BigAl024

Guys, looking for a wee bit of advice.

My mum has got a mobility car, and is due a renewal. The three cars that she has tied it down to are the three above:

Vauxhall Corsa 1.2 Petrol
Skoda Fabia 1.2 Petrol
VW Polo 1.2 Petrol

Anyone got any experience of these models? And can offer some advice?

Obviously I'm gonna go with her and drive all three, but just looking for other peoples views.

Cheers,
Al

deangtiuk

iTrader: (3)

VW or Skoda will probably look after you in the aftersales better than Vauxhall, Now the Polo as been out a while all problems have been Ironed out not a bad all round car try and go for the better 12 valve rather than the 6 valve, would recommend the Match as it comes with Alloys and CD or I pod connector, now has decent interior too. Let me know if you need more info,

Regards,
Dean

RJM25R

iTrader: (1)

I would recommend the Match 1.4 TDI 5 door, it's a 199 deposit but can eke out 60mpg around town!!!!

I'm a motability specialist at VW so if you need any further info. . . .

deangtiuk

iTrader: (3)

RJM25R What Dealership? TDI good choice.

Ninnybobs

Skoda every time

RJM25R

iTrader: (1)

Skoda is basically Polo mechanicals but built to a cheaper price in a factory in Czech Republic.

Why would you want an inferior produced car?

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

Vauxhall will probably look after you better than vw tbh, just because vw is classed as a "prestige" marque doesnt mean they look after you very well!
Plus the corsa made car of the year 2008 so there is a plus side to it

Tony

logiclee

As Skoda's are usually more relaible than the VW models and the Fact that Skoda dealers are far better than VW dealers I would say the VW is the inferior product.

Wife's on her third Fabia, we haven't had any major issues and the dealers are excellent.
Probably why the Fabia sits near the top of every satisfacion survey.

Cheers
Lee

corradoboy

I had an old Corsa to teach in and hated every loathsome mile. When I switched to my Fabia vRS the difference was astounding, how two cars from the same class, albeit the Corsa at the very bottom and the Skoda the top, could be so far apart in every respect. Performance (obviously), handling, driving feel, comfort, build quality, ride, everything was leagues better. When I booked my Fab in for some insurance repairs they lent me a 'new' Corsa and I could not believe it was as bad, if not worse than the previous one. With just 18 miles on the clock it had clutch slip and judder, the steering felt like it wasn't connected to the wheels, at all, the performance was dire and the ride detached and woolen. Having driven Astra's and Vectra's in recent years too I cannot for the life of me understand why anybody buys a Vauxhaul with their own money

As to your decision, I believe I am right in saying that in recent years when VW has developed a new chassis platform, it goes in the Skoda first (new Fabia last year), then Seat (new Ibiza this year) and lastly the VW (new Polo due next year I think). As all the parts are off the shelf VAG then they are all pretty much equal on reliability, and with ECP, GSF and Andrew Page's you can be assured that any parts required not covered by warranty will be cheap.
Skoda dealers have always been a joy to deal with too. Helpful, friendly and accommodating with a 'never too much trouble' attitude. I haven't dealt with VW dealers for several years since selling my Corrado, but they were never anywhere near. I only had one interaction with a Vauxhaul dealer in the short time I had it but they seemed OK.
As it's not your money, I'd test the VW and Skoda, along with your Mum, but IMHO the Vauxhaul should be left to rot away in a dark corner of the world, away from anyone who considers driving a car a positive experience in any way, shape or form.

RJM25R

iTrader: (1)

I'm biased because I work for VW, and I have had experience of hundreds of customers in the 4 years I've been here.

A lot of Skoda customers are not happy when their car has lost half it's value after 18mths-2 years, and a lot of motability customers want to upgrade from Skoda because of the "cache" of the badge.

When it's retail, most Skoda customers stick with the brand because only Skoda dealers will give them a half decent PX.

IMO Skoda are overpriced nowadays.

corradoboy

Funny, I bought my black Fabia vRS for £9200, used it for 8 months as a driving school car and PX'd it against an Octavia for the missuse for £9000. £200 depreciation I can stand. My current one which was also £9200 would probably realize £7500 after 2 years. Our Octy is still worth probably 90% of what we paid for it too. From new, all cars (except the odd new/rare/special/performance prospect-able car) lose around 30% in their first year, rising to 45-55% by year three usually, no matter what the marque.

