Faults:

A terrible rattle in the gear stick. Not so bad when I got it, but TERRIBLE when I sold it. Couldn't get parts for it. Terrible service.

The thermostat stopped working around 93000km. Because of bad services, I didn't ever get a new one. Waited 3 months for it!

The suspension failed around 92000km.

General Comments:

Otherwise a great car! Extremely cheap to buy, but I am sad to say, that it is less economical than my father's Chevy Astro 4.3 auto! Don't know why.. maybe because you have to floor it ALL the time, just to keep up.

The comfort? The seats are heavenly! But there is a lack of power steering. My father's Chevy beats my former car in handling! And the noise. You just have to live with it!

But in the big picture, this is a great car, if you get a new job and NEED a cheap car that can get you from A to B for some weeks. Until you find a new one. It's cheaper than a 1/4 of a paycheck, and it drives and drives and drives.. But yeah, a car with the same mileage as a big Chevy has to work! You have to get something for ALL that petrol!

Faults:

-Burns oil, about one liter every 1000 km

-Catalytic converter was changed

-Exhaust rusted

-Rust under rear window

-Clutch needs to be changed

-RPM gauge doesn't work anymore

-Thermostat was changed.

General Comments:

This is my first car and I must say it is reliable and good ride.

The 1.3 engine from Skoda does 50 KW or 68 HP, but it is slow and it doesn't like hills. Also very bad acceleration when overtaking other cars. It is noisy, sounds like an old diesel. But it does good power at low revs and doesn't drink too much fuel if you don't push it too much (6l/100km).

The transmission OK only the R gear makes strange sounds (put it in first gear before you put it in R if you want to skip the sound =) )

Car has a lot of under-steer and it is not good for fast driving. Brakes are good even on wet roads.

This is my first car and first Skoda...I won't buy any other 1.3 Skoda in the future, but I would like to drive 1.6 Felicia which is more powerful and more fun.

Faults:

Alternator broke a week after I bought the car.

The car refused to start, so the entire ignition system needed to be replaced 2 weeks after.

The steering system was loose and was replaced.

The gearbox was leaking, so the problem was fixed and the oil was changed.

Air conditioning was loosing gas, and needed to be fixed.

2 timing belts broke because of bad alignment of the pulleys.

In the last rain the car just stopped working and didn't start for 2 days. I've been told that is common problem of Skoda, but it's not so comforting when you go out with a car and come back home with 20 liters of water in your clothes.

The clutch cable broke at 143000 km. The clutch itself broke at 144000 km.

The water from the cooling system is disappearing, and nobody can figure how, as long as there is no leak. 1 liter of water per week seems to solve the problem.

Brake pads and the timing chain are making strange noises, but I'm already broke so they will have to wait.

General Comments:

In spite of the problems I had with it, I really like this car and I wouldn't change it for a Japanese or Korean car (these cars are the most popular in Israel). My mechanic said that it's just bad coincidence that everything broke at the same time, and most of the Felicias are not like that.

The service prices are reasonable for Israel, and I was lucky to find a garage that has also second-hand parts. Still, I invested more than 1000$ in repairs since I bought the car (5 months).

The engine is noisy, but this is one of the reasons I chose to buy Skoda. Silent cars with no personality that are looking all alike, they are just not my type.

No problems since now with the electrical system, which works perfectly even after 10 years of use. (few bulbs replaced, nothing more).

The car is quite comfortable, the handling is good even at high speeds, and it offers a lot of space for passengers and luggage.

I agree that 1.3 engine is not powerful enough for this car, and not even as economic as one would think (9l/100km). I tested also a 1.9 diesel Felicia and it's much better.