03-05-2014, 04:41 PM
Hi,
I'm still playing catch up but am winning at last. Our Toyota Aygo is three years old this August and due to be changed. The Dacia Duster appealed to me initially due to it's relatively low cost for a 4WD but I'm not encouraged by lack of numbers of these on the road?
Last year David kindly informed me of his intention to buy a Skoda Fabia which he now owns and I've been looking into skoda's since and am very impressed by the reviews and what I've seen. Bron also wasn't keen on a Duster but likes the look of the Skoda.
A couple of days ago Bron and I decided to visit our local Skoda dealership it being DM Keith. We were warmly greeted as we entered the showroom and the salesman asked if we had anything in particular in mind; sure we had; we wanted a Fabia Monte Carlo and it must be in Corrida red with a black roof. There was the exact car on display which we looked at then placed our order and deposit the new car being a Skoda Fabia Hatchback 1.2 TSI 105 Monte Carlo 5dr due early July. We think it looks gorgeous but possibly rather in the face for many Skoda owners who seem to like the more subdued colours? We could have possibly got an even better deal money wise on the web but we would rather prefer to spend a bit more with a known and trusted local dealership. The only extras we added were a proper spare wheel and the "Gap" insurance which now has to be offered by law and something we've never heard of previously. As time passes in fact as soon as we drive the new car away from the showroom it starts to depreciate and should we suffer an unfortunate accident the standard comprehensive insurance only pays up to the current value of the car at the time of the accident so this gap insurance bridges the gap between what the car will currently be worth and the price of an identical new car. This was a one off payment covering three years gap insurance.
The lady assistant who deals with the servicing details was on holiday so we will pop back to arrange three year servicing which is yet another bill but for a one off payment servicing will be covered whilst saving us quite a bit of money and giving us peace of mind.
The diesel Fabia would have been a waste of money for us because of our 7,000 miles per year and I won't be worried about a particulate filter blocking up either in fact I think it strange that a few years ago diesel was cheaper then petrol because the emissions were less of an environmental problem so now the environmental problem no longer exists because diesel costs quite a bit more than petrol these days? It could of course also be that so many people now run diesel cars?
It was a dreary wet miserable day whilst we were at the dealers but we accepted a test drive in a Monte Carlo of the same specification as ours. I'm out of touch these days with car specifications and this Fabia is the first ever turbo petrol engined car I've driven. Having driven our little pocket rocket Aygo which is very quick to respond I noticed a very slight lag as I pressed the accelerator; it was only slight but then the Fabia shifted a bit much to my delight. Bron was in the passenger seat the salesman in the rear; we drove home then back to give the Fabia a good try out and we were both very impressed by how well the Fabia rides and how well it is screwed together; it's also quieter than the Aygo. We didn't want a pre-registered car or one of the special deals we wanted the exact car we fancied and blow the cost so now we are looking forward to taking delivery.
In many ways we will be sad to lose the Aygo because in fairness both our Aygo's have been lovely cars with the exception of water pouring into the boot each time I opened the wet hatch.
Kind regards, Col.
I'm still playing catch up but am winning at last. Our Toyota Aygo is three years old this August and due to be changed. The Dacia Duster appealed to me initially due to it's relatively low cost for a 4WD but I'm not encouraged by lack of numbers of these on the road?
Last year David kindly informed me of his intention to buy a Skoda Fabia which he now owns and I've been looking into skoda's since and am very impressed by the reviews and what I've seen. Bron also wasn't keen on a Duster but likes the look of the Skoda.
A couple of days ago Bron and I decided to visit our local Skoda dealership it being DM Keith. We were warmly greeted as we entered the showroom and the salesman asked if we had anything in particular in mind; sure we had; we wanted a Fabia Monte Carlo and it must be in Corrida red with a black roof. There was the exact car on display which we looked at then placed our order and deposit the new car being a Skoda Fabia Hatchback 1.2 TSI 105 Monte Carlo 5dr due early July. We think it looks gorgeous but possibly rather in the face for many Skoda owners who seem to like the more subdued colours? We could have possibly got an even better deal money wise on the web but we would rather prefer to spend a bit more with a known and trusted local dealership. The only extras we added were a proper spare wheel and the "Gap" insurance which now has to be offered by law and something we've never heard of previously. As time passes in fact as soon as we drive the new car away from the showroom it starts to depreciate and should we suffer an unfortunate accident the standard comprehensive insurance only pays up to the current value of the car at the time of the accident so this gap insurance bridges the gap between what the car will currently be worth and the price of an identical new car. This was a one off payment covering three years gap insurance.
The lady assistant who deals with the servicing details was on holiday so we will pop back to arrange three year servicing which is yet another bill but for a one off payment servicing will be covered whilst saving us quite a bit of money and giving us peace of mind.
The diesel Fabia would have been a waste of money for us because of our 7,000 miles per year and I won't be worried about a particulate filter blocking up either in fact I think it strange that a few years ago diesel was cheaper then petrol because the emissions were less of an environmental problem so now the environmental problem no longer exists because diesel costs quite a bit more than petrol these days? It could of course also be that so many people now run diesel cars?
It was a dreary wet miserable day whilst we were at the dealers but we accepted a test drive in a Monte Carlo of the same specification as ours. I'm out of touch these days with car specifications and this Fabia is the first ever turbo petrol engined car I've driven. Having driven our little pocket rocket Aygo which is very quick to respond I noticed a very slight lag as I pressed the accelerator; it was only slight but then the Fabia shifted a bit much to my delight. Bron was in the passenger seat the salesman in the rear; we drove home then back to give the Fabia a good try out and we were both very impressed by how well the Fabia rides and how well it is screwed together; it's also quieter than the Aygo. We didn't want a pre-registered car or one of the special deals we wanted the exact car we fancied and blow the cost so now we are looking forward to taking delivery.
In many ways we will be sad to lose the Aygo because in fairness both our Aygo's have been lovely cars with the exception of water pouring into the boot each time I opened the wet hatch.
Kind regards, Col.
Happiness is a wreck of a cabinet to restore.
