We've had a Skoda Favorit GXLie hatchback for 3 years as a second car to the brilliant Skoda Octavia estate. The Favorit has never let us down and the bodywork and interior still look very good despite it's 13 years. Space is excellent as it's and old-fashioned square design and the headlights are better than the newer Octavia! It spins along quite happily at 70 mph with a full load although it takes a while getting there. We've had to spend some money on it for new front suspension struts and most of the exhaust system, but it's cheap to service, easy to DIY, has tough bodywork, good paintwork and depreciation is minimal, so a good choice for a second car or a learner driver.
Firstly do people read reviews? Yes i did! after reading the reviews I brought a 1995 fairline estate (55938)for £595 a unwanted trade in from a vauxhall dealer;
previouslly 1 owner it needed a service badly which i had done and now I have one the best cars that i have owned and there have been many over the years. Cheap motoring,reliable and great to drive, thanks to all putting there reviews up,it convinced me to buy mine
I absolutely love this car! Great value for money. It has very, very decent performance and excellent millage.
I bought my '93 Favorit GLX injection (HB) in 2003 from the car's second owner. They had used it as a second car and their daughter took it to drive to and from college. She hated it; it had no power steering, it was green and, well, it was a Skoda. She was getting a lot of flak for driving that car and apparently it was deliberately damaged several times, including a punctured radiator (done with a screwdriver). Anyway, she wanted to get rid of it and move on to something that was socially 'safer,' like a (dull) Seat Ibiza.
Anyway, I knew about Skoda and its history and had a gut feeling that the Favorit was an unknown gem. So I went down and bought it. It had 33k miles on the clock and I paid only 500 Pounds for it. I was in for a little disappointment, though. The car's performance was nowhere near the factory specs. I had a real hard time getting the engine started as well. I took it to France a few weeks later and it really struggled on the motorway, barely reaching 70mph. I knew from the factory specs that it should be able to do 90-93mph so I stuck to my guns and took it for quite a lot of healthy spins through the French countryside in the knowledge that - having been owned by an elderly couple and then used as a shopping car - it was now the first time this car was being driven properly, using the entire engine range with plenty of accelerating, decelerating, and down shifting/engine braking. By the time we were on our way back - and on the motorway again - the car had noticeably improved. I was in the fast lane and about to pass a lorry when I noticed a big pall of black smoke in the rear view mirror, but did not hear or feel anything wrong with the engine. I pulled up to the hard shoulder, got out and went round to the back. I found about two yards of that kind of synthetic rope hanging from the exhaust. Apparently I had uncovered the last 'joke' they had played on the car: rope in the exhaust. It explained the lack of performance and the trouble I had getting her started. I yanked the rope out, got back on the motorway and within a minute I had a big smile on my face; the engine was no longer being choked and I was now going 90 miles an hour. :)
The car has only gone better and better since mainly in acceleration and millage - and I'm now in my fifth year of ownership. For the past two years I've been running on the more expensive BP Ultimate fuel and the engine is now running very well. According to the condition of the spark plugs the engine has been thoroughly cleaned by using the new fuel and is now in excellent condition. I've left many perplexed drivers at the lights - not that this is my intention, but it just happens. The look on people's faces is priceless when they realize they've just been 'beaten' by a Skoda. I plan on fitting a K&N air filter which should increase performance a little more and further improve millage as well. To celebrate my love for this little car I've recently fitted 16 inch alloys which make the Favorit's design shine even more. It's just a really cool looking car and very underrated.
So, all in all, I cannot recommend it enough. Cheap to own and service, solid performance, good millage, excellent reliability, nimble enough in urban areas despite its lack of power steering, safe and steady on the motorway, and it comes very well accessorized if you manage to snag a GLXi which has front fog lights, sunroof, 1/3-2/3 division of the rear seats, adjustable interval for the windscreen wipers, boot release lever to the side of the driver's seat, boot lighting when the headlights are switched on, you name it). And the front seats are just amazingly comfortable; you really don't need to take a break on long drives as you crave for with other contemporary or more modern cars. Parts are indeed very cheap, though I've hardly had to buy any. And other reviewers who've commented on the room in this car are absolutely right; the Favorit looks deceptively small but there's ample legroom front and back and a large boot. I once removed the rear and passenger seats and fitted an entire couch. Come to think of it, even the glove box is big. I never hear any Skoda jokes around my car, but then again I wouldn't mind at all because I know the truth about this great car!
