Car help

On Tuesday evening Julie had a crash in our beloved Skoda Fabia, she has been driving for over 20 years and this is her first accident so not too bad.
We had the insurance assesor come round to look at the car and he said most propebly a write off as the car is 8 years old which makes the value only between £2400 and £2700. The car is in very very good condition with no marks on it with only 30,000 miles on the clock. Serviced every 12 months without fail, so not happy how much money i will get back.
The damage to the car doesn’t look too bad but it’s the cost of parts and fitting that’s the problem. Need a new bonnet, wing, headlight, bumber, front spoiler, fog lights, grill and inner wing.

Anyway we are now looking for a new car. We want recomendations from people who own or have owned a Fabia sized car which is a small family hatchback.
We are considering the New Ford Fiesta, Toyota Yaris, Vauxhall Corsa and the new VW Polo.

Pity about the inner wing because all the rest is an easy fix and at 8 years old, there are plenty of Fabiasin the breakers yards. Always sad to see a sound, well looked after car go for scrap when there is years of life left in it.

You could source/price the parts from the breakers and get quotes from local bodyshops but I’d guess the spraying would probably cost that out.

Are you looking for a new or “pre owned” car?

I’ve just bought a brand new Hyundai I30 Estate and its excellent. The I20 or I30 coupe will be the size you want and you can get a lot of car for your money…a very reliable car! :smiley:

As for the Skoda…Once you get ya pay out, buy it back off the insurance company and replace the parts with second hand parts and sell it on. :smiley:

and if you dont want to buy it back off them, let me know how much they value it at

For me to buy the parts and gewt them sprayed and then i fit them will still cost £1700.

Don’t buy a corsa. Not only will you join the chav massive but they really are a load of rubbish. All the surveys, such as the J D Power survey, state that they are the worst one for breakdowns and first MOT test failures.:crazy:

I’d go for the toyota, no question!:smiley:

I loved my Golf and that was a mark IV, I believe that the newer ones are even better

Only car that could do for a man of your high social standing…a Ford Escort - defo the Ghia one :wink: - might know of one going cheap too.:smiley:

We have now been officially told the car is a write off so going to look at a new Fiat Grande Punto Evo this morning. Has anyone got one or has any feedback of them i would be greatfull to hear from you.

Yeah, don’t buy a Fiat. A work colleague had one, and at 56K the gearbox failed and took the engine with it.

My cousin also had one and it fell to pieces.

DO NOT BUY A FIAT! You will regret it.

Got to agree with Kevsta mate - steer well clear from Fiat product as a whole - was fleet sales mamager for a large Fiat dealer and they are good value for money as a new car but they VERY quickly start going wrong in a big and regular way !

From your choices above I would go with the new model Fiesta - Mother in law has just bought a titanium TDCi and the car is quite simply very impressive and well built .

New model Polo is still massively overpriced and commanding near to list money for a late used one - old model ones are a safe bet but overpriced for what you get .

Jools is on to a winner with her Hyundai as they are now 7 year warranties and bloody good little cars these days - not a " premium " build quality but you do get what you pay for these days - Might be worth looking at the new Kia Ceed which is a pretty looking car and again haas 7 year warranty .

You could always also look at the new model Fabia - far more modern than the old model :wink:

Need any advice on values just drop me a PM

Cheers , Simon

Test drove the 1.4 8v sport Evo Punto grande and we have mixed feelings. It was well underpowered so need 16v or more cc. The interior looked and felt nice but the cabin felt cramped and the seating position was perfect. The boot was nice and deep and we got both our suitcases in and out ok. The ride was lovely and very smooth only bumpy roads and cornering, the steering was light and especially for parking which was nice but i prefer something you can feel working. Plenty of room for the passengers in the rear and the car looks great.
But we have decided not to go for it even though he could let us have one for £10,800 which is £2000 off thre list price.
When we got back into our car it felt more space in the cabin and the gear change was nicer and that is a car which is 8 years old.
This afternoon we are going to our Skoda dealer to have a look at the new Fabia.

We just got back and ordered our new car. We have bought a Skoda Fabia 1.2 TSI 85 SE 5dr in White. Should get a phone call on tuesday when they know it will be made.
On the road price £11,375 and got a discount and payed £9,800 so not bad.

Nice one m8. They’re nice cars and will run for years with no issues.

They rated quite highly in the Power Drive mag the other month…although number one was the Hyundai I30! :smiley: