Entertainment For Lively Minds
Ford Fiesta vs VW Polo
I am just about to purchase my first vehicle. After much head scratching and confusion i've narrowed it down to a VW Polo 1.2e 07 plate with about 40,000 miles on the clock, and a Ford Fiesta style 1.4 57 plate with approx 24,000 miles on the clock. They are both a similar price, the VW has 12 months warranty thrown in, with the fiesta you have to purchase the warranty, although i'm sure I could do a deal on that. They are both sold from main dealers.The Fiesta feels like a better drive and parts are I believe cheaper, but i'm quite seduced by the reputation of VW, and the insurance quote on the VW is about 100 pound cheaper.....help!
Also, and I haven't done any research on this, can you get a digital radio for a car, does such a thing exist? And is there any kind of adaptor to put your i pod through a vehicles audio system? As always i'm sure you good people can point me in the right direction. Thanks in anticipation.
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As a
former owner of a 1.4 fiesta I can tell you how enjoyable they are to drive. Comfortable, quiet, well equipped, great around town and good for longer drives too, plus the ride is excellent [recent model Fords - last 7 years or so - regularly come out top in their group for handling] The extra insurance cost reflects the slightly larger engine in the Fiesta, which whilst not providing a huge amount of extra power should make the cost worth it. Throw into the equation the fact that the Fiesta has 16,000 miles less on the clock and my advice is to go with the Ford.
But really, the best thing to do is to drive them both and then go with your gut.
[ps I had mine for 3 years and apart from servicing it never saw the inside of a garage]
A Fiesta was my first car
A Fiesta was my first car too and I had it for years. Pretty dependable with only minimal maintenance required. A car for people who really can't be arsed with understanding what goes on under the bonnet.
Don't know about an 07 car, but I'd presume it will be easy enough to get an iPod adapter. I had one of the cassette thingies - cheap as chips! The ones that transmit to the radio have been soundly dissed by friends though.
Fiesta would be my choice
Cheaper to run in the long run (servicing and parts) and also a 1.4 should be a little more useful if you use motorways than a 1.2. Modern Fords seem to have an ipod socket in the glovebox and an Aux setting on the radio. Not sure on the VW's.
And the Fiesta is lower mileage which should mean that the wearable replacement parts won't need replacing quite so quickly (check tyres and also have a look at the service requirements for things like cambelt changes etc and major services - the VW may be due one at 40,000).
My gut instinct
is to go for the Fiesta, it was a much more enjoyable ride, but i'm torn because of the VW reputation. However i'm told that it's not what it used to be, and other manufacturers have caught up in the reliability stakes?
Even back when...
VWs were what they used to be, they weren't what they used to be. In the Eighties I had a Golf GTi (yes, my Eighties were very Eighties) that nearly killed me when I was doing 80-odd on a busy M6 and the whole electrical system packed up - which meant no engine, no power steering, no assisted brakes... no car, basically. It was only three years old, but it always seemed to be at the garage for something or other - new alternator, a carb problem....
Your mileage, blah blah, but I've had an Escort and two Fiestas over the years and compared with that VW they were all the ultimate no-fuss, meat-and-potatoes car - which is exactly what you want if it's going to be your first.
In my experience...
Fords tend to be cheaper to repair and service than VWs, although both are good makes. I've driven both and currently drive a Ford, and I like it.
For what it is worth, they tend to have good, robust gearboxes and transmission, which is a really good aspect to them.
Digital car radio
I've had one of these for just over a year
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0012GLXMU/300001194-21/?m=A3P5...
It transmits to your FM radio, so it's only worth getiing if you want access to digital stations rather than improved sound quality. It has a line input which means you can pipe your iPod signal through the DAB unit and into your FM radio.
DAB reception is very hit and miss with the supplied internal aerial. It gets a lot better if you buy the external aerial but you do have to put up with it being mounted on the roof via a magnet and with a lead trailed into the car - you just close the door on it. It doesn't bother me but a lot of people can't handle having to keep taking it on and off, the trailing wires and so on. And as the reviews on Amazon point out, the mounting arm is rubbish - mine collapsed after about 9 months of pretty modest usage.
Despite all that, I would't be without one, as it gives me access to Radio 5, 6 & 7, Talksport and Planet Rock. Of late I've been using it more and more to broadcast podcasts or playlists from my iPod - the fact that I can do either from the same unit is really why I find it so useful.
the Pure Highway
has worked pretty well even with only the internal aerial although as mentioned some areas don't have much of a dab signal - tends to be all or nothing.
and as mentioned you can plug the ipod straight into it.
certainly worth the money in Bargepole's opinion.
DABs a doddle
It's a breeze putting a DAB radio into a car. It won't be the same shape fascia as the OEM one so you need to get a plate and if the existing aerial is amplified you'll need a windscreen one (http://www.bluespot.co.uk/stock/dab_glass.asp) but they work fine otherwise you can convert the existing aerial with a plug in splitter. The looms are so standard these days that if you need any sort of converter you should be able to get one from halfords. I would recommend having a look at this site as they have just about anything you may need listed and if it's not listed they are very good at answering queries.
http://www.bluespot.co.uk
The hardest bit is probably going to be taking the old unit out - if you're getting it from a main dealer it might be handy to ask them to slide it out about a centimetre before you pick it up.
If you go down this route then get an ipod cable at the same time and you can control the ipod through the head unit.
Are those your only choices?
If I were spending my own money on a car that I wanted to use pretty much every day, and needed it to be ultra-reliable, I'd be buying a Honda (Jazz or Civic are each a similar size) or a Toyota (Yaris, ditto). Both about as unlikely to let you down as you can get. Fiesta and Polo are fine, but the Japanese really know how to build a car that is pretty-much guaranteed never to let you down.
After years as a cosseted company car driver
I invested my own money in a Nissan. An 06 plate that now needs £4.5k spent on it, which may, or may not get it through it's next MOT. I do feel let down. But to be be fair to your point, mine is somewhat bigger than the cars under discussion.
I just needed to share....
The Jazz
is horrible to drive. The Civic is bigger, more like a Focus/Golf & therefore more expensive.
You're right, the Jazz is just about the most reliable car you can buy, but trust me, you wouldn't want to drive it every day.
Honest John
About as good as it gets for a car advice website.
http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/