Hi Punto land,

I've got the option of buying a slightly damaged 1995 Punto 75SX with 77K on the clock. But I can't find any information or road tests, well, not on the web anyway.

Any advice on what to look for with regards to this model? Any known faults? What should I look for other than the obvious?

The car I am looking at has a damaged strut (inner wings are fine), damaged wheel, blowing exhaust, oil leak and possible head gasket. I can get it cheap off my brother in law and can fix most of those myself. Needs an MOT as well...

It's a three door model in a sort of light metallic greeny/ yellow. Interior is tidy, it has had a replacement front wing that has only an ok paint job and a badly painted black front bumper. Other than that it is very tidy with no rust or body damage.

I've had a look on Ebay and a a tidy one seems to go for around £500 - £800. Is this a normal price for a 75SX in tidy condition? The one I'm looking at is a LOT cheaper, but will need some money spent on it.

Does anyone know the official figures (not downhill on the M4 figures please!) for top speed, acceleration, fuel consumption in town/ constant 56mph/ constant 75mph?

Is this a good model to go for?

Cheers!

Chas

P.S. Forgot to mention, it only comes with one blue key, and there's a 'key code' light that comes on the dashboard when the ignition is switched on. I assume it should have a red key?

go for it, the cento boys will buy all the engine bits off you if its too expencive to fix

from punto brochure-

bhp- 75 @ 6k rpm
torque- 80 lbs ft @ 4k rpm
max speed- 106mph
0-62mph- 12.00
urban cycle- 36.2 mpg constant 56mph- 53.3 mpg constant 75mph 40.9 mpg

what does the blue key look like? and what month was it made in 1995?

edit- ignore that, just thought to my self if it has a light for key code so then its gonna have a coded key! hehe, yes there should be 2 blues and 1 red, cant see you ever needing the red one though, but better get another blue one cut in case.

Thanks for the quick responses Beau and Dave

@Dave: IF I buy it and it costs too much to fix, the Cento boys can keep their hands off it I quite fancy a 1242 MPI mk1 Uno :devil:

@Beau: Cheers for the accurate information! Gives me any idea of what I can expect from it

Any other pointers for a Punto 75SX? Do all the usual FIRE checks apply, and is the MPI system reliable? Any known weak points?

Cheers!

Chas

cant really say i have ever seen many 75 problems on here and there are several 75's on here too, head gasket's

what mileage has it done? and how much is it!

beau_4076 said:

cant really say i have ever seen many 75 problems on here and there are several 75's on here too, head gasket's

what mileage has it done? and how much is it!

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I think it might have a possible headgasket failure. Coolant is low and the oil filler cap was full of mayonaise, but not sure if it's just been neglected and subjected to cold running. It actually seemed to take a while to warm up before the fan kicked in - way longer than my Uno.

It's done a mileage in the 70K's, can't remember if it was 70, 75 or 77K!

How much? Secret! Suffice to say it's less than £250

75 engines are good, haven't had a prob with mine, only thing i did to revive it some was to clean injectors in an ultrasonic bath, does a good job, and you can feel the difference

I had a '95 75SX from new for three years when I traded it in for new 16v 85ELX. The 75SX performed fine, and I got figures very similar to those quoted above. However, 10 years on, they'll not be as good.

The 75SX engine is good, very good for a 1.2litre. My only problem in 3 years was the coils. ISTR I had all four changed at one point, which not only solved why the ECU warning light flashed a lot, but improved performance too.

Yes, there should be a red key, and yes, the keycode light should go out. I expect the original blue keys are no longer servicable, and if the car starts OK, then don't worry. If you only have one key, then get a cloned copy.

Cheers again guys

I'm very tempted by the Punto 75 SX, as it doesn't look like it needs much to get back on the road. So far as well, it seems the concensus is good regarding the engine.

It will need new front struts and an exhaust. Don't think they will be quite as cheap as bits for my Uno But my Uno is getting old and will need work soon, and as I start University next January I'm not going to have much time or money to spend fixing old cars.

It will need:

1 x Exhaust section (not sure if the cat needs replacing)
2 x Steel wheels and tyres
2 x Front struts
1 x MOT

So I'll need to cost these up and then add to the purchase price to the car. If it's going to cost more than I can pick up a good 75 SX off Ebay then I'll probably give it a miss. But if not, I'll buy it, mothball it and then work in it when I'm back in the autumn from my summer travels. My Uno's MOT runs out in November so I'll fix it up and drive the Uno until the MOT expires.

