Buying a second hand VW Polo

Chat about your 9n Polo (inc GT and Fun)
Post Reply
pred02
New
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Apr 10, 2017 12:44 pm
Drives: TBC
Location: South London

Buying a second hand VW Polo

Post by pred02 »

Hi,

I am looking to buy a second hand VW Polo or Skoda Fabia for £2000 or less. The car would be for weekend city driving (errands), non-commuting with occasional trips outside of London. Looking at auto trader I see decent 2004 VW Polo 1.4 with 65k miles for about £1700 range.

A couple of questions:

1. As I will not be driving a lot annually (<3000 miles) I suspect that benefit of diesel will ought weight the cost. Is there any engine that is recommended?
2. The cars I looked at (petrol) have about 65-70k on them. What are the expensive maintenance that I should look for when reviewing the history?
3. This is my first car purchase int the UK. Is there a service that does the mechanical inspection of the car to ensure it is sound before the purchase? Do you do this before or after you see and test drive the car? Do people usually put a deposit on the used car when they see it?
4. At this price point, would you recommend a VW Polo vs. Skoda Fabia?
5. Any configurations that are better for insurance? I have a UK license now, but spent most of my time driving outside the UK so my insurance history will not be great.
6. Any decent stereo retrofit kits to take into consideration Bluetooth (voice) and audio.

Sorry this is a lot of questions.

Thanks!

Many thanks
littlepolo
Gold Member
Posts: 778
Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2011 9:47 pm

Re: Buying a second hand VW Polo

Post by littlepolo »

The 1.4 16V uses a belt for camshaft drive and this needs to be changed regularly (40,000 miles or 4 years - whichever comes first).

Cost would be around £350-£450 depending on whether you change the auxiliary belt, water pump, etc.).

The engine is an interference design meaning the valves will contact the pistons if the belt breaks,

History of regular oil changes with good quality oil and filter is important.
Post Reply