Which VW Polo?

[sandhun]

Hello, I am looking to buy a used VW Polo with a budget of 10.5k.

The one below has low mileage but I wonder if it would be under-powered at just 74bhp

https://www.cazoo.co.uk/used-car/27a33960-80f3-5c8...

Annoyingly it's registered after April 2017 which means it's eligible for road tax (earlier models are either £20 or £0 tax)

For the record I really don't care about fast cars. Comfort and reliability are more important.

Given my budget, would it be wiser to go for a 'new' model like the one above, or perhaps a slightly older version e.g. 2015-6 with a better 'trim'.

Thanks in advance.

[jwilco]

I think it's the mileage on that one driving the cost up... I'd be inclined to suggest increasing mileage limit to get the mk6:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009013...

I'm sure you could haggle that down close to your budget, and it's the 95 PS model that is really the one to go for. The previous gen is fine, but it's quite a bit less practical, hasn't got the latest tech and won't hold its value as well.

[ZX10R NIN]

If comfort reliability are your first priority then you should be looking at a Kia Rio First Edition:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010104...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202008272...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010175...

Not only will you still have 4/5 year Manufacturer's Warranty left but these cars have the 120bhp 1.0T engine which is more than enough, they also come loaded with spec so you get:

Heated Seats & Steering Wheel
Xenons
Nav
Android Auto/Apple Car Play
Leather Interior
Reverse Cam & Sensors
Lane Assist
Cruise Control
Keyless Entry
Rear Privacy

For me the only reason to buy the Polo is for the badge as these are just as well made & equally reliable with lower servicing costs too.

The Road Tax is a small part of the cost of running a car, by going for a 16 plate the only benefit you get is saving £130 vs getting a car that's 1-2 years newer better spec'd & have 4-5 years peace of mind that if anything goes wrong your covered vs no warranty.

Not that anything should really go wrong with either.

Edited by ZX10R NIN on Monday 23 November 18:21

[Trevor555]

Have a look at the Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo's first.

Better specs than the Polo's.

Get a 16 plate with the four cylinder 110bhp petrol engine.

£20 road tax as well.

[sandhun]

Wow @Trevor555 and ZX10R NIN

Thanks for those suggestions.

When it comes to bicycles, I'd pick a sleek, fast, prestigious road bike over a boring, practical hybrid/Mb any day. With cars, I'm looking for something in between.

I'm not going to claim that prestige is irrelevant to me, style does matter (it's not all about comfort). And I realise with a VW I'd be paying for the badge. That being said, it's hard to argue against the manufacturers you suggested (so many extras that you don't get with a golf). You've certainly given me something to think about.

[ZX10R NIN]

sandhun said:

Wow @Trevor555 and ZX10R NIN

Thanks for those suggestions.

When it comes to bicycles, I'd pick a sleek, fast, prestigious road bike over a boring, practical hybrid/Mb any day. With cars, I'm looking for something in between.

I'm not going to claim that prestige is irrelevant to me, style does matter (it's not all about comfort). And I realise with a VW I'd be paying for the badge. That being said, it's hard to argue against the manufacturers you suggested (so many extras that you don't get with a golf). You've certainly given me something to think about.

I hear you that style does matter but you can't tell me in all honesty that the Polo you linked to looks more stylish exterior wise? I think the Rio has the better interior & it definitely has the better power train.

I'd say go & have a look in the flesh (we're only 10 days from lockdown being over) I think you'll be impressed by the Kia.

[M4cruiser]

To me the Polo and Rio are worlds apart. The Polo feels like a solid quality car, and the Rio doesn't.
I'm not a fan of 3-cyl engines, but again these two are very different.

[ZX10R NIN]

Have you been in the new one I linked to? I've been in a fair few of both & the Kia feels just as solid, preconceived perceptions of quality are normally squashed once people sit in both.

I will agree that the base model Kia will feel cheaper than the base Polo but it doesn't feel any less well built.

[sandhun]

Yeah the Rio looks pretty nice, the interior is better than the Golf I linked but I'm not completely sold on the exterior.

Fair point though. Maybe I ought to see these cars in the flesh to get an idea. I am quite keen to buy from Cazoo (they seem trustworthy based on what I have read).

This Skoda looks waaaay better than the golf I linked.


https://www.cazoo.co.uk/used-car/1ef82336-ea4f-51d...

[Trevor555]

Another point OP.

Skoda and Kia service departments are much nicer to deal with than VW

In my experience anyway, 3000+ cars

[ZX10R NIN]

You linked to a Polo not a Golf.

Cazoo are just a broker dealing with dealers any of the dealers linked to by everyone will be no more hassle than dealing with Cazoo.

You'll also be able to haggle & drive a deal unlike when you deal with Cazoo.

[sandhun]

ZX10R NIN said:

You linked to a Polo not a Golf.

Cazoo are just a broker dealing with dealers any of the dealers linked to by everyone will be no more hassle than dealing with Cazoo.

You'll also be able to haggle & drive a deal unlike when you deal with Cazoo.

Sorry, yes I meant to say Polo.

[Volvolover]

Trevor555 said:

Have a look at the Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo's first.

