Polo Gti ? ? ?
Discussion
Hi lads!
Friend of mines looking at getting one of these as a daily driver as they are class little cars! Really just wanting a few tips / for and againsts these. I know about the gear box problems , just how bad are they? thats the main concern a think he has! Either that or going for a gt tdi 130 golf kinda the other way from what i`d pick tho!
Any help would be much appreciated!
Friend of mines looking at getting one of these as a daily driver as they are class little cars! Really just wanting a few tips / for and againsts these. I know about the gear box problems , just how bad are they? thats the main concern a think he has! Either that or going for a gt tdi 130 golf kinda the other way from what i`d pick tho!
Any help would be much appreciated!
This all depends which Polo GTI you are talking about...
Between 2000 and 2001 they made a limited number of Polo GTIs with 1.6L 16V engines...
And much more recently they have been producing a polo with a 1.8T engine in it.....
If you are talking about the older one then its a good little car if you take care of it.
Cambelt and waterpymp every 30K.... budget on a gearbox rebuild every 50-70K and make sure it has had the peddlebox recall done.
I bought mine 2 years ago and took it down to the Alps... ok.. Its not the most powerful car in the world but I had an awsome time, put a smile on my face... and still does...
At the time I was tempted by the mk5 golf GTI with the 1.8T engine but the insurance on them is huge in comparison...which sucks!
I can easily get 2 people + 2 bikes + camping gear and food for a week INSIDE the car with space to spare....
And its a pleasure to work on compared to similar priced fords!
Between 2000 and 2001 they made a limited number of Polo GTIs with 1.6L 16V engines...
And much more recently they have been producing a polo with a 1.8T engine in it.....
If you are talking about the older one then its a good little car if you take care of it.
Cambelt and waterpymp every 30K.... budget on a gearbox rebuild every 50-70K and make sure it has had the peddlebox recall done.
I bought mine 2 years ago and took it down to the Alps... ok.. Its not the most powerful car in the world but I had an awsome time, put a smile on my face... and still does...
At the time I was tempted by the mk5 golf GTI with the 1.8T engine but the insurance on them is huge in comparison...which sucks!
I can easily get 2 people + 2 bikes + camping gear and food for a week INSIDE the car with space to spare....
And its a pleasure to work on compared to similar priced fords!
Edited by tegwin on Wednesday 28th January 16:42
As former 6n2 Polo GTI owner I'd echo the above - it's a fun little car to punt around in, and comes with a decent amount of kit as standard (including Climatronic, xenons and CD autochanger, plus a fair few were fitted with full leather interiors as options). It's good on fuel, too: motorway runs see 40+mpg easily.
That said, I was never completely happy with the gearchange on mine - it felt imprecise and didn't like to be hurried, which I think was more a design flaw than a sign of impending failure in my case. However, I believe that folk that have suffered gearbox failures have replaced them with the 6-speed unit fitted to the Lupo GTI, which I'm told is much nicer to use.
That said, I was never completely happy with the gearchange on mine - it felt imprecise and didn't like to be hurried, which I think was more a design flaw than a sign of impending failure in my case. However, I believe that folk that have suffered gearbox failures have replaced them with the 6-speed unit fitted to the Lupo GTI, which I'm told is much nicer to use.
The 6sp box from the lupo GTI will not bolt straight into the polo GTI. The engine AND chassis mountings are different. The lupo has a hydraulic clutch as well which doesnt help...
The popular conversion is to fit the 1.8t out of the Mk5 golf straight into the polo GTI.. Nice light car with some power.....fit some decent coilovers and some nice tyres and you would have a hell hound!!!!
The popular conversion is to fit the 1.8t out of the Mk5 golf straight into the polo GTI.. Nice light car with some power.....fit some decent coilovers and some nice tyres and you would have a hell hound!!!!
Thanks for all in info! Gear box issues has my friend moving on and cant seem to find many golfs fitting his budget!
Seat ibiza mk 3 1.9 tdi - whts the difference between the sport and the S as they seem to both be 1.9 tdi 8valves but have diffrent power. hes looking at the 1.9tdi-S and want to know if and how i could get more power for a reasonable price?
Cheers Guys!!!
Seat ibiza mk 3 1.9 tdi - whts the difference between the sport and the S as they seem to both be 1.9 tdi 8valves but have diffrent power. hes looking at the 1.9tdi-S and want to know if and how i could get more power for a reasonable price?
Cheers Guys!!!
Edited by beano9 on Thursday 29th January 09:27
Seriously... dont let the gearbox put him off.... its a cracking car and a sacrifice worth living with...
Its a noisy box even after a fresh build.... and a rebuild only costs around £350-400 if you take the box out yourself...
They did a TDI version of that shape polo which is fairly pokey....Worth a look!!
Its a noisy box even after a fresh build.... and a rebuild only costs around £350-400 if you take the box out yourself...
They did a TDI version of that shape polo which is fairly pokey....Worth a look!!
gearbox failure is said to be common, its a running on joke on Clubpolo that people buy a Polo GTI and put up a wanted ad for a gearbox just to be on the safe side. BUT i know of people who have had 2 or 3 Polo GTIs and not one gearbox failure - my bet is the failures are as likely to be poor maintanence ie no oil in them and unsympathetic driving style as they are a manufacture defect otherwise VW would have done a proper recall.
A alternative is a Seat Ibiza Cupra - similar money, same chassis similar spec but comes with a 1.8 20VT already in it which can be tuned for far less than the 1.6 16v and wont cost significantly more to run.
A alternative is a Seat Ibiza Cupra - similar money, same chassis similar spec but comes with a 1.8 20VT already in it which can be tuned for far less than the 1.6 16v and wont cost significantly more to run.
tegwin said:
The 6sp box from the lupo GTI will not bolt straight into the polo GTI. The engine AND chassis mountings are different. The lupo has a hydraulic clutch as well which doesnt help...
The popular conversion is to fit the 1.8t out of the Mk5 golf straight into the polo GTI.. Nice light car with some power.....fit some decent coilovers and some nice tyres and you would have a hell hound!!!!
The popular conversion is to fit the 1.8t out of the Mk5 golf straight into the polo GTI.. Nice light car with some power.....fit some decent coilovers and some nice tyres and you would have a hell hound!!!!
GreenMan said:
Thanks for clearing that up, tegwin - my mistake
WRONGA 6 speed gearbox can definately FIT into a polo GTI and you can swap to hydraulic clutch which is also a good upgrade as the pedal boxes can fail on polos to.
a MK5 Golf GTI has a 2.0L FSI engine, a MK4 1.8T can fit in
Thejimreaper said:
My mate had a 2001 GTI and it was awful. It was slow, nose heavy, not very well equipped and everyone thought it was his girlfriends luke warm shopper. No one could believe he had spent his own money on it. Only advice would be to get a Golf GTI instead.
True, they are shiet. 
I run the 9N version (2006 1.8T). Possibly the only PH bloke that does. Suits me fine - Not bad handling, and not slugglish, but no Golf GTI. Cheap enough to run (35mpg) and gives me space in the garage for a bike.
Had a TDi 130 in the past too. A comfy, solid, frugal mile muncher, and not slow either. Not to be pushed handling wise.
Had a TDi 130 in the past too. A comfy, solid, frugal mile muncher, and not slow either. Not to be pushed handling wise.
Gassing Station | Audi, Seat, Skoda & VW | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff