Skoda Felicia? Mingebag motor BOUGHT

[HMC]

One of these is for sale locally for not much ( a 2001 1.3MPI classic) and I'm tempted. Should I be tempted? Looks a reasonably well looked after one with some T&T. Anyone had any experience of these and what's the verdict on them in general?

[dollywobbler]

The Editor of the Skoda club newsletter is a pal of mine and occasional poster on this very forum when he's not gallivanting off to Poland. He runs a 1.3i Felicia. I've not driven it yet, but it's a jolly old thing really. I prefer the Favorit myself, but the Felica was more wholesome in its quality I think. It's the old Skoda engine in the MPI, so proper shitey really. Not that powerful, but fairly torquey and 45mpg+.

 

Just watch the rot, especially around the back end. 

[phil_lihp]

They're supposed to be pretty bombproof, mechanically speaking, 2001 must be a late one too.

[320touring]

My brother ran one as his first car. .

 

It survived such abuse it is revered in this family.

 

The 1.3 is easy to work on. Main faults include dodgy ignition switches and an inability to stop laughing as it rolls round corners on the door handles.

[Felly Magic]

Watch for signs of HGF, which is stupidly common on these, had one now for 4 years and getting shut very soon. Once they hit 100k, that's it, game over tbh, as mechanically they start to implode, and 45 mpg?? Nope, more like 35 mpg average, parts are not cheap, and are now on delete with motor factors as I've found recently. Some of the very last ones seem to be a real sod for the rust too, I've seen some X platers with terminally rotten front wings and rear arches

[320touring]

Watch for signs of HGF, which is stupidly common on these, had one now for 4 years and getting shut very soon. Once they hit 100k, that's it, game over tbh, as mechanically they start to implode, and 45 mpg?? Nope, more like 35 mpg average, parts are not cheap, and are now on delete with motor factors as I've found recently. Some of the very last ones seem to be a real sod for the rust too, I've seen some X platers with terminally rotten front wings and rear arches

First head gasket I ever did was my brothers. Not too difficult

 

 

Another common failure point is the alternator overcharging.

[Wilko220]

They get the thumbs up from me. I bet a lot of them have been giffer-owned, garaged and maintained to within an inch of their life as well.

[Felly Magic]

We just had the alternator overcharging fault, a diode had blown, top rear engine mounts are also the water pump housing and on PAS fitted models are an absolute bastard to change, as there is no clearance between the inner wing and pulley to get the pump off the studs, so its drop the engine time to give yourself room. Thermostat housings are flimsy on later cars, the plastic clips break off and the stat jams open, and forget about maintained to within an inch of their lives, more like serviced every 10k, which with giffers will be every 4 years, accelerating the impending OMFGHGF which they all suffer from at one point. Oil leaks are common, normally around the timing chain cover, which rots out the bottom rad hose where it joins the steel downpipe. Door locks break too, but normally a cheap fix, and strut top mounts are a common weakness too. Watch for windscreen leaks too, damp footwells are a sign. Most survivors now are seriously into banger territory, and their next step is the weighbridge. In the last year or so, ones round here have dropped to penny numbers, when there used to be shedloads.

 

If its the 54 bhp version, run away as fast as you can, they are just gutless, and need to be thrashed to make any form of progress

 

Good points, in winter the heaters are like a blast furnace, and the back seats remove in about a minute to turn em into a small van

[Partridge]

 

 

If its the 54 bhp version, run away as fast as you can, they are just gutless, and need to be thrashed to make any form of progress

 

 

Just pretend your name is Benoit. You're late for a session of shurgging, smoking and eating snails and slugs with Pierre and Francois for two hours and "'aving an affair." with a farmers wife. Instant "rustic charm."

[Guest Lord Sward]

Aren't they super-critical on coolant changes to avoid head or block corrosion or something?  I sold one once and it needed the HG doing almost within hours of the sale.

[Sigmund Fraud]

A work colleague had one of those low-fat, 54HP Felicias a few years back and absolutely loved it. I had borrowed it on quite a few occasions (whenever my worn-out BX would fail to proceed) and found it particularly easy to live with, if rather dull.

 

Most of the ones that appear on ebay seem neglected and worn out, as Felly has already said. But if you manage to find a good one, especially the diesel version, I reckon it would make a top dailyshite !

[derskine]

It's not my favorit car.

[Jimcit]

I had a white one which cost £122 off eBay about 6/7 years ago, it was a base LX in white with steel wheels, black bumpers and a sunroof, came with FSH and every receipt from new.  Rear arches looked like they'd been done with a bit of polycell applied with a broken brick.  It was a fun, honest little car, felt really solid, sold it to the delivery driver at work for £100 and I know it lasted at least a few years more and took his son all over Europe to various festivals.

 

I can't remember the full numberplate to check whether it exists online, P### FLC I think...  I would be very surprised if it still survived.