Solid performance, good millage, safe and sturdy, reliable, and cheap to own and service
No power steering (though it doesn't bother me)
Reviewing a 1993 model.
GLX injection
Owned for 5 years.
what can i say its a skoda i rember when i had one of these noisy engine harsh ride and more let downs than a bank manager. what a pile of poo would i buy a skoda again well no i would not the reason why there so cheap is becouse there crap. crap crap and more crap the whole car is let down by its aged engine and bad design and skoda are that thick they cant make there own engines they have to beg borrow and steal.
Having bought GLX brand new in 1992, I had this for 6 years before moving on to a Felicia, Great car, looked good, went well, economical (49 mpg on a run) and absolutely HUGE boot space on the estate model even with the seats up.
Loved so much, even the wife bought one to which we fitted a skirt and wheelarch kit (under £40) to accommodate the oversize alloys that were fitted to it.
Only problem I had was a warped cylinder head just out of the 3 year warranty. Something I'd put down to dealer problems as our local dealer was not very good (to be polite).
If you're not servicing it yourself, find a specialist as they'll look after it far better and cheaper than the dealer.
Had an L-reg Black Line. Absolutely loved this car and used it for long work trips (400 miles per week) for over 2 years - even though it was getting on in years I found it reliable and never had any trouble getting parts. Love affair came to an end when I accidentally killed it in a crash two years ago but would still be driving it now. Get a pang of regret on the rare occasions I see a Black Line. Good looking, reliable, roomy.
Had a the use of a Favorit Forum on a K for about the past year, after learning on it. It's been in the family for 4 years, and my older sister learnt on it too. In all honesty, it's no ball of fire. It has been known to beat BMW 3 series off the mark...but runs out of breath at 35 and has to be pushed the rest of the way up to 70. Cruises nicely on the motorway though. Bought privately with FSH and low mileage (20000 ish) and we've run it into the ground. I regularly cart amps and speaker cabs around in it, loading it to the brim with heavy gear, and without a complaint. Friends and colleagues are amazed at the capacity for carriage; take the back seat out (all the way out) and these things are as big as a middleweight van. Only the hatchback too! Stood up well to various impacts with walls. Forced to scrap it recently due to various wear-and-tear problems, resulting from the abuse of two heavy-footed learner drivers. So, to replace it? Looked at Felicias and Fabias, but really there was no comparison. Managed to find a Favorit GLXi Blackline Hatch on an L plate with 22000 on the clock - genuine mileage, it has MOT certificates to prove that. Drives like a dream, and with all the trimmings. Well under £1000 too, and immaculate inside and out. My Mercedes driving friend quickly stopped cracking the Skoda jokes when, upon their failing to fit a large PA system into the boot of their Merc A class, I rolled up in my Skoda and loaded all from their car, and a huge bass guitar amp into the boot with room to spare. She was even less impressed when I did the same trick with a bigger system the next week. Frankly, Favorits are BIG.
