2006 Skoda Fabia estate Goes for a Drive (Modern Monday)

The Skoda Fabia was built on a then all new VW platform, before even the Polo, the Fabia was significant turning point for Skoda. Is the estate a good used buy today?
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[@Thanos.m]

A mate bought an 04 Fabia SDi for £180 with 200k miles and she's had no problems whatsoever so I have respect for the little skoda

[@alansimpson835]

I absolutely love these. I worked in sales at a Skoda dealership from 2005-7 when these were brand new and they were great sellers, especially as estates and hatches. For estates, new parents that wanted pushchair space loved them and they were really popular with people downsizing from Golfs etc who didnt often carry rear passengers but wanted a huge boot. It looks great in Storm Blue metallic (one of my fave Skoda colours). At this point Skoda were doing Big on Value pricing so basically knocking about a grand off the list price and adding air con and trip computers to the whole range. The basic Classic therefore didn't have electric windows or central locking (unless you ticked the plus pack option) but did have air con! They also all had air cooled glove boxes and an air cooled cubby by the driver's right knee which was big enough for a box of Maltesers. I used that as a selling point a few times. The Elegance that you drove should also have cruise control. They were also surprisingly chuckable on back roads as well. If you can track down the vRS it is worth a drive too. Power in infectious wallops and amazing economy considering the power. I'll vouch for the reliability as well. The leaky back doors were a bit of a pain and they tended to eat suspension bushes but mechanically they were sound. Therefore a sales man's dream. I bought a used 1.4TDi 70 classic when I left that job and ran it for 5 years and 80k miles with no problems. I upgraded to the MK2 which felt more refined but less chuckable. I'd happily recommend Fabias though

[@TheLooseMechanic]

Yes it does have cruise control!

[@ciaranwebb6871]

That'll explain the odd spec of mine, a classic 2007 mk1 with the 12v 1.2 but it had all sorts like central locking and electric windows etc. This engine in particular is actually quite good for what it is (as a new driver) - reliable, chain cam, torque in the right places, sounds nice at the top end. I've driven a diesel and it handles completely differently, the front end is much lighter on mine and more keen to turn in, could even call it fun! Also on 14 inch balloon wheels which probably also transforms the ride, these wheels look fairly large.

[@Rarestein]

My parents bought a Fabia Estate brand new in 2006 and it still does the job. Got the 1.2 litre engine and it's done in a lovely shade of orange :)

[@smoothmicra]

Btw, thanks for the demo of how the seats fold flat. 14 years of ownership and l didn't know it done that!☺️

[@mp3bbb]

Gone through Favorits, Felicias, Fabias and Rapids, all been cracking cars.

[@donaldellis3609]

Last skoda I had was the rapid space back 1.2 tsi good car👌

[@turbostream7925]

You missed the chilled glovebox & can cooler! I had a 2001 hatch, a great car.

[@furiousdriving]

Only found out about that later!

[@histriamagna1014]

Those were absolutely everywhere 15 yrs ago. Humble car. The VRS diesel version was awesome. Quick and not thirsty. The build quality of these cars was rock solid.

[@histriamagna1014]

@Integrale DMY After 15 yrs nothing uncommon. VW group cars had issues with window mechanisms back in the day. This was pretty much one of the very few problems this car had.

[@rimmersbryggeri]

@Integrale DMY Only the window regulator? I have been working on one of these and it had. Bad Egr, Bad Injectors, Bad door lock, Bad interior fan, Bad Fan Resistor, Bad Wiring Loom (Probably from the getgo). My Mondeo that is 3 years older shares one of those faults. A door lock. I think all of these items are included in reliability/build quality and all of these fabias i have worked on have had fan/ door lock problems. The door locks are common to all VAG cars though.

[@histriamagna1014]

@@rimmersbryggeri Bad luck ???

[@rimmersbryggeri]

@@histriamagna1014 No not bad luck. Then the dealership wouldnt have known about the faults before you even told them. They for example have special pop rivets for the rigid vapour barrier in the doors. (Some years they are bolted) When you buy those they know directly that it's a door lock or a window regulator. They don't even suspect it being paintwork because the rust is usually on the front and rear wheel arches and all brake parts. People jsut have this erroneous belief that the germans make reliable when they dont, they are just a pig to work on but if that's what you want peugeots are cheaper.

