USED Volkswagen Polo Hatchback (94 - 02)

My car

I have a 1998 R-reg 1.4 16v. The car is very responsive and has been very reliable - so far only a few minor snags.

Sometimes cornering and grip is an issue, but it's all depending on how you drive this car.

In my opinion, it's a great drive. I think being as responsive as it is you tend to feel more comfortable as you drive.

This car was great value when bought with full HPI and service history, and as evidently shown keeps value. I've driven a fair few different small cars and owned a Peugeot 206 from new, so I was dubious about my next car. But I'm happy with my purchase of the Polo.

The only big down side was the insurance quotes - a bit pricey in some cases.

And it does attract a little attention, prehaps unwanted, but proper security should deter that.

My car

We have just purchased this car and it has now done about 2400 miles. This is now the fifth Polo we have owned, but the first diesel.

The build quality, ride quality and handling are all excellent, but we are very disappointed with the economy. We purchased this diesel model due to its claimed 60+ mpg but, even on a straight flat road with cruise control (£180 option) at 60mph, we cannot even manage better than 46mpg.

As for the dealer - we found them hopeless.

My car

I have had my Polo 1.4 TDi PD SE for 4 years now (driven around 30K city miles) and it has been mostly trouble free. I had some intermitent problems with the rear ABS sensor which turned out to be a loose cable underneath the rear seat.

Other then that the car has been very reliable and cheap to run. The 1.4 diesel is a joy to drive which has caught out many a boy racer (at least till the 30-40 mph). Besides who can drive any faster in London? All of this and returning an average of 60 mpg in town and even more on the highway.

The car has a very firm ride but I have been led to believe that this was because of my choice of 15" VW alloys and low profile tyres.

If VW are listening, please give us this car with an auto or DSG and diesel as most of these super minis are driven in town and they would really make life a lot easier.