My First Skoda Favorit was a J plate 1.3 GLX, i paid £190 for it with 6 months MOT on it, it lasted a year without any problems untill i had a very small slow crash, from then on i just had problem after problem, to be honest if i hadnt had the crash, the car would still be going strong now!, R.I.P my lil friend!. Anyway, i managed to get a newer 93 K plate Favorit GLXi finished in White with full service history & only 44,000 miles on the clock & in near showroom condition too from EBAY for £77, yes thats 77 Pounds!, it didnt have a current MOT, but all i had to do to get it through the MOT was to: Replace the 2 Missing rear exhaust mounting rubbers Replace the Drivers side Front Suspention unit Replace the Drivers side CV Rubber Gaiter Thats it !... So including the MOT Price of £39 i spent £114.56p to get it MOTd So Now for the Grand Total of £191.56 i have a Loverly little car that not only looks like New, but Drives like New too. The Moral of this story is: if your prepared to look hard enough, you will get an absolute BARGAIN !....... Take NO Notice of all the jokes!, these little cars are pretty much bullet proof as long as u service them every 6000 miles, they may not be the fastest car on the road, but hey, i can sit on the motorway at 75 - 80 mph allday long 365 days a year with no problems & even better still when on A or B roads doing a steady 56 mph, im gettin 41 mpg which is Great!.... So if you want a Cheap car to Buy, Run, Tax & insure, then get 1 of these, you wont be dissapointed !.... PS: If you ever need New Parts for it, They are incredibly Cheap!......, So What are you waiting for, Go Buy 1 Now =)
I bought a 1995 M-reg Favorit GLXiE Flairline, estate. At a pocket money price of £300!, with central locking, sunroof, alloy wheels, sports spoiler and the extra fog lamps. It had 11 months MOT, just that the tax had just run out and it need a new down pipe. My dad has had 2 Favorits, so far and now a Felica, with no problems. I knew that this would be a good cheap reliable car. So far I have had the crank sensor fail. A visit from the AA told me what it was and it only cost £40 for a new one. Since then I haven't had any problems. I have had to replace the brake pipes for the last MOT, but the car has done 98k miles. Loaded with is 1.3L 67bhp engine, I have left some people gob smacked by it power. I did once own a 20 year old Skoda Estelle, but this car is far far better. I have had Fords and Fiats in the past, but I think I will be sticking with the Winged Arrow for sometime yet.
My first Favorit was a 1992 LS estate - pre VW spec. This was 2 years old at the time and I got rid of it 2 years later with 77k miles on the clock. It was becoming a bit of a rust bucket with the sills and wheelarches giving most cause for concern. They really skimped on the paint on this model.
I then bought a two year old 1994 GLXiE estate with 11k miles on the clock very cheaply as the Felecia had just been introduced.
I still have this car and at 113k miles is worth zilch and I plan to run it into the ground. The engine is great on this car and the secret is to service the car every 6k miles without fail - regular oil changes are vital. it is easy to do this yourself as their are no black boxes etc.
This car blew one head gasket and needed the head skimmed at 40k miles, needed new discs and pads at 68k miles and has needed very little other than normal consumables such as tyres and pads since. Brake pipes were replaced at 100k miles. The car is still on the original clutch.
The running gear is the worst part of the car. Light switches and stalks wear out, door locks pack in, boot struts go. These bits are cheap and easy to buy from a breakers yard. I use Roadside rescue http://www.skospares.com
Realistically the car is just about done but I plan to buy another which are incredibly cheap at the moment and I can keep it going on a shoestring.
My 1992 Favorit Forum cost £800 and lasted me 5 years. It was largely reliable throughout, although I had to replace the head gasket twice in that time. To be fair, that was really the previous owner's fault arther than the car's as he had stuffed the cooling system with Radweld rather than fork out to replace the knackered radiator. First time it blew I simply replaced it (an afternoon's work at a cost of less than £10) - I was told that most Favorits blew their head gasket after about 7 years due to the alloy head/block reacting with the steel bits in the gasket. 20000 miles later it blew again, this time the head warped. In order to get the head skimmed I had to strip the manifolds off, and in doing so found old, dried out Radweld like plasticine in the waterways... it was still running beautifully 45000 when it went to the scrapyard due to rust. Rear ends of the sills, bottoms of the doors, inner wings, lower edge of the rear hatch window, spare wheel well etc etc etc. This brings me onto the build quality - if they'd painted it properly it might have stood a chance, but a 6 year-old car with the paint falling off the sills in huge strips simply isn't good enough. The interior is total crap, brown plastic everywhere, almost everything was broken by the end: heater controls, glovebox lid, door locking buttons, internal door handles, seat reclining mechanisms (I had to weld one seat in place...). But, in fairness, these cars were built to a price, Skoda had no money for R&D in those days either - at least they spent the money on making the mechanical bits reasonably reliable.
Would I have another one? Well, Favorits are all getting a bit old now, but I'd certainly try a Felicia.
So, to sum up...
