2000 Skoda Felicia GLXi estate 1.3 mpi from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Excellent first time car with a boot space hard to match

Faults:

Engine sensor went wrong.

Rear door bit sticky.

Speedometer cable snapped at 115 mph.

General Comments:

I bought a Skoda Felicia estate 1.3 mpi Glxi in September of 2005. 3000 Eur plus all repairs to bodywork done as well as throwing in a 3 month warranty on the car. its only 57,000 miles on the clock only two things have gone wrong with it engine sensor bust replaced by warranty and speedometer cable broke also replaced by warranty. it's a lot of car for the money loads of boot space airy cabin everything you need really. performance is very good 0-60 mph 9.2 seconds beat that and is has not been tinkered with in any way average 40mpg. all I can say is when I get a new car its definitely going to be an Octavia estate rs version hopefully.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 5th January, 2006

6th Jan 2006, 03:37

So your saying your 1.3 Skoda can beat a Citroen Saxo VTR, Xsara VTR 1.6i 16v 110 to 60 mph get in the real word mate.

8th Mar 2006, 07:45

I had one from '99. Brick solid and ultra Plain Jane reliable. But 115mph, never. Book figure is 106mph. The only way to get it to 115 would be to drop it off a cliff (the car is so solid it would damage the beach below).

14th May 2006, 15:31

The only thing I did to the car was stick an induction kit and exhaust on it, that is it for the moment until I get the 17" alloy's, but it is true I did do 115mph on the N25 here in Ireland and even at 105mph the rpm meter only Read's 4,500 and there is another 2000 rpm to go on my car, so there if you don't believe me get your Felicia and put the boot down.

12th Jul 2006, 23:34

>0-60 mph 9.2 seconds.

9.2 sec?? Get out of here :D.

28th Jul 2006, 09:37

There was something I left out in my comment before - I put a turbocharger on it, cost a few grand, but twas worth it. Also, it's brilliant for the handbrake turns

1st Aug 2006, 10:14

You spent a couple of grand turbocharging a felicia, and it still only manages 9.2 to 60mph!?!

Why would you bother, the turbo's worth more than the car is and if you can afford to run, maintain and insure something modified to that extent, you may as well have just traded the Skoda in for some thing much faster!

I get the distinct impression you were grasping at straws a bit when you added that last comment!

2nd Aug 2006, 06:01

Yeah man, me and me brother Kaleb have raced everyone in the town in our Skoda Felicia 1.3, what a cool car, not as heavy as people think, Kaleb can lift it up while I change the de-cat pipe every year for the MOT.

2000 Skoda Felicia GLXI 1.6MPI from Turkey

Summary:

Felicia is practical and economical.

Faults:

Spring on the clutch pedal broke. (It was replaced under warranty.)

Lock on the right-back door was jammed.

Thermostat was failed at 40 thousand kilometers approximately.

General Comments:

Although I faced some problems, Skoda Felicia is very practical spacious and economical. The performance of the engine is fantastic and its torque is great. But the ones who looks for more comfort and technology may buy Skoda Fabia.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 14th April, 2005

9th Sep 2009, 17:40

You can reach up some horses by remove the catalyzer. But you have to keep it and put it back before technical control... But more kW you can reach up by chip tuning. Just find some service center in your neighbourhood where they do it. But everything has the other side... That car is not built for that horse-power, so some parts will suffer...

2000 Skoda Felicia LXi 1.3 MPI from Hungary

Summary:

A basic, reliable, economical and likable car

Faults:

Hydraulic headlight adjustment mechanism failed at 20.000 km (the replacement mechanism has been working flawlessly since then).

Thermostat failed at 70.000 km, had to be replaced.

General Comments:

For the equivalent of about 8.500 euros, it would have been difficult to find a better new car in my opinion. It was by far the cheapest estate on the market.

For this price, the equipment list included central locking, immobiliser, 4 speakers, and some other goodies. However, "luxuries" such as air conditioning, power steering, air bags, or ABS were only available as extras.

It has been very reliable, and service is reasonably priced even at Skoda dealerships.

The cabin is fairly roomy, offering as much passenger space as many models in higher categories (possibly at the expense of safety - no official crash test results are available). The boot of the estate version is large enough even for long camping trips (447 liters).

The large windows and mirrors provide excellent visibility for the driver, which is an often overlooked aspect of active safety.

Most of the interior is made of low-cost plastic, but the overall design is pleasant. The controls (including the pedals) are ergonomic and easy to use.

I found the seats to be comfortable even on long journeys. The rear seats are split and can be folded forward, but can also be removed entirely, making it possible to carry a lot of stuff.

Performance is only adequate (acceleration of 14 sec. from 0 to 100 km/h), which can make overtaking an exciting experience, but there is sufficient power in most situations.

The gearbox is a little sticky when shifting down into second, but the five gears are well distributed, making the car suitable for city driving as well as motorway cruising.

The brakes - disks in front, drums in the back - are reliable and effective, but need a firm foot if you need to stop quickly.

Handling is accurate, with some body roll in tight corners.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 1st April, 2005

3rd Dec 2005, 12:43

I have a 2000 Classic, the run out model 1.3. It cost £6500 inc three years maintenance.) Brits are ripped off)

It has performed adequately with minor irritations, central locking needed a solenoid after three months, rear wiper motor after six months, all under warranty.

Door lock broken after 5.5 years.

It seems to be very well built, better than my Escort and repairs are easy to do.

The fuel injection has given no problems and it still has original battery.

Quite underrated for a budget car.

25th Jun 2009, 15:57

I bought a 1998 GLX 1.3 mpi 5 door, from a salvage site catD for 105 GBP.

It needed only a headlamp and front bumper, which I replaced for 25 GBP. I have run it trouble free for just over 3 years.

The only parts ever replaced were 2 drive shaft gaiters, rear exhaust section, and the original battery. It only failed an m.o.t. once due to the rear brake balancer needing a drop of wd40. I was a motor engineer before I retired and worked on all sorts of vehicles.

I must say in all fairness, I have never, ever owned such a cheap, reliable, dependable, car as the Felicia. It's so cheap to tax, insure, run, and fettle, it puts my sons 07 Mondeo costs to shame, 80 GBP per hour, for filling the washer bottle and checking the oil levels at the main dealer. I have now purchased another Felicia from the same salvage site.

It's a 2000 model estate with a damaged drivers door and a slight crease in the rear door. It flew through the M.O.T. with no advisories, such are these tough little troopers. It's a shame they have stopped making them now, it means I will have to make it last another 10 years.