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Polo (once again) - Jonathan
Hi

A trader friend of mine is selling a polo (1991, 1.05 spi). My better half currently has a polo (1989 1.05 carb) and we are interested in buying it. The newer car looks much better, the brakes and steering are much improved.

The cost is a few hunderd quid more than ours. which isn't a problem, but we want to know if the injection engine is liable to cut out as the carb one has (the warmer weather seems to help cure this). We are therefore keen to sell the car in the warm, to ensure that it doesn't cut out on any test drives (it hasn't done this for a good few months).

So...

Are the facelift models significantly better than the older ones, and what price should we mark ours for (F reg, 98k, fsh, a few rust patches, but otherwise in good nick). I was thinking 500 mark, we will put 12 months mot on it before we sell.

Many Thanks

Jonathan
Re: Polo (once again) - Richard Hall
Facelift (square headlamp) Polos are built in Spain, and I have heard rumours that the build quality is not as good as German examples, but all the ones I have seen look OK. The interior is certainly much better, and they have servo assisted brakes as you have already discovered. I haven't come across the monopoint fuel injection before, so I can't comment on this other than to point out that it is a totally different fuel system from end to end, so it won't have inherited any of the characteristics of the earlier carb-fed vehicles, although it may have added a few of its own.

For your old Polo - you can try it at £500, but there seem to be a lot of these cars about and very few people who actually want them, because they are now perceived as 'too old'. I'd buy it at that price if it runs OK, but I've got one already.
Re: Polo (once again) - Big Vern
May also help if you tax it as well...

The old polo sounds like it the carb is icing up, make sure there is no kinks in the vacum tubes (they look a bit like strong drinking straws). Check to see that none have droppped off. Check the operation of the flap (disconnect vacum tube from back of carb, noting where to re fit it and such the tube, this should be enough to lift the flap up) in the air intake that selects between cold air sucked in via the funnel thingy pointing at the grill or the hot air sucked up a pipe connected to the heat sheild of the exhaust manafold, oh and ensure that said hot air pipe is there!!

If I have time at the weekend I may take a couple of shots of the Girlfriends polo covering this stuff and add it to lees online gallery as this keeps cropping up.

Email me direct if you need more guidence with this issue gddeane@hotmail.com