Specifically a 3 door 04 plate, looking for a decent runaround and this has come up. Only concern is the engine, anyone know if it’s not bad or woefully underpowered?

I’ve had a few polo’s from 1.1 to 1.4 and 1.9D. All 3 doors. Depends what you are used to as to whether you find it underpowered. I thought my 1.1 pulled quite well considering. I just found VW’s more costly to fix.

Mrs B is now on her third Polo. I think the previous 2 were an X reg 1.1 and a 52 plate 1.2 both 3 doors. now on an 08 1.2 5 door which is pretty nippy. Bit noisy on the motorway but fine round town.

it’s first car we’ll own, I’m comparing it to 1.4-1.6 hatchbacks driven when at home and using folks cars. As long as it didn’t feel like it would be quicker cycling it’ll prob be fine. 65bhp version which is meant to be noticeably better than 55bhp but has proper well known history, is economical and great example of 1.2 polo generally. Just the engine that makes me think twice

my mechanic friend says run away very fast from that engine

Well porter_jamie’s friend may well have insider knowledge so worth looking into! Sometimes there is a lemon in the range. There should be some good reviews about.
Maybe check out Parkers guide online and have a look at small cars in that come into your price range? Maybe a Fiesta will be good? My brother just bought one, 08 1.4 3 door job, square body shape not the new one. Its a really nice car. 6K though.
I would avoid a Corsa TBH, my ex had a 1.2 (02) and it’s horrible!

If you are worried about a 1.2 being underpowered a 1.2 in any car will be sluggish, esp if you have been driving 1.4 and 1.6 cars. Maybe a 1.4 will be one to go for? Will be loads better on the M way.

1,2 won’t be fast, but it won’t be ‘underpowered’ in a car that size.

It’s on threads like these I miss SurfMatt

i should clarify i mean ‘underpowered’ in a pretty loose sense and in relation to the fact it’s a 1.2 – i mean relative to other 1.2s, it’s a 3 door which helps. The real selling point is that it’s pretty economical and about as good an example as you’ll find i think.

I think the best way is to have a test drive of a few 1.2 cars and see how they feel. There are more things to consider tho, some cars are heavier and have better build quality so maybe a tad slower? If I was looking at a 1.2 car I wouldn’t be too worried about how the engine performs power wise. I would want to know if it was a good, reliable engine. I would look at known problems (usually picked up on Parkers Guide). I would take into account the cars history and condition and how much it costs when things go wrong.
Also look at the price, it might be that you can get this car cheap and they do have a good re-sale value compared to other small cars. it’s a bit of a mine field buddy!

my stepdad is looking for us and turned this up, if it were a 1.4 i’d have it in a heartbeat and my fears might be unjustified. He’s going to have a drive tomorrow and i trust his judgement

just remembered my mates car is similar engine size and been on road trips fully laden in that, perhaps this is all snobbery on my part. It’s a good car for the cash and a decent 1.4 will either be high mileage/much older/much more money.

Do a search, older Polos are known for various problems…rear washer jet hose leaking in cabin, windscreen seals leaking, front suspension bushes regularly going, gearbox linkage woes, electric faults particularly dashboard/instrument panel, e/window cable breakage, e/window glass securing clip breakage, and of course the infamous VW thermostat failure.

Ex Polo owner.

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk
just type in 1.2 polo in the search box.

Fabia 53plate 1.2 64bhp. It’s a busy engine, but on flat it’s fine, throw in some hills and it will start to struggle, add passengers and it’s the same. We’ve had problems with the engine, mainly coil packs. The bulk of the engines problems seemed to stem from a bodged repair from the selling garage which led to timing chain failure and we then had to redo the head gasket they said they had done. Proving that these failures were down to that though was pretty impossible.

Fiesta