Faults:

A binding rear brake, which has now been fixed, but that's it.

General Comments:

In my experience, Volkswagens like to be looked after. My Polo is only a 3-cylinder 1.2, and at 100k is by no means a low mileage car. But it has been looked after well, and as a result is possibly the most reliable car I've ever owned.

It was a (genuine!) one lady owned car from new, garaged and with a full service history. The build quality still shines through even now, and the car looks fantastic inside and out - defying its age and mileage.

In first gear, the little petrol 1.2 sometimes feels like it's struggling with the weight of the car it's pulling. But this is more than made up for by feeling surprisingly nippy around towns and at lower speeds. More than I was expecting, actually.

It's pleasant and easy to drive, as opposed to exciting to drive. I find the Polo drives smoothly and without fuss, easily coping with a few long distance motorway journeys as well.

As I mentioned, the build quality is lovely even at 10 years old. I am a volunteer driver for a local charity, and my passengers could not believe the car was as old as it is. Speaking of that, I regularly have three passengers in the car with no problems at all - so that's pleasingly impressive for what is after all a small car.

The 3-cylinder engine can sound a little gruff or rattly every now and then, yet at other times I find myself gliding along in an impressively refined manner, more akin to larger cars.

I'd imagine this is a popular choice amongst young drivers and buyers choosing a first car. There are plenty of Polos around, so my humble opinion would be to choose one that's been well looked after and serviced properly, all its life.

Faults:

- EGR valve.

- No 2 cylinder (needed reconditioning).

- Fuel vent valve.

- Rear windscreen wiper.

- Rear reverse light switch.

- Clutch assembly.

- Front bushes.

- Hard wearing on front tyres.

- Interior gets grubby after about 80k km of use, plastics peel, compartments jam.

- Other reliability issues such as cutting out at speed occasionally, but not total electrical cut off (so maybe not as bad).

... A lot of things, it does seem to be the luck of the draw though... Volkswagen isn't overly interested in your concerns either after the warranty expires.

General Comments:

Really nice car aesthetically, but really has a lot of mechanical issues. 3 cycle engine was the worst decision ever made. Real cost has been about 3k in repairs over eight years, on top of servicing, and heavy brake and front tyre wear, which is excessive.

It's a nice car, but aim for 4 cylinders under 90k km with no faults and looking pristine inside and out, because if driven often, it will wear (I have a friend who has the same model, with 95k km over the same period with less issues).

Faults:

The Electronic Petrol Control (EPC) light came on, on the very first day I bought the car, and this problem has continued since. As a result, the engine behaves erratically, and either loses power completely, or the car takes off at full throttle. Either way, an emergency stop is necessary, and this happens practically every day!

The car has been back on five occasions for repair under warranty, to no avail. This car is a major disappointment, although it is comfortable and well built. My previous Polo (1999 model) in comparison, was totally faultless.

General Comments:

The dealer is always courteous etc., but seems unable to fix the problem.

I would never buy a VW car again.