What are mk4 Polo's like?

[DavidB]

In particular, a 1.4 CL. I like the shape of them, and the overall economy/reliability is what I'm looking for at the moment!
As much as VW doesn't do a thing for me, I wouldn't mind one of these!
Any pros/cons thanks!

[EmDee]

I had a mk2 SEAT Ibiza in another life, it was a great car. The same 1.4 lump and chassis and IMO better looking and more desirable (less common). I would recommend them as a cheap reliable runabout.

have some pics of nice ones (admittedly mostly cupras):

[mk2passat]

cheap motoring! very reliable except for the gearboxes so make sure it has a good one. prone to rust in the usual places like arches and sills but also the lower rear valance. good wee cars like

[g40jon]

boring reliable, rusty hum-drum cars. great if you just want to go from A to B. I had one and hated it! found it slow, bland and the handling felt un-inspiring. The ibiza is a much better car. shares bits of the polo, but is a bit of a mule as it also shares some design with the golf, hence its ability to house the bigger vw engines. they rust less than the mk4 polo, handle better than the polo and have better options than the polo too

[bstardchild]

MKIV & MKV (6N & 6N2)

Biggest issue I have with them is they are noisy at M-way speeds and heavy (well compared to my original MKII they are)

My old MKIV



My current MKV (being sold shortly)



Next month will be first time in 10 years I've been pololess.....

[polojoe]

They rust worse than earlier models and are a bit drab.

But lowered they ride much better than earlier examples, you can get coilovers for nothing (cant get cheap coilies for earlier models) and i would say they are a pretty comfy quiet car for a daily. The 1.4 8v and diesels are really frugal and reliable, and i don't think there are any gearbox issues with those models.

Easy to make look nice as well.

[Hillmanjames]

I have a 1.4 CL and its not been much trouble. Its lowered about 100mm all round and ive just finished painting it Satin black today.

There not bad little cars. I get about 35/40 mpg and that's on my way to college which is about 1/2 motorway cruzing and 1/2 stop-start traffic.

I'd buy another one if something happend to this one though.

[V-Force]

I've got one that I started driving a week ago (17 last Tuesday ;D) It's a 1997 1.4 CL which my dad's been driving us both to work in since February, and it was returning about 350 miles to a tank.

I like it, it's nice to drive IMO, although I don't have much to compare it to but I like it. They are quick for a car with a claimed 60bhp, my mate has one and it absolutely leaves another mate's 1.1 206 (also 60bhp) for dead. The main problem with them is rust, they were apparently made using curse word steel, and to be honest this does seem true, they rot for fun. Mine's had the rear arches done at least once before I got it, but it seems solid apart from that. Oh and the body roll as standard, even in normal driving, is horrific!

As much as I like them, I think they can be a bit dull, so I'm after a 1.5 LSi Civic EG now for when I pass, especially as it looks like I can insure one for less ;D

EDIT: Forgot to include pics













Love the exhaust in that last pic, anyone know what make/model it is? Love the JDM angled tips, obviously I wouldn't have one on my Polo though, although that white one pulls it off well.

[smellyferret]

Mrs Ferret has a boggo 1.4 MkV (basically a facelift version of the one you are looking at).
I quite like the styling, fuel consumption is ok, tax is lower bracket, drives nice enough (not slow, not fast, ok in the bends)..

Nothing that bigs gone wrong with it..
Does exactly what the mrs wants - drive from A to B and look 'nice'.

[Jem45]

Missus is running one at the mo. Would agree with what has been said about body roll but it's all relative as I usually drive an MR2. Would disagree that Ibizas are better put together - opposite for me.
Good points (IMHO) are:
*well styled
*feels well scewed together. The different between an equivalent non-German hatch is significant. Doors are incrediby solid for example.
*Interior is very sturdy and seats are hard wearing.
*Decent equipment - leccy windows/ sunroof/ air bag/ head restraints etc.
*Pretty spritely
*Cheap bits if anything goes wrong.
*Lots of modding parts on the bay of E
Bad points:
*gearchange can be crappy (hers was much better after lubricating the cable mechanism though)
*power steering fluid pipes can rust
*crankcase breather can get clogged by emulsified oil

I bought hers for £500 and it went straight through an MOT two weeks later without even looking at at it - so bargains can be had!

[camper damper]

every seen a Polo Harlequin was released in 1995 It used the same engines as any other Polo only the colour of the panels were different

[DavidB]

I had an estate Polo mk4 in work years ago and it felt solid as a rock, but felt very heavy - it's purely as a run around though!
Still waiting on pics.

[Jowey]

Buy a Mk1 Arosa instead, better looking, heeps more character, just as well built, mostly the same engines,cheaper to tax and insure.

I picked up an Auto Arosa with FSH for £500 on ebay so no more expensive than a polo.

[MiniDan]

IMO, avoid the 1.6 8v. I used to have one and it was so slow.

They arn't bad cars, even with it being a bit of a slouch it drove quite well. Major problem with it was rust. It was everywhere. That's what did for it in the end, so scrapped it.

Lower and the right wheels and they look ace. Would have one again, but a 1.4.

[g40jon]

1.4 16v is the one to have if you have to have one at all. I had a 1.6 8v and it was gutless for a 1600. The 6n was always woefully underpowered, but then the genes of the engines date back to the audi 50 from the late 70s! the estate and saloon are ibizas in drag, which again means a better choice of engines, 100 bhp 1.6 16v and a 1.9 td being the pick of the bunch. its not that they are bad cars as such, its just there are betters cars around for the money they fetch imo

[bstardchild]

The 1.4 8V isn't a bad car bit breathless at the top end but it's relatively torquey in the low to mid range

Anyway some more polo MKIV and MKV pics from a polo show I went to yonks ago

























Not a nasty spoiler in sight ;D