1st car - polo mk2 or golf mk2?

snowman99 · Post by **snowman99** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 2:39 pm

I'm getting my 1st car soon, can't decide what to get. Have been driving a borrowed 1.3l 1987 golf mk2, 3 doors, i quite like it. It seems to be able to do 70 with shaking all my teeth loose and goes fast enough for me, for now anyway...seems to handle nicely, given my limited experience..

Spoke to my garage, I need to ask in more detail, but they recommended a mk 2 polo. I've had a look at them, the 1.0 is cheap on insurance (Â£600) but apparently its reeealy slow, unstable, and im not sure it would really be ok/safe for motor driving at 70? The 1.3l is about Â£850 to insure. I'm 21, only passed my test a month ago, altho i have been a named driver for about 4 years. Is the 1.3l worth it?

also , would it be better to get the 3door golf if i go for the 1.3l? i prefer the looks of the golf, and can insure one for Â£800. Are they quite hard to come by? I've seen a lot of GTI's for sale, but not that many other ones.

looking for spend under Â£500 on something small, so any suggestions (that also don't cost a bomb to insure for me) would be great..

telboy · Post by **telboy** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 11:29 pm

hi mate, having had a mk2 golf and now owning a mk2 polo i'd say go for the polo! it might not have the style of the golf but the 1.3 is as quick if not quicker than the golf(being lighter) it also handles quite well. all round an easy car to get on with i.e maintenance,running costs etc. hope thats of some help.

Mk2Adam · Post by **Mk2Adam** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 11:55 pm

i've never driven a golf so i can't compare i'm afraid but i know that the mk2 is a solid car and for sub Â£500 that's all you can ask for really. i never did commuting in my mk2 but whenever i did motorway driving i never felt out of place and that was only a 1litre

so good luck on your decision dude, but just remember this is a polo forum so if you asked on the golf forum they'd probably reccomend the golf

Gareth_GT_Hatch · Post by **Gareth_GT_Hatch** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 7:08 am

the 1.3 golf has the same engine as the 1.3 polo, making the 1.3 polo a fair bit quicker. The 1.0 mk2 isnt too bad. Its the mk3 youve got to watch out for!

If you do alot of motorway driving, the 1.3 5-speed is the one to go for, it runs at alot less revs at motorway speeds (3300 for the polo, 3500rpm for the golf at 70 compared with 4000 at 70 for the 1.0)

If you get a 1.3 (golf or polo) make sure you get one with a 5 speed box, it will make it alot more economical.

meeky · Post by **meeky** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 6:12 pm

i have the 1.3 polo and it's a lil flyer.
being just past polo is lower insurance im guessing.
pick up some nice polos for ur price range aswell

happy picking

hypojam · Post by **hypojam** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 11:09 pm

Yep 1.3 Mk2's Rule.

Without sounding like an idiot my mk2 seems happy sitting at 100+, allthough i dont often do this

But...Cruising at 70-90 is just bliss, i actually love driving my polo especially on motorways.

snowman99 · Post by **snowman99** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 10:29 am

cheers for the replies. i've been offered the golf i have been using, 1.3l. am a little concerned it uses a lot of petrol (apparently it has twin carbs, so above 40 it might, according to the garage) so i think they're going to let me borrow it for a week so I can work out exactly what mpg im getting, it is a 4 speed. They said it might be in the low 30s at 50/60mph , so given that they're trying to sell me the car, I am concerned it could be lower, which is pretty poor. its only got 57,000 miles, which for a 19 year old car sounds low, i trust the guy so im fairly sure it isn't clocked.

will give it a try hopefully anyway and see what mpg i get.

omicron · Post by **omicron** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 12:20 pm

It depends on your needs. Personally, I'd have a Polo over a golf all day long, because I don't really like golfs, but that's just me.

I've found all 1.3 Golfs I've driven to be hard work. No real problems with a 1.05 Polo though, so long as you're not planning on spending long on the motorway.

hypojam wrote:Yep 1.3 Mk2's Rule.

Without sounding like an idiot my mk2 seems happy sitting at 100+, allthough i dont often do this

But...Cruising at 70-90 is just bliss, i actually love driving my polo especially on motorways.

Yours is a Formel E, so it has higher gearing, meanign lower revs at speed.

Brakes are the same though, so I wouldn't do it

Gareth_GT_Hatch · Post by **Gareth_GT_Hatch** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 4:25 pm

a 1.3 4 speed is a waste of time. The 5-speed ones have the same 4 gears as the 4-speed and then an extra one. If I were you Id look elsewhere.

WildChild · Post by **WildChild** » Sat Dec 30, 2006 6:36 pm

I owned a MK1 Polo, MK2 Polo then i brought my self a MK1 Golf GTI 2.0 Litre 8V.

If it was a MK1 polo in good nick i would say go for it, i wouldn't touch a MK2 Polo again with a barge pole (no offence intended) after the Mk1 Polo i just found the MK2 to be ugly, electrically s**t, not much ooomph in it at all (both mk1 and mk2 were 1litres or close to it).

I would say go for the golf.. but if you're a first time insurer there is no question about it: insure the cheapest thing u can get, insure it for a year and run it into the ground, save up and buy yourself a nice 1.6/1.8 Golf or Polo at the end of the year when your NCB comes round

Don't bother going for "looks", if you're going by that it's the Golf all the way, cos the MK2 Polo is an ugly square coffin!

willriseley · Post by **willriseley** » Sat Dec 30, 2006 6:53 pm

having run both 1.oltrs and 1.3ltr olops and a mk2 goof 1.3 id say get the olop in either the 1 or 1.3 ltr depending on your driving style

omicron · Post by **omicron** » Sat Dec 30, 2006 7:09 pm

I've always found Mk2 1.3 Golfs to be hard work and heavy on fuel for what they are. That said, Golf's as a whole just don't float my boat. I'm 25 now, and, even though I've had bigger/better/fancier cars, there's been a mk2 polo somewhere in my life for the last 6 years, and I think, up until the Yaris, they are the best small car ever made.

As far as the Polo goes, Mk2's are fine in either 1043cc or 1272cc. Though the 1043cc's really aren't made for doing a steady 70 down the motorway if that's what you need, mine used to be far more happy sat in the insde lane with the artics (flying past me at times

). I've had both 1043 and 1272cc Mk2's, and have found them both to be great for local-ish journeys, and the occassion trek. If you can, get the 1272cc, it doesn't use any more fuel (I think at one point, the 1.3 was the most economical of them all, including the Formel E), is still cheap on the tax, hardly any worse on the insurance, and is generally a better car to drive (especcially if you get one with a 5 speed box).

The one thing I will forewarn you on is Mk2 Polo brakes aren't servo assisted. That's no to say that they're at all dangerous or not up to the job, but you do have to be prepared to press them a bit harder than you might be used to.

Also may I offer a general tip with regard to 1980's VW's. It's going to sound arse-backwards, but get the oldest one you can find, they're far better made and much more comprehensively rustproofed. My B-reg has 168,000 miiles on it, minimal rust, and virtually nothing wrong with it. I've seen more than a few later (D-G reg) ones that have completely rusted to death