1.4 8v mpi owners...

[Redfab]

Hi, My g/f has a w reg 1.4 mpi fabia comfort. Read that they are poor on fuel. She drives it and gets around 29-32 mpg. I drive it and get around 38 or so. It does 40-42 on a long run too. What is everyone else with these cars getting?

She also wants rid of it but I love it :-

+ - Old and not worth too much (less to worry about)

+ - Decent economy (at least I think so)

+ - Good on tax (W reg 2000 - not likely to increase in next few years)

+ - Cheap insurance.

+ - No timing belt to have to change/complicated mechanicals to break.

Trying to talk some sense into her - a garage would only offer 1K if she was lucky - id rather give her 1k myself and keep it as a second/economy car!

Anyone elses mpg/views on this particular model appreciated - am i the only one who thinks this little car is great & is there something wrong with me for doing so?

Cheers!

[Captain Sisko]

I get 40+ mpg from my 1.6

You've identified the problem

You drive get 38mpg.

Gf gets 30, or under

Yeah you're prob not likely to get much.

If she wants rid of it then let her sell it buy a Clio and miss the Fabia just so you can say I told you so.

[BoilingPoint]

Hi, My g/f has a w reg 1.4 mpi fabia comfort. Read that they are poor on fuel. She drives it and gets around 29-32 mpg. I drive it and get around 38 or so. It does 40-42 on a long run too. What is everyone else with these cars getting?

She also wants rid of it but I love it :-

+ - Old and not worth too much (less to worry about)

+ - Decent economy (at least I think so)

+ - Good on tax (W reg 2000 - not likely to increase in next few years)

+ - Cheap insurance.

+ - No timing belt to have to change/complicated mechanicals to break.

Trying to talk some sense into her - a garage would only offer 1K if she was lucky - id rather give her 1k myself and keep it as a second/economy car!

Anyone elses mpg/views on this particular model appreciated - am i the only one who thinks this little car is great & is there something wrong with me for doing so?

Cheers!

My fuel consumption is exactly the same.

Quite poor by modern standards and with petrol prices rising... ...

Maybe a conversion to LPG might be a good idea. £0.49 - 0.52p per litre.

I'm tempted myself, problem is to do the work will cost more than the car is probably worth, also when the time comes to sell, I've no idea how it'll affect residuals.

[ivan_023]

My 1.4 MPI drinks about 8 - 9 liters ( city driving ) . . .

[horkin]

My fuel consumption is exactly the same.

Quite poor by modern standards and with petrol prices rising... ...

Maybe a conversion to LPG might be a good idea. £0.49 - 0.52p per litre.

I'm tempted myself, problem is to do the work will cost more than the car is probably worth, also when the time comes to sell, I've no idea how it'll affect residuals.

LPG does sound tempting for Petrol car owners. Trouble is, if you do fork out the considerable cost, how long before it's taxed to the rafters. Diesel used to be cheaper. Can't trust the bu**ers to leave price alone.:thumbdwn:

[Redfab]

She wants to sell and get something brand new for about 15K or so! Another thing is that the fabia is paid for - not shelling out £200+ per month for a car has advantages!

I think for what it is the consumption is ok. it does not get many long runs out & should get more long drives - im sure I could make it get more mpg if i tried. I have considered LPG but for the cost of it and having a bomb in your boot I dont fancy it!!

I just think its a great car for what it is especially with petrol, tax, running and insurance costs.

Dealers still seem to knock them out for about 2.5k!!!

What else can you get which is just as good and cheaper to run? I dont think there is anything!

[skodayouth]

Hi, My g/f has a w reg 1.4 mpi fabia comfort. Read that they are poor on fuel. She drives it and gets around 29-32 mpg. I drive it and get around 38 or so. It does 40-42 on a long run too. What is everyone else with these cars getting?

She also wants rid of it but I love it :-

+ - Old and not worth too much (less to worry about)

+ - Decent economy (at least I think so)

+ - Good on tax (W reg 2000 - not likely to increase in next few years)

+ - Cheap insurance.

+ - No timing belt to have to change/complicated mechanicals to break.

Trying to talk some sense into her - a garage would only offer 1K if she was lucky - id rather give her 1k myself and keep it as a second/economy car!

Anyone elses mpg/views on this particular model appreciated - am i the only one who thinks this little car is great & is there something wrong with me for doing so?

Cheers!

I used to have one, and yes they are a bit thirsty on fuel, managed an official 30.1MPG combined IIRC

My tip for driving economically is keep it in as higher gear as possible. It's not a fast car but all the torque comes in at just 2.2k so I used to find it easy to drive economically when I wanted to

[BoilingPoint]

LPG does sound tempting for Petrol car owners. Trouble is, if you do fork out the considerable cost, how long before it's taxed to the rafters. Diesel used to be cheaper. Can't trust the bu**ers to leave price alone.:thumbdwn:

Chuffing right mate...

I heared on the news the other night that the PM was considering lowering tax on fuel ... What's the bets if he does it'll be no more than 5p.

[rainbow-walker]

I had a 1.4mpi for 6 years, and did just shy of 60K, and I sold it because the engine started to concern me (rough idling, using a little coolant every now and then).

In my opinion it certainly isnt worth throwing any money at it (e.g. LPG) as you dont know what repair bills are around the corner.

I sold it for a new Fabia VRS, didnt need it, just WANTED it. If your GF isnt keen, let her sell it. If I was in her position and could afford the load payments, then I would much rather be driving a £15K car.