BigAl024

Guys, thanks for all the good replies. Sorry its taken me so long to reply, as I've been away all weekend with work.

Looking at the three cars online, the Corsa certainly looks the nicer car, with the new Skoda, not very nice at all.

My mam has had 2 VW's previously and has had good service from the nearest VW dealer.

RJM25R - I think she's pretty much looking at nil deposit, and not using up all of her allowance, hence why she is looking at "lower spec" cars. IS the 1.4TDi the cheapest diesel option for a polo?

Thanks again for everyones help.

Al

lozgti

This is why we said we would never go back to VW.Very touchy about Skoda.

If we had driven to the garage in my (then) A4 quattro sport thing rather than the wife's Fabia the sales people would have been grovelly instead of rather condascending when VW is simply a mainstream car no better than Ford or Vauxhall.

I'd have a look at the new Fiesta

RJM25R

iTrader: (1)

That IS the cheapest diesel. . . .

You can get a basic 1.2 e petrol for under £40 a month (Zero deposit) but fuel economy isn't as good.

Make sure she drives the Corsa, because the vision is rubbish. . . . .

RJM25R

iTrader: (1)

TBH thats a miracle.

If you believe that you can guess what the value will be in 2 years down the line, can you tell me the lottery numbers for Saturday please, because it will take a similar clairvoyance!

BigAl024

The what car reviews online say pretty much the same. They still give the Corsa the best rating, but slate its view due to the a-pillars being HUGE!

Notice that The corsa 1.2 Engine manages to make about 20bhp more than both the VW, and the Skoda. (Admittedly they are all gutless!) Will have to see how they compare in mpg figures.

Thanks again for all the info, i'll see if we can take the 1.4 TDi for a drive as well.

corradoboy

Different strokes for different folks I guess. In my experience you are wrong, totally, but that's your prerogative. I'll leave you to it, but don't say you weren't warned when you come on here to moan 11 seconds after delivery [unsubscribing]

BigAl024

Yeah, its only my opinion, as it'll be my mum's decision. I'm just there to make sure she gets the best car if possible.

She's had a polo before, then a Golf, so is familiar with VW's, and they look Ok. But the new Fabia looks awful!

corradoboy

I admit, the new Fabia isn't a very nice design aesthetically. The old one was simple, purposeful and in vRS guise looked quite muscular and sturdy. The new one is twee and feminine, too tall and geeky looking IMHO. It does however have a very good chassis, much better than the old, and significantly better than any Corsa I've ever driven. As I said earlier, the Polo won't be getting this chassis until next year. It also benefits from being built from the VAG parts bin, so is slightly more reliable than many marques.

The Fiesta is a good suggestion, the new one is a nice looking car, but also look at the Mazda 3 as you may get more for your money and they're the same car. I'd also add to the short list the Suzuki Swift, a very good looking super-mini which is a hoot to drive. The ubiquitous Mini should maybe be on the list too, along with the ultra reliable, quite attractive but a little dull Toyota Yaris.

Phil

Bought my wife the VW 1.2 Petrol back in May got a cracking deal upgraded from a Ford Ka

The wife loves the build quality and that she actually gets called Mrs Stephens at the VW garage rather than "love" at the Ford one

Ringpeas

If you want reliability avoid VAG and Vauxhall. From my experiences, both cars spent more time in the dealers being "repaired" than being driven. Both dealers were hopeless too, but that doesn't mean they all are I guess.

I went back to Honda, after 5 years of owning 3 to 7 year old cars I have only had one failure - a radiator switch, which they fixed on my drive. Now that is service! They are more expensive to buy, but that is for a good reason.

Good luck whatever you get.

Devildog

Al,

Is the new Fiesta available on motability? Or the new honda Jazz?

Both are excellent little cars, and certainly preferable imo to a Polo.

BigAl024

Thanks for the replies guys, DeviDog - I'm not sure if the Jazz or New fiesta is available - I've yet to look through my mums paperwork. Will try find out.

Cheers

RJM25R

iTrader: (1)

No chance of a mini/fiesta with nil advance!

Dunno about Jazz though. . . .

BigAl024

She's going to VW on Friday to take the Polo out for a spin, so will see how that goes!