You were purely very unlucky with the electrics then. I doubt many people will have had 4 airbag ECUs fail.

puntofan01 said:

You were purely very unlucky with the electrics then. I doubt many people will have had 4 airbag ECUs fail.

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It was just an awful car. I've known a lot of people have many, many fauls with fiats. My prejudice isn't just because of mine.

On a day to day basis I see many 1 fiat Punto. All the mk2's are scrap really.
You see loads of 03/04 fiestas, corsas, focus's etc etc. I can't remember the last time I saw a stilo! 2012 maybe.

Why fiat are still selling the Punto, I don't know, it's long since been a financial flop!

I do see a lot of 500's, but most are new. Haven't seen one older than a 15 plate for a long time.

I don't see many mk1s around, but I do often see mk2s. I see a few Stilos around too, lol! Again, I see plenty of 500s of all ages...

After 15 years as a subscriber, I received my last ever Top Gear magazine today: it's the end of an era!

Saxon654 said:

My fiesta is a mint example... it's cared for in every way and visits a main dealer every year for a sservice and is cleaned weekly with Autofinese products, I can categorically tell you that you won't find a more loved example than mine.

Both of my fiestas have been great.

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I wouldn't get too excited about the fiesta, its alright but the last time I had one I had to give it back to the rental firm and swap it for a diesel octavia as it couldn't cope with the way I drove it.
Interestingly when I have had mk7 fiesta's driving them reminds me of the old mk2 punto, they have a similar feeling and charm to them.

Clearly you had a crap punto, and yes there are some dogs out here with plenty of issues, but equally there are far more dodgy fiesta's about just by the virtue of how many ford have sold over the years.

The number of iffy fords probably exceeds all the puntos fiat every sold in the uk.

I had a mk3 in the past, my wife had/still has a Mk4 in her parents drive they won't scrap. I'd not buy a newer ford these day, then again i'm unlikely to buy a newer fiat with the current lineup as well.

puntofan01 said:

Given the attitude you had towards the mechanicals, I wouldn't be surprised if you were somewhat aggressive with the door, which caused it to break. With regards to the electrics, was it modified in anyway?

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My sister.in.law
Was hard on cars ..got through a few..before I started donating my old FIATs..

They seemed to survive longer..

Ive now owned 40 fiats..

Apart from the heater matrix issue at 9 years old in the 04 panda...taking out 2 head gaskets.. due to misplaced coolant.

Edit: and a timing system service item failed a year after it was fitted..throwing timing belt.

New part..retime..drive for another 45,000 miles

Every other failure has been through previous owner neglect/ abuse/ stupidity.

Ive now owned 2 from 'NEW' and have been VERY good

I've been a Fiat owner for 8 years solid now. Sadly, due to the company's attitude towards the UK market, I probably won't be able to have many more before buying something different, but I intend to stick with Fiat for as many years as possible: they just get under your skin!

AndyRKett said:

I wouldn't get too excited about the fiesta, its alright but the last time I had one I had to give it back to the rental firm and swap it for a diesel octavia as it couldn't cope with the way I drove it.
Interestingly when I have had mk7 fiesta's driving them reminds me of the old mk2 punto, they have a similar feeling and charm to them.

Clearly you had a crap punto, and yes there are some dogs out here with plenty of issues, but equally there are far more dodgy fiesta's about just by the virtue of how many ford have sold over the years.

The number of iffy fords probably exceeds all the puntos fiat every sold in the uk.

I had a mk3 in the past, my wife had/still has a Mk4 in her parents drive they won't scrap. I'd not buy a newer ford these day, then again i'm unlikely to buy a newer fiat with the current lineup as well.

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You want to come to Staffordshire mate... Fiats are pretty much extinct other than the occasional rough as nails examples of grande punto's you see usually covered in rust.

Old Fords can get iffy, there is so many that a lot end up in dodgy areas with dodgy owners and don't get loved.

Before I owned my mk7 I owned a mk6 which was 12 years old when I sold it on and still looked amazing...

