Fabia VRS (mk1) Yay or Nay

I might take the hit on a high mileage 2007 special edition one in blue.

As far as a commuting car goes, it would be great. Good mpg and cruise control. Also as a young driver with only 1.5 yrs driving experience, the insurance wouldn't kill me to bad either, even considering its 130bhp.

Now i need the monies! bit nervous really as I've never bought a car myself, current car I bought off my dad (got dads rate servicing too)
 
Have you thought about a Grande Punto Sporting?

We ended up getting one for a car both me and gf.

I thought I would never own a Fiat, however the car it self isn't so bad...prefer it over the Fabia I once owned, and in my opinion looks a damn site nicer.

Like the fabia, it doesn't set the world on fire however it isn't so bad a drive.

Do I love it. No? Neither did I love the Fabia. However it is a much better drive in my opinion.

We have done 20k miles in it since we got in this time last year, so far so good. Computer says we are averaging 49.1mpg this is a mix of motorway & town driving which isn't bad.

The one thing I like about the Fiat is Blue & Me...bluetooth hands free built in & a USB in the glove box to attach a memory stick to play your MP3's. Also the hill assist is quite handy to.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...l82ap/keywords/sporting/radius/1500?logcode=p
 
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Not a bad shout, very similar spec performance wise. Is it the same engine or something?

Just out of interest. Was it a fabia vrs you had? what was it exactly that you didnt like?
 
I test drove a Fabia VRS several years ago (probably about November 2003?)At the time, I had a 306 D Turbo (1997 Face lift)

It was an ok car. Its fine, its certainly no more than a warm hatch (much like an ST150 Fiesta or ST170 Focus) However the handling was hard but not sporty, and I thought the seats were uncomfortable.

In the end I got a 2003 TDCi 115 Ford Focus. I'd tried several other cars, but this was by far the best one (hence me buying it).
 
I think the steering is the only thing I haven't heard amazing things about.

Tbh though im driving a 9-10 year old fiesta with cheapo tyres so most things would be an improvement
 
Conanius said:
I test drove a Fabia VRS several years ago (probably about November 2003?)At the time, I had a 306 D Turbo (1997 Face lift)

It was an ok car. Its fine, its certainly no more than a warm hatch (much like an ST150 Fiesta or ST170 Focus) However the handling was hard but not sporty, and I thought the seats were uncomfortable.

In the end I got a 2003 TDCi 115 Ford Focus. I'd tried several other cars, but this was by far the best one (hence me buying it).
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The Fabia VRS seats are among the best I have sat in. Just goes to show, oppinions vary, drive one yourself!
 
Oooh, missed this one.

I bought one new in 2005. It's comfortable (seats fit me like a glove), has plenty of poke, is cheap to run and eats motorway miles as well as a much bigger car. Cambelts need doing every 4 years/60k and make sure they've been run on the correct PD oil.

They've got a bit of a reputation as a giant killer, similar to the 306 DTurbo a few years ago and hold their value well compared to other similar cars. The Seat Ibiza Sport/FR is basically the same car with rock hard suspension.

Downsides - not the last word in epic handling due to the soft-ish suspension for a city car(Fox!)/warm/hot hatch(delete as appropriate), then again the ride is much more civilised than it's SEAT twin. The silver trim on the seats gets grubby very easily as well.

In my experience it's well built, only problems in 6 years have been a high level brake light that worked intermittently within warranty and a coolant temp sensor that failed last year.
 
MagicBoy said:
In my experience it's well built, only problems in 6 years have been a high level brake light that worked intermittently within warranty and a coolant temp sensor that failed last year.
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Thats it in 6 years? thats pretty good. My Mums new polo has had more problems than that already in the year shes had it.
 
To be fair I've not done a lot of mileage in the last three years, then again it's been a paragon of reliability compared to my previous VW Bora. I didn't even have to pay for the coolant sensor. Took it to the dealer for the big cambelt service and they just did it at no charge then told me when I collected it.

As long as it continues to run reliably I'm keeping it. Outside of scheduled servicing it's only cost me £360 for a set of tyres. A quick bit of man maths indicates £385 a year excluding depreciation, insurance and fuel.
 
Brookert said:
Not a bad shout, very similar spec performance wise. Is it the same engine or something?

Just out of interest. Was it a fabia vrs you had? what was it exactly that you didnt like?
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Different engine wise...

I had the vRS, just didnt like the boat like handling. The punto has slightly lower stance and lower suspension buy the feel of things.

Don't get me wrong I do like the Punto, and I am looking into the ECU remap at present which I think will transform the car again.

Looks wise I think the Punto can't be beaten...in my opinion it is a fantastic looking car!

When out buying the car we had the option of the Fabia, in fact was in the garage over the road to where we bought Punto from...Punto wins hands down!
 
GinG said:
Different engine wise...

I had the vRS, just didnt like the boat like handling. The punto has slightly lower stance and lower suspension buy the feel of things.

Don't get me wrong I do like the Punto, and I am looking into the ECU remap at present which I think will transform the car again.

Looks wise I think the Punto can't be beaten...in my opinion it is a fantastic looking car!

When out buying the car we had the option of the Fabia, in fact was in the garage over the road to where we bought Punto from...Punto wins hands down!
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I reckon I do a cheeky remap if i had either of those cars. Nothing crazy like 180 bhp but 150ish wouldnt put too much extra stress on the engine.

Its funny how most people wouldn't look at diesels ten years ago. Today I wouldn't look at petrol with the amount of motorway driving I will do!
 
Whats a 'cheeky remap' when its at home then?

If you do a lot of motorway driving why not get a car suited to motorway driving not one for popping to Tesco in?
 
[TW]Fox;19191898 said:
Whats a 'cheeky remap' when its at home then?

If you do a lot of motorway driving why not get a car suited to motorway driving not one for popping to Tesco in?
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Not sure whats more appropriate for motorway driving than a diesel?

Im a student who works when I can so the budget is pretty dam tight.
 
Brookert said:
Not sure whats more appropriate for motorway driving than a diesel?

Im a student who works when I can so the budget is pretty dam tight.
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its not the type of driving

its the amount of driving. Driving a diesel with a turbocharged high pressure injection engine carries with it certain extra expenses. Diesel is also slightly more expensive to buy.

Diesel saves you money, but its only worth buying one if you drive enough miles each year to claw the above costs back and then make savings on top.

People who do ... say 10k miles a year just won't ever get that back making the whole money saving bubble around buying a diesel completely pointless for them.
 
[TW]Fox;19191982 said:
Given I almost never recommend a BMW, what on earth makes you think I'm about to start now? I can think of not a single BMW thats a better choice for somebody in the market for a Fabia :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
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No need for the rolleyes Fox. We've done this debate a couple of times already, I'm not doing it again.
 
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