[Felly Magic]

I've owned 2 over the years, plus had a 1.9D cube van (Pickup with a mega high GRP lid and barn doors) as a work hack. Both cars have suffered failed HG's, and yes you have to use decent coolant in them, red VAGspec stuff, otherwise the heads rot. I have been keeping an eye on ebay, as at one point I was thinking about using the heap I have atm as a donor car, but every one that shows up as of late is absolutely ronnied.

 

The 1.6 version has bugger all power for the engine size, is nose heavy, and you have a cambelt to prat around with. and by then, the old donkey wasn't that well made when VW dumped it on Skoda. 

 

Contrary to legend, bugger all on it is from the VW Golf/ Polo bar the column stalks, and when I see that in adverts, it makes me want to wallop the mongtards. The floor pan, A pillars, windscreen and roof are identical to the Favorit, so is the lower part of the dashboard.

 

Mine is a weird one, it's a basic LXi that's had a load of toys thrown on it, and the electric windows are a PITA. 

[derskine]

There's one of them popemobile vans that goes around here, it looks a bit crazy.

[dave21478]

I bought one a few years back which turned out to be the second shortest time I have owned a car. The day after purchase, I was driving along and it just cut out, dead. It was recovered to a garage where they diagnosed a dead ECU. I did some internetting and couldnt find a replacement that didnt cost as much as I had paid for the whole car so I told them to keep/scrap it as they saw fit.

 

Thus endeth Daves brief flirtation with Skoda ownership.

[Lacquer Peel]

Miserable cars for miserable people, I should own one.

[320touring]

Miserable cars for miserable people, I should own one.

Check out the results of the 1996 rally gb. . A certain Mr Blomqvist stuck one in 3rd overall. Not too shabby for a group car.

[HH-R]

I used to like these, the newest Skoda model I'd even look at. Seem a bit shite which could be good or bad.

[warren t claim]

I quite like them, they remind me of a cross between a Fiat Strada and a mk1 Golf.

[HMC]

Went and had a look at this proper mingebag motor, just after work today.........

 

 

First impressions not great, rusty rear arches setting off the back of the car a treat. The steel wheels are probably one of the last examples of a car having steels and being proud of it.

 

 

 

 

Inside the interior was generally smart, though the glovebox lid is missing without the 90s token manufacturer excuse of an airbag living there. Fallen off I presume

 

On the road, there are comedy amounts of freeplay in the gear linkage, though its easy enough to swap cogs (5 cogs- decadent western infuences!!) The old skoda lump has a timing chain. No need to check the technical spec for confirmation- it rattles away happily at idle.

 

 

Excuses? It was cheap and local and had plenty T&T.  There are doubtless better examples out there (though a quick trawl of how many left shown numbers are in freefall at the moment),   This being autoshite obviously I bought it and it sits as I type on the drive. Its the least pretentious and most image free car ive owned and I love it!

[tooSavvy]

I was a RWD hotshoe in a previous life... loved them

 

I ground to a halt only once..... the 'peening' of the bobweight carrier/onto top of dizzy shaft just mullered away and the points didn't turn. Stripped a 105 scrapper of its dizzy innards/swapped everything for my 136... broom broom

 

 

TS

[twosmoke300]

Those old skoda engines werent bad motors , at least not in the rear engined ones.

Alot of the headgasket woes were down to incorrect torquing (8mm allen bit reqd) , poor bleeding and the wrong rad cap .

Iirc it is only a 7lb cap but people put the more common 13lb one one and this raises system pressure too much.

 

These are only my opinions but ive done a few omghgf jobs on them and one or more of the above causes have been found.

[Lacquer Peel]

I like old Skodas and I don't mind the VAG Skodas but these seem like the worst of both influences. GRIM.

[Cavcraft]

Suitably awful, well bought. chief. 

[urpert]

While we're on the subject, this looks like a nice* example:

 

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1997-SKODA-FELICIA-LXI-WHITE-/281385580348?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item4183e3373c

[Felly Magic]

Mine has an airbag where the glovebox normally lives, and a small removable cubby box under the stereo. One thing I do find annoying in bad weather is that the rear wiper only has a 'flick wipe' function, and you need to hold the stalk in to keep the back window clear. A throwback to the Favorit era, tight arsed VW couldn't be bothered fitting a proper switch

[Station]

I had an early one with the Skoda carburettor engine. The whole thing felt totally solid, the Skoda engine defines the word 'rattly'.

[phil_lihp]

That's delightful, do let me know when you're done with it!

[Felly Magic]

My Felicia Mingebag, 103,000 on the clock, doing about 2,000 miles a month currently, its not liking it though. Sounds like the belt tensioner pulley bearing is starting to shit its self, and the gear linkage is sounding a bit clunky, still drives OK though