1996 Skoda Felicia LXi from UK and Ireland - Comments

Absolutely nothing mechanical, only repairing stone chips and repainting a rusty front spring holder.

Oh - a rear interior door handle broken off and replaced under warranty.

It's a little noisy under pressure, but totally dependable. Heavy-ish steering at parking speeds, not as enjoyable around corners as an Estelle, but, hey, at this price and my average 18p/mile running costs (inc. insurance etc) who cares?

I agree, it's an efficient and economic vehicle to maintain. I took a 8 hour distance trip round trip with 4 gallons of gasoline!!! Isn't that amazing? If you don't believe me, buy one and you'll see.

I replaced my L reg 1.3LXi plus Favorit with an S reg 1.3 LXi Felicia. I really liked the sweeping lines of the exterior/interior although I did prefer the total black look of the Favorit. The dashboard is nice and clean looking with easy to read dials. Seats are comfy and support is good.

My version is without power steering and I find it a lot heavier in steering than the Favorit.

Power is also lacking in this version, my Favorit had excellent power and would set of in second and run at 25mph in 5th with no problems (not recommended). The Felicia really does struggle with acceleration and motorway driving is hard if you lose power, it is sluggish to get back up to speed.

This car is also a very thirsty beast and needs topping up regular.

Had no problems in the two years I have had it, saying that I had no problems with my Favorit. Only niggle is the dreaded rust that seems to be creeping in by the headlights and the wheel-arches. I'm the second owner and the previous owner was an aging gentlemen who kept the car garaged. It only had 15.000 miles when I bought it (just done 23.000 now) and was surprised to see the rust appearing (the dealer had told me that the body was galvanised). Keep an eye and deal with it before it spreads, especially the rear boot as the design is the same as the Favorit and the rubber seal is prone to leak.

Overall a good second family car with lots of room, just don't expect performance because you ain't going to get it.