[@thedeadstig123]

I always said it "fab-ia" instead of "fabe-ia", never heard anyone pronounce it that way Reminds me how people say Dacia

[@lewis72]

I call it a Farbia !

[@rimmersbryggeri]

It's probably named after some roman "Princess" or other so for the right pronounciation go there. Lewis 72 probably isnt far off.

[@lewis72]

@@rimmersbryggeri Probably best to find an advert from Skoda UK to get the official pronunciation.

[@rimmersbryggeri]

@@lewis72 You are pretty close. ;) Its a AA not an Ei. I'm swedish though and just because it's the official local channel it does no mean they know. ;) Look at american Hyundai ads.; ) That's a name we all say wrong though.

[@xqqqme]

@@rimmersbryggeri Quite correct. And look at how Toyota UK was apparently happy with everyone saying Suh-LEE-kuh while Toyota North America was onboard with SELL-i-kuh. All to your point about how the manufacturer may not be the authority...because they may not even care how the locals say the name as long as they buy the car!

[@lewis72]

If you visit the Czech Republic or Slovakia you'll see modern busses, trams and trains carrying the Škoda name. This is the original Škoda, who, along with Škoda Auto (The VW-owned cars division) were under the Škoda Works parent company. Cars division was sold off to VW, as the company split in two, just as Rolls-Royce (Cars & aero engines), Volvo (Cars & trucks) Saab and Wolseley and, no doubt, some others did.

[@JohnnyPaton]

Had several Octavias with the 1.9 Tdi and 1.9 PD tdi engines. One even did over 400k on the original engine. Just keep on top of maintenance and they last forever.

[@archechme]

Yeah, the 1.9TDI PD was one of VW's best engines especially the 130 found in the Audi A3/A4 and the Golf Mk4 amongst many others.

[@JohnnyPaton]

@@archechme I think they were too good. Whomever designed it probably got the sack. The subsequent engines are a bit softer although my current Skoda has 190k trouble free miles (touch wood) on its common rail 1.6 TDi. Hopefully I’ll get to 230k before it retires as a taxi.

[@tonys1636]

This gave Skoda the good name back it had before it disappeared behind the Iron Curtain, in the 30's they made good cars. You have at least one Skoda hater who watched this from the dislike. I'm innocent your honour.

[@furiousdriving]

Ill have to track down that hater one day! Pre Iron Curtain Skodas were beautiful cars

[@johnroberts2905]

Cracking little cars. I bought a '05 vRS hatchback new and ran it for 14 years. Sensibly quick PD engine that returned mid 50s mpg on a run. Never let me down, pretty fun to hoon around. Now with a new owner.

[@alextoft9199]

Great review! Very balanced. I was given one of these for free in immaculate condition. As a 28 year old it is not what I'd chose and at first, I thought it was boring but after a couple of thousand miles, I got a real appreciation for it, and now I'm very fond of it! It's just so easy to drive, you know it's going to start, you can fit five people and their stuff in and it just does the job! The one thing I'd disagree with, is the petrols aren't great. I have the 1.4 16v with 100BHP and it's a fantastic unit, although not the most reliable! Oil leaks, poor electrics, coil packs and piston rings are common issues! It's very quick though, and surprising economical on a long run. The ride is certainly a weak spot and the peddles and gearbox are a bit woolly. Only thing I think you missed is that it does tend to have a lot of body role in corners. As you said though, it's not a car to push.

[@smoothmicra]

Well you don't have to sell it to me, proud and pleased owner of an '05 Fabia Ambiente 1.2 for the past 14 years. I am that sensible man (no corduroy and tank top though). They are incredibly durable and reliable, even the shiny red paint on mine still looks showroom fresh.

[@seancooke4127]

Lovely little Fabia with nice alloys and a good colour. Loads of torque and I love the gearbox in them. My Sister in Law has owned a VRS Special Edition from new and it looks so good. Love all Skodas. I even thought the late 80s 130 LSE was cool with the vinyl roof.

[@frothe42]

I really like this! The side view reminds me of a C-class Mercedes-Benz estate (me being from the US). Typical VW parts bin dash with some unique features. And yes, some vehicle did allow rear headrests to go into seat cushions when folding rear seat back flat, but I have seen other vehicles where rear headrests flip rearward, so you don't have to remove them. For me, it isn't about horsepower but more about torque, and it seems this Fabia has it. And I love the colour! Another great review!

