June 2002

The fabulous Fabia is one of our favourite superminis, with a great combination of looks, comfort and quality making it the most desirable Skoda ever. The car was launched in 2000, so early examples are now past their second birthdays, but there's more choice than ever on the used market, with prices holding up - especially for the superb TDI diesels.
It might not have the kudos of a VW Polo, but as there's no longer anything to be embarrassed about with the Skoda brand, the Fabia makes a great and inexpensive choice for the canny buyer.
Fabia checklist
* Two years after its launch, the Skoda remains one of the most reliable superminis you can buy, with few problems reported.
* Thanks to low pricing, many SDI diesels have covered huge mileages as courier vehicles - we've seen them with more than 70,000 miles on the clock, so check the history carefully.
* Some owners have reported the steering pulling to one side. Inspect the wheels for kerbing and make sure the car goes and stops in a straight line.
* A few Fabias have squeaky seats, but no one seems to know how to cure this. Be sure you can live with it...
* Check the bodywork for parking dings or accident damage as the car's curvy doors are prone to scrapes.
Glass's view
Buyers now realise the VW build quality to be found in Skodas, and residual values for Fabias are strong, says trade bible Glass's Consumer Values. The VW link makes this an inexpensive way into quality car ownership. A solid buy and popular within the trade.
My Skoda fabia...
Charity worker Gareth Gault is a Skoda fan, and in the past has owned a variety of rear-engined cars from the firm's darker days.
"I loved the older motors," said the 32-year-old from Southend in Essex. "But the Fabia simply shows how far the company has come. The previous cars were flimsy and badly built, but the new ones are much better."
Gareth took delivery of his 1.9 TDI Comfort 15 months ago to replace a Daewoo Nexia - a vehicle that he had not been particularly impressed with. However the Skoda has been a lot better.

He said: "After 25,000 miles I haven't had a single problem. Despite lots of motorway trips and rush-hour crawls, the Fabia has been absolutely great. I've only had to replace the tyres.
"If I could change anything, I'd want a bit more feel to the steering and a better stereo system, but these are minor complaints. Considering its price, the Fabia is a truly excellent car and I would definitely buy another one."

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