(G) 1.8 Hgt

Just wondering if these engines/cars are more reliable than other puntos? because I hardly ever hear about them going wrong?

also are they quick?

Well Im currently looking into buying one. Yes they are quick but not jaw droppingly quick nice and torquey and fun to drive . Only problems I can see go wrong often is the "variator" something to do with the valve timing I think and when it goes wrong sounds like a Diesel starting up.

Mine puts a smile on my face

any problems so far? are the headgaskets a likely to go on HGT's?

and also how much is servicing and parts in comparison to smaller engined models?

Im not trying to put the HGT down at all, but another option is to get the JTD and remap it. Cheaper insurance/tax/fuel bills, but more performance.

I know diesels arent to everyone's tastes but its well worth conidering. The only thing I miss about petrols is revving them to the redline. Diesel noise isnt a problem for me- mine sounds great!! (once warm )

wouldnt you have to tell the insurance about the remap though?


fully comp for me on a 1.9 JTD elephant say 1148...which rocks also, 3rd party is 800.

Could be a better option actually

.......Yeah you should But JTD is group 6, the HGT is group 14 (I think).

when you say you should, when I think about it, if I was to crash, how would an insurance company find out its remapped???

If they really wanted to find out if a car has been remapped they could, someway or another. But the Punto JTD isnt a well known car that everyone remaps (how many remapped JTDs do we have on here?), so the insurance company probably wont begin to look for signs of one.

Im really tempted by this now lol, a 1.9 jtd might be the way to go next year if I get fed up of my wee 1.2 8v

Have you got your heart set on a Punto? You could have a Stilo JTD or even A Fabia VRS like mr. wolfrace here, if your budget will stretch that far.

my budget wont really stretch lol

Are the 1.9 diesels more reliable I take it? diesels usually are

They should last longer. Best to wait for JTD Monkey to reply, he's the man you want to speak to

Hello!

The JTD I used to own proved very reliable. Only had two faults; First was a dodgy fuel pump (replaced under warranty) which may have been down to me always running it to near-empty so the dregs were getting pulled through the pump. The second fault was the breather-pipe for the fuel tank splitting (replaced under warranty); the vibration at idle had rubbed-it against the wheel-arch liner. Just check it and make sure all is OK (it's an easy visual check).

I never, ever got tired of the performance of the car and often the mid-range torque would give a few people the odd little surprise! For town driving it was nippy, but on the open road and motorways it was totally in it's element and never, ever left me short-changed. It made hills disappear. Angel do a remap, and while it is not something I would have done there are plenty who do and swear by them so it's a personal choice.

Economy was fantastic, the worst tank I ever got was 49mpg, but about 55mpg seemed average for me. Best was 61mpg!!!

The ride was usual Fiat although the handling is a bit heavy because of the diesel 'lump' in the nose.

The engine at any speed was a total paragon of refinement; the fact it only got up to 3000rpm in 5th at 100mph shows the long-legs it has! Only at idle did it betray it's roots as a diesel.

The negative bit? Well, they are expenseive to service at main dealers so the economy advantage over the 1.2 16 is wiped-out (although, having driven both, it wipes the floor with the 1.2 16v for performance ). Try and find a good local dealer; the engine is not too complex and has provided years of good service in Fiat vans (hence the better reliability than petrol Fiats). If you buy one, make sure it has a FSH and a cambelt change if it has done over 50,000 miles (ignore Fiat's 72,000 mile interval for this); if not, then budget on £300 from a Fiat stealer!

Mine was a great car that I wouldn't have got rid of other than the fact I like to change my car and it was my last chance to buy an almost new A2 now they have stopped building them

I would totally reccomend the JTD as a car for those who want performance on a budget.

I know it is hardly representative, but I used to work with a guy who had a HGT. It was W-reg and when he sold it there was only 46,000 miles on the clock but he had nothing but trouble with it and in the 18 months he owned it he reckoned he had spent over £2K on putting things right on it (power steering pump failure, variator thingy etc.) and he only got about 28mpg out of it and insurance (he was 25 when he got rid) was crippling.

Try the JTD, but drive it like a diesel; change gear by 3000rpm and it will give you 100%, try and rev it to 4500rpm and all it will do is make more noise!