[@brendanhurley8780]

We had an '05 hatch comfort 3 cylinder petrol. Lovely little practical trouble free car, light on petrol too. Upgraded to '10 Octavia combi greenline 1.6 tdi. Again, no trouble, cheap to run and service and nice to drive.

[@stevenprice2894]

I done my driving test in one of these 13 years ago. Time sure flies by!

[@simonburleigh1872]

Matt, you mentioned about other cars having holes in the seat squab to put the headrest in, my 1989 Mercedes 230 estate has this. I had a Golf with the same 1.9 engine and it pulled well, economical just a bit gruff under acceleration. Loving the variety keep up the great videos.

[@robtt997]

Super practical car. Local kennels used to transport two greyhounds in the back with no problem.I don’t think they sell these in the UK anymore. Shame . Excellent review thank you

[@frglee]

I concur with everything you've said. Sensible, affordable and practical sums it up. I've had my 2004 Mark 1 Fabia 1.2HTP hatchback for 13 years now and I've been very impressed with it. It's a solid and well made car, galvanised so there's no rust, and has been pretty reliable and cheap to maintain and insure with good fuel economy. Comfortable and spacious enough for me at 6'5" too. According to the 'How many left' website they are indeed holding up very well despite their age, and just like the mechanically similar VW Polos they seem to be pretty indestructable. My local garage told me that mine is in better nick than many cars of other makes half it's age and is well worth keeping. Parts are available and affordable, especially those sourced from a scrappie! I'd recommend a Mk1 Fabia as a first car for a young driver, both from the point of economy and safety, in that they would be fairly unlikely to wrap it round a tree. Even for the average motorist without too much dosh, if you can find a decent one with service history, go for it. It's a canny choice.

[@DanielDobreff]

There was (and probably still is) a taxi in my hometown with the same engine which made more than 1000 000 km and was still ticking like a clock. Impressive little cars!

[@jonmaddison]

Great stuff. Have a somewhat modified hatchback one (1.4 petrol) as a rally car.. Apart from coil packs failing it’s been reliable. Suffers from condensation in the winter though, which also stops the electric windows working in the colder weather. They are fine again come spring. Nearly got a later model vRS estate as a company car many years ago.

[@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain]

Lunchtime Viewing sorted.

[@paulie-Gualtieri.]

I love Skodas definitely got that feeling you would get from older Volvos or Mercedes-Benz. You really should review the big daddy Skoda Superb MK2 Estate. The TDI 170 engine paired with the 6 speed DSG in L&K spec is absolutely perfect.

[@zebedep]

Nice video! I used to own a 1.2 2001 silver 'Comfort'-spec hatchback.... Surprising Skoda ;-)

[@stevenjones1972]

Hi Matt, great drive review on this Skoda Fabia Estate,good condition for the year, brilliant video.

[@benjaminlocksmith8932]

I had a 1.4 8v classic estate as my first car, it had one button, windy windows, no central locking and a tape deck. Paint was knackered too but I loved it dearly until the head gasket and tappets went.

[@johnf5817]

I bought my first TDi estate, a 52 plate Comfort as a three year old 115,000 mile ex reps car and kept it till over 240,000 miles, still running great but with an interior unfortunately trashed by puppies. It was a surprisingly good tow car for a small caravan, the 100bhp and low down torque making the job feel effortless. During the same period we bought another Fabia TDi Elegance estate for my partner and had no qualms about it having 160,000 miles when we bought it. Sold it on to a close friend when we eventually needed a bigger tow car. More recently I've had another 03 plate one for the last 18 months, a bargain at £300 due to bodywork abused by a self employed window cleaner but mechanically as strong as ever. Every one of them has returned a genuine 60mpg on daily commute and I would recommend them to anyone.

[@ethan_59]

Really enjoyed this video, especially as I'm looking for my first car and these are on my shortlist. Would be interesting if you did some more cars that younger people can afford to run

[@iainbruce3376]

We had the 1.4 elegance on an 02 plate, loaded with kit and unkillable. The 1.4 sounded great but needed more shove.

[@maxidyne]

Goulash trough, that made my day! Great review again Matt, enjoyed it very much.

