Take a deep breathe as we condense over 35 years of Polo production down to a single page of helpful buying tips.

Polo Mk1 & Mk2 (1975-90)
Hot on the heels of the Golf, Scirocco and Passat came Volkswagen’s all-new prize fighting featherweight – the Polo.

Although all the credit should go to the Audi 50 (swap the badges and they’re practically the same) the Polo was nonetheless a brilliant runabout, being both incredibly refined and fun to drive.

The Mk2 arrived in the early Eighties and addressed the original car’s boot space issue with cavernous ‘bread van’ styling (the hatchback now being referred to as the coupé and the two-door, the classic). Engines included a larger version of the Mk1 Polo’s 895cc overhead cam engine (now 1043cc), plus 50bhp and 60bhp versions of the Golf’s 1093cc four pot.

When checking these early Polos, inspect for rot (wheel arches and sills are usually the worst for corrosion) and that the engine is in fine fettle. Points can be difficult to set correctly so the distributor could be the source of poor running. Note too a blocked breather will soak the air filter in engine oil.

Just like the early Golfs, a lack of servo-assistance means the Polo’s stoppers aren’t the best. They should be adequate though if front calipers and brake hoses are in good condition.

Electrics are few and far between, but you’ll need to ensure the heater fan works on all three speeds as replacements aren’t especially cheap.

Market Values

Pre-Nineties Polos are few and far between (club forums are a good place to start looking), but when you do find one, it’s unlikely to cost more than £500 unless it’s in exceptional condition. The Mk3s can demand a little more (up to £750), but it’s the G40 that’s in a league of its own, priced anywhere between £2000-4000.

You won’t struggle to find Series 3 Polos so you can afford to be a bit more picky about which you buy here. The £1000-1500 models are usually well on there way to interstellar mileage (or are in need of a new head gasket). The 1.4-litre 16V Mk5s are probably the most popular, alongside the 1.9-litre TDI oil burners if you’re after a potent mile-muncher. Expect to pay up to £4000 for these.
Sensible buys from the Series 4 models include the 1.2-litre 65bhp petrols, if you’re after a cheap runabout (available from roughly £3000), or the 1.8-litre turbocharged GTI if you’re after something with a bit more pep (prices start at £7000).

THE KNOWLEDGE

                      POLO G40                    POLO GTI               POLO 1.4 16V

ENGINE:        1272cc 4-cyl OHC sc*    1598cc 4-cyl OHC    1390cc 4-cyl DOHC
BHP/RPM:     113@6000                    125@5800              79@5000
TOP SPEED:   121mph                        127mph                  109mph
0-60:             8.6secs                         8.4secs                   12secs
GEARBOX:     4/5-speed manual or 3/4-speed auto

* supercharged

CLUBS

Club Polo >    www.clubpolo.co.uk
UK Polos >    www.uk-polos.net

To read the rest of this buying guide see the November 2011 issue of Golf+.

Back issues available here.