My mk7 still looks better than examples a good few years newer than it. I could tell you a wrong fiesta to a decent example in one go. I've owned enough of them. The mk3 Fiesta will always have a soft spot, especially the RST & RS1800.

Sorry I disagree, they're nothing like a mk2 Punto, mk2 punto's were a horrible driving car and had about as much power as an asthmatic running up a hill... And they corner flat, a mk2 Punto rolled around like a shopping trolley let loose down a hill.

I'm planning to get a Mk7.5 Fiesta ST next year.

Most of the contributors on this forum are Fiat enthusiasts, and offer help whenever possible, dependent on individual experience and expertise. It is, in my experience, the friendliest and most helpful car-related forum I've found. (I've had need to search various Ford, Toyota, Land Rover, Suzuki car, and VW forums.) All have provided a struggle to find the help or information I needed. They all contain large amounts of ill-advised nonsense, or plain bull. This forum contains a fair bit of that too, but it also usually finds the right answer too.

You however, seem to be here only to be negative. That may not be your intention, but it is what comes out of the screen. If you have nothing positive to add, please add nothing.

Saxon654 said:

Old Fords can get iffy, there is so many that a lot end up in dodgy areas with dodgy owners and don't get loved.

Before I owned my mk7 I owned a mk6 which was 12 years old when I sold it on and still looked amazing...

mk2 punto's were a horrible driving car and had about as much power as an asthmatic running up a hill... And they corner flat, a mk2 Punto rolled around like a shopping trolley let loose down a hill.

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All old cars can get iffy it neglected, and all can be real gems if cared for. Fords tend to be neglected in later years, a few get well cared for. My brother is running a 2001 Focus estate with well over 100k on the clock and it does everything it should, with little time spent mending it over the last three years. Fiats tend to be owned either by enthusiasts, or people who don't care, few in between. So they are either good, or horrid. Very easy to get a horrid money pit and hate them forever. Get a good one, and you'll love it forever. They seem to build emotion into them somehow.

I'm surprised you criticise the Punto for rolling, yet are happy with the Fiesta. Perhaps you've only had the more sporty setup Fiestas, as the standard ones seem to wobble their way along.
With the AA Driving School, since late 2010 I've had 10 Fiestas, keeping them between 7-12 months each and covering on average 16k each. Four 1.4 Zetecs, two 1.0 125hp ecoboosts and am now on the fourth 1.0 100hp Titanium. All have been wobbly.
The directional control is great, they go around corners exactly where placed, but the body control is awful, swaying and rolling around like the body and wheels are disconnected. Every bump brings a second wobble. After a while this just becomes very irritating. Apparently they've 'fixed' this on the latest model, so I'm looking forward to the replacement early July.

Ford are very good at making things look good, but underneath it will be as cheap as possible. Fiat is run by engineers with passion, Ford is run by accountants. A Ford says 'aren't I wonderful', then provides adequate. A Fiat says 'you want transport with a hint of fun, here I am'. Cheap, but very cheerful.

I could go on with a list of irritations with the current Fiestas, all of which add up to an overall less than happy experience, but I've done that already elsewhere on here. For me it is a job car, and it gets treated badly by the learners and replaced before it breaks. Good luck with a used one of those.

You love your Ford, we love our Fiats, there's room for us all. So, please be positive, or not at all.

As a moderator I'm very pleased with the restraint shown by members in this discussion. If a long time Fiat owner chipped into a discussion on a Ford forum sayng how bad all Fords were based on experience of one particular Fiesta 10 years ago I think they would get a different reception.
That said, can we please end this particular discussion.


Robert G8RPI.

puntofan01 said:

After 15 years as a subscriber, I received my last ever Top Gear magazine today: it's the end of an era!

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Is Top Gear magazine ending, or just your subscription?

I subscribed from the first, for many years, but ended it when I got fed up with missed deliveries. Every time I had to enquire about a missed delivery, I was treated as if I was trying to steal an extra copy.

portland_bill said:

Is Top Gear magazine ending, or just your subscription?

I subscribed from the first, for many years, but ended it when I got fed up with missed deliveries. Every time I had to enquire about a missed delivery, I was treated as if I was trying to steal an extra copy.

