General How strong is a Punto?
- Thread starter cornwall fiat
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General How strong is a Punto?
FFF'ing hell !! was that yours !! Very very lucky with that good little car did its job and protected everyone inside.
I have seen some really bad looking accidents from grandes and Evos as they tend to go under the back of other cars because of the low nose which then peels the bonnet back and the car they hit rides over the chassis rails so the punto looks really bad but the accident isn't.
But that's a whole new extreme level of damage. Looks like huge tree probably 10s of Tons, definitely a novel approach to lowering your car !
A few inches further forward and i'd not like to consider what the outcome would have been.
Crikey,
That was as bad as you would want,
Not bad for 2005 design
That was as bad as you would want,
Not bad for 2005 design
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Like most continental built cars Fiat's are famous for having a strong shell/floor chassis ( until it began to corrode). The Punto came along and made your Fiat a safe place to reside in a frontal/rear crash. Absolutely sheit in a side swipe. But a very strong floor and person compartment.
I thought my Puntos were quite heavy, until I purchased a Stilo. It was a very safe environment to drive/sit in. Pinning both ends of one in a motorway smash. Just sat in it playing my multichanger. Got out had a look at the damage, got back into it. Waited for the ambulance service to arrive. As everyone was walking wounded, the car did manage to drive to the hard shoulder ( just ) got recovered. Never saw it again. Got paid. Got another one, kept it eight years
I thought my Puntos were quite heavy, until I purchased a Stilo. It was a very safe environment to drive/sit in. Pinning both ends of one in a motorway smash. Just sat in it playing my multichanger. Got out had a look at the damage, got back into it. Waited for the ambulance service to arrive. As everyone was walking wounded, the car did manage to drive to the hard shoulder ( just ) got recovered. Never saw it again. Got paid. Got another one, kept it eight years
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That's Motherfckuer nature for you dude
From the first photo, it looks like the fruit was a Cherrie red Punto
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cornwall fiat
Member
yup. that was our poor punto. To think I always hated the double lower a post than restricts junction vision, but the goes on to save your life!
If the tree fell a second or so earlier I would have been unable to avoid hitting it head on, a second or so later, we'll, both would likely be fatal.
Or I could have chosen to drive my 205 convertible that night We wouldn't have known a thing!
Dealer was superb, I ordered the 500 before returning the puto v5 to insurers, so got a good "loyalty discount" which they offered. And having taken their gap insurance got full purchase price back! I would have bought another punto, but none were available.
If the tree fell a second or so earlier I would have been unable to avoid hitting it head on, a second or so later, we'll, both would likely be fatal.
Or I could have chosen to drive my 205 convertible that night We wouldn't have known a thing!
Dealer was superb, I ordered the 500 before returning the puto v5 to insurers, so got a good "loyalty discount" which they offered. And having taken their gap insurance got full purchase price back! I would have bought another punto, but none were available.
I must admit I was never a fan of that weird little extra window that you can't actually see through from the front seats. but in this instance it definitely is worth its existence in strength. It really was a case of a second here or there could have made the world of difference.
My wife had an accident a few year back where someone went up the back of her. She was stood out of her car on the phone to the police as she was in a dangerous position and she had just been leaning on the front of her car and had stepped off to the verge (no foot path) when a bus came round the corner hit the back of the cars and took them all down the street, picking up an oncoming car on the way. it ended up being three accidents in one and 4 cars and a bus damaged. If she'd have waited an second or two more to move she would have probably been run over and killed by her own car. It sometimes doesn't bare to think about what could have been for the sake of a second here or there.
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Sitting in a damaged car ( if it's not on a precipice or on fire) is much safer than standing outside of it.
That's why I jumped inside my wrecked Stilo, ok it was pissing down and the back window was on the back seat in cubes. Much safer, It couldn't be damaged much more. Buses and non articulated lorries wreck everything the strike, as all the strength is in their chassis. And their bolted to the chassis bumpers.
GideonFiat
New member
Wow!!! Your were IN the car when this happened!? Glad to hear you all made it out ok! Your Punto (2005-) proved to be strong for sure!
What was the cause of the falling tree, was there a storm in England? In Holland this morning, the rain was pouring down.
What was the cause of the falling tree, was there a storm in England? In Holland this morning, the rain was pouring down.
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The Panda Nut
Nutty about Pandas Infected by Panda virus and OPD
Poor old Punto. Im so glad you are OK. You can get another car!!
I think this is a good few years old as the op has had a couple of other different cars since the Punto
cornwall fiat
Member
Was December 2015. Was a big storm the previous day and apparently the roots washed out along with the bank it grew on.
