Arosa 1.7d, any good ?

mp29

Guest
I have found out i can insure a 1.7 arosa and it matches my budget !
i am about 6"1 so i am not sure if i am too tall to be comfortable in it, some advise on that would be nice

i havent actually been in one before so any opinions and facts would be much appreciated :)
 

lunalupi

...is not a bloke!
Jul 29, 2006
953
0
Wiltshire
So long as you make sure it has the height adjustable seats fitted, you will be fine height wise.

Power isn't great - I test drove one and it was comparable in speed to my 1.0, but you will get good economy. If you want better performance then look at insurance for a 1.4TDi as you will have loads more torque.
 

mp29

Guest
alrighty, economy is a good thing, i will be doing the same journey to school and back every day so that would be useful. i think if i have the seat right right back there should be no problem...hopefully !

are the arosas nice to drive ?
 

lunalupi

...is not a bloke!
Jul 29, 2006
953
0
Wiltshire
I think they are - you won't be beating much from the traffic lights, but as a small city car that also handles itself well on motorways (and in accidents!) they are excellent :) You can have the seat back, and the height adjustment lets you drop it so you won't be hitting your head - Craig (one litre wonder) is 6' 3" and he fitted in his mk2!

Bad points have to be the suspension - although mine hasn't been standard for a while, I do remember the suspension was a bit 'boaty', but it's livable with until you can afford to change it. Engine will go on for miles and miles, and although the pedal boxes and gearboxes can be weak, I've not heard of any 1.7SDis having problems. What age would you be looking at?
 

mp29

Guest
im looking around the 1200 mark, theres more chance of me getting a 1.0 because there is more choice. i have always liked the VW lupos and these are pretty much the same, probably better and more rare which is always nice.

i have been looking at ibizas but if i can get cheaper insurance then thats always a plus. is the 1.0 sluggish ? we have a 1.1 kia picanto which is quite sluggish, and struggles up hills with more than one person, but it is probably heavier than an arosa
 

lunalupi

...is not a bloke!
Jul 29, 2006
953
0
Wiltshire
It'll need anything down to 1st to get up particularly steep hills, but thats only on really steep ones - 2nd or 3rd is usually fine and you'll arrive at the top maybe in not record time, but you'll get there. Mine got me to and from Uni (Bath -> Leicester via the Fosse Way) with a whole series of heavy loads just fine. Just sit back and cruise...

You'll pay more for a Lupo, and they are actually more common than the Arosa because people were snobs and wanted the VW badge on the front.
Also, Lupos are NOT better, they are cutesy and sweet and Arosa are just generally BETTER :p
 

mp29

Guest
the arosa is lovely ! ive been looking at some on auto trader and i am coming round more and more to the idea of getting one, ive thoguht that i will look for one around 1200 and haggle down, cash in their hand will turn them !

whats the build quality like and all that shabang ? now all i need is the money !!
 

Boo

The original wee beastie
Nov 12, 2006
1,868
0
Eastbourne
The build quality is what made me buy my arosa from my friend. I had been looking at the Suzuki swift, a new punto and had just got rid of a MK1 clio williams. They are good strong sturdy wee beasties. Looking at those members who have had unfortunate accidents the other cars have always come off alot worse.
 

mp29

Guest
ah cool, thats good to know.
im thinking of seriously getting one, i think it would be suitable, maybe a little small because of my height so im guessing noone will be able to sit behind me but thats no biggie, more of an excuse not to give people lifts !

ill see how much money i end up saving up, hopefully about a grand will do, and the insurance is dead cheap which is also good. whats the price of a tank on a 1.0 ?
 

lunalupi

...is not a bloke!
Jul 29, 2006
953
0
Wiltshire
Looking at those members who have had unfortunate accidents the other cars have always come off alot worse.

I can testify to that! He's still alive :D

A tank is just under 30 litres, so at current prices about £27-30, although I've paid £32 which was the most expensive. You'll get about 40-50mpg average from a 1.0 with general driving, and 70mpg with some careful driving from the diesel.
 

mp29

Guest
ah right thats ok then. im quite keen on one now, i think that i would probably go for a petrol, im not looking to buy for another few months until i save up the money. looking on auto trader i think ill have to save up about 1200 to get a decent one with not too high miles, id prefere the mk2 because it has a nicer interior but i am not too fussed.
 

i99y

Newbie
Feb 19, 2006
14
0
I had my VW Lupo 1.7SDI for 2 years from new and totally loved the car. Im a big guy as well at 6ft tall but i was always comfortable. The power as mentioned before is very poor but its great to see that fuel needle hardly ever moving. I loved the SDI but now im in an Arosa TDi (broken down at mo though :( ) and i love the little thing. The diesel cars are great and if its cutting down on costs etc then you cant go wrong with them.

Ian
 

Dave_R

Save a Sheep...Buy Brembo
Sep 20, 2004
3,666
1
South Wales
You'll pay more for a Lupo, and they are actually more common than the Arosa because people were snobs and wanted the VW badge on the front.
Also, Lupos are NOT better, they are cutesy and sweet and Arosa are just generally BETTER :p

Believe or not the lupo is actually cheaper than the arosa..... when the missus was looking at Arosa's a thought I see how much a lupo would go for and even on parkers they priced less.

Tbh tho the Arosa is a much nicer car!
 

mp29

Guest
Car dream RIP
we looked into the insurance a bit more by actually ringing the insurance people up
insurance on a £1200 car? £3,300 !!!

i was really, really, really looking forward to getting an Arosa and i am absolutely gutted i can't get one anymore, sorry for wasting your time :(
 

lunalupi

...is not a bloke!
Jul 29, 2006
953
0
Wiltshire
No worries about it :)

Who was that with for the insurance? As an Arosa 1.0 is only group 2, so it shouldn't really be that high unless you live in the Ghetto - in which case any car will be high insurance!!
 

mp29

Guest
i live in the actual middle of nowhere somewhere deep and dark in the midlands, and we said we'd park it in a garage ! it was with swinton, norwich union were £2000 aswell, there is no hope !

the only vaguely good thing about it is i get to replace my dead laptop with a brand new one alot sooner than expected but i dont get my bloody car which is gutting !!!
 

Boo

The original wee beastie
Nov 12, 2006
1,868
0
Eastbourne
You can always try for something with a smaller engine until you get a few years no claims under your belt. Try tesco insurance, when you join up you get 1 years no claims thrown in which is nice.
 

lunalupi

...is not a bloke!
Jul 29, 2006
953
0
Wiltshire
Norwich Union are useless! They quoted me £1500 on the Arosa which was 'the best deal we think you'll find under your circumstances'. Got my insurance for £800 in the end (or was it £600?) - a load less anyway!

If you're keeping the car standard at first, stick your details into one of the comparison websites to see what they come up with. It's also worth giving some of the specialists a call - HIC, Brentacre, Adrian Flux....
 
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