Hi all,

My Fabia Monty looks like it might be terminal, even if it's not, I've had enough of the thing and it's going to be shown the door, so...

I have a max budget of £5k and need a reliable replacement with the following requirements (I appreciate that it might be a tall order).


  • A VAG car
  • Economical, I do 15K+ miles/year - Ideally 55mpg+. As a measure, I could get a consistent 53mpg with mixed driving in the Monty, ragged as it is.
  • Reliable, at least more reliable than my Monty
  • DIY repairable - I don't want to have to remove a subframe to replace an exhaust, nor remove bumpers to replace headlights, for example.
  • Nothing too long due to driveway parking restraints.


What are the best options here?

Cheers