No warning, big bang and the screen turned white!
No warning, big bang and the screen turned white!
MikeyB1987
Member
They have an excellent safety rating, I think they were originally 4 or 5 stars. The current low rating doesn't reflect the actual standards of the car, it just isn't crammed with electronics
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Nope the latest Puntos may take a good smack at either end. But the panels dent far too easy when a shopping trolley or a errantly opened car door collides with them. My wife has had countless repairs done. All because some people decide to dent someone's car and do a runner. Or in their case, not very quickly from her dashcam footage. It always looks like a impact from a small brick hammer.
And I know modern vehicles are designed to fold all over to absorb impacts. The wife's must be a magnet for other cars doors (And car handles). My Cactus has door covers that look like waffles and they're covered in other folks door marks too.
Guess there is no escape from such thoughtless idiots, in supermarket car parks.
I hate to think of a group of teenage delinquents all armed with brick hammers, would do to a car if they were upset
And I know modern vehicles are designed to fold all over to absorb impacts. The wife's must be a magnet for other cars doors (And car handles). My Cactus has door covers that look like waffles and they're covered in other folks door marks too.
Guess there is no escape from such thoughtless idiots, in supermarket car parks.
I hate to think of a group of teenage delinquents all armed with brick hammers, would do to a car if they were upset
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Wow! Incredible photo. The car did its job. All that crap about it being 'the UKs most dangerous car' and the Panda too, with the zero star rating.. all a load of crap. Very glad to hear you both got out fine.
In my case it's been workshops and body shops that have been the main source of damage / malpractice. The camera caught them red handed on a number of occasions, such as telling me they didn't touch a door (then seeing it sitting against a wall) or lying about time spent on various paint stages etc. It's paid for itself in the repair of bad work they then couldn't argue against but had to complete.
At least in your case the Cactus (the car that if nothing else, was ready to deal with those moments!) survives.
I can't get over how much people just open their door right into the next car and think nothing of it. Not always old bangers either, but sometimes quite new, nice cars. Can't buy class I guess for those who think that's okay.
Did you get much joy from insurers / police over the incidents you caught on dashcam?
Since 2020 with my 17' Panda I have had a Nextbase 522GW and rear module just for these moments. An oil lorry hose brushed up against it and scratched a back corner, and the company whilst admitting it had dash cams laughed at me down the phone and refused to provide the footage. Never again will anyone get away like that. Recently replaced the cam with a 322GW as if they're only going to be reliable for that long I might as well spend as little as possible.
In my case it's been workshops and body shops that have been the main source of damage / malpractice. The camera caught them red handed on a number of occasions, such as telling me they didn't touch a door (then seeing it sitting against a wall) or lying about time spent on various paint stages etc. It's paid for itself in the repair of bad work they then couldn't argue against but had to complete.
At least in your case the Cactus (the car that if nothing else, was ready to deal with those moments!) survives.
I can't get over how much people just open their door right into the next car and think nothing of it. Not always old bangers either, but sometimes quite new, nice cars. Can't buy class I guess for those who think that's okay.
Did you get much joy from insurers / police over the incidents you caught on dashcam?
The original Grande was a very different car to the EVO and later +2012 Punto. They installed an additional knee airbag and improved the safety of the dash as this was an issue on the older grande.
That being said. While strength wise the car might have been strong in the past. The car was basically not updated for over 10 years now. so regardless of electronics the old Punto would fair pretty badly against any modern car, in a game of Car Conkers.
You can look at a picture like this and say that the car was the reason that no one was seriously injured and you'd be right. but a second before or later and this could have easily been much worse. The car would never have taken that weight directly down on the roof above the occupants, and driving directly into the tree front first could have seen the engine intrude into the passenger compartment. So I think its fair to say that @cornwall fiat was incredibly lucky
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Police always ask for dashcam footage. But are useless at catching anyone, unless the reg plate is in view on the digital footage. Lucky for us, we had footage of the driver sending their passenger out to look (and laugh) at the damage their kid had did. So got a claim, from them ( even though they denied they had drove (well reversed along it) into the wife's Punto. Got them caught. Got a claim, as the cam got both plates and various stickers on the rear window/hatchback.
That makes the hit and runners (The ones that are legally insured) quite easy to catch. Unless it's raining, then no dice, unless the impact breaks the front window!!!!!!
That makes the hit and runners (The ones that are legally insured) quite easy to catch. Unless it's raining, then no dice, unless the impact breaks the front window!!!!!!
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