Faults:

Brakes and suspension parts at MOT time, can be put down to wear and tear.

Interior cheap plastics did not stand up very well to everyday use.

Coolant leaks, repaired cheaply and easily by local mechanic.

There was more but nothing disastrous, the car was reliable enough if you look after it and service it on time, oil and belt changes are a must, as for any car.

General Comments:

A first car for myself, handed down to me by the Grandparents. Never look a gift-horse in the mouth as they say. I hated it to begin with, but the car's charm grew on me over the years. Friends laughed at me, but they drove similar dull hatchback cars so I did not care.

My Grandparents had this from new and said it never had any issue. This was the car they replaced their old Skoda Favorit with, as they had similar reliability out of that. As mentioned above in the faults section, only wear and tear expected of it as the age and miles rose. The Felicia was regarded as a reliable car, so it has that going for it.

Very dull to look at, I believe this was the first Skoda that had the Volkswagen influence and it shows. They tried to jazz it up a bit, but a small hatchback is never going to be anything special, the interior was a dull place to be, LX spec was pretty basic.

The 1.3 petrol engine was as expected very slow. It did manage well over 40 miles per gallon on a good day however. It is hard to say anymore about this car, I suppose if you want reliable basic transport it is worth a look, perhaps go for a more modern version of course, I sold mine back in 2010, was still going strong, which was good for a 13 year old car approaching 100,000 miles. Doubt it is still around, but who knows.

Faults:

New front offside shock absorber for last M.O.T.

Otherwise only consumables - tyres, exhaust etc.

General Comments:

I bought this car in September 2006 for the princely sum of 320 pounds. It had a years M.O.T. and 3 months left on the road tax.

It was bought as a second car mainly for use back and forward to work, so something "cheap and cheerful" was the order of the day.

This Felicia is a diamond silver 1.6 GLXi with alloy wheels. I don't know if the alloys came as original equipment on this model or if they were an optional extra. In any case they look good.

In the cabin there is a stereo radio / cassette and a front drivers airbag. The seats are finished in a patterned velour type cloth which blends well with the rest of the interior. The glove compartment is easy to open and of an adequate size. There are cup holders both front and rear and ample storage areas at the foot of the doors. The car does not have power steering, which is a pity.

I seldom drive this car fast, tending to drive it with economy more in mind. I have however seen indicated speeds of 95 m.p.h. on one or two occasions. The 1.6 engine does allow for reasonably brisk acceleration through the gears as well. It is a very economical car and regularly returns 40 m.p.g. if driven steadily. I think this is excellent for a ten year old 1600 with nearly 100,000 miles on the clock.

I am now in my fourteenth month of ownership and have covered approx. 10,000 miles in that time. Never once has the car let me down. It went through its M.O.T. last month for less than 200 pounds, and a new shock absorber and a ball joint for the suspension were the only parts required.

Considering the purchase price for the Felicia, the fact that it has never let me down, how economical it is and the minimal running costs, I doubt if I have owned a car that represented better value for money.