I'm thinking of buying a Punto Sporting 1.2 16 valve with the 6 speed gearbox in it and it was just looking to get some info on them, i just want to know are they reliable and what parts generally give way on them and are parts for them expensive or anything and has anybody got any tips of what to look out for when going to look at one.

Thanks in advance for any info or help anyone can give

I got one!!

Much fun to drive, mines standard too not into the modding thing really. There currently always seems something wrong with it atm. It is getting upto 80k though so as expected

Cam belt and water pump being changed on monday as its way overdue and quoted 200 if that gives you an idea of the price of things

Tony

tonyprice1877 said:

I got one!!

Much fun to drive, mines standard too not into the modding thing really. There currently always seems something wrong with it atm. It is getting upto 80k though so as expected

Cam belt and water pump being changed on monday as its way overdue and quoted 200 if that gives you an idea of the price of things

Tony

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Yeah if i get one i think im going to keep it fairly standard i just want something cheap to run thats going to be reliable for getting to work, i was wondering do these have the problem i've heard most puntos have with over heating and head gaskets going and all

just look out for the normal punto faults really, old cam belt, blown head gasket, worn clutch/gearbox, power steering. all can be costly.
being a 16v, if the cam belt snaps, game over as its an interference engine, if it snaps, pistons will mangle the valves etc so u wanna be checking for the last cam belt change in the history, if no records, budget for ~ an additional £300 to get that changed with a new water pump etc. test drive the car and check for signs of over heating, if it goes above the 1/2 way mark on the temp gauge on a "normal" run, walk away as it may mean the HG has gone, but as a precaution, check the oil filler cap/dipstick for "mayonnaise" and the coolant level/colour, if its low or looks brown, again,id prob walk away. when changing gears, the clutch should feel smooth and even as u press the pedal and there should be no noises and a smooth gear shift. steering should be easy as well, avoid if it feels heavy or there are any warning lights to do with the PAS - but also be aware that a weak battery can also cause problems with the PAS so check for the age of the battery, just keep in mind that if u need to change the column, its gunna be costly. any warning lights on the dash should be a concern so question them if there are any, also note what lights show up when u start her as they may have taken the LEDs out to hide faults. in particular, the engine management light, steering, abs and airbags.
check the usual suspects for signs of rust as well, its a galvanized shell so rust under the sills, roof sills, arches etc isnt a good sign.

Get a good example and it will serve you well. Watch out for naff examples cleaned up well. Keep an eye out for wonkey steering motors, they are a common failure. Also second gear syncro could be a bit weak if the previous owner was abusive. Coil packs go with age, leaving the engine firing on three cylinders. Finally watch for duff mounts, especially the gearbox mounts. Apart from that theyre a grand little car thats cheap to run

Gav VZR said:

Yeah if i get one i think im going to keep it fairly standard i just want something cheap to run thats going to be reliable for getting to work, i was wondering do these have the problem i've heard most puntos have with over heating and head gaskets going and all

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if they overheat, then the HG is almost certainly gone, even if its not the cause, the HG is weak and can be prone to going if the car has cooked. if u can, get it pressure tested to be sure.

Gav VZR said:

Yeah if i get one i think im going to keep it fairly standard i just want something cheap to run thats going to be reliable for getting to work, i was wondering do these have the problem i've heard most puntos have with over heating and head gaskets going and all

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Im not going to comment on those cos as soon as I do mine will need doing.... I find i get around 40 mpg and it has no problem on the motorway doing a clarkson "70" so depending where you work should be no problem

full tank atm is ~55 quid gets at least 300-320 miles

Thanks for all the help lads its all been really useful info which i will take into account, im going to have a look at a nice yellow one in a couple of weeks with over 100 thousand on it so i'm just hoping its something i'm not going to find loads of problems with

same as any 2nd hand car, u do take ur chances. just try to get a full service history and be mindful of the risks.

Well lads i got the money for the new car so i'm going to look at a Punto Sporting tomorrow, so i know noticed on the photos a saw of it that it doesn't have the original sporting alloys on it, it has standard punto alloys on it so its made me wonder is it a genuine 1.2 16 valve engine in it, whats the differences between the 16 valve and 8 valve engine from looking at it if theres no plastic cover on it?

The throttle body is on the right hand side not on top on the 16v and also the sporting should have a 6 speed gear box in

FiatAndy said:

The throttle body is on the right hand side not on top on the 16v and also the sporting should have a 6 speed gear box in

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Yeah this has a 6 speed box in it but as you know its very easy for someone to blow the 16 valve engine and throw a 8 valve engine in and try pass it off as a 16 valve

Has anybody got any photos of a 1.2 16 valve Punto engine and then a 1.2 8 valve engine?

Gav VZR said:

Yeah this has a 6 speed box in it but as you know its very easy for someone to blow the 16 valve engine and throw a 8 valve engine in and try pass it off as a 16 valve

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Yeah thats true, the only way i can think of is where the throttle body is tbh, if its on top without the airbox its an 8v and if its on the on the right like if you cant see it just sitting there then its the 16v

8V has a narrow cylinder head (one cam). the 16V has a wide head (2 cams).

I went to look at 2 punto sportings tonight, the first one was a pile of crap, it had HGT bumpers on it but had chunks taken out of them, the bodywork wasn't tidy and the head gasket was on its way out, the second car was perfect and spotless not a scratch on it and drove very well the only problem was the owner wouldn't let the car go for less than 1400 euros and i only had 1200 with me so that was my limit and she wouldn't let it go and i don't think it was worth 1400 even tho it was clean cos it had over 100000 on the clock

As a brand new second hand FIAT Punto owner I thought I'd chip in.

I've had mine for about a week and a bit now. It's a 1.2 16V Active Sport. I seemed to have been lucky and got one that's been taken care of nicely. Since getting my hands on it, I've fully drained the oil and refilled it on some high quality stuff (can't remember the viscosity of it but I got what the Haynes manual recommended) and put in a new oil filter while I was at it.

FIATs are a lot better now in terms of reliability than they used to be. I think I'd take a Punto over a Clio or a Micra or something similar. When testing, check the electrics simply by using the electric powered windows and the fog lights or something like that. The electrics have been known to be a bit iffy at times (or so I've read). As other people have said, take them for a test run. Try to get it on full lock as you turn it round and listen for any "knocking" sounds from the suspension. Keep away if they have warning lights on that you think could be fatal. Use the oil dip stick to see if its got a good level in. This is a good indicator as to if the previous owner has been taking at least a bit of care with basic servicing and check for weird "pâté" creamy looking stuff around the opening.

I paid just under £2,000 for mine but it was from a dealer and to be fair it was in really good condition for 70,000 on the clock. They seem to be like solid little cars with quite a bit of room in for the super-mini category and I don't think you'll be disappointed if you find a good one.

Check the brakes discs for grooving and ribbing. They are not costly to replace but it helps with bargaining.
Shake the exhaust system
Check the roof gutters for rust on the roof rack lugs
Ditto around all wheel arches, sills and floor (where stones can do damage)
Steering should be fine going lock to lock in normal and city modes.
Put the lights and window heater on start the engine and steer lock to lock immediately after starting to test the battery can cope. If the steering pings off the battery is weak.

Thanks for all the helpful info lads i appreciate it, i'm thinking of looking at another Punto Sporting on friday, its in a small dealership near where i live but what i don't like about it is its missing the side skirts and spoiler thats ment to come standard on the Sporting model so it doesn't look like it should

Is it really a Sporting or has it been modded with a few Sporting parts?