1997 volkswagen polo

3412cat, Jul 1, 7:44am
flatmate has one for sale 1000$ looks like it needs a wheel alignment. is there anything else
I need to look for or be aware of? has 135000kms

intrade, Jul 1, 7:46am
yes how well it was serviced .

brapbrap8, Jul 1, 7:54am
How many years and KM since last cambelt change?

tamarillo, Jul 1, 7:59am
For $1000 you can't expect much more than a new WOF and does it drive okay? Having full service history and evidence of cam belts etc would be lovely but for $1000 you can't get picky. Drive it hard, make sure all gears flow nicely, check reverse, slam on brakes, turn slowly but sharply in a circle to right then left putting power on when turning, listen for clicking noises of cv joints. If no noise and all else seems fine it is worth it!

msigg, Jul 1, 8:43am
Yes to above, for $1000 bux if it goes for a few years , serviced or not then that's cheap motoring, if it craps out next week(and it probably won't then that's expensive motoring. Yes worth a gamble.

thejazzpianoma, Jul 1, 7:29pm
Timing belt is cheap and easy to do on these, just get it done. Most importantly change the waterpump at the same time.

If it's auto, make sure it changes smoothly especially when cold.

If it's auto and has green coolant in the radiator the trans cooler may be clogged. You want to flush very thoroughly, put the correct coolant in and hope for the best.

Very good, solid little car for that money. They have a few known weak points, so expect some repairs periodically. However the failures you tend to get with these are minor things that can almost always be dealt with cost effectively in a DIY manner so long as you use the excellent resources available to you in VW forums etc.

Best of luck with it, if it's a tidy one it's a steal for that.

tgray, Apr 3, 7:16pm
Looks like it needs a wheel alignment? I would go and get one first and see.
How well do you know/trust your flatmate?
Before purchase, insist on a new WOF.
As a person who doesn't like them, even I would say it's a steal at that price. Best of luck.