Faults:

CPU fault during the test drive which made the temp gauge read (falsely) into the red. That was repaired free of charge and was because the car had been standing in the dealership for 4 months.

Broken rear windscreen wiper pump (haven't got round to replacing it yet).

Occasionally a small panel will detach on the passenger door. Doesn't bother me, but I do get stick for it...

General Comments:

I wouldn't say the car is perfect, but well worth buying. It would be cheap to insure if I weren't a) 18 and b) had a no claims discount...

Fuel consumption; Around town at off peak time 35-40MPG, doing 60MPH on the motorway gives 50-55MPG while cruising at 70MPH gives 40MPG.

I have found the car reliable and enjoyable to drive. It crusises comfortably at 70 (3200 RPM in 5th gear) even though getting there may take a short while.

Fun, but not scary to drive fast, grips fairly well in the corners.

I have driven from London to Edinburgh in a single day and got out feeling ache-free and fairly cheery, so the car is suitable for that sort of journey. The previous owner used it mainly for motorway commuting and found it fine.

Problems?

It does feel a bit cheap, but these are in minor things such as the plastic of the interior. On the other hand, the pedals are all fine and responsive and feel well and truly connected to the car, the engine and the road.

I have found the local skoda dealership to be rather rude, unhelpful and patronising (yes, that is how to spell it:-)), but then they need not be involved.

Not much of a looker... VRS version is though.

Faults:

We had two Fabia's as company cars (one green & one blue for list of defects), and they were always going back to the dealership for warranty work - Skoda customer service was brilliant and could not be faulted, 100% customer service - which is EXACTLY the opposite of Peugeot UK.

We bought them as they were the first in the country and they fell into the cheap road tax price (£105 at the time), and they came with 3 years FREE servicing and 3 years warranty (both were for unlimited mileage in the three years).

General Comments:

The green car defects: Skoda boot lid badge fell off, radio knobs fell off, petrol cap release lever plastic broke off in car leaving sharp metal, gear lever selector jammed up and had to be freed up at the garage, wheel bearings failed - twice, dashboard lcd displays failed and had to be replaced.

The blue car defects: Wheel bearings went - twice (sounds familiar!), Radio knobs fell off (Hmmm!), dashboard lcd displays failed (another one!) and finally the head gasket went at 30000 miles.

Both cars if left out overnight the front brake discs would oxidise and rust would form by the morning - braking first thing in the morning could be quite scary until the brake pads cleared of the rust deposits - local garage informed me that all the range did that as they were cheap quality (but original Skoda parts).

As were kept both cars past the three year warranty period, we were able to pay for an expended warranty for another two years - During the extended two years the blue Fabia's head gasket went, damaging the top end of the engine - A wise move and no problems with the Skoda warranty as the car was repaired with no problems.