AnnoyingPentium's Adventures in Nuggeteering

[AnnoyingPentium]

Didn't think I'd post a thread, but I'd like to now. So let's get started...

Erm, I like small cars - this is apparent... probably. Most of them are cheap to run (2.0 Fabia has left the building), cheap to buy (unless you've got a posh one), and you can throw them in spaces without bouncing off of other things like Jags, women, and small dogs. They're small, so I'll call them nuggets for this, hence "nuggeteering".

My first (and only... for now) foray into buying a dinky motor is this wee red nugget here, a 2006 Skoda Fabia. It's relatively late in the Mk1's lifespan, being one from right on the edge of the 2006 registrations being dragged kicking and screaming into service on the 22nd of December all those many moons ago.

The car is an 'Ambiente' trim, which means it's one that'd be on par with your equivalent 'Comfort' of the pre-facelift era. As such, it's a little bit better than your pov-spec 'Classic'. For example, it has:

• air conditioning - it was a standard fit on all models around this time I believe due to offers
• heated and electrically adjustable mirrors
• chrome interior door handles (because posh)
• slightly fancier wheel trims over the Classic
• a posh interior light
• better interior trim
• 8 speakers and a "high-tech" compact disc player that decided it didn't want to be freed from my car... more on that later

On top of this, my car was specced with some nice options:

• metallic 'Flamenco Red' burgundy/red paint - often mistaken as Cayenne Orange, being an earlier colour on the Fabias.
• body coloured door handles with matching chrome lock pins and chrome handbrake button (much poshness)
• a posh gearknob

Unfortunately, the previous owner who specced this magnificent beast of a car scrimped on the powerhouse, leaving it with the Ambiente trim's default 1.2 12v (6v was only available on Classic hatchbacks) and 64 (or 63, depends who you ask) raging three-legged ponies powered by 1198cc's and three cylinders of Skoda-ness. I'm not saying it's slow, but the milkfloat has disappeared over the horizon.

Overall though, it's a practical car since you can rip the back seats out at a moment's notice and quite spacious compared to the other sheds in my budget. It's low mileage too, was at just below 52,000 when I brought it home, and it's now due ticking over to 58,000 any day now. Doesn't mean that all the OEM stuff won't wear out with age, however. Lol.

I've also got a thread about it on Briskoda, which I may link to at some points throughout this thread, should this wee thing stick about for some time - which is the plan.

For now, have a before, from the AutoTrader advertisement:

And how it is now...

Apologies for the state of the thing, it's a daily so it gets a little bit of abuse... and long journeys. Haha.

[JMotor]

I really rate these little cars. 

Had a 100 PD Comfort hatch and a SDi Classic estate. 

Both felt solid enough and drove well enough. Seats I couldn't get on with, but a set from a Fabia Sport or Bohemia greatly improved it. 

But my god a Classic spec SDi is base and I'd wager your pez powered one would likely give it a bloody nose in performance terms. 

[AnnoyingPentium]

They're solid wee motors, at least compared to the family's fleet of Dacias. I'd love to get my mitts on a PD of some sort, whether it be the 100hp 1.9 or my neighbour's 1.4 PD 80hp model.

1 minute ago, JMotor said:

Seats I couldn't get on with, but a set from a Fabia Sport or Bohemia greatly improved it. 

I fall out the seats in corners sometimes. The Fabia Sport seats would be smashing, just need to find a set that isn't clapped out. They've all got the inherent problem where the foam base is being cut internally with the metal frame and the foam isn't replaceable.

2 minutes ago, JMotor said:

But my god a Classic spec SDi is base and I'd wager your pez powered one would likely give it a bloody nose in performance terms. 

Definitely, same horsepower and less torque to my little petrol one but I'm about 3 seconds quicker to 60. Only advantage of the Slowest Diesel Imaginable is probably the so-called "Biblical" fuel economy, haha.

[AnnoyingPentium]

My nugget now has a "personalised" plate, I've got posh shite now.

[Jamie]

nice, i am also a fan of the mk1 fabia, i had a VRS back in 2011 that i swapped for an Audi TT 225 - it felt so much quicker bcoz light and also owing to the fact it was mapped to 200bhp. Cracking little thing .

 

[Out Run]

On 1/1/2022 at 6:09 PM, AnnoyingPentium said:

Didn't think I'd post a thread, but I'd like to now. So let's get started...

Erm, I like small cars - this is apparent... probably. Most of them are cheap to run (2.0 Fabia has left the building), cheap to buy (unless you've got a posh one), and you can throw them in spaces without bouncing off of other things like Jags, women, and small dogs. They're small, so I'll call them nuggets for this, hence "nuggeteering".

My first (and only... for now) foray into buying a dinky motor is this wee red nugget here, a 2006 Skoda Fabia. It's relatively late in the Mk1's lifespan, being one from right on the edge of the 2006 registrations being dragged kicking and screaming into service on the 22nd of December all those many moons ago.

The car is an 'Ambiente' trim, which means it's one that'd be on par with your equivalent 'Comfort' of the pre-facelift era. As such, it's a little bit better than your pov-spec 'Classic'. For example, it has:

• air conditioning - it was a standard fit on all models around this time I believe due to offers
• heated and electrically adjustable mirrors
• chrome interior door handles (because posh)
• slightly fancier wheel trims over the Classic
• a posh interior light
• better interior trim
• 8 speakers and a "high-tech" compact disc player that decided it didn't want to be freed from my car... more on that later

On top of this, my car was specced with some nice options:

• metallic 'Flamenco Red' burgundy/red paint - often mistaken as Cayenne Orange, being an earlier colour on the Fabias.
• body coloured door handles with matching chrome lock pins and chrome handbrake button (much poshness)
• a posh gearknob

Unfortunately, the previous owner who specced this magnificent beast of a car scrimped on the powerhouse, leaving it with the Ambiente trim's default 1.2 12v (6v was only available on Classic hatchbacks) and 64 (or 63, depends who you ask) raging three-legged ponies powered by 1198cc's and three cylinders of Skoda-ness. I'm not saying it's slow, but the milkfloat has disappeared over the horizon.

