***The official my polo arrives thread***

[firdausasri]

Hi Guys,

Firdaus here from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Found this forum from the net. Got my Polo GTi last month. It's a four door banger variant. Great to see you guys here!

[pixl]

FINALLY!!!

Just picked it up! Came home for a drink and bite to eat and now I'm taking her out again!! Wooooooooooooooo!!

[DaveMack]

Congrats, Max. Just watchout for the speed cameras.

Dave

[Y2008]

Congratulations!!

[pixl]

Just watchout for the speed cameras.

Wow, you weren't kidding. I pulled out of the dealership and was doing 70km/h before I knew it.

Way too easy to go over the limit with this car.

[Sharkie]

If you thinks its quick now.... drive a chipped car and see what a difference 40% extra power makes.

0-illegal in the blinkof an eye .... .... that is if you can close your eyes against the G-forces working on them on a power start....

[Roodosutaa]

WHAT: 2008 Polo GTI (Silver, Sunroof)

WHEN: Nearly a month ago.

WHY: Have owned an MX-5 for 9 years and everything they say about the 5 is all true, the car really does become an extention of your limbs with handling so sharp and so absolutely controllable and that slick short throw gear box is possibly a world best. Unfortunately everything else they say about the 5 is also true - lack of power, near nonexistent practicality, unwanted attention from ricers and hoons (not every road has corners),

Once I thought I'd keep the car for life but reality sets in and I need something practical which would mean I need to find a compromise somewhere. At first I thought the logical step from the MX-5 would be a Clio Sport 182 Cup which also offers amazing handling and has a cracker of an engine (the thing just revs its head of if you let it), and the build quality isn't even as bad as what some have made it out to be (but still far from VAG's league). Test drove a few and even got as close as $500 to buy one but lost out.

I always knew about the Polo GTI and even have heard/read that you could chip it to get more power but was initially dismissive because the reviews pan its handling and its weight (MX-5 and Clio both weigh the same and are 100kg lighter but really 1200kg isn't all that heavy for any car). So test drove one during last month's clearance - yes it doesn't handle quite as well as the Clio (let alone the 5) but realistically in every day situation you won't be going 8/10ths all the time, it does however feel disconnected compared to the Renault and the Mazda - like it's a competent handling car but it seems as if it's doing all the work for you and you're just coming along for the ride.

However a lot of other things won me over - that lazy torque available from low down, having driven it for a month, the greatest difference I felt is on the highway, I won't have to think about whether to overtaking someone which in the MX-5 meant dropping a gear (admittedly a fun thing to do) then flooring it whereas in the Pog, I'd just put the foot down - in this sense it feels like a scaled down version of dad's XR6T with available grunt nearly anywhere in the range.

Then of course there's the legendary quality - you can see where the extra weight's gone to, everything feels solid and like it'll last for life - and the attention to detail - reading through the handbook, you get the sense they've thought everything through that's just like any German product.

I've even grown to like the looks of it - it might have been designed by the guy who did the new Alfa's but there's nothing passionate about the look of the car, just really sober and rational and even the little highlights are subtle. In silver it just blends in (even though I'll have the wheels powdercoated charcoal). Perfect for a sleeper car.

Then there's the price - in the end I couldn't justify paying nearly the same money for a 3 year old French car which I know will depreciate to comical levels when i could get a car of such good value, brand new. The car I actually ended up buying is the demo I drove - just got to the dealership the week before and they made a bungle which effectively meant I got a free sunroof. Insurance is cheap (not even $900) as well

So yes I didn't end up buying a car with what I initially thought were "must-have" attributes ie pin-sharp handling and a sense of rawness from years spent driving the MX-5. But what I got is the best compromise by far with what I actually NEED.... I'm still laughing.

Think I might have just broken a few records in this forum for the most long-winded way of saying "I like my Pog" and for not having a life on a Friday night.

[Chipped]

Hey Binnyvo, what the rim width of ur 18" wheels?

Looking at 17" didn't think I'd get away with 18"..wowl ur GTI ooks great!!

[Grant]

I'll have the wheels powdercoated charcoal).

make sure you post pics when you do. i know a lot of us are interested in doing this.

Perfect for a sleeper car.

Thats one of the things I love. No one suspects it to be fast. I've scorched a few big family V6's who thought they would beat me off the lights before the merging lanes. I love it.

[binnyvo]

Hey Binnyvo, what the rim width of ur 18" wheels?

Looking at 17" didn't think I'd get away with 18"..wowl ur GTI ooks great!!

Thanks dude. Wheels are FOX 18x7.5.