1988 Volkswagen Polo C review from UK and Ireland

Alternator failure at 115000 miles.

Front windscreen wiper motor fault at 105000 miles. The headlights went dim when the wipers reached the bottom of the windscreen, but only on the continuous low speed setting.

Front windscreen wipers now work continuously on intermittent mode.

Rear wiper and rear heated window wires broke where they leave the boot. All easily rewired.

Engine tends to cut out on cold and/or damp mornings at junctions and traffic lights before it reaches running temperature. It's fine however if you live out of town and don't have to keep stopping and starting as soon as you leave home. It always starts fine.

Suffers a little from high emissions at MOTs.

The car is plenty fast enough around town, but lacks a little performance on main roads. Acceleration is not exactly swift, but once up to speed it will hold it nicely. Nevertheless, you do have to time any uphill overtaking manoeuvres well on the motorway if you don't want to get stuck behind the lorries.

Everyone mentions the brakes... Given that this is my first car, I can't really compare the brakes to any other car (Well, I did briefly drive a new Fiesta and pushed the brakes as hard as I do on the Polo and I almost smashed my head against the windscreen). You do have to push quite hard, but they stop you OK once you get used to them.

The rear seats are quite cramped, but you get a decent boot space. The back of the seat is quite low, which gives good rear visibility.

The front seats are quite comfortable with very little wear.

On a few occasions, it has refused to go into reverse. To correct this problem, start the engine with reverse selected.

The side repeater bulbs are difficult to replace (or am I doing it wrong?).

The body of the car is so far fairly rustproof, only the front of the bonnet is starting to deteriorate. The paint still shines after a good wash.

The car is very basic and easy to work on. No computer or anything complicated to go wrong.

The handling is predictable, it always feels safe, and new tyres make the steering quite light.

The clutch is quite stiff; this is not the car for you if you have a weak left leg.

Fuel consumption averages about 35 miles per gallon of unleaded.

All in all, with no costly servicing, it's a cheap and reliable runner. The engine is refined and the car offers a good ride quality. A good first car.