Straight off, I should tell you I got a bargain. The car everyone dreams about, one lady owner.... no actually it was my dad's car.
He'd had it from new, bought from the local dealers in Cardiff in October 1997, a nice shiny blue R plater. He's just bought a new car, so the polo was destined for the classified ads in the local paper. I just jokingly said, so how much do you want, five grand came the reply, and that was that.
The car is a 1997(R) Polo 1.4 CL. It is pretty much from what I understand the standard 1.4 CL, apart from the extra pearlescent paint which cost a few hundred more.
The build quality is beyond belief, everything about it says quality. That
satisfying clunk when you shut the door, the gentle, almost non existant whirr of the fan when you have the blower on, everything is either gentle or satisfyingly germanic and harsh. It just depends what aspect you are looking at and your expected perception gained from your previous cars.
About three days after having the car I had to replace the exhaust, just bad luck. That said, it should be noted the exhaust that was removed was the ORIGINAL one that was on the car from new. Four years from new. I'd said thats not bad at all. Eighty pounds was the cost for a new exhaust from the catalyst back, this compares to about fifty pounds for the back box section of a 93 Ford Escort, I'd say thats good value after seeing how much extra pipe that thirty pounds gets you!
Performance on this car is highly under-rated, people in larger cars see a small insignificant supermini, yet we owners, know! Under the bonnet lurks a monster, the same monster that powers the Polo's bigger brother the Golf, and we all know what they are like! Wow. You will grow devil horns driving this car. I know I have on time. The evil smile spreading like a virus across your face, when you let the monster within loose.
Around town the car is a pussy cat, purring quietly, until you need to pounce, whether for that last space in the multi storey or for the lights on amber.
Fuel economy is absolutely awesome, no I'm being serious. So far this week I've done a hundred and fifty (yes 150) miles on about a quarter of a tank. Thats a whopping two and a half gallons, so the average mpg is about 60 to the gallon. OK, fair enough I have been driving a much to the speed limit and 56mph as I can just to check myself. But sometimes I have let the right foot down and had some fun, so you have to admit thats not bad at all.
I've yet to have the car serviced. That will come in about two months time and cost around a hundred pounds at the local main dealer. Its also due for an MOT which I think it should fly, as long as I remember to fill the washer bottle.
Security on the car is a rather special deal. OK a thief may get in but I don't think he'll be driving you Polo away if its of this style. The steering wheel has a nifty disengager if the steering lock is forced in anyway, this means that the steering wheel will just 'freewheel', not turning the front wheels. This is re-engaged with the key and a few turns of the wheel. This negates the need for a Crook lock type product, so long as you remember to engage the steering lock before getting out of the car. The now standard alarm and immobiliser are present, as they are in most cars these days.
On balance, I would say that this car is most suitable for young people in their 20s-30s who want a sensible car which can become a 'plaything' when the mood turns frisky. OK, a lot of Polos a bought by a whole spectrum of society but, the Polo's young image is one that has a firm fit with 20 somethings, such as myself.
Depreciation on this car has been slow, from a new price of £11,000 around four years ago, you won't touch a decent main dealer/VW approved model for less than £6000-£7000 with around 45-50000 miles on the clock.
I paid £5000 for mine with 44,000 on the clock and one owner, who never took it over about 65mph, and only did fairly nice longish runs. Therefore, I know I had a bargain... They are out there if you know where to look.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
very helpful i plan on getting one for my first car. so this was very helpful~curious
TinyTInk 22.05.2006 12:43
very helpful i am buying a polo myself :D
GreenFluffBob 24.10.2004 17:19
My grandparents are replacing theirs with a new Mini, so I snapped up theirs for a nice low price and I'll finally get in in a few weeks. After reading this review, I think I made a pretty good decision. :-)
Advantages: Surprisingly powerful engine for a 1.4, economical and of course its a VW promising reliability and good residuals. Disadvantages: Too easy to utilise engine's power and spoil economy!
confusion 17.09.2003 (04.11.2003)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of VolkswagenPolo1.4 TDI
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Sep 4th, 2001
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