VW Polo Saloon 1.9 S SDI runabout?

[Baldy881]

Looking at getting a 3rd car so that my new 'classic' can stay garaged and in tip top shape

Have the chance through work of a 'cheap' px'd VW Polo Saloon as in thread title. Car is extremely tidy on a 2001/51, in red, 51k on the clock, well looked after and it owes £1200 which is what i can have it for. I'd guess the saloons aren't what can be called desirable at all, but it does seem a lot of car for not much money and being VW it should be a reliable bus

Will it make a good runaround for me and the GF? May be needed for occasional longer jaunts but mainly just buzzing to the shops etc. Or should i hang fire cause there's better £1200 runners out there?

Any views appreciated

Baldy

[HellDiver]

It'll be more "walkabout". Seriously (almost dangerously) slow, but decent MPG and decent reliability.

[matchmaker]

Should be OK - just don't overuse its 68bhp!

[bazking69]

If you can live with the looks and the woeful power, then for £1200 it's a good buy. Not much more frugal than a TDi as you have to rev them to get them to move anywhere, but reliable enough.

[dougc]

A whole different level of slow - and look at what I drive daily!

[james_tigerwoods]

Baldy881 said:

Buzzing to the shops

In a 1.9SDI you won't be buzzing anywhere

[Dr G]

james_tigerwoods said:

Baldy881 said:

Buzzing to the shops

In a 1.9SDI you won't be buzzing anywhere

Perhaps softly humming some Simon and Garfunkel rather than the high speed vibrations neccesary for an actual buzz?

Or perhaps even a gentle hum accompanied by the death clatter the 1.9 produces.

Utterly indestructible, mind

[Baldy881]

LOL, are they really THAT slow? Like i have driven the Skoda Fabia 1.2 'Sport's (sport in a very loose sense of the word) with its anti stall technology and every roundabout becomes a lottery of life and death Seriously scarily slow those things but...

I guess the Polo will be a snail, but gives me the ability of being able to garage the Integrale to keep for nice days it just makes sense to have something very reliable with good MPG that will retain some of its value?

Baldy

[DrTre]

Yeah, they are that slow. A mate had one and regularly used to do London - Edinburgh in it.

The actual journey time was respectable enough overall, once he'd reached maximum speed having planted his foot at the bottom of the M1...he reckoned this was reached somewhere around Luton....

[B'stard Child]

Baldy881 said:

LOL, are they really THAT slow?

The one I test drove was - it was slower than a 1.4 8V hatch she currently had and that wasn't at all quick....

If you are used to a 'grale you are going to seriously bloody hate it!!

[dougc]

IIRC they have about 65bhp and manage the 0-60 'sprint' in about 16 seconds.

[HellDiver]

Baldy881 said:

LOL, are they really THAT slow?

They are THAT slow. They're slow enough that you keep asking yourself if you've left the handbrake on, or you have to keep stopping to check your tyres aren't all flat. I had one while my Mk2 1.9D Clio was in getting work done to it, and the 1.9D Clio was considerably quicker.

The 1 litre petrol Polo is quicker.

[DennisTheMenace]

dougc said:

IIRC they have about 65bhp and manage the 0-60 'sprint' in about 16 days.

EFA

Shooting yourself in the feet and running to work would be less painless that driving a VW SDi they are god awfull things .

[M Powered]

We have had a Felicia 1.9sdi in the family since new (now 11 years old) and its done 120000 and passed through three of us learning to drive. Only just had an exhaust back box last week. Other than that only brake pads/oil in that time.

So on that basis, I reckon the engine is fine, other VW stuff of that era is about as reliable a car as money can buy.

They are quite incredibly slow though, definitely a case of defensive driving/much anticipation at roundabouts. I think 0-60 is 18 or 19 seconds.

[Baldy881]

Hmmm, think i'll give it a miss then

Thanks for the honest replies

Edited by Baldy881 on Monday 2nd November 13:59

[Woodstar]

If you still want a VAG saloon, get a SEAT Toledo 1.9TDI 110 SE very reliable, well equipped, good handling and best of all quite rapid (for a 110 diesel)!

[Andrew_M]

I had fun in my n/a golf 3 1.9D slow to accelerate but can maintain decent speed on my a road commute, and with the right planning, can pass the odd slow moving car I thought it was quicker than my brothers n/a 306 1.9D when he first passed his test.

[martin vr6]

I think some people have given the SDi a bit too much of a hard time, and being a 51plate it will be the later revised SDi lump rather than the earlier 1d unit

We have an Inca SDi at work and TBH it's a cracking thing, ideal for running about town and still manages 80mph with ease, it also doesn't know how to use fuel which is an added bonus, and it also has the later SDi lump that will be in the Polo in question

For £1200 and as a 3rd car it's Ideal IMO, it will be buttons to run and insure (my 1.6cl Polo Saloon was £150) and will be nice and reliable, I'd also bet you could run it for a year and sell it on for the same as you paid for it

Win win situation in my eyes

[GreatGranny]

I know thse are about as cool as a 50 year old man with highlights but its a lot of car for the money and most have been looked after properly and driven sedately.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2009...

[va1o]

Painfully slow, ridiculously small ammount of power considering its capacity. Whats amusing is the 1.4 TDI is actually considereablly quicker and more economical. Only good thing with the SDI is they are reliable and as you have discovered very cheap to buy as nobody wants them. If its the facelift model (Which it should be if its a 51) then your getting decent value for money, but its still a st car. Spend more and get something a little nicer.

Edited by va1o on Monday 2nd November 16:13