Hi Guys
got a second hand punto this weekend
Temperature gauge goes well into the red after about 10 mins drive
has water in there
putting on the heating fan gets rid of the heat and temp gauge comes down but then starts creeping up again
pretty broke at the moment so need cost effective advice!!

they sold you a nice car, didnt you test drive it?
check if there is enough antifreeze in there
is radiator fan comming on when temp needle goes over middle

Yep. Check coolant level, bleeding advised. Keep an eye on it.

After 10 minutes, I'd think it could be the thermostat (beware of anything but FIAT OE ones). If that's the case, often the car will overheat well before the radiator gets hot, so the cooling fan will never come on!

Otherwise, especially if it overheats in traffic, but is OK on the open road, suspect radiator fan.

Compression test advisable. Not a huge DIY job on the 8v cars.