Faults:

The plastic straps thatraise the parcel shelf when the rear hatch is opened, break frequently!

The plastic shield over the rear hatch sill comes off.

An unidentifiable intermittent electrical fault, causing a rare stall, led to the dealer replacing the wiring loom under warranty.

General Comments:

This Felicia Estate has been an extraordinarily reliable car. Run from new 10 years ago, the only potentially serious fault was 'just one of those things' - the electrical issue mentioned above. The only recurrent faults are the plastic things!

It is not particularly pretty (though distinctive) and lacks one or two refinements, but reasonably economical (39-40mpg on longer runs, laden), very practical - the Estate (Combi) is a good workhorse, surprisingly fast if given a good run-up (unsubstantiated rumours that it has reached the ton), mid-range acceleration quite good and it doesn't seem to mind hard revving if you have to move on in a hurry.

There is not a smear of rust on the bodywork except where scratched, and it's been quite resistant to that. Less road noise than the other 'arf's new Fabia.

Faults:

Gearbox - Blocked in the 5th gear, still able to get back home, changed the ball-bearing of the 5th gear (around 30e) and everything back to normal (at 60.000km).

Alternator - 78.000km.

Various mechanical parts - very bad roads (I'm from Romania)

General Comments:

Sturdy, decent looking car, had some problems but never left me on the side of the road. Very low prices at spare parts (as low as locally made cars) and fully available on demand at almost every small (garage type) spare parts shop here in Romania. Low ground clearance, must be carefull on bad roads. Not for showing off, doesn't like too much reving. Good car, I trust it, don't know how many 8year old cars can be like her.

Faults:

Nothing so far.

General Comments:

This car is more than I expected. Not a fancy racer, but a very comfortable, reliable and economic car.

It is very pleasant to drive and easy to park, thanks to power steering.

Five speed manual transmission is a mix of German and French style; very precise, but still very smooth.

The 1.9 diesel engine has VW origin and it is the SDI type. Fuel consumption is 5 to 7 l/100 km. Firmness is very good. Acceleration is satisfactory for a classic diesel engine and with a little skill you can see lot of BIG names in your mirror. Excellent value for the money.

ABS brakes deficiency divide this car from perfect in its class.

Maintenance - use good oil and do not spare with filters and this diesel will be your faithful servant for a long time.

Faults:

Rear wiper (fixed under warranty}

Door lock driver (fixed by self with old coin)

Thermostat (fixed by self bought from web)

New exhaust (dealer)

General Comments:

Good for a basic car, the body is wearing well and good paint finish. well made compared to Ford.

Poor economy for the engine, probably due to cat.

Etc.

Cheap to tax and insure. easy to park with power steering and easy to mend.

Faults:

Some minor faults:

Right front door lock jammed (someone else shared this experience?). Central locking still operates though.

Extra brake light dropped off.

Front brake pads replaced.

Block heater does not work.

Front left ball-and-socket (or whatever it is in English) replaced. Right next to front left tyre anyway. It was a bit loose and worn out.

Engine running cold at this moment, way below 70 C, I have to replace the thermostat (I think).

No major problems so far. I've driven the car from 66000 to 85000 now.

General Comments:

The car is much more roomy than other cars this size. A good car to travel. If you have good tyres, nice to drive on the highway, feels like a medium-sized car.

Not enough air comes to the windows in the winter, and the winter is rough in Finland, so you have to drive "blindfolded" the first 10 minutes if the car is running cold.

The seats are a bit short and hard, but you'll get used to it pretty soon.

In general, the car and the engine seem to run very steadily and smoothly. It is very likely that my next car will be Octavia.