most comfortable cabin and most relaxing.

Also, the Fabia comes with 4 airbags standard (2 front and 2 sides) whereas the Polo comes with 2 front airbags only. It seems like the Polo needs to be upgraded really badly.

The only thing I love about the Polo and actually about VW in general is the red/blue dashboard colour scheme. It looks much nicer than the Fabia's green.

One last thing... if you guys have looked at my previous posts in this thread - I was going to opt for the Maxidot display.... I'm off it. It doesn't fit well in the Fabia's dashboard. The dials light up in green and then you see a white text with a dark blue background segment thrown in between them.. it actually seemed an eyesore to me. The colours don't match! So what I'm doing is getting the Sports package, opting to get extra the 16" alloys with 205 tires and the rear electric windows as they're not standard equipment.

[Dmac1969]

Remember , theres a new Polo due out very soon , that will hit resale value of your 'soon to be' old shape car , if you buy one.

[takksi]

Originally Posted by Dmac1969

Remember , theres a new Polo due out very soon , that will hit resale value of your 'soon to be' old shape car , if you buy one.

I assumed so besides being smaller and more crammed than the Fabia. The Fabia makes you feel relaxed in it. The Polo makes you feel claustrophobic and confined (same as the Ibiza).

[Hearny]

The Polo is also £2k more.

[skisbp]

If you're not pressed for time you could wait to see the next Ibiza & Polo's!!!
SEATCupra.net - Your #1 source for SEAT information - SEAT’S STUNNING NEW IBIZA BREAKS COVER
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[HZ123]

How is it going over there. FYI Heathrow temperature at 15;00 yesterday was 18C and I sat outside all afternoon. That said you still really did not require air con.

[takksi]

Originally Posted by HZ123

How is it going over there. FYI Heathrow temperature at 15;00 yesterday was 18C and I sat outside all afternoon. That said you still really did not require air con.

Hi guys... well... I'm still going around.... trying to find the best deal.

I have set my eyes on the Kia Cee'd at the moment. I managed to get a very good price on it - which is only €465 more than the Fabia. However it has a 1.4 VVT engine which delivers around 108 bhp. The spec sheets for this engine state that it does around 36 or 37 mpg urban.

What do you guys think?

[Blaze]

About the Fabia 1.4 16v, 85bp - wouldn't the piston rings still be a problem with this engine? Or has the problem been fixed in the newer Fabia? The earlier 1.4 16v engines seem to have this problem(as suggested by lots of posts on this forum).

[takksi]

Originally Posted by Blaze

About the Fabia 1.4 16v, 85bp - wouldn't the piston rings still be a problem with this engine? Or has the problem been fixed in the newer Fabia? The earlier 1.4 16v engines seem to have this problem(as suggested by lots of posts on this forum).

Don't take my words as de facto, but as far as I know those were the old engines that were based on the old Skoda Favorit and Felicia engines that had problems with the cylinder heads. These ngines should be the ones used in the VW Polo and Seat Ibiza, and also the Seat Leon, VW Golf and so on...

[skisbp]

Originally Posted by Blaze

About the Fabia 1.4 16v, 85bp - wouldn't the piston rings still be a problem with this engine? Or has the problem been fixed in the newer Fabia? The earlier 1.4 16v engines seem to have this problem(as suggested by lots of posts on this forum).

Running a 2004 Seat Ibiza Sport 1.4 16V 100HP & haven't a clue as to why you would think there's a piston ring problem... That's with 90K Kilometers!

[Blaze]

Thanks Takksi, Skisbp.

Skisbp - Sorry, I was just asking. No first hand information. Just going by the numerous posts I've read here. I'm glad you've not had any issues.

BTW I'm from India. The Fabia has been launched here only recently. Hardly anyone buys Skoda petrols here (mileage is the concern). I don't like the diesel - we only have the 1.4 TDI, 68bhp option. Also it is very expensive (Fabias are being imported). The petrol is a bit cheaper. All that I was told by the local dealer is that it had a VW engine.

With no feedback on the 1.4 16v locally, I was checking for some first hand information on this forum.

[takksi]

Originally Posted by Blaze

Thanks Takksi, Skisbp.

Skisbp - Sorry, I was just asking. No first hand information. Just going by the numerous posts I've read here. I'm glad you've not had any issues.

BTW I'm from India. The Fabia has been launched here only recently. Hardly anyone buys Skoda petrols here (mileage is the concern). I don't like the diesel - we only have the 1.4 TDI, 68bhp option. Also it is very expensive (Fabias are being imported). The petrol is a bit cheaper. All that I was told by the local dealer is that it had a VW engine.

With no feedback on the 1.4 16v locally, I was checking for some first hand information on this forum.

I had an old Fabia - 1.4mpi 8v pushrod - it used to do 29 - 30mpg.

The new Fabias come with a 1.2 3cyl 12V 70bhp engine and should do around 36mpg (urban) or the 1.4 4cyl 16V 85bhp which does 32mpg (urban).

The 1.2 shouldn't be too bad - although if you intend to use it for highway driving you might find that it lacks some power being a 3cylinder and having only 70bhp. Besides, I think you might be overworking it on a highway... On the other hand, if you're in a small area like we are here in Malta, where distances are very short and mostly traffic... the 1.2 is the best choice IMHO.

I am still looking around at the moment... but my choices are cut down to the Fabia 1.2 3cyl 12V 70bhp and the Kia Cee'd 1.4 16V VVT 105bhp. Amazingly enough - according to specs - the Kia Cee'd does 37mpg as opposed to the 32mpg on the 1.4 Fabia (and 36 mpg on the 1.2 Fabia) and also keeping in mind that the Cee'd engine delivers 105bhp as opposed to the 85bhp of the 1.4 Fabia.

So basically... as you can gather out I'm really confused now... and I'm presently feeling more inclined towards the Cee'd... besides it is more spacious inside and a much nicer shape than the Fabia.

Anyways, good luck with your choice mate - hope you (and even me) make the best choice for your needs...

[Blaze]

Yes, we do have the 1.2 HTP here. It's a good choice for the mad traffic we have in Bangalore - just that it is not available in the Elegance trim here.

Originally Posted by takksi

Anyways, good luck with your choice mate - hope you (and even me) make the best choice for your needs...

Thanks. Good luck to you too.

[Dmac1969]

The 16 V engines that had problems with the piston rings were the ones with the engine codes AUA and AUB. I think they were replaced by a different engine code around 2003/4 and these engines are a lot less likely to suffer trouble.

PS The old engine related to the one out of the Favorit and Felicia is the 1.4 8V (aka 'MPI') not the 16V engine - The 16V is a VW design , whereas the 8V is virtually 100% Skoda (it dates back to the rear engined cars , actually!). Oh , the 1.2 3 cyl engine used in the current Fabia (and Polo and Ibiza) was designed in Czech by Skoda.

[skoda1982]

i have a fabia 2 1.2 (70) 3 cilinder petrol front air bags plus side air bags in seats that is uk spec

[skoda1982]

ps done 250 miles at 50/70mph no problem the 1.2 (70)bph the htp stands for high toque performance it may take 11 seconds 0 to 60