2000 Skoda Fabia Classic review from UK and Ireland

Problems driving when cold – the engine struggles to tick over, and loss of power is so drastic that the car is virtually undrivable. Within a few spluttery minutes, however, everything is back to normal! I thought my local garage had fixed this, until the problem returned a few days ago.

Rattling engine is apparently not serious and due to a camchain tensioner that needs replacing. I am currently waiting for a replacement part to arrive from Germany so this can be fixed.

Slow coolant loss, needs topping up every few weeks or so.

Temperature gauge is erratic – it never seems to move off cold, although if you switch the engine off and then re-start it, the needle tends to be either ¼ or ½ way along.

Rear windscreen washer has stopped working.

Petrol cap won’t shut properly.

Headlights dim slightly when maneuvering at low speed.

Front and rear Skoda badges have fallen off!

Despite the above problems, I am delighted with my little blue Skoda. I bought the Fabia for less than half its market value through the motor trade - a little bit rough around the edges, in need of a (very) good clean and a service, but a bargain nonetheless.

Overall I think it’s a good-looking, highly amicable little supermini.

Considering the car is almost 9 years old and has done over 80,000 miles, I’m impressed with how solid it still feels. The VW build quality really comes through. Some may dislike the vast areas of plastic on the dash, but I rather like the clean, functional and modern look it has.

The Fabia feels composed and well-balanced on the road, as long as you drive it carefully. The steering is well-weighted too. The seat and the steering wheel are both adjustable and despite being 6ft 4 I quickly found a totally comfortable driving position.

Once it gets over its (frankly quite annoying) cold starting problem, it drives pretty much perfectly. You have to rev the little 1.4 MPI engine to get any kind of performance out of it, but the car seems to take everything you throw at it in its stride. Despite having a non-existent service history between 20,000 and 80,000 miles, the engine still seems to purr along (and rattles a bit) perfectly happily.

My car is the basic Classic trim with winder windows, no central locking and no sunroof. Surprisingly, I do have air conditioning. Apparently this is unusual for this trim level.

The only thing I would say is that the fuel economy is slightly disappointing – I usually get around 40mpg on a long run. I know this is by no means bad. But considering it is not a very powerful car, I was hoping for a bit more economy from such a small and fairly modern engine.

Overall I would say it’s an honest, inexpensive supermini that feels composed on the road, well put-together and easy to drive. It's also not expensive to run, so far. I would imagine it would make an excellent learner or first car.