1989 Volkswagen Polo CL review from UK and Ireland
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Water Pump wore out.
Starter Motor failed.
New battery.
Routine servicing e.g. various exhaust parts/brakes, tires, cam belt.
General comments?
Hardly Luxury motoring, but by all accounts, if you simply want to get from A to B with minimal fuss and cost then this takes some beating.
I paid £150 for the car with 3months MOT left on it with the view of running it into the ground and scrapping it once the MOT ran out. 3 hard years later and the little blighter was still running like clockwork. Realising it wasn't going to die any time soon I decided to buy a newer car and sell the polo at auction - I thought if I got 50notes for it I'd be one to a winner. In the end it sold £140 - just £10 less than I paid for it!
The car never let me down - even when the starter motor failed - a simple bump start and I was on my way!
As for driving it. The 1300cc carb fed motor was pokey enough round town however the 4 speed box was no good out on the open road - I'd recommend going for the 4+E gearbox. Handling was adequate, but I never really pushed the car too hard. The one area that Polo's are particularly bad for is the brakes - they're awful with no servo assistance and mine had been fitted with Golf Brake pads that are too hard.
Despite mine being the slightly better CL spec - it had little in the way of creature comforts inside, but the seats were tough as was the switch gear.
Polo's make great first cars, but buy wisely. Some are pretty ropey!
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| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 1989 |
| First year of ownership | 2002 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2005 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.3 Manual |
| Performance marks | 5 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 8 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 4 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 10 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 68000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 85000 miles |
| Date of Entry | 19th April, 2007 |