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It's just my subscription ending. Cars just aren't particularly nice anymore: 15 years ago, there was none of this "crossover" nonsense, and no pointless technology that's infected motoring these days. Plus there's a truly ridiculous power battle now: I'm bored of reading about hypercars with 900+ bhp, or hot hatches with over 300bhp. It's all completely pointless. I'll subscribe to Practical Classics, and Classic Cars monthly instead.

puntofan01 said:

I'll subscribe to Practical Classics, and Classic Cars monthly instead.

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That's what I replaced Top Gear with. Although Classics Monthly has lost its way a little since they lost their workshop, very little hands-on, all put out to garages.

portland_bill said:

That's what I replaced Top Gear with. Although Classics Monthly has lost its way a little since they lost their workshop, very little hands-on, all put out to garages.

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I love Practical Classics: there's no snobbery, and they encourage readers to save cars from the 80s and 90s, which a lot of classic magazines aren't willing to give pages to.

I was in the USA last week for work and there were adverts running for the new VW Jetta. The key selling point seemed to be "Available (optional) 10 color ambient lighting" in other words RGB LEDS behind bit's of trim. No technical or driving information at all.
As it's only 10 miles to work and the wife has newer estate I'm seriously considering a classic for my next car.


Robert G8RPI.

Tues and Weds last week..

I saw a classic jag..( e type maybe)
1 mile away saw it parked under trees on rough ground..about to stop..I realised the RAIN meant they pulled over to deploy a golf umbrella..saving seats and dash.

Same spot . Next day..I noticed a Capri (late one)

Thought that head.on it was relatively timeless..in rear view mirror looked more mk2 escort

Ten mins later heading back it was pulled over again.
Wipers had failed..

varesecrazy said:

Ten mins later heading back it was pulled over again.
Wipers had failed..

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The joy of old cars.

I'm more than capable of tinkering but given I spend most of my working week traveling all over I'd rather get there as planned, and I'd also rather not spend every weekend under the car/bonnet, fixing yet something else that has gone wrong.

g8rpi said:

I was in the USA last week for work and there were adverts running for the new VW Jetta. The key selling point seemed to be "Available (optional) 10 color ambient lighting" in other words RGB LEDS behind bit's of trim. No technical or driving information at all.
As it's only 10 miles to work and the wife has newer estate I'm seriously considering a classic for my next car.

Robert G8RPI.

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It's so hard to find an interesting "ordinary" car these days. The price of failure is so high that all manufacturers benchmark each other so closely that it's like picking from a row of microwaves. You get to pick the colour so you can be "individual" and then spend 2k on making the car look like it's worth the sticker price with optional wheels and lights.

Trying to find anything mass market that is remotely odd ball is hard. You know what it'll be, softly sprung ones will be low in the range and powered by a food blender. If you go faster it'll be on 19s on entirely unnecessary sports springs.

I somewhat feel looking at new cars like Homer Simpson in the episode where he designs a car "I want a big one, market research says America doesn't want big, ok I'll have a fast one, market research says America doesn't want fast...

Apparently what market research says is we want endless bloody crossovers preferably automatic, with electric steering, self park and lane keep assist..diesel or petrol doesn't matter as long as the engine is deeply uninteresting. Handling must be safe...and if not the esp must trigger before fun happens.

It was that reason that led me to allow my subscription to Top Gear to expire. It is as though cars these days are not massively judged on the important aspects of being an actual car, they're mainly judged on how well they can pair with a certain overpriced smartphone, and how well the touchscreen behaves... ?

puntofan01 said:

It was that reason that led me to allow my subscription to Top Gear to expire. It is as though cars these days are not massively judged on the important aspects of being an actual car, they're mainly judged on how well they can pair with a certain overpriced smartphone, and how well the touchscreen behaves... [emoji52]

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It’s more to do with how much of the German governments dirty money Volkswagen uses in its marketing budget across its various works of badge engineering [emoji6] lol

Still sad though. The Up/Citigo/Mii is the number one city car in numerous magazines and review sites YET none of them can pinpoint why.. I guess Top Gear is probably the same?