[@888johnmac]

i had a 2006 1.4 TDi as daily for 4 years .. serviced it yearly & other than electric windows failing ( so common you might as well give them a look at during service ) no drama .. it's now my Lads 1st car & one of the few cars an 18 year old can insure for less than £1500

[@benevans3733]

Hi mate congratulations on getting to 43,800 subscribers and well done with all your hard work on the cars and videos as well

[@furiousdriving]

Thanks 👍

[@4wheelsgood]

Owned a 1.4tdi Estate Bohemia in 2009. Was great and did 70mpg easy. Had a huge boot for the size of car.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Drove a 2001 version of this with the same forbidden fuel engine last year. I was surprised how modern and spacious it felt for the time.

[@furiousdriving]

They are excellent cars arnt they

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@furiousdriving , most of them are No Budget prices these days (although perhaps not this one), so you can't really go wrong, I think!

[@timhancock6626]

We still run one, an 03 1.2 with 160,000 miles on it. It's a brilliant little car. We also have a Mk2 Fabia which I think is much better made, if a bit dumpy to look at. I call it our Mini Saab as the Mk2 windscreen reminds me of the old Saab 900. These cars are excellent as they can do everything you need of a car. If you want one you can chuck around a bit the 1.2 is a better bet than the nose heavy 1.9, though it is slower of course, but still fun.

[@TheLooseMechanic]

Foot note, It has rear brake discs! The drivers window regulator is now replaced, and operational, with one touch open and close for both electric windows!

[@petersimpson5859]

So nearly bought one very similar a few years back but it had been sold on my return to the car lot. Had to make do with an Alfa 147 jtd they had instead, which was remarkably reliable.

[@fhwolthuis]

Great video again, Matt! I recognise a lot of it, having owned a 2003 Octavia Estate in the same colour 😁 Very sensible car but eventually it was too sensible for me and I went back to an Alfa 147 ❤️

[@furiousdriving]

haha if you've ever had an Alfa you'll definitely be back for more after a short dose of sensible!

[@51StPi]

4:27 you missed out a neat feature my 6n Polo also had the rear seat squab hinges you can unhook them and remove so you can put something through the length of the cab. They did not do this on all VW products because I also had a 2001 Passat which was pop riveted in instead and it turned out easier to bring the kitchen home from Ikea in the Polo than the Passat.

[@Pmjs]

My OH had Škoda Estelle and 136 Rapid in the 90s.

[@kierencrichton4325]

Very well designed with one of the best engines possible. Rust is now starting to get to these

[@jamieflanagan7946]

Sold loads of these when I worked in a Skoda Dealers in South London including a 2.0 version and a Skoda kind of indiviual paint job one done in factory. Plum/Purply colored if I remember correctly? Some had phone holder pockets on the seats and storage bins under the front seats. Nice wee cars. 1.9tdi is the best engine for that car.

[@HOPTUPARENZI]

These export versions were nice , just look at Fabia junior - with 1,0 mpi and bumper without color... also radio was missing :D many of them drove in CZ / SK , every driving-school had one ;-)

[@Lewis_Treff97]

I had a 2005 fabia ambiente 1.9tdi pd100. Looked quite basic with its 14" wheel trims but was really nippy. Felt like a bit of a factory sleeper until I started fitting vrs body parts to it and 16" steel wheels and lowered with sports seats. Great car. Would love it back if I could or a nice tidy vrs

[@benevans3733]

Hope you are staying safe and well and hope you have had a good weekend

[@khew1]

Superb video as ever. Always liked the look.of these mk1's.

[@SparkyMAWy]

Work had a Octavia which ended up in the garage and we were given a 2003 53 plate 1.2 i3 petrol Fabia hatch which my boss filled to the brim with PCs and other computery stuff. I had to drive from Leeds to Manchester with it. I thought it would struggle with the M62. However, I was very wrong. It did it brilliantly and it's 3-pot engine sounded entertaining while doing it. That was a good car. That said that Octavia was also good, though the heated seats felt well... warm, but in a bad "I haven't, have I?!" kind of way.

