Skoda Fabia Estate or other - Which car

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Tue 27 Mar 2018 10:21
Skoda Fabia Estate or other - Which car - AngWB

I need a commuting car to do 60 miles per day on A roads and rural roads, economy is essential. I need an estate to carry my dogs. I've looked at the Fabia estate diesel and the Ceed diesel, and thought the Fabia looked perfect due to its low tax and fuel economy. However I've then read about engine faults on them. I need to be looking at older cars around 2006 / 8 ish. What can you suggest please which will do over 55 mpg and be reasonable to tax. Maintenance has to be affordable too. Thanks

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Tue 27 Mar 2018 10:50
Skoda Fabia Estate or other - Which car - SLO76
Stick to the older pre-DPF 1.9 or 1.4 diesels and the Fabia should be fine. The 1.9 in particular is fit for massive mileages but they need a timing belt change every 4yrs and you’re almost guaranteed it’ll be overdue on any you look at. Don’t accept their word that it’s been done, you need receipts as proof or call the garage that stamped the service book to see if it was done. If not then price it into any bid along with water pump... £350-£450.

The Kia Cee’d is chain driven and a good engine. A bit more modern and nicer to drive in my opinion but watch for rot on the subframe sand front crossmember. The body resists well so it may look good on the outside but be rotten underneath so get under and have a good look. Cars the age/price you’re looking at will be pre-DPF as they started fitting them quite late on.

Remember that diesels require regular good quality servicing and due to their greater complexity they don’t take neglect or scrimping well. More often than not a cheap diesel is a false economy but these two options are probably two of the better ones. I’d add in the Isuzu engines 1.7 Vauxhall Astra Estate too as these are also tough and cheap to buy. Don’t touch the Fiat engined 1.3 or 1.9 which are a nightmare at this age.

Edited by SLO76 on 27/03/2018 at 10:54

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Tue 27 Mar 2018 15:37
Skoda Fabia Estate or other - Which car - badbusdriver

I don't know what kind of dog you have, so this may not be relevant, but i remember reading a road test some years ago comparing the peugeot 206, renault clio and skoda fabia estates. In it the skoda was criticised for it's load bay bay design. Most estate cars have a boot floor at the same level as the bumper, which makes sense as it makes it as easy as possible to load things in, and more importantly get them out. With the fabia though, not only is the loading lip higher than it's 2 direct rival's but there is quite a big drop down to the boot floor. As i said, mayt not be a factor for you, but worth bearing in mind, especially if the dogs in question are a bit older. This is the main reason why the fabia estate's quoted volume with the rear seats in place is so big (around 460 litres if memory serves, compared to around 390 for the peugeot and 420 for the renault), due to the depth. By contrast, the 206 and clio had lower lips with the boot floor itself at the same height. This makes it easier for some dogs to get in or out, also makes it easier to load and remove large heavy objects. If you think this may be an issue, out of your 2 options, the cee'd may be a better choice as while there is a slight drop to the boot floor, it is nowhere near as pronounced as the fabia.

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Tue 27 Mar 2018 16:26
Skoda Fabia Estate or other - Which car - Avant

The variable boot floor on the Octavia estate brings the floor level with the folded seat backrests and very near to the level of the bumper. I would imagine that's also true of the Fabia: you'd need to check. It's an optional extra for a new car: I've no idea whether it can be retro-fitted.

Edited by Avant on 27/03/2018 at 16:27

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