I'm going later today to view a mk1 polo, i haven't owned one before and was wondering if anyone knew any popular problem areas i should keep an eye out for.

thanks

I'm going later today to view a mk1 polo, i haven't owned one before and was wondering if anyone knew any popular problem areas i should keep an eye out for.

thanks

Don't worry so much about the mechanicals, they are fairly generic to MK2 and MK3 polos. Check the body for rot in the following areas:--

Front inner wings, front outer wings, sills, rear quarter panels (just in front of the rear arch) check jacking points all round, rear valence where it joins the spare wheel well and the corners. Spare wheel well itself, remove the spare to check, battery tray, front scuttle corners and beneath the rear windows. Check the roof gutters, they corrode badly.

Basically they rot everywhere and the cost of bringing a really bad one back to life costs ££££! Wings are pretty much scarce now, if you can find a NOS pair, expect to pay £200 +.

Make sure all trim is present and bumpers (if chrome) are good and straight.

Interiors are fairly generic also, so not much to worry about there.

Don't let me put you off, they are brilliant cars to drive and if solid, take minimal looking after.

I'm pretty sure theres a good one that "Yeti" is selling in the for sale section at the moment., The guys been on here for a long time and if youre buying from him I'm sure he would tell you the truth if the car was f*cked in places you hadnt spotted although thats only from my judgment so dont go off that. other wise theres a few people on here who are good with mk1's, try PM'ing Grungeisdead no here otherwise known as Yousaf as hes got two at the moment. I'm sure he'd be happy to help you out.

Or I'm sure the experts will be along soon

Or I'm sure the experts will be along soon

Thanks very much

roflmao

jay, euro-derby knows them little mk1 polos inside out since he spent the last few years building one up to better than show room condition!!!

Yetis lido green beastie is a good purchase, its solid in all the right places and comes with the neccessary repair panels to give it a clean bill of health.

Even taxed and mot'd so called minters hide rust in the craziest of places so its usually nice to buy one thats already been fully gutted so you can actually ascertain how much work you have to do instead of paying out of the arse for a minter then taking it apart and finding out you have ALOT more work on your plate than you first anticipated

as said by Vic its the wings that are the main killer, most other panels can be got from hadrians or beavers as a reasonable cost, and the need for all your side trims/chrome etc to be all be there and in one piece is really a must as finding replacements is becoming nigh on impossible!

basically just dont plump for the first one you see, and the more information you get from the seller (and the more rust they point out) is a good thing, as they are telling you the truth about the cars, after all they are all getting on 30 years older or more.

but as said they are simple mechanically, so once your bodywork is sorted you can get some simple cheap reliable motoring on the go

rust

Haha, Apologies euro derby, i was in a rush to get off to banger racing with G40 AD on here and didnt even see you'd posted!

The "Other" experts will be along soon!

Rust... EVERYWHERE!

A good shell should be your highest priority. All the mechanicals can be easily swapped and upgreaded with mk2/3 items.

Buying Guide on mk1polo.com

Like saf said,

just remember front wings and pannels are like rocking horse poo! (unless you get fiberglass ones)

Edited 8 September, 200818 yr by mathew

My guide pretty much covers it...they rot like muthas.

*expert leaving the building*

i think you should take on the Lido Lovlyness from Chaz Yeti Karl and Myself . Was such a shame not to see that car through :( got loads of potential for a right little project car

Edited 9 September, 200818 yr by StevieDavison

Cheers for all the advice guys, i didnt get the mk1 polo in the end, there was rust everywhere, and had few straight panels, not to mention a small oil leak. it mechanically sound though, drove nice, had 60,000miles and was 27years old thats good i thought

Cheers for all the advice guys, i didnt get the mk1 polo in the end, there was rust everywhere, and had few straight panels, not to mention a small oil leak. it mechanically sound though, drove nice, had 60,000miles and was 27years old thats good i thought

That's a shame, be worth holding out for a better one. I'll second Stevies recommendation of checking out the Lido green one up in Derby. It's got some rust, but it's a good honest example that's not been messed about with and it's a reasonable spec too.