[@mckokiner]

Thats a really nice one hard to find these days

[@Jack5HD]

Really good review, I’ve got the vRS model with the 130hp 1.9tdi engine. Brilliant cars and little goes wrong with them🙏

[@timgray3491]

Great little cars the Fabia we have had 4 your right about water leaks from rear doors, just sold my 1.6 TDI which had the 105 engine was a great performer and excellent on fuel. I wondered why the back seats had holes in great idea. I suppose if you want a sporty version choose the VRS

[@Stevenspielburger]

Brilliant cars. Sensible, economical, reliable, practical

[@Logicalx]

Whoever is fixing the regulators, be sure to drill out the rivets and replace with bolts. Makes life so easy when you have to change them again down the line.

[@xeinsgaming]

the reason the uk speedo goes up to 150, is so when going 70mph, the speedo & rev counter are symmetrical

[@colingill31]

Great vid. Fabia slightly better than I imagined . Had an A4 with 1.9 tdi engine which went well, unfortunately replaced it with a vw passat 1.6tdi _the one with the defeat device

[@32bitrant]

Bought myself a 56 Fabia Ambiente 1.2 Hatch with only 52,000 miles on the clock recently. Lovely car to drive, feels a bit like a go-kart at times!

[@Ribeirasacra]

For Škoda jokes look at the Seaside Garage channel. He is doing sterling work at disproving them. 16:13 MGA. Thank you for the review. It looks like another car to cross off my list to replace my 307SW.

[@mpersad]

Such practical and good value cars. No experience of the Fabia but a Yeti of my acquaintance was a really honest, reliable and useful vehicle. And what's not to love about a "Goulash trough"?

[@ash7990]

That feature with the head rest slotting in to the back seat base is something that some Rover 400 hatchbacks had as well.

[@riotagus]

I had one of those fantastic little Skodas Fabia Elegance very recently, it cost me just £ 450 and had a powerful 2. L I petrol engine [115 BHP]. It had everything you needed, from AC to heated seats, and back and front electric windows, and electric heated-sided mirrors. Not bad for a Twente-year-old car.

[@Chipchase780]

A neighbour of mine has a silver Fabia parked outside his house, ‘05 plate, and it looks new. I’ve walked past it and the paintwork and panels are flawless. How he’s kept it this way over 16 years in modern city driving conditions I’ll never know.

[@insidebyte8561]

I love mine, 2003 comfort 1.9 tdi @ 186k running a hybrid turbo 230bhp and 330lbft, but looks stock ;)

[@Jaxs2]

I think a fair car at a fair price , I suppose it could of been a little more exciting inside but on the whole not a bad car , great review Matt always nice to see takecare matey 👍

[@SuperReadee98]

The lack of cupholders really is the only thing that bugs me about the fabia interior however the passenger side seat adjustment thingymajig doubles as a bottle holder if you place is between the centre console and lever.

[@Faith_Fitness99]

I like these, rare quirky estates. This particular example is mint for the number of miles it has on the clock. Credit to its owner(s). It also has the red di engine which is no slouch!

[@electron0002]

I had a 2004 Fabia 1.2 cc 3 cylinder. Had it 6 years never let me down .very good car for the money

[@fredscratchet1355]

I bought one a few weeks ago with the 1.4tdi engine. As a pensioner I had to cut costs, it still cost £400+ to insure but only £35 to tax. It drives ok but seems very high geared, 2nd or 3rd gear is fine for town driving and mixed driving gives approximately 50mpg. It's free revving and you do have to wind it up a bit to get going but it will cruise at 60-70mph all day. Talking of cruise, yes it has cruise control 😁 for relaxed driving. It is relatively noisy inside compared to a lot of other cars but all in all I'm happy.

[@bonzobanana1]

I didn't have one myself but back then Skoda's were great s/hand purchases, reliable, cheap spares, high depreciation due to their poor reputation. You got a lot of car for your money. Nowadays Skoda new and s/hand prices aren't so competitive and reliability is getting closer to VW levels as are the price of spares and repairs. When you look at the reliabilityindex they are now out of the top ten but used to be quite high in it I think. I remember someone who had the 1.9l non turbo diesel hatchback version of this and it sounded like a tractor but seemed super reliable and solid. What Skoda was back then reminds me a bit of what Dacia is today. I'm not a fan of VW cars at all nowadays but if I was going to get a VW group car today it would definitely be a Skoda.

[@petertrinder3127]

Was thinking of replacing my Octavia estate with one of these next .

