Dai-Tec

Are you anywhere near Aylesbury mate? They have a great dealership there im told.

Fabioso

Well Clarkson can afford to buy £100k+ car and I cannot, so I guess that makes me poor . If you have a Scoob and you are saying I'm poor or a Farmer cos I have to drive a diesel then good for you, I hope it makes you feel good about yourself......... . As missyc has said some people have different priorities and don't have the ability (at the moment) to just throw money away. It has been said by alot of people here compared to some of the hatchbacks you could have for the money, the Fabia makes alot of sense when bearing in mind cost. No-one here is trying to say on drive alone the Fabia is a fabulous car, but for the drive, money and running costs, it is a stunning motor.

Ben WRX Bug-Eye

Fabioso...

Matt is making a fair point. Diesels are never going to be cool cars as the owners buy them because they need to compromise and save money on fuel - that's what Clarkson is saying. Also I don't have money to just throw away as you put it. I think the exhaust note of my car alone is worth 20mpg economy! I do 10,000 miles a year and think my car is fantastic value for money. With fairly affordable mods an Impreza will trouble a 911 upto 100mph - all for a fraction of the cost. So comparing modified Impreza's to standard Porsches is a bit like what your doing here with your modified vRS. All depends on your view point.

Like Matt I don't like diesels for a whole range of reasons. Sure they have tourque, but I don't like the way diesel engines delivery their power. Also to cope with the higher compression ratio's used in desiel engines they have to be heavier - petrols will always handle better. I understand why you bought the car, but not everybody is on a tight buget or does the mileage to justify the compromises. It is a good car for what it is - a great car infact - but not something many Impreza owners would consider as an alternative I am afraid.

Fabioso

Ben,

I got no problem with what you have said, but I do not like being labelled "poor" just because I drive a certain car! Just because my priorities are different through choice or situation, that does not make me "poor" ffs ('scuse my french ). I know exactly what you are saying and I have never said the Fabia is going to replace the Scoob but for what is, people should know its a great car.

logiclee

I think you woud be suprised.

You only have to do a search and the amount of Scooby owners swapping to VAG diesels is fairly high.

Briskoda also had a thread for ex scooby owners and it ran over 4 pages.

My diesel probably costs more to run than your scoob because I do three times as many miles. That means I pay more out on my car than you do.
Does that make you poor?

You say the Scoob is worth the cost but what if you had to do 30k miles a year, would you still keep the Scoob if it was costing you three times as much as it does now?

It's all a question of priorities, I may earn twice as much as you but I may decide the money is better spent on a bigger house or a £12k Home Cinema system and I may have done that already anyway.

One friend of mine is loaded but drives an old 306, another mate has loads of debt and a low income but he drives an M3 so has to live with his parents.
You can't always tell how well off people are with what they drive, most people are not into cars and would laugh at the idea of spending time on a motoring forum.

Cheers
Lee

AtomicBoom

I have been driving tuned dervs for years and I am now in the process of trading one in for a 2004 sti. Going back to Petrol is a hard decision at 20 mpg but after driving a petrol for the first time in approx 6 years I realise how boring dervs are. its all over by 3500 and time to change up. My nephew tried a diesel but he has got shut and bought a petrol civic sport as he says the same thing. I have the offer of a 05 plate Vectra 150 bhp diesel for £10000 but not for me anymore. Diesels have the low down pull and mpg factor but not the smile factor in my view now.

wide

No Im Cardiff, and the dealers around here didnt inspire me. Hence I didnt bother.
Mind you I do find it hard to get away from a scoob, like it has been said before, the exhaust note is worth 20mpg alone. And I only do about 9k a year

Moray

Keep paying the tax man every £8 in £10 you spend at the pumps

Simon S3

Wrong!

Try a 330d and you`ll not buy it over a 330i because it`ll do more mpg, you`ll buy it because it`s the better car.

mn_angrybeats

May be a better all rounder, but having had one for a week a year or so back, I hated the limited powerband and the engine noise...

The aint drivers cars, more fast mile munchers..IMO

misty

How do you make that out mate? Small power band! Sounds like a tractor from the outside, little difference in fuel economy if you try to get the same performance as the petrol.........................I've had both and I'd take my 330i every time over the 330d
dave

vindaloo

I've test driven a vRS and liked it. I didn't fling it about and stuff but I did some motorway, open road and urban driving.

I don't a have a problem with the power band. IMO it's a question of re-orientation. My P1 starts to live at 4K rpm, whilst A vRS needs another gear. It's a question of what you're used to hearing. The actual percentage of the rev range that is usable power is remarkably close IMO. Main issue I have with any diesel is how to move off smartly and not hold people up when joining main roads etc.

Fabia is...
- Quiet at speed.... Any speed really. Most noticable is tyre noise. You can talk quietly at 80+mph (the salesman told me ). Flip side is that opening the windows and shoeing it produces no aural goods what so ever.
- Relatively cheap to buy, insure and run. Insurance is an issue as I'm only two years into running two cars and need to get higher NCD. 50+mpg also sounds good to me.
- A large car in its class. I fit in it no problem and don't feel squashed.

The main issue with 'improving' the Fabia is the height, position and weight of the engine. It's a large, heavy lump between the front wheels and it's tall. On the flip side, it's also the car's best feature as it's so tunable.

When (if) I get one, I don't intend to mod. it other than a slight de-tango on the front. The 312mm brakes, SEAT intake pipes, exhaust and remap can wait until I have more NCD on the insurance and the car is run in.

J.

mattvortex

quite agree-but as i do only 6-7000 miles a year in the impreza, the running costs dont bother me.my mode of transport to work is much more economical than any tdi-my trusty push-bike!

Fabioso

Well I think the arguments for and against could run and run. I'm not trying to convert everyone to the merits of "going derv", it has its drawbacks and real petrolheads are gonna stay just that.

But......what it opened my eyes too was a form of driving that was fun and cheap, something I originally thought was nigh impossible. Enjoy whatever ever you drive..........

Simon S3

Obviously!...............otherwise you`d be in the 330d.............FFS!

I know it`s horses for courses, but my post related to some guy saying diesels were bought as a compromise, some people actually enjoy the lazy driving aspect of them more than their petrol counterparts.

logiclee

Interesting comments about the 330's.

Workmate had a 330Ci but traded it in recently for a 4 door.

He's not bothered about economy as he doesn't do many miles. He hadn't even considered a 330D unitl the salesman talked him into a testdrive.

He now owns a 330D and says it's a better drive than his 330 petrol.

Both his 330's petrol and diesel have been auto's where the narrower power band doesn't matter as much but the stronger midrange does.
Maybe a factor in which one you chose with which gearbox.

Cheers
Lee

Ben WRX Bug-Eye

Some guy... suppose that is me Simon. Diesels are compromises. You'd have an M3 if you didn't want to compromise. Glad to hear you enjoy the 'lazy' drive - got an auto box too I suppose.

Simon S3

Yes Ben, it was you, I guess.

Nope, if I could afford an M3 I`d probably have one, I was comparing a 330i with a 330d, hence why I chose a 330i and 330d. What is the direct BMW diesel competitor to the M3? I guess a 330d is a compromise over an M3, they do cost a lot less afterall.

Nope, you can`t get an automatic S3, again, if you`d read the post you`d have noticed that I`d said `some people actually prefer the lazy style of driving a diesel can give` I never actually said I had one........................

Christ

You havent had both have you....

wide

Says it all realy, here here

Dai-Tec

LOL 9k a year! Well there u go then mate, you could even do with something that does 10mpg!

wide

Pah , if only life was that simple
With 5 kids and a psycho ex-wife , I can only afford 9k lol