Overall though, it's a practical car since you can rip the back seats out at a moment's notice and quite spacious compared to the other sheds in my budget. It's low mileage too, was at just below 52,000 when I brought it home, and it's now due ticking over to 58,000 any day now. Doesn't mean that all the OEM stuff won't wear out with age, however. Lol.

I've also got a thread about it on Briskoda, which I may link to at some points throughout this thread, should this wee thing stick about for some time - which is the plan.

For now, have a before, from the AutoTrader advertisement:

And how it is now...

Apologies for the state of the thing, it's a daily so it gets a little bit of abuse... and long journeys. Haha.

Welcome to the forum, Martin Mullholland.

[Rod/b]

2 hours ago, Jamie said:

nice, i am also a fan of the mk1 fabia, i had a VRS back in 2011 that i swapped for an Audi TT 225 - it felt so much quicker bcoz light and also owing to the fact it was mapped to 200bhp. Cracking little thing .

 

This photo will send all the two-bucket, grit guard, clay bar wankers absolutely apoplectic. 

[AnnoyingPentium]

3 hours ago, Jamie said:

nice, i am also a fan of the mk1 fabia, i had a VRS back in 2011 that i swapped for an Audi TT 225 - it felt so much quicker bcoz light and also owing to the fact it was mapped to 200bhp. Cracking little thing .

 

Nice looking wee motor that one. One of my old neighbours bought a vRS not that long ago.

[AnnoyingPentium]

So, I possess more cassettes than I'm ever willing to mention (except on tapeheads.net, but that's another kettle of fish). Therefore, for the pinnacle of shitery and cause why not, I fitted the Goodmans GCE-530 that has been inhabiting my loft for a number of years to my Fabia. It started off a little warbly, but picked up nicely eventually. Definitely due to it lying about for so long though.

The aerial isn't wired in but that's fine because the radio is mostly shite anyway.

To the peeps looking to buy a Fabia and replace the stereo. Just don't. Wiring is a [female dog] and I have made enough blood sacrifices to prove it. Or maybe I'm just a bit of a dimwit?

[AnnoyingPentium]

I'm thinking a new cassette head unit is in order for the Fabia. The Goodmans is quite good in terms of clarity and not blowing up my aftermarket speakers. I'm thinking something better is in order. Suggestions are greatly appreciated, I do have some criteria, however. See below:

• Dolby Noise Reduction is a must.
• Shouldn't be an OEM coded unit. If I wanted to go down that route I'd take one from an Octavia. Plus, I don't know if this system will be a permanent fixture in the car.
• Auto reverse is nice too, but not a must.
• Must be DIN compatible in wiring.
• I'd like it if the faceplate popped off too.
• Something with CD changer controls would be nice since I may buy a CD changer in the future for the car.
• Must be cheap. E.g. less than thirty smackeroonies.

I quite like the Sony MD/CD changer compatible units found in the Volkswagen Polo Mk3 as an option, or something Kenwood even. As I said, suggestions are open.

Edit 19/01/2022 - I bought one the other day, more on that later.

[AnnoyingPentium]

Less like Stevie Wonder in the dark now, I reckon.

[AnnoyingPentium]

Was absolutely chuffing baltic but I made the most of it...

[AnnoyingPentium]

Decided that I should put my spotted things here, since they come up in my travels/adventures.

Here we have a 2006 bASe Fabia 1.2 54hp. Second time I have spotted this wee yin.

[320touring]

Our mother had a 1.4 16v auto (75bhp) for a while - reasonable little thing, and stood up to my "Blackridge to Dunvegan return to buy cupcakes in a day" well enough. It was even ok at passing folk 🤣 just needed to keep momentum up!

 

I also bought a 1.9tdi estate for commuting to sunny Blackburn down south..

All in all, I much prefer a mk1 Octavia 😁🤣

 

 

[AnnoyingPentium]

13 hours ago, 320touring said:

It was even ok at passing folk

Impressive as apparently it's slower than mine due to the auto box. I can pass things but it involves having your last will and testament handy. 😝

I like the idea of a 1.9 PD though, especially in estate guise like yours as I could do with the extra boot space. Elegance being the top-spec model of the time would get me heated seats too.

[AnnoyingPentium]

Spotted a supersized nugget today... parked beside the MG ZT-T from the 'Lazy Spotters' thread. Could have parked better but that's me going too far.

 

[D.E]

On 01/01/2022 at 19:09, AnnoyingPentium said:

As such, it's a little bit better than your pov-spec 'Classic'.

For the Eastern European market there was an even lower spec, the Junior:

[AnnoyingPentium]

4 hours ago, D.E said:

For the Eastern European market there was an even lower spec, the Junior:

Indeed. Had the steering wheel from an Octavia since some lacked PAS. Most didn't have glovebox lids either. There's something charming about the unpainted bumpers.

The Junior started with a 60hp detuned version of the 1.4 8v OHV which was a bored out version of the Felicia engine. It got the 1.2 HTP slapped in later AFAIK since it was designed by Skoda with minimal VAG involvement for the Fabia to replace the 1.4. VW then took it over to the Polo and the Seat Ibiza in both 54hp 6v OHC and 64hp 12v DOHC form.

Now anyway, I'll stop geeking out? Or will I?