[@markonmotoring]

I had the good fortune to be able to test drive a MK1 Fabia VRS at launch. Drove very well indeed but felt very much function over style. In 2015 had a brand new MK3 Octavia Estate VRS with a lit of optional extras but wasn't happy about having to pay extra for a space saver wheel. Not the cheep car they once were and I expect again that non VRS version will be nice if not a tad dull. I think you would have to really want a VW to be willing to pay a premium to have one over a Skoda.

[@mikes747]

My mother in law has a 2001 1.4 petrol hatch with less than 50,000 on th clock. It's cracking little car that I steal at any opportunity! Nicest gearbox I've used in ages too!

[@stephenholland5930]

Like the rear soup stowage!

[@-sargntclashroyaleandmore-491]

I had a 2001 Fabia Elegance Hatchback... It was a lovely looking car in the rare Ocean Blue with a beige interior. But it had a underlying electrical problem which was a shame!

[@russcattell955i]

Down here in SW France I have the facelift 1.6 16v tdi combi elegance +, 2012. It has every feature except heated seats (we don't need them) sunroof (not available in France) & sat nav stereo, only 6% owners were daft enough to spec that €600 option when a accessory Garmin or Tom Tom can be had for €100 ish. Anyway, you are welcome to "furious drive test" my car when covid goes away. Apart from service & fair wear (fluids, filters, tyres, wiper blades & 2 bulbs) at 110k kilometres it is as it left the factory.

[@zzhughesd]

This Elegance is on an updated allow wheel size. Looks well. Not seen many larger rims. Kinda not what you do. But suits the Royal Blue. Very fetching. Still like looks Fabia MK1

[@Charstring]

Nice quick glimpse of an MGA going the other way about 16'13" in to the video.

[@gryfandjane]

Yeah, I had to go back and play/pause a few times to verify that it really was an MGA. Being an MG owner myself, such things catch the eye. ;-)

[@furiousdriving]

It was, looked lovely!

[@bcfairlie1]

Big fan of Skoda. I currently have a Citigo which is a truly rare car in New Zealand. Centuries ago I had a 1980 120l. It was a disaster. But I loved it anyway .

[@sonnysting2663]

What a beautiful and colorful brand logo on the steering wheel. Fortunately they didn't make it black... 😉

[@silvereith]

My favourite Skoda (Lada) joke of the 1980s. Have you heard about the exciting new 16 valve Skoda Rapid (Vapid?). 8 valves in the engine and 8 valves in the radio!!

[@morgman43]

I really love a tiny estate. A lady takes her dog for a walk near me and has an old Peugeot 207 estate (think they were called the SW) and I love the look of it. Just a shame they never do a VRS/GTi variant of these types of cars. If I needed more practicality though, I'd get myself a Cooper S variant of your MINI Clubman in a flash. The perfect family chariot.

[@furiousdriving]

Mrs Furious had a 2012 Clubman, it was a great looking car especially on steel wheels in winter

[@Grimwriggler]

Great review and car Matt. That 1.9TDI is virtually bullet proof with proper maintenance. I have a 2004 Leon now on 350k miles and the engine hasn't been touched

[@shand1967]

My brother- in- law bought a 1.4 MPi brand new in 2000. He kept it for 15 years and 200k miles and never really looked after it. However the car ran really well, if a bit tappety but the rusty bodywork meant it had to go. I don't think he ever washed the car and he lived in a rural area so no surprise that the body became a bit crusty. Brilliant little cars though.

[@KapitanPisoar1]

Felicia was just a facelifted Favorit. The really new Škoda made under VW out of VW parts was the Octavia...

[@AJC508]

... the goulash trough ... excellent. You may find that it's pronounced faaahbia, though. I had Octavia and Superb estates as company cars a while back. The Superb (gen 2) genuinely lived up to its name. A fantastic car and, I think, a very underrated engine (mine was supposed to be a 140 tdi dsg, but it was just a bit too fast - this was when VW would regularly deliver engines with 20 or 30 bhp over spec, and I will never complain about that). Excellent seats, a boot torch, curry hooks and an absolute cavern in the back. What a great car that was.

[@RWL2012]

The only Fabia I've been in was a Y-reg 1.4 MPi Comfort hatchback in 2016. It was a very cheap example so was scrapped later that year, and I've seen several other early examples (W/X/Y-reg) outlive it. Unfortunately since sometime in the last few years the V-reg press car V203TVV is now coming back as "vehicle details not found"... The very last Mk1 estates were 08 plate!