GOOD: Reliable 45mpg Incredibly cheap OE parts Cheap tax and insurance Nobody will nick it
BAD: Hopeless paint/rustproofing Comedy interior trim
Have owned limited edition Blackline Estate since (nearly) new in 1994 and now has 164,000 on the clock. Most expensive replacement was cylinder head at 140,000 miles, but other than that an exceptionally reliable car. Unfortunately, has stared to rust at bottom corners of windscreen, and bottom of tailgate but, other than that, I see no reason why this car will not go on until 200,000 miles (at least). Brilliant!
I LOVE MY SKODA FAVORIT. SHE'S COMFORTABLE, RELIABLE AND COSTS LITTLE TO RUN. NOT A "POSERS" CAR, YOU WON'T TURN HEADS, BUT IF YOU WANT TO GET FROM A TO B AND BACK AGAIN IN COMFORT, THIS IS THE CAR I'D RECCOMMEND. PLENTY OF ROOM INSIDE AND FOR A 1991 CAR BOUGHT RECENTLY FOR £790, I CAN HONESTLY SAY I'VE NEVER DRIVEN A MORE PRATICAL CAR. HAVING PREVIOUSLY DRIVEN FORDS, VAUXHALLS AND TOYOTAS, I WASN'T SURE AT FIRST ABOUT A SKODA! BUT I'M NOW CONVERTED AND I DON'T EVEN MIND THE JOKES - THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE MISSING. MAYBE IT'S TIME THEY FOUND OUT!
I currently own my Dads old Favorit, which we have known from new, bought 1995. I love its design and reliability, its shape, and its performance. The only thing I would change about my car is nothing, as Iam very pleased with it. Dad paid £6000 7 years ago, and still going strong. It never let him down, and with 92000 miles on the clock I am very impressed with it. I have had to pay out on tyres and a service recently, and it may need a timing belt within the next couple of thousand miles.
Ignore the jokes, especially the ones your friends make, check out their cars review because its usually a lot worse!
Don't believe all the stories you hear about Skodas! I've had a secind-hand Favorit GLXi Estate (1993 now) for 6 months and it's simply the best all- round car I've ever owned. It's comfortable, offers stacks of room, thoroughly reliable & does 45 mpg. Went bought (from a Skoda dealer) it had just 44,000 miles clocked. What else could I have bought for £1800 (with 6 months' warranty) for anything like the price. If I had sought one privately I could have expected to have paid as little as £800!!!
Never owned
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed November 2003.
Performance
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Bought my 1994 Favorit Flairline GLXi, 1 owner, full service history, 68000mls for £260 incl 6mths tax and with 6mths MOT still to run, 2 mths ago and it's been a great little run about. Runs a treat, bit of wind noise from the sunroof and a few rattles from somewhere underneath apart from that it's great. Also have a BMW but prefer bombimg about town in the Skud. Much more fun. Certainly would recommend one who wants a cheap runabout. Petrol guage never seems to move. Perhaps that's the thing that's broke?
Owned for 3 months.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed October 2003.
Performance
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Bought a favorit glxi for £1500 L reg it needed a head gasket but was done under warranty.It is a reliable car quick 0 to 45 and i am very happy with it.Try j h butt for parts lot cheaper than dealers. tony newcastle upon tyne
Owned for 2 years.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed February 2003.
Performance
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Overall Value for Money
95M LXie Flairline, 41K with FSH, 9 month MOT and 3 months tax, totally imacculate, only £500 in a private sale. Performance is OK, handling safe but not sporty, ride very good and it's pretty practical.Facia is hard plastic, but at the price you can't complain. Front seats OK but don't have any lateral support to speak of. Ventilation nothing special, heater very good. Local dealer excellent, parts come in VW branded packaging. One stupid thing, speakers buit into outside of centre console, no hope of achieving any stereo effect. Really good ground clearance for those of us who need it.
After 2 or 3 years use it's cheap enough to buy another and start again. Only fault was a stuck open thermostat, all of £7 for a new one and a new gasket for it.
Owned for 1 month.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed December 2002.
Performance
Reliability
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Overall Value for Money
i hate mine, its just died with a mere 64k on the clock...never again
