Hello to all from a new member to the forum.

After spending quite a bit of time reading a lot of postings about the Punto and its good & bad bits, I must say I've never come across a car with as many of the same problems.

Through the years I've always stuck with Vauxhalls (Nova's, Astra's ect) but I've had a couple of Fiat Uno's and Panda's and I found them good little motors with no big problems.

The Punto I have I bought a couple of weeks ago, as my Astra was old and tired. Whilst I've had no problems with the Punto (yet!) after reading the postings about head gaskets, heater matrix, changing headlamp bulbs, red keys ect-ect, I can honestly say I won't be buying another one! (wish I'd read up on them first before buying) Fiat parts from dealers are just stupid money, and my nearest dealer is miles away in to the bargain.

I bought my car based on my past experience with Fiat's I had before, but it would seem things have changed, in my mind they ain't the car they used to be. Maybe it's because I'm old school-and not moving with the times, but I know what I like. So if anybody's interested in a 95 (N) Punto 1.7 diesel with 72k on the clock, I have one for sale - MINE! :bang:

Dont go on other peoples experiences... okay that sounds really stupid.

But, the majority of people found this forum because they had a problem that they couldnt fix. If i'd read the problems people had with cinqs before i bought mine i might have thought twice but i've had it nearly 6 months with no problems.

Just hope you've got a good one

Thanks for that. I hope yours is a good one too.

Good luck!

they not that bad, theres lots of puntos out there that never have a problem, them people wont post coz that dont go on the net looking for a forum to say they have no problems. there are a lot of posts of people asking about red keys but cant rember someone actually needing one, one thing to rember about your punto its galvernised (sp) so will be around long after all the fords and vaxhalls have rusted away

Thanx for the support.

It would seem you and other members are passionate about these cars from you're positive reply's which is nice & appreciated.

The galvanised body is certainly a plus, can't think of much else though!

McBain said:

The galvanised body is certainly a plus, can't think of much else though!

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You can get a lot off stuff in the back of them, if they do go wrong there is a very good forum you can get quick advice from most parts are available from motor factors no need to pay main dealer prices

Very good value is definately a plus too, especially brand new they are very competitive. Well built they are not, as survey after survey shows (5th from bottom in top gear), but they do seem to have a certain charm and at least they're not French or American like most of the other small cars on the market!

As other people have said though, looking at the forum gives a bad impression because everyone posts when they have a problem. It's rare someone posts to say "I've had no problems with my punto" but if it helps

I've had no problems with my punto recently!!! It's a great car!!


Seriously I've got a Mk2 but I know someone with a Mk1 M-reg she's had no problems at all with and it's done 130,000 miles. And if you do have a problem someone here will help you out! Welcome to the forum.

I'm not going to try and persuade you to keep your punto if you don't want it, but I would be willing to bet that if you wanted to buy a similar age Astra/Escort/Polo/Corsa and you went looking for problems that people have had with them, you'd find them. If you want something a little more robust, a little more shall we say German... save your money and buy a newer A3/Golf. Ultimatly, if you have no confidance in the car that you're driving, you should change it to something you're happier with.

Good Luck

Jumping to conclusions

Hey, steady on! Don't start panicking because other peoples cars have gone wrong!

If there is nothing wrong with your car yet then why worry? With an older car a lot depends on how well it has been maintained, if your car had a stack of factory faults I reckon 9years and 72k would be enough to reveal them!

Ultimately, with an older car like this you are never gonna get perfection, in fact even with a brand new car you will be extremely lucky if its perfect. So why worry? Just enjoy driving it, which you never will if you are always waiting for the first rattle

Had to step in and give a bit of support to the Punto, bought mine just over 18 months ago as a first car, never driven before, so the HGT has taken a hammering whilst learning and still is, as I seem to have caught the driving bug and I do not drive that quietly - even my driving instructer said I drove like a 17 year old ( is that good or bad? ) , the point being even with a lot of abuse it has never let me down 'Viva the PUNTO"

Steve

there's nothing reliable about a Golf or A3 mate.

Lot of good posts I must say, thanks again for the support.

Had a bit of bad news though from a company I e-mailed about free running ECU's should I ever require one for my Punto. They're the second company who can't do anything for diesel models if you lose your key's ect.

Whilst my motor is running ok it still would have been nice to know that if I had a problem with the armoured box on the injection pump (immobilisers it if the code doesn’t match) I could get it sorted for a fair price.

Damm you Fiat!