[@VDPEFi]

The suspension works far better on 15 inch wheels, we bought one simply for it's designed purpose, a practical and capacious little car, great little thing and it's so tough and endearing, it just feels like short of off roading it can do anything you ask of it. We have the 1.4tdi pd 80, easy 65 to the gallon and 30 quid tax. That platform lived under the Audi A1 of course too until very recently, an expensive little car.

[@peralmlund3649]

Hi, you had the same stooring place of the headrest on the MB S123...😉

[@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain]

On our third Fabia now, started with a 2005 Fabia vRS, then a mark 2 1.4tdi Estate and currently we have a mark 3 1.0mpi estate cannot fault them, practical family car and that 1.9tdi is bulletproof and easy to tune. My little vRS was pushing 170bhp with nothing more than a tuning box! Issues to watch for are sopping rear carpets, brake light switch failing is the glowplug later and make sure you really strong screenwash In winter as the pipes that squirt the screenwash pops off!

[@furiousdriving]

Your local Skoda dealer must love you!

[@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain]

@@furiousdriving I think our first Skoda dealer did, the latest Fabia came from a big dealer chain so not as great experiance with them. Planning on changing the Fabia soon but not so sure if we will replace with another fabia, the current ones have got quite expensive!

[@brianiswrong]

As said in the comments Back in the early 00's Skoda were doing what Dacia are today. Offering good, cheap motoring.

[@JohnnyPaton]

This is true but those Skodas, especially the diesel Octavias, were on another level from the current Dacias (which I do like). I remember once the reliability of the early 1.9TDis started to spread. Taxi firms started to ditch the 406s, Vectras Bs and Mondeos and started buying Octavias in bulk. Taxi sales are what really boosted Skoda’s reputation in the UK.

[@mikemidulster]

Definitely a good car, and as always, an excellent review! My Sister and her Hubby have both owned these and the Rapids, and never had any bother with them, except that like all VWs, you don't get the claimed mpg. However, after owning a Polo for a year and experiencing the flaws in the 'fly by wire' electrics, I wouldn't buy a VW or any of its derivatives.

[@phillscott5221]

The head rests in the back of the seat squabs thing. A MK1 focus has the same. However in the 5 years I've owned it, I'd never clicked that's what the holes were for! I feel a little silly!

[@kevinnye5132]

Yeah the Fabia was the one that made you look up and take note, nice car for bottom of the range but paying extra for the rear Soup trough was a bit of a waste of money 🤔, how many times would you be eating Soup on the go 😉, good vid Matt 👌🏻.

[@furiousdriving]

You'd be amazed how much use a good stew trough would get on days out

[@DavidJones-dq7iu]

Fantastic car. Love Skoda's my Octavia VRS is brilliant.

[@MrDan957]

I had one of these and it actually saved my life as a Lorry drove into the side of me and wrote it off 😢

[@steelcity791]

I've just inherited my dads MK1. Fabia, as he's had to give up driving , he's had it 15 years . 10000 miles , had one new clutch . Gearbox still tight . Body work tatty as it's spent all its life outside . Gone through every mot with minimal adviseries. Still nippy and keeps up v with traffic on motorway . Cracking little cars . So impressed with it I've bought a 2015 model.

[@steelcity791]

That's meant to read 100000 miles by the way 😁

[@simonhodgetts6530]

I’ve owned a car that had the rear headrest stowage in the folded seat swab feature. Unfortunately I can’t remember which one. It could either be a Peugeot 307, an Audi A4 avant (favourite - maybe it’s a VAG feature), Audi A6 avant (same as the A4), a SAAB 9-3 hatch, a C Class estate, or an Alfa 145 - but you own the last 2, so you would already know the answer! 🤣😂

[@staticaudio6961]

I had the Fabia vrs for 7 years. Wonderful car in many ways. This estate one looks like it’s on stilts though, so high up!

[@benholroyd5221]

It was ahead of its time. That's known as an SUV these days.

[@fatbelly27]

I had a Y reg (2000 model) of one of these. Bl00dy good car. Galvanised body, bulletproof engine. Enormous boot. Power and economy. I sold it eventually when it got some electrical gremlins but regretted it

[@jt-bg6ey]

I had a fabia vrs very nice motor it came to unfortunate end when a bin lorry rolled down the road and sideswiped it