Oh, I used to get indicated about 35-38, which was roughly a true 30-35 on mine.

Whatever she decides, let us know !

RBW.

[Dmac1969]

My fuel consumption is approx the same as yours 36-38mpg , and low 40s on a dual carriageway blast , Ive had mine 3 years now , and its always been around the same mpg figures (computer - I know real figs are slightly less) I'm keeping mine a few more years I think , its paid for , never lets me down (thouch wood!) , is cheap to tax insure and service (pre 2001 model here too!!) and , as a 39000 mile 2 owner car , I wouldnt get a decent price if I traded it in either.

[Redfab]

If your GF isnt keen, let her sell it. If I was in her position and could afford the load payments, then I would much rather be driving a £15K car.

Whatever she decides, let us know !

RBW.

lol!! forgot to mention - we live together already & have a 2 1/2 yr old daughter - also getting married soon. If she was in a position to afford the loan payments then fine but she/we are not and it would end up being me footing the payments from somewhere for her to drive around in a 15k car putting us both on the breadline. We would probably have it for a few months before she decided to realise the true cost of it & then have to sell it and get something affordable like a fabia 1.4 8v MPI!!

[Redfab]

My fuel consumption is approx the same as yours 36-38mpg , and low 40s on a dual carriageway blast , Ive had mine 3 years now , and its always been around the same mpg figures (computer - I know real figs are slightly less) I'm keeping mine a few more years I think , its paid for , never lets me down (thouch wood!) , is cheap to tax insure and service (pre 2001 model here too!!) and , as a 39000 mile 2 owner car , I wouldnt get a decent price if I traded it in either.

Exactly why I like it and dont want to trade/sell. only on 44k & no problems at all.

[Dmac1969]

Lol give her the Golf Tdi and you drive that Fabia , she might get more mpg out of that!!

[iCraig]

God thats really low MPG when you compare it to my 1.6LXi Octavia which does 34mpg, and I don't drive it slowly either!

It even does 44mpg on long runs.

And to think I was considering switching to a Fabia 1.4 for economy!

[Dmac1969]

Its the age of the 8V engine which does for its economy (compared to modern engines) , the basic design is decades old!

[Duggie]

Same economy for mine! it's because it's an old Felly engine!

LOW TAX?!!!

£165.00/year is not low tax!

Love it though!

[Dmac1969]

£120 a year for the ones on a V or W plate!

[Redfab]

I dont think the fuel economy is that bad to be honest compared to other cars in general - appears general opinion is that it is poor though!

From parkers:-

Road tax - Parker's

As Dmac says, V or W plate score with the tax.

Same model and engine but newer car looks set to get further stuffed in the next couple of years too. Not sure what yours is Duggie but must be a newer one.

Yet another reason to keep!! why cant she see it!!

[Alex]

I used to have an 8v Fabia, got similar mpg and I don't hang around. Quite like the engine tbh, nice and solid and easy to fix ideal second car. However the Fabia's weak suspension was the biggest headache for me.

[Duggie]

Mine's on a 53 plate, so is one of the newer ones, that must be why the tax is so high! For an 18 year old though, it's a pretty solid, reliable little tub yes!

Insurance was £1,800 in my first year, £1001 this time round. ARGH!

[ap0gee1978]

My wife's very happy with her MPi, and while the economy's not great with her behind the wheel (like me, it's a bit better when I'm driving! ), it's been cheap to insure / service etc, is big enough for our daughter's pram in the boot and car seat in the back, and can (just about) cope with four-up motorway driving. The argument of only having to pay running costs, and not finance payments is pretty convincing in the current climate I think, especially in your case with a wedding around the corner - average cost is £27k these days IIRC (ours certainly was!) I realise that a lot of couples view each other's income as joint, but the expectation that you'll bankrupt yourself so she can buy a £15k car (MINI by any chance?) seems a bit OTT to me...

[Dmac1969]

Mine's on a 53 plate, so is one of the newer ones, that must be why the tax is so high! For an 18 year old though, it's a pretty solid, reliable little tub yes!

Insurance was £1,800 in my first year, £1001 this time round. ARGH!

OUCH!! Ive just had the renewal for mine , £136!!! Thats one advantage of the age and receding hairline - though maybe Id pay the extra grand if I could be 18 again!!!

[Redfab]

apOgee - the car she wants is a corolla verso which i do like and have to admit would be good for the both of us but certainly does not justify the extra expense.

Both cars we have right now are paid for so its just running costs for both. I pay the road tax, insurance, and petrol with a tightly clenched fist and gritted teeth these days. The thought of shelling out around £200 extra a month for what will end up being normal everyday daily transport when the novelty wears off is what kills me.

[ap0gee1978]

apOgee - the car she wants is a corolla verso which i do like and have to admit would be good for the both of us but certainly does not justify the extra expense.

I suppose in that case, the car she wants does have something over and above the Fabia functionality-wise, although we're coping with our baby and all her stuff in our Fabias, and it sounds like you can manage in the car's you've got now, too.

We realised they're not big enough for the stuff we'd need to go on holiday, though, but that's only once or twice a year, so we just got some roof bars and a collapsible roof box (garage is full enough as it is! ) to give us the extra load capacity on those few occasions that we'd need it. Must admit, most people with kids we know now have MPVs, but we just couldn't justify the cost of a new car for just a few times a year...

[chemicalbrother]

£120 a year for the ones on a V or W plate!

dont forget x reg! i think it was £115 or £120 i just squeezed into the cheaper bracket