junkYARD – VW Polo Fox 1.0 liter Mark IIF 1990 Review
First Look:
My second car came in the shape of a not much newer but what seemed much better VW polo.
It was as sparten, if not more so than the Micra with only four gears but I think I managed to squeeze a CD player in the dashboard.
Being the Fox model was the entry level Polo. This meant it didn’t even have hub caps or the black rubber side strip on the doors.
This one also had little red marks on the speedo which showed the red line for each gear/speed. So at least you had a better idea as when to change up instead of hitting the limiter.
The seats seemed wonderfully comfy and the whole car seemed really taught and well put together. It did actually feel light years ahead of the Micra I had just disposed of.
The ergonomics were just much more user friendly. Even if this just meant a thicker steering wheel and more tactile gear stick knob.
This was also of the van bread design so was like a three door estate or shooting brake which meant moves to and from houses at university were swallowed up easily.
The engine also seemed to run smoother over the legal speed limit so 70mph felt a bit strained yet 80+ felt great.
It didn’t seem much, but I actually really liked this.
Price bought:
£600
Price Sold:
£250
Miles:
I think it was around 60,000 when bought – not sure how accurate that was but it drove fine and my dad didn’t seem particularly concerned by it.
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Overview and experience:
Let me just say that I had this car when I was 19 and at uni, I then failed a drinking drive test one evening on the way home from a party.
That car was then stood for two years unused before being a faithful warhorse for many years.
Damn, in the first week that I managed to get my licence back I knocked a cyclist over and he fell through the windscreen, it was a whole week before I had the window replaced so was driving to work with no windscreen and wearing safety goggles.
His head even dented the A pillar.
This car took me everywhere and always at the limit, not long after first buying it I took a corner too fast and it under steered on a load of cow shit that was all over the road from the local farm. Nothing was harmed or broken.
That said, it seemed to handle much better than the aforementioned Micra on its 13 inch steel wheels.
I had it full with mates and their luggage, it never once missed a beat. I scraped the side of it on the driveway wall at my parents house and even that didn’t infect with rust.
After I had finished using it and moving to London my sister then thrashed it around for a few more years and I don’t think it ever suffered from corrosion, any major failure or failed an MOT.
My Micra always felt on the edge of its tether, this never had an oil leak and seemed to enjoy being hammered.
Although I did fit the exhaust pipe hanger with a wire coat hanger which rattled like mad.
My dad then sold it years later for £250 still running well.
VW Polo Fox problems:
The only issue I had was that in its later years it would become difficult to engage first gear occasionally. This meant that Second gear hill starts were difficult.
It also developed an issue whereby sometimes when it was cold and you were coasting to a junction it would cut out.
Other than that it was a fine, robust little car.