Big John, it has one blue key. The keycode light on the dash goes out when the engine is started so it all works ok. How easy and how much is it to get a key cloned? Is it a problem not having a red key?

Anyone know what a 1995 75 SX with 75K on the clock is worth?

Thanks again everyone for helping

Chas

that will cost pence basicly, find someone on psc breaking a 55 punto, and it will cost you pence, theres someone on there now called daniel and needs to shift stuff very quick i think- if his still got the car lol

would be worth about 800-1000 imo in ex con tho.

doubt your need the red key, get one clonned at timpsons(sp?)

jonnyboy has 4xsteel wheels for sale, very good tyres on them i think, for 30 quid.

full exhausts (cat back) sell for 99p-10 pounds on ebay, people give them away on psc.

1986Uno45S said:

Big John, it has one blue key. The keycode light on the dash goes out when the engine is started so it all works ok. How easy and how much is it to get a key cloned? Is it a problem not having a red key?

Anyone know what a 1995 75 SX with 75K on the clock is worth?

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I'm pleased the keycode light goes out - I must have misunderstood your earlier posting.

There's no problem getting a duplicate key. I don't where you are but I've used
http://www.johnrichard.co.uk/ They do it while you wait for about £20.

The red key is another story, it's unique to your vehicle. Having said that, in 11 years of owning MkIs, it was never needed.

As regards the value of an 11 year old car, with 75K miles on the clock, no MOT, and needing repairs "has a damaged strut (inner wings are fine), damaged wheel, blowing exhaust, oil leak and possible head gasket", you're looking at £200 tops.

The MOT inspector will go straight for your brake pipes, rear suspension bearings, steering/steering column, emissions and anything structural (e.g. seat belts), assuming lights and the other easily sorted stuff is in good order.

Best of luck.

Cheers for the replies Beau and John!

Ok, an update. I bought the Punto 75 SX And John, I paid somewhat less than £200

I might have already sourced some front struts, so that will stop the front end from looking like it is doing the splits.

Oil leak looks like it came from the cam cover (typical FIRE), and under the car it looks like the driveshaft to gearbox seal is leaking. Probably had something to do with the wheel being kerbed. Gearbox housing looks fine and I can't see any cracks in the casing.

Exhaust is blowing between the downpipe and cat where a bracket has come off. Brother in law will weld that back on for me. Rear silencer is rusted through, so I'll be looking for a cat back exhaust (probably second hand and therefore cheap) to solve the problem.

Also need to to get two 14" steel wheels with 165 section tyres. Again, will sniff around and see if any are going for pennies.

The engine runs fine, very smooth and quiet, certainly compared with the 999cc FIRE in my 1986 Uno! I actually think it feels a bit too smooth and quiet as I like the rather rorty feel from my Uno, especially after a K&N was fitted. I know K&N's aren't supposed to be much, but it was free and it sounds nice

The car has a few small dents, chips and some minor scratches, but nothing one wouldn't expect from a 10 year old car. I've even had a go at cleaning and polishing one side as it was filthy, and it's come up a treat. Oh, and it's a sort of metallic greeny gold colour. No idea what it's called but it's growing on me a bit.

For the moment I won't be doing too much to it as I'm finishing off at college then I'll be going abroad for the summer. My Uno has an MOT until November, and when I get back in October I'll work on the Punto so that I can drive that when the Uno's MOT runs out.

Oh, and I'm keeping the Uno. I might let it go if someone needs it for a turbo reshell, otherwise I might try and drop a Punto 60 engine into it

Either way, expect me to pop into the Punto forum more often when I need advice!

Cheers!

Chas

exploit yellow (sp)


https://www.fiatforum.com/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=3458&cat=17

Thanks Beau! Would be very tempted except that Helz lives the other side of the country to me. She's in Carlisle, I'm in Watford/ North London

I'd better keep looking

And is that what the colour is called - "exploit yellow"? Looks a bit like pea soup to me at some angles I'll try and take some pictures over the weekend and post them up so you can see what I've bought.

Cheers!

Chas