Faults:

The battery died, but I have a big stereo so that is to be expected.

The gearbox linkage failed, then the replacement unit started to stiffen after a couple of months. The dealership replaced it with no quibbling and the new one is fine.

General Comments:

I bought the car because I thought it would be a lot of car for the money, I have not been disapointed.

The interior is a bit tacky, motorway driving is quite noisy and the steering is quite heavy when parking.

But it is reasonably nippy, the handling is predictable and the load capacity is amazing.

This is my first car and the value for money and low insurance has been great.

So much so that I am buying one for my girlfriend as her first car.

Faults:

Leak in exhaust manifold. Repaired under warranty.

Rusted exhaust tailpipe. Replaced under warranty.

Leak in rear hatch. Problem solved by dealer (after a couple of visits) at no cost.

Thermostat replaced at 60,000 miles.

Front disks replaced at 60,000 miles.

General Comments:

This is car is excellent value for money and overall a pleasure to drive.

The ride is not up to the standard of my previous Xantia, but then it cost about half as much! Like other owners I have also heard the odd strange suspension knock and the steering is sometimes a little vague.

Reliability is second to none. The car has never been garaged, but it always starts without any fuss no matter what the weather is like.

Build quality is almost to VW standards. Under the bonnet is the best laid out engine compartment of any car I have owned.

Performance is OK if you stick to the speed limits. However up hills on country roads it seems to be able to keep up with some of the quickest on the road if you don't mind a lot of noise from the engine. Power steering would be a boon as parking without it is sometimes a little fraught.

The interior is drab and functional, but has a certain charm. I like the "art deco" dashboard and the glove box is the most usable I have seen in any car. The seats are surprisingly comfortable even on long journeys even though they look a little spartan.

Layout of controls, switches and instruments is excellent and the intermittent front wipe (once I discovered how to set it) is brilliant.

My car has been dealer serviced from new. The first three years were free and later services have been cheap. Service from the dealer is first class.

I had the Skoda removable towbar fitted from new. The car has no problems towing my trailer and the towbar is even better than the intermittent front wipe!

I would certainly buy another one.

Faults:

Leaking sunroof at 23000 miles.

Replacement gear linkage (squeaking) at 20000 miles.

Intermittently sticking central locking on one door at 22000 miles.

General Comments:

I still can't find a Skoda that is as fun to drive as an Estelle II, but the Felicia is as dependable as ever.

Its engine is very gutsy and pulls well from low revs, and I would never recommend the 1.3-engined models.

The addition of power steering transforms the face-lifted Felicia--my shoulder pains have now gone!

The cabin is very well appointed for a car of this class, with superb seats and good materials.

My only criticism is that it's still quite noisy at high speeds, and the rear wiper control is absolutely unfathomable.

Its load carrying capacity is incredible.

Faults:

Ignition barrel replaced under the 3 year warranty, but nothing else, touch wood!

General Comments:

Not fast, but average speed.

Great Volkswagen build quality.

Many extra Volkswagen features: eg remote boot release and many other shared Volkswagen bits and bobs.

This is almost as good as a Golf for virtually half the the price, in 1998 I paid £6,999 instead of £12,500 for the equivalent Golf 1.4.

Faults:

I have an odd starting problem, sometimes the car will not start but when left for 10 to 15 minutes it's fine?

General Comments:

Great build quality, but I have to agree with all the other reviews I've read that it dies up hills.

Also there's a complete lack of performance upgrades, the only exhaust I've managed to find is from Jetex and a chip upgrade from Superchip.

Faults:

Exhaust fell off when two days old.

Thermostat blew after three weeks.

General Comments:

Great car, awful company and dealers!

Skoda are quite happy to keep your car for seven weeks to rewire the towbar which they wired incorrectly in the first place. Whilst they have your car, they will be only too pleased to cause fairly extensive all round damage to it and deny all knowledge of it. Great company, eh?

Buy a cheap Felicia (still a very good value car, despite the attitude of its manufacturer and dealers), and get it serviced at a VW garage!