Buying a Polo

[locus]

G'day :)

Had a bit of a read through some other posts but couldn't really find what I was looking for... apologies if these questions have been asked before.

Well, I'm in the market for a new car and am pretty keen on getting a Polo Club or Match (automatic). A bit of chin rubbing to do yet as I much prefer the look of the 3-door Club (and the lower price) but would miss out on some extra bells and whistles like power windows, remote central locking, cruise control...

Anyway, I've never bought a *new* car before and was hoping for a bit of advice on how much I can expect to pay all up, and what sort of a deal I should try and negotiate with the dealer. There are a couple of choices of where to buy here in Perth, I'd be interested to hear of any pre and post sale experiences with them too :)

Although most folk on here seem to own GTis hopefully someone can offer some worldly advice!

[Wand Weaver]

The base model Polos really do work better with manuals than autos - the 1.4 and (to a lesser extent), the 1.6 don't have much torque and that's shown up quite dramatically with an auto gearbox.

If you're going to get an auto - try to see if you can get the 1.6L engine (I think that might be Match only, though), because I think the 1.4 might struggle a little. The glaring omission in the range is an automatic TDI - I'm not sure why that doesn't exist and would be an awesome drivetrain.

Shame the Club misses out on Remote Central Locking - I think the Match has the option of more airbags too - which is always nice.

[locus]

Hmm yeah I thought about the 1.6 match, which is a 6 speed auto. I think the price jump from the 1.4 is significant. For a couple of hundred more I could get a manual TDi, which I've heard so many good things about.

The question then becomes breaking years of lazy driving and going back to a manual transmission :)

[leck]

i actually went through the same dilemna getting the gti as i had been driving autos for years, gutless ones at that.

The reality is that the gearboxes/clutches are very very good in these cars. By good, i mean light and forgiving before anyone technically minded corrects me :).

Give it a drive, the tdis go very well.

[phaeton]

Welcome to VWwA locus :D

The only real probs with auto Polo's is the loss of kW compared to manual equivalents.

That said the Match 1.4 Auto (fits between Club Auto and Match 1.6 Auto) is a fine car my Mum's friend brought one late last year no probs so far.
While I haven't driven it, it does have sufficient power for an A to B car.

My tip if you live in hilly areas would be to grab the auto from the dealer and really tests it out and see if it suits you.

Another tip maybe to wait till Skoda gets here in October and buy a Fabia which will be 15-20% cheaper than Polo or buy a used model.

Good Luck ;)

[vwpolo]

when i brought my club06 i opted for the update premium which give abs and six airbags but still misses the auto locks and windows mine started at 19990 and with pack 23000 that was at november 2006 sydney if you dont mind the earlier build plate they may be able to sell a run match not far from this price try your luck naering the end of financial year thy like to see figures..

[dodgey GTI]

I can help here especially if you are in Melbourne. As an ex-VW employee, I can snag you a great deal on the car if you like, new or used. PM me if I can help out in any way. This is a FREE service as discussed in earlier posts so yell if you need help.
Cheers

[locus]

Drove a 1.6L Polo Match (6 speed auto) this morning, the experience was enough to make me want to go for a manual instead. The only manuals demos they have is a GTi too.

Unfortunately I'm told there is a three month wait on getting new Polos here in Perth! Also the dealer claimed there was no room for negotiating on the price due to the high demand relative to availability of these cars.

Just under $23,000 drive away for a 5 door manual (includes metallic paint - I would go for black).

[phaeton]

Pretty good pricing ;)

My Mums friend paid 22K for Auto 1.4 Match 12mths ago.

[leck]

Drove a 1.6L Polo Match (6 speed auto) this morning, the experience was enough to make me want to go for a manual instead. The only manuals demos they have is a GTi too.

Unfortunately I'm told there is a three month wait on getting new Polos here in Perth! Also the dealer claimed there was no room for negotiating on the price due to the high demand relative to availability of these cars.

Just under $23,000 drive away for a 5 door manual (includes metallic paint - I would go for black).

Just as a point, dealers will always say they have no wiggle room on pricing due to availability, popularity, low margins, whatever.

Using myself as an example, i went and got a price on a GTI ($30500 on road). From reading here and elsewhere, most people were paying around 28500 (excluding the feb deal buyers) so i rang around and said i had 28 to spend and i would buy today if they made the deal. Funnily enough, they made the deal straight away.

just remember to ring around if you get a few no's and know exactly what it is you want to buy including options.

[locus]

Just as a point, dealers will always say they have no wiggle room on pricing due to availability, popularity, low margins, whatever.

Using myself as an example, i went and got a price on a GTI ($30500 on road). From reading here and elsewhere, most people were paying around 28500 (excluding the feb deal buyers) so i rang around and said i had 28 to spend and i would buy today if they made the deal. Funnily enough, they made the deal straight away.

just remember to ring around if you get a few no's and know exactly what it is you want to buy including options.

Hmm yeah good point. There are two VW dealerships here in Perth, I'll see what sort of deal the other blokes can do.

Just out of curiosity, what have most people paid for their new Polo TDis?

[locus]

Bit the bullet and signed the dotted line tonight... Polo TDI, Black Magic :)

I'm terrible at negotiating and haggling but got the pearl effect paint for free and scored a full tank of diesel, probably could have done a bit better but I'm not too bothered.

So excited right now, I think waiting for delivery is going to kill me. Fingers crossed they can snag one of the four black TDIs available over east from another dealer or it'll be another few months of catching the bus for me.

[leck]

nice one locus and welcome to the polo club :-)

nothing wrong with that deal anyway, you got it under retail cost and paid what you were prepared to. Congrats!

[DaveMack]

And the TDI is a great little Polo (took one for a test drive before I decided on the GTI).

Cheers and good luck with it ... I know you're gonna love it. ;)

Dave