Better specs than the Polo's.

Get a 16 plate with the four cylinder 110bhp petrol engine.

£20 road tax as well.

Having owned one, (well the wife's) i'd avoid. Lovely car , really lovely, but needs a 6 speed box and feels quite old now,

We now have a 2018 3cyl 110bhp Monte Carlo 6sp and its fabulous. Really nice little car and feels quite premium inside ( we also did a red console delete so its black and added heated seats, the only one of this spec in the country apparently lol)

The engine is a little peach, sounds great and revs out nicely. I genuinely enjoy nipping around in it.

Not cheap though, that Kia looks pretty good

Edited by Volvolover on Tuesday 24th November 09:27

[Sheepshanks]

ZX10R NIN said:

Cazoo are just a broker dealing with dealers.....

I thought Cazoo owned and held all the cars they offer?

[jwilco]

Sheepshanks said:

I thought Cazoo owned and held all the cars they offer?

Yes, I was under that impression too - unless they are being very dishonest in the description of their business model.

[Trevor555]

Volvolover said:

Trevor555 said:

Have a look at the Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo's first.

Better specs than the Polo's.

Get a 16 plate with the four cylinder 110bhp petrol engine.

£20 road tax as well.

Having owned one, (well the wife's) i'd avoid. Lovely car , really lovely, but needs a 6 speed box and feels quite old now,

Edited by Volvolover on Tuesday 24th November 09:27

The 110bhp four pot has a six speed gearbox.

[Volvolover]

Trevor555 said:

The 110bhp four pot has a six speed gearbox.

Must have been a runout in that shape then, ours was a 5. Still moving from the 2015 to the 2018 car is like night and day, you realise how old the previous one feels , the wheels were also too big and ruined the ride massively ( nothing was done to the suspension so it was still normal Fabia stuff but with big wheels/elastic band tyres), the newer one on 17's with some sidewall rides way better. I could go on but I wouldn't be putting 10k into a car who's architecture dates back to 1999 vs the newer one which is based on a platform new in 2014

If you're definitely talking about a Fabia 2 then it was 103bhp 5 speed as per the one I owned unless there were runout models but ive never seen one

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%A0koda_Fabia

I'm assuming you must mean early Fabia 3 with 1.2 TSI 108bhp now superceeded by the 1.0 108bhp that we own in which case yes thats a decent car

Edited by Volvolover on Tuesday 24th November 10:13

[Trevor555]

Volvolover said:

Trevor555 said:

The 110bhp four pot has a six speed gearbox.

Must have been a runout in that shape then, ours was a 5. Still moving from the 2015 to the 2018 car is like night and day, you realise how old the previous one feels , the wheels were also too big and ruined the ride massively ( nothing was done to the suspension so it was still normal Fabia stuff but with big wheels/elastic band tyres), the newer one on 17's with some sidewall rides way better. I could go on but I wouldn't be putting 10k into a car who's architecture dates back to 1999 vs the newer one which is based on a platform new in 2014

Yes, the 2015 onwards cars are the ones to go for. So much more modern than the 2014 models which weren't great.

We have three in the family (Greedy I know)

My missus never liked the red center console, so I may have to explore doing what you've done and change it for her.

We recently went to change hers, looked at Scala, Lexus NX, new Puma, new Rav4. She's decided she wants to keep her Fabia (saved me some cash lol) She liked the Puma and we went back for a second visit to order, they wouldn't sell it for the price they advertised them for.

Edited by Trevor555 on Tuesday 24th November 10:20

Edited by Trevor555 on Tuesday 24th November 10:24

[Volvolover]

Trevor555 said:

Yes, the 2015 onwards cars are the ones to go for. So much more modern than the 2014 models which weren't great.

We have three in the family (Greedy I know)

My missus never liked the red center console, so I may have to explore doing what you've done and change it for her.

We recently went to change hers, looked at Scala, Lexus NX, new Puma, new Rav4. She's decided she wants to keep her Fabia (saved me some cash lol) She liked the Puma and we went back for a second visit to order, they wouldn't sell it for the price they advertised them for.

We went to look at a Scala when we had our daughter back end of last year and they are jolly nice in SE spec with the curved glass boot thing

Just a bit pricey at the time. Skoda aren't as good value new as they used to be

Edited by Trevor555 on Tuesday 24th November 10:20

Edited by Trevor555 on Tuesday 24th November 10:24

[AndrewO]

I've bought a few of these recently, two for us and two for family. All 2015-March 2017 cars, I don't like the new one plus your into £150pa tax. The tax isn't much but the Gov tend to put £5-10 on each year whereas at £20pa they leave it alone.

The 3cylinder 60bhp is fine as a run around (cheaper insurance for new drivers) but the 1.2Tsi is the one to buy imo. I think its around 95bhp, it's got enough power to overtake and not hold people up unlikely the 60bhp one.

A lot don't have the parking sensors so try and get one with front and rear. The other thing that is a nice to have is apple/android play, some have built in nav and some have the SD card nav. The apple/android one is the what the kids want to use.

All £20pa to tax, 50mpg and cheap to fix/service.

Edited by AndrewO on Thursday 26th November 13:55