My mum's 4½-year-old VW Polo 1.0 has clocked up 70,000 miles, and she is wondering about replacing it.
I have suggested that it's still fairly young and that she should hang onto it for another year or two, so I was wondering if backroomers have any suggestions?
She lives in a remote rural rea, so the miles have nearly all been clocked up on slowish A- and B-roads, usually at the 40-50mph. So it hasn't been flogged ... though she tends to drive in too high a gear for my liking, and I wonder whether that might have strained the engine a bit. Is there much life left in that engine?
The bodywork is pretty much perfect (no sign of any rust), though there do seem to be more rattles and groans that there used to be. Is this car likely to be heading into the big repair-bill territory soon, or should it be OK for another few years?
As for a replacement, she has been looking at the new Polo, but I've suggested that it's overpriced and she should consider a Skoda Fabia instead. If so, is there much to choose between the 55bhp and 65bhp versions of the 1.2 engine?
I know that the common wisdom is that the 1.0 litre in the old Polo is underpowered, but it's fine for her usage -- so something with that sort of level of oomph would do fine.
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If she is to replace it and lives in a 'remote rural area' then I suppose she will want a dealer for that model nearby. The Fiesta deal advertised on the news items on the right-hand-side looks a cracking deal. Quicker to link to it at www.autobytel.co.uk
As to whether she *should* replace it - no idea I'm afraid...
Good luck!
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Thanks Martin, the Skoda dealer is very near the VW dealer (both abt 20 miles away), so not much to choose from there. The closest dealer is a Nissan, abt ten miles away, but she was disappointed with her previous Micra (didn't feel solid on the road), so I don't think she'd try another.
The Fiesta does look like a good deal, but she's in Ireland, so unfortunately it doesn't apply to her.
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Two points here.
Firstly, what does she want in a car? Is the Polo still giving her all she is looking for in terms of reliability etc? If it is serving her every need, then keeping it for longer may be the option. My guess is that a high mileage 5 year old car will have suffered most of its depreciation by now.
However if the car is now considered "ropey" then now may be the time to trade it in. Most dealers would probably still want to retail it, so it won't be underwritten by a third party dealer and attract a lousy P ex or be auctioned off.
The second point is that, you seem to traverse the Irish sea on a regular basis, and she may not. Taking into account exchange rates and deals on offer, how do prices in the ROI compare with those in the UK? IIRC the import tax applies only to vehicles that are imported to the ROI less than 6 months after the current owner has bought it. The FiL was caught out by this when he was living in Kilkenny, he was tempted with a newish Honda and was duly caught up with by Customs and Excise. He paid 15% on the ROI determined value of the car.
If your mother's golf is behaving itself, then would it be worth looking for the best deal in the UK for the replacement of her choice, buying it in your name, keeping it in the UK for the 6 month period, then taking it accross to ROI and re registering it in your name, then transfer it to hers? This is only a question, you would need to see how the figures would stack up.
Hugo
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If, as you state, the 1.0 Polo(with 45bhp) has sufficient power for her needs, then virtually any newer car will also be adequate. Not only do they have more power but almost all are lighter.
Its currently worth about £2k(in UK) so if economics are your main consideration she should hang on to it and throw it away if anything major goes wrong with it. That said they are very reliable.
If she does by a new supermini, nearly all of them will feel 'flimsy' in comparison to the Polo - albeit many are better cars.
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Cardew, in his wisdom wrote: 'Its currently worth about £2k(in UK) so if economics are your main consideration she should hang on to it and throw it away if anything major goes wrong with it.'
If it ain't broke, NW, don't try to fix it. If on the other hand, Mother would like a new car, then that's a whole different kettle of fish.
If anything major goes wrong with it, it'll still be worth quite a bit on eBay as a non-runner, and if nothing major goes wrong with it (likely scenario) then you'll be quids in. If on the other hand, she likes the security of mega-high depreciation (& I suppose the security of a warranty against anything going wrong), then a brand new car will suit her well. Mothers will be mothers...
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Cardew, Hugo, Mapmaker, thanks v much for your suggestions.
My own thinking was that the Polo would have lost most of its value by now, so if it's going to be OK, best to hang onto it.
It's a rather bouncy car for my tastes, but its not my tastes that matter here. For her, the Polo is the best car she's ever had - she likes it, and feels confident driving it.
Mercifully, I don't think that she has her heart set on a new car, so I'm trying to persuade her that at this point, the familiar Polo is cheap motoring: even in the unlikely event that something big does go wrong and she has to call a taxi 30 miles home while the car is towed away for an expensive repair, she'll still be quids in against buying a new one.
However, the question I really don't know the answer to is how much life it has left. A diesel would still be young at that mileage, but I'm not sure how long a tiny petrol engine lasts. I think that if she was satisfied that it had lots of reliable life left, I could persuade her to keep it. Should it be OK for 100,000 miles?
As to replacement, the Irish car market is very different to the UK. Much higher new prices (due to higher taxes, 21% VAT + 22.5% VRT), but relatively fewer company cars, so depreciation is slower. Prices for oldish cars in Ireland are much higher than in the UK.
In theory, that makes importing a youngish used car attractive, but in practice the importation rules (tinyurl.com/4glk9 and links) mean you end up paying a lot of tax when importing, so it usually only pays if you can use the permament change of residence rules to avoid the VRT (or if you get an amazing bargain to offset the tax). To qualify, you have to have owned the car for 6 months and then keep it for a further 12 months, so it wouldn't work for me to try any dodges -- the revenue people are quite canny at catching ppl, as Hugo's FiL found out uncomfortably.
The only niggle in my mind is that there may be some quirk of the depreciation curve, like the one here which makes a 3-year-old Nissan a very good buy, but a 3yo VW not so good. But I think the sums would fry my head!
I suspect that when the time comes for replacement, it'll be with another new car bought in Ireland. But hopefully I can persuade her to delay that for another few years :)
Thanks again for your help.
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>>but I'm not sure how long a tiny petrol engine lasts.
Until it doesn't last any longer?
I had a 1.1 1983 Formule E Polo which claimed to have done about 80k. It had more likely done 180k, or 280k - I wished that it hadn't been clocked, as it would have been interesting to know just how far it had gone.
I doubt your mother thrashes that car too hard, which should help it to live longer.
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Its her money and if she wants to change the car she should. My mother has a Skoda Fabia - brilliant little motor.
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I would expect the Polo to give good service for another five years if properly maintained.
What would the first year depreciation be on a new Polo and how does that compare to the likely repair costs for her existing car?
As a rural runabout, there seems no pressing need to change unless she wants the pleasure of that new car smell.
Flying Red
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Slightly different story NW but it may help reassure you about Polos.
My mate has a 1.3 (so a little bigger granted) M reg Polo. Getting in, you'd think it was brand new. No rattles, groans or anything like that. It drives solidly and feels safe. It's done 110k now.
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Adam
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Are there not some pretty good deals on base model Polos at the moment. I thought you could get one from £6995 which probably makes them no more expensive than a Fabia.
Not that there is anything wrong with a Fabia but if she is anything like my mum she only feels happy sticking to the same type of car.
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