I bought my W plate Polo GTi in October 2006 and decided to write a review covering what you should look for if you are looking to buy a 2nd hand Polo GTi. I did a lot of research while I was looking for my car and feel that this knowledge could be a great help to others.
I'll do the basic information first. The Polo GTi was only ever made in 3 colours, Red, Silver and Black - any other coloured car you may see badged up as a GTi will either be an import or an engine conversion. The car came as either a 3 or 5 door and had a subtle bodykit which included a black plastic splitter on the bumper, honeycomb grills, front fog lights, side skirts and a spolier. The car also benefitted from a sports suspension which sat 15mm lower than that of the standard car. Inside, the car had chromed dial surrounds, leather 'GTi' gearknob and steering wheel and sports seats with either a fabric finish or leather with heated front seats.
The car came with a huge variety of equipment as standard including xenon headlights with washers, air con & sunroof or climatronic climate control, heated wing mirrors and a cd player or 6 cd changer (in the boot).
Buying a car of this age, there will be common signs of wear and tear including stone chips to the bumper and bonnet, BBS standard alloys beginning to corrode and the body seams below the rear lights may have cracked slightly. These are nothing to worry about and will be common on most cars that you view.
The car had one recall for a pedal box fault, this was a total recall by VW and if the work has been done, there will be a sticker under the carpet in the boot or in the service book. Alternatively you can give you local dealer a ring and they can check your cars registration number on their database. If the recall has not been done, VW will carry out the work for free.
When you test drive the car, look out for any usunual whining noises which could indicate gearbox bearing wear. The bearings in this gearbox wear easily and often need replacing at around 60-80k. My car had this carried out at 63k. Although the bearings were not badly worn, I felt it best to replace them. Other possibly signs of gearbox wear are difficulty getting the car into gear and crunching into gear (other the reverse which has no synchro) during normal changing.
If you are buying a car that has over 40k on the clock, check that it has had the cambelt replaced as VW quite recently decided that it should be changed after 40k rather than 60k.
Things to watch out for:
I have seen several cars for sale which are missing the xenon headlight washers. This could be due to a front impact or could mean the car has not always been a GTI. An HPI check should show up anything like this.
Check that both electric windows are in working order and that the rear washer and headlight washers all spray sufficiently. Please note that if the washer tank has less than 1ltr of fluid left, the headlight washers will not operate.
Other pointers:
The heated wing mirrors will operate when the rear screen heater button is pressed.
The fuel tank does not have a locking cap, instead the fuel flap locks with the central locking.
Lastly I feel that I should give my opinion on the car now that I have given you all the facts. I have owned this car for 8 months now and have loved every minute of it. The car is quick for a 1.6 16v, VW managed to produce 125bhp from the engine which gives a top speed of 127mph and a 0-60 book time of 8.7 seconds although I am convinced that mine is quicker than that with only the addition of a K&N air filter. The insurance groupis 12, which as a 22 year old with 0 no claims cost me around £900 for a year. Tax will currently cost £180 for a year which is a little pricey but its worth it!
The car handles very well as standard, there is little bodyroll when cornering and the car feels stable. Acceleration is good right through the rev range due to it being so small and light, but the car really comes into its own at around 3500-4000 revs.
The car looks spot on and the bodykit fits in perfectly. The xenon lights are powerful and I think I would struggle to go back to driving a car with standard lights now! The seats are comfortable and easily adjusted and the car generally gives a good smooth ride. As with most VW's, the car feels solid and well made and despite the 65000 miles on my car, it still looks much younger than it is inside and out.
As a last note, you will be able to find several enthusiasts forums with a quick google search and these provide a wealth of information and advise about Polo's and VW's in general.
I hope this review has helped you and that you enjoy your Polo should you choose to buy one!
Advantages: Really cool, fun little car. Not many of them on the road. Fast. Well equipped for a small car. I could go on! Disadvantages: None that I can think of!
Pumpkin 30.04.2001 (28.04.2001)
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Review of VolkswagenPolo 1.6
Advantages: Reasonably comfortable and spacious interior for passengers Disadvantages: Noisy, shuddering ride, uncomfortable to drive and strange handling!
Jul 5th, 2007
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