1982 Volkswagen Polo C from Netherlands - Comments

Leaking battery panel at 90.000 km.

Gone clutch at 95.000 km.

Front shocks at 110.000 km.

Leaking tank at 115.000 km.

Front wheel bearing at 120.000.

Blown head gasket at 175.000 km.

Great car. If you want low running costs, quite some miles for your gallon, and a 'not so standard' look.

Boot/Hatch is enormous, your own little station-wagon.

Did never die on my yet, accept for the

dead battery ones.

Handling isn't too bad for a 'shopping' car. Front is a bit wobbly.

Watch out for a leaking battery panel: very common problem.

With only 1.043 cc and 40 horses I can keep up with normal traffic, since the car is very light-weight.

If you ain't a mechanic, the most repairs aren't that expensive at the local garage. Don't go to a dealership for e.a. a blow head gasket. If you know what a torque wrench is, you can do virtually every repair yourself, and running costs go down big time (I Did the head gasket myself, without having a any mechanical background)

I have a 1982 Polo and being from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, this car is a very rare item. I think I have the only one in Canada. The car is in mint condition and runs like a new one. It is a very popular entry in the local Volkswagon show and shine events. It has 1043 cc engine with 50 hp and I find it to be quite peppy. It could use another gear as it turns up some pretty high revs on the open road in fourth gear, but it also seems to like to be revved high. The most bothersome thing about the car is that I seem to have to play with the carburetor once in a while to keep it idling properly and parts are difficult to locate in Canada. Fortunately, the car is reliable and seldom needs parts. It has just turned 190000 K's and does not burn a drop of oil. In my opinion it's a great little car and if I lived in the UK, I would definitely consider purchasing a newer one for every day commuting.

My father bought that car in 1982 and I was born in 1985, so I drive that car only for a year. Although my little experience, and as well as I remember, the car had less problems than my father's new one which is 15 years younger. As I asked other Polo C drivers in Greece (in which I drive that car), some classical problems are the water leak under the battery, the common holes on the exhaust and the rust. In general, the car covers the demands of the next 5 years at least.