I have recently invested in a S Reg 1999 VW Polo 1.0litre. I decided on Volkswagen after Id had a lot of trouble with my first car a Peugeot 106, eeevil things wont go there.
Ive always heard that Volkswagens were reliable well built cars though I'd never really taken much notice of them. I needed a small car as Im only 18 and obviouslly petrol prices and more importantly Insurance premiums are a major influence...(If you and not mommy & daddy are paying to keep your car on the road) I looked at a range of Volkswagens and decided on the Polo. I had a look at a range of different mark Polos and decided on the Mk4. Not too dated like earlier mk's and containing more modern equipment too.
I looked around and luckily almost immediately spotted a little Racing Green fellow on Autotrader. It was S Reg and had just 37,000 miles on its clock. I was chuffed as it was also only about 30-40 miles from where I live so I rang the number straight away and aranged a viewing.
**The Car**
I got to the car and fell in love with it. It was a brilliant Racing Green colour, which the Germans call "Dragon Green" but we all know its BRG!! it had a few tiny dings and scratches here and there but it is a 7 year old car not brand new which people have to remember
and scratches can be repaired. It needed a clean and a polish and the paintwork would look great. The interior was a bit dirty on the inside, though not worn which is a sign of high milage. The whole car needed a good clean and it would look superb. The guy told me I could go for a test drive so off I went for a decent little run. I loved it. For a 1.0 it was suprisingly very nippy and in my opinion had more poke than the lighter 1.0 106 i used to have. The gears were slick throughout with no grinding in any gears. The engine sounds solid and well built not tinny and rattly like other 1.0litre engines do.
Overall the whole car has this well built feel about it, nothing cheapo or crappy to break off, my mom and dad got in and the first things they and others comment on is the weight in the doors and how sturdy they feel. The interior of the car is pretty basic but the dash is certainly no eyesore. On later mk4's, like mine the clocks are quite sporty and glow a luminous green colour at night which is cool. All the controls are within reaching distance of the driver and although basic are well built and buttons and knobs dont feel like they'll break off with a forcefull touch. Seats are comfortable but firm and leg room is quite good even in the back I here, it is plenty comfortable for a long or short journey. Overall, Well built and hard wearing is all I can describe it as. My 1.0 was apparently the bottom of the range and lacked the extras of the 1.4 and 1.6 models. Yet it has touches like drivers & passenger gloveboxes both lockable! Intermitent wipers which it sounds stupid but I have found a lot of other smaller cars do not have! Mine has electric mirrors, but no electric windows which is wierd but doesnt really bother me any way, whats a turn of a handle anyway?? The only drawback I did have with the interior is the standard factory sound system that the Polo offers, just two door 'bass' speakers and 2 dash tweeters. They are low output and to be honest naff and crackly, install a decent pair of 6x9's on the parcel shelf like I've done recently and notice the immense sound difference, plus you can share the sound between the rear 6x9's and the front speakers if you want with a good stereo.
The exterior looks sporty and the shell is well designed. The doors are quite big on the 3dr version to allow access to the back seats but I think the 3door looks more sporty anyway. When clean and polished you have the temptation to just sit and look at your car all day long, and believe me if you like your Polo you will!! The boot is spacious as its very deep and "well" like, easily enough room for luggage and belongings. Finally the engine bay, I've worked on my Polo a few times as I always service my own cars, the engine bay is spacious, well-designes and easy to work under, and all the components also have that same well built quality about them.
**The Ride**
I've had my Polo a few months now and to summarise, the ride is excellent. The suspension is giving and takes bumps well keeping you as comfortable as possible. The car holds the road well and so long as you are doing sensible speeds will take you through even the shapest bends withought trouble. The steering (although on mine not pa) is responsive, the car moves when you want it to although parking is made a lot harder in tight spaces without the pas, although his advice for ladies only - not namby pamby blokes...(Try parking an old Mini)!!
Acceleration is good. Excellent considering its a 1.0 litre and the weight of the car. Although I should note my car has the improved 998cc all aluminium engine, which replaced the more dated 1.05 which appeared in earlier mk's. VW started putting into Polo's from approximately the later part of 1996. If you can get a later Polo it is worth it for the engines in them, which give more power from a smaller capacity. Im new to VW's but many people say that with regular oil and filter changes the engines last well over 100k, which is great. I was really lucky though I got a later Polo with the improved engine thats now only just tured 38,000miles. Very rare I suppose though I shouldnt lose sleep if you get a car with more miles so long as you look after it and service it it will be ok, the engines really can take a thrashing believe me. Fuel economy is good about 48mpg on the 1.0litre. Basically I put in £25 just this weekend which got me to a camp site in Wales and back, around 160 miles round trip, plus about 25 miles which i did in Wales around town to and from camp site, and ive been drivin around 10 miles round town to day and i still have over 1/4tank left!!! They are economical, but if you thrash them obviouslly petrol will burn more quickly, and so will the hol in your wallet.
After the ride in Wales the car is still driving superbly. I had no faults all the way there or back, and I have completed 240-300 mile round trips and had no problems with the car. When your driving on Motorways for miles upon end, even though only a 1.0 the car feel as though it'll just keep going and going without the feeling your thraping her. The car will easily cruise in 5th at 70-80 mph on the motorway and has that extra poke even at those speeds which you might to overtake other cars, and engine noise is suprisingly lower than other cars with bigger engines I've been in. The car is just as much at home on 30mph town roads as it is on Welsh winding country lanes or Motorways. TheYou just feel as though the car will look after you and get you anywhere you want to go so long as you look after it. A reliable car that gives you miles of hassle-free driving can only be had if you look after your car, its engine and service it regularly. If you do that the Polo wont let you down!!
**Summary**
Finally after many hours of typing,lol. I just want to say I wouldnt swap my Polo for anything I love it. It gets me anywhere and its so easy to service and look after. Im no mechanic but with a bit of practice and a Haynes Manual (Highly recommended) you can do anything on your car. I can now change oil and filter and other renewable parts like air filters easily on the car. It seems daunting to even open the bonnet when you know nothing like I did. I got my uncle (Paul Hughes) who knows loads about cars to help me and now I can do loads, it saves you loads with mechanic bills. The Polo 1.0 is a reliable, economical and well built car that looks cool and does no harm to your street cred. My mates love my car and we've been on loads of mad missions in it so far with many more to come. Get a Polo, mines completely standard & it looks ace and I havent even started modding it yet. They really are great small cars with a huge big car appeal.
Thanks for bearing with me
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