Volkswagen Polo 1.0

I got this one for free from a friend with 110,000 miles on the clock, so wouldn't think I could complain too much but it hasn't been a good buy. Cost £380.00 to get through MOT inc a new cam belt, at my request. Gear cable broke, £100.00 (could not select any gears) and a new throttle body is required. I already tried a 2nd hand one at about £30.00 plus £70.00 labour but no better than original. Car is idling at 20,000 plus and running like a pig so am contemplating a new throttle body at lots of bucks. All these fancy electronically linked engine management things are a pain in the rear end and cost a fortune to diagnose and replace. Both rear wheel arches are rusting big time, I thought VWs were good on rust, but not this one. Lack of power steering on a 1.0 litre small car should be no problem but these buggers are heavy and no fun to drive. It is gutless, noisy, gearbox is notchy and so on. On the good side, interior is good and well made but boring and mpg is brilliant at 43 to 48 mpg. That's all folks

The VW Polo is a great little work horse, I had my first one for 10 years until it got too expensive to keep in tip top condition. The second one had for 7 years. Warning both had corrosion problems on top of fuel tank. They are also prone to the top head gasket going. Check both these out if you are considering buying one. I loved mine for around town driving and took it far and wide on holiday. Excellent boot space and easy to put the back seats down and fill up the back with anything from a cloakroom suite to a fridge! It was the worst day of my life when VW unveiled its replacement!

I would add similar views to the above. I have had this version of the VW Polo for a couple of years and it was an absolute bargain. It looks as if it will run and run as there have been no major problems with it. It had about 30,000 miles on the clock and we have doubled that. It is ideal if you live in a city as it's nice and compact and you don't worry about it getting the odd scratch. It's a pretty sturdy little thing. It is alright on the motorway or for city or rural roads as well and keeps up well with everything else. The only thing is the handling around corners at any speed and if you fill it up with a few people and a dog and a few suitcases then you are like a snail going up hill. Going to Cornwall or the Lakes is quite comical. No real complaints though if you want a bargain just to get you around.

The Volkswagen Polo is quite a good car in all aspects. The interior is very spacious and visibility is excellent (no blind corners or bulging bumpers). The interior quality of the plastics is also of a high standard and the seating position can be adjusted to any driver. It's major flaws, however, is in it's roadholding-exit a roundabout at high-ish speed and you feel the car sliding side-ways (propably due to the very thin section tyres)....also when you start loading the car with people, the 1 litre engine can't cope. Economy is ok though.