Hi everyone, I really wish I had signed up to the forum years ago. How educational it is. Some of the folk on here are very skilled and knowledgeable. I would post a pic but I am sure you would find yourself counting the dents. The sad part is that I am contemplating sending it to car heaven. I have had it for 9 years. It is a 2002 fiat punto petrol 1.2. It is running but it has significant cooling system trouble (Who knew about bleeding it? Not me) and all the water has disappeared from the radiator and it is sitting doing nothing outside my sister's flat while I take busses. I have spent £900 on it since august and I think I want to cut my losses now. Now it has only 1 key, it is covered in dents, the exhaust has been patched twice, there is oil leaking from somewhere. On the plus side it has just gone through an MOT, got a new tire, a battery that is only a few years old, had a nice service with the brakes all done. What a dilemma. A guestimate quote from a garage is minimum £400 to fix if the head gasket has gone (again!).

I feel for you.


If you top up the cooling system, does it run, at least for a short while? Any warning lights, error codes, obvious symptoms?


£900 is a fair old whack, it'd be a shame to lose your investment.


Few more posts, you can post pics.

PS Not every car on here is a beauty....mine is a diamond in the rough.


Mainly rough.

atom0007 said:

PS Not every car on here is a beauty....mine is a diamond in the rough.


Mainly rough.

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lol, yeah that describes mine perfectly too. Thanks for replying I said to myself that if it cost more than £600 by the end of Jan I would cut my losses. That was easier said than done then. 'sunk-cost bias' and I am really attached to it - so many years together. It will run across town to a garage but I might get AA out to see what their verdict is - still paying for it after all!; if they can run a check at the roadside I am not sure. Putting the whole thing off....got till end of month till tax runs out.

gilder said:

lol, yeah that describes mine perfectly too. Thanks for replying

I said to myself that if it cost more than £600 by the end of Jan I would cut my losses. That was easier said than done then. 'sunk-cost bias' and I am really attached to it - so many years together. It will run across town to a garage but I might get AA out to see what their verdict is - still paying for it after all!; if they can run a check at the roadside I am not sure. Putting the whole thing off....got till end of month till tax runs out.

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I am so acquainted with the many problems of the Punto that I am thinking about getting another one - better the devil you know

gilder said:

I am so acquainted with the many problems of the Punto that I am thinking about getting another one - better the devil you know

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buy a ****ed up one just for parts

Better the forum you know I think

There is a point of knowing WHEN to quit....

I spend money after money keeping my mk2 alive.... i paid 1600 for it
I musta dropped about 3k into keeping me running.....

So yea.... the coolant leak would need proper diagnosis to rectify, if no puddles under car - and water going somewhere - its most likely HG

Ziggy

For £900 you can literally change the whole suspension and brakes front and back, shocks springs discs pads top mounts bushings and wishbones, but add in labour charges and you end up paying three times that, might be worth getting aquatinted with a set of spanners and giving some of this stuff a go, puntos are so easy to work on especially the little petrol mk2 with plenty of room round the engine and it's simple mechanics