Faults:

The car had a tendency to overheat, but it just kept on going. There was a slight leak in the coolant pipe - just kept it topped up. The engines have a reputation for head gasket failures, but both ours were OK.

General Comments:

For some reason I was really comfy in it. I drove Milan - Lincoln in one go, no worries, and up and down the ski resort roads in the winter no problem. My wife and I owned 2 examples, it was a cheap runabout and massive inside. Dealers are unbelievably friendly. All in all, a good thing.

Faults:

Both stalk switches (indicator & wiper) needed replacing.

Centre exhaust replaced (normal wear)

Sticky front caliper.

Leaking rear wheel cylinder.

All what I would consider acceptable wear and tear faults.

General Comments:

A roomy estate car, boot-wise.

Comfort and handling are average, but it IS after all, a Skoda.

Not fast, by a long shot. The Skoda is the tortoise, plodding along until it passes the fast hare (on the hard shoulder) to get there in the end. Perfectly capable of sustaining road-legal speeds however, even fully laden with a camping trailer.

This car has been abused since I got it. I never intended to keep it, therefore it has had no servicing whatsoever. But I ended up keeping it, even after such abuse, it just won't stop plodding on.

Not as much fun to drive however, as the older rear-drive Skodas.

Faults:

Head gasket replaced day I collected the car, otherwise small things like bulbs loose door trims.

General Comments:

Having only paid 1500 pounds I have a low mileage 5 door hatchback in nearly new condition which drives surprisingly well. The bodywork is immaculate for an 8 year old car with no signs of rust at all.

Faults:

In 1999 there was an overheating problem that was promptly rectified by the dealer under their second-hand warranty.

In 2001, I had to replace (1) the electric fan motor (2) the thermostat. I consider these faults to be relatively trivial, and this is a testament to the build quality of the engine and components.

General Comments:

This car is economical to run, at over 40 miles per gallon.

It has also been cheap to repair.

Routine servicing is straightforward since the car has a pushrod engine which still seems to be familiar to mechanics. The last service cost me only £70 for parts, lubricants and labour.

The cabin is roomy, but luggage space is restricted because it's a hatchback.

Faults:

Rear dampers replaced at 95,000 miles.

Rear wash-wipe doesn't spray water.

General Comments:

Bodywork is astonishingly immaculate for a 7 year old car that has done near 100,000 miles!

Interior has worn very well, no signs of carpet or seat fabric wear, dashboard and fitments need occasional tightening up but build is much better than folklore suggests!

Handling is better that one would imagine, seems to grip well round corners and in the wet which is quite surprising.

Steering is also quite precise but bangs and knocks a bit, which I'm told is normal.

Heater gets warm quickly and adjustment is good.

Faults:

The Thermostat had to be replaced for £6.50.

General Comments:

I bought the car for £50 at auction and will shortly be selling it for a few hundred. Once sold I will head back to the auction and pick another up for £50 to £100.

As the car averages 40 miles to the gallon, requires only basic maintenance and is 100% reliable. What more do you want from a car. If you need performance, make sure it is an injected model and say goodbye to any other car with a 1.3/1.4 engine.

To improve the handling make sure you put a good make of tyre on the front and the fun factor goes up greatly.

Always buy one with a black interior as they are screwed together far better.

Only horror is the support in the seats.