1996 Volkswagen Polo L 999cc
Summary:
Excellent car generally
Faults:
Front disks and pads replaced at 40000 miles and again at 85000 miles, more my fault that I had to replace the disks also, still the pad wear didn't give me any warning.
Gearbox started giving a loud "whining" sound at 50000 miles when in 4th and 5th gear driving at speeds greater than 50MPH, however I only replaced it with a second hand one at 70000, I have had no issue with the gearbox since.
Back exhaust pipe wore out at 100000 miles.
General Comments:
Overall the Polo is an excellent reliable car. It looks good, has superb build quality (not one rattle out of the dash) and has never left me down.
The little 999cc engine is super for its size however it you seat more than 2 adults in the car it gets seriously sluggish. Avoid the initial 1litre engine the 1043cc variant as it's a very sluggish engine.
Suspension and handling is not bad (not near as good as the Fiesta), however the tyre's that come standard are really too small, its best to change the set and go up 2 sizes.
On long journey's the car does tire you out as you feel every bump in the road, plus at speed road noise is significant.
A good car that runs without issue, however does that justify its high purchase price second hand when compared with other cars in its class?
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 10th September, 2002
29th Apr 2007, 07:25
I agree with your comments: I own a 1996 1.6 GL and it does indeed have quite a 'big car' feel for something KA-sized! Compared to most other super-minis of it's generation, it is definitely of a higher build quality (inside & outside) and personally, in 2 years of ownership, I've had nothing major go wrong - so yes, you do pay for that privilege.
Being a Polo, it's not the sharpest to drive because it's made more for comfortable cruising/shopping run than boy-racer antics and as such, is not a 'driver's car, but considering it's just 75bhp, I found this car is deceptively nippy (mainly thanks to decent levels of torque spread across the range), and it is equally capable around town or on the motorway.
The steering is a bit too stodgy and vague, but easily up to the job.
The only drawback I found was the poor mpg: mid-30's driving normally and around 30 mpg with my foot down and also, the road noise is quite intrusive at motorway speeds, but it's a small (very lively!) 8 valve 75bhp engine and has low profile tyres, so I guess I should expect that!).
Yeah, true, it's just a Polo with a boring bland reputation - does everything well, but is not exceptional in any area (other than build quality) but I think, for a first car (by the way, I'm 33 and have driven many many cars - so this isn't my first car!) or a quality cheap (ish!) runabout/2nd car (my reason for having one) this is an excellent well-made car.
Personally, I think it looks really good also in a chunky tough way (mine with metallic 'dragon'green paint,15inch alloys and a subtle factory body kit) and have always had compliments from people who like it for what it is - a very likeable, nippy & reliable runabout which won't let you down.
I'm currently saving for a decent sporty 2.0, maybe ctr/scooby etc.