1997 Volkswagen Polo 16v from UK and Ireland - Comments

Apart from the usual wear and tear stuff like brake pads etc, the rocker cover gasket has been changed 3 times since I have had the car!

Basically this is a great little motor. The car handles great, even in the wet. The suspension is firm and solid, maybe a little too firm at times as even the smallest bumps in the road are noticable.

Build quality is fantastic, the interior is screwed together nicely and doesn't rattle at all, even over the bumps! The only quibble is the engine noise due to low gearing on motorways is liable to cause your ears to bleed!

Performance is good for a 1.4 engine, excellent above 4000 revs, very torquey and great up hills. It'll pass 100 without any trouble and go on to a respectable 120 (if your ears can take it).

Fiat Uno Turbo is better!

0-62mph in 6.7 seconds hehe

Standard Turbo 1.4.

Fiat Uno turbo? Please be serious for a moment, you can't even compare an Uno to a Polo. So what if the Uno is faster? In terms of reliability, solidity and visual appeal, it's a no contest. The Polo wins hands down.

A Polo is a shed, the build quality is no better than any russian car, it's expensive motoring, boring sea of plastic, they are heavy, unreliable sheds. My 96 model started rusting on the front wing, paint (red) has faded completely on the roof, and transmission had to be repaired 3 times! The car has only done 27k!

Face it, VW are over hyped, office workers car.

Try actually taking care of your car then, theres this stuff you can buy called polish, not only does it make your wagon nice and shiny, its main quality is that it protects your paint from fading from sunlight! any valeting company will tell you red is the worst for this, as for rusting, try drying your car after washing (YES PLACES SELL SOAP FOR CARS TOO!) will prevent this from happening.

Its not VW's fault, its general neglect like this that causes these problems.

In short it's a POLO not a PORSCHE!!!

So stop bloody whining!