05 Fiesta Steel vs 05 (new) Polo

GoneShootin

Girlfriend purchasing a car soon enough. Will be trading her own 00 Fiesta against a very low milage (demo) 05 Fiesta Steel of Polo (with the facelift). She is getting a similar price on both, from 10k to 11k depending who you talk to - so thats fine.

What would other drives recommendations/experience be with either of the above cars? Having driven her current fiesta a few times I am ashamed to say that I loved the peppy engine and handling of it

bazz26

In my opinion I think this is a no brainer, it has to be the Fiesta.

The Fiesta Steel looks like good value for money. The 1.25 engine has 75bhp and is a Yamaha designed unit. You also get alot more kit for your money such as remote central locking, stereo controls on the steering wheel, manual sunroof, rear hatch spoiler and nice 16" alloy wheels. The Fiesta is also a nice car to drive and looks great in silver or black.

In order to get anywhere near the spec of the Fiesta Steel in the Polo you would have to go for the 1.2 Sportline which is almost €1500 more expensive new. Plus the 1.2 Polo only delivers 55bhp which is really pathetic in this day and age. Even the slightly more powerful 1.2 65bhp costs another €500 extra new and still is not as good as the 1.25 Fiesta.

As for VW's reliability, well VWs are not as bomb proof as VW would like us to believe and definately not worth the premium over the Fiesta imo.

unkel

What bazz said

bazz26 wrote:

As for VW's reliability, well VWs are not as bomb proof as VW would like us to believe

And to add to that, Fords are much more reliable these days than they used to be. I've never been a huge fan of Ford, but the quality improvements they have put through over the last number of years in Ford and perhaps even more so in LandRover and Jaguar cars are nothing short of spectacular

GoneShootin

Cheers lads - I'll send her on this link

RedorDead

Also the steel series are a limited edition marketing gimmick and with its high equipment levels for such a competitive price id hedge my bets that it will hold its value extremely well.

Makes sure she gets the steel 2 which has air con thrown in free. Id move quick though, new facelifted fiesta on the way which may mean the end of the steel.

PaulieC

On the other hand, the Polo is likely to be worth more come trade-in time. The Steel models are out now because the fiesta is to be replaced soon, whereas the Polo is brand new

bazz26

cambo_gueno wrote:

On the other hand, the Polo is likely to be worth more come trade-in time. The Steel models are out now because the fiesta is to be replaced soon, whereas the Polo is brand new

The Polo is not new, it is the same model since 2002, it has just got new headlights and grill and a few other things. Everything else is the same, it is just a mid life freshen up. The Fiesta is due a facelift too in November and again it is just a mid life freshen up.

Also the reason the Polo is worth slightly more used is because the Polo with a similar spec to the Fiesta costs about €1500 - €2000 more than the Fiesta Steel when new so you are not getting value for money from the Polo. As usual one is just paying for the VW badge.

stevenmu

I think the Fiesta looks like the better deal, but if she's thinking of the Polo anway, take a look at the Seat Ibiza, they're basically a Polo with slightly different bodywork, tweaked suspension and more extras for less money. There's also a Skoda equivelent which I can't think of the name of right now.

Gurgle

bazz26 wrote:

As usual one is just paying for the VW badge.

So why not buy a VW with a SEAT badge ?
Same car, save a few €k.

prospect

stevenmu wrote:

I think the Fiesta looks like the better deal, but if she's thinking of the Polo anway, take a look at the Seat Ibiza, they're basically a Polo with slightly different bodywork, tweaked suspension and more extras for less money. There's also a Skoda equivelent which I can't think of the name of right now.

Le Fabia.

bazz26

Gurgle wrote:

So why not buy a VW with a SEAT badge ?
Same car, save a few €k.

The OP is asking about the Fiesta v Polo otherwise I would have suggested a Fabia or Ibiza also.

GoneShootin

^^^^^