General Mk1 Punto reliability?

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General Mk1 Punto reliability?

jox

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im thinking of getting a mk1 1.2 8v iv seen so manny reviews saying how unreliable they are is this really true?
 
Hi,

Had mine about 3 month had few problems (but price was right) but never broken down runs like a dream. Had to replace a few things

Gave it a full overall service you name it we changed it.
new oil sump
new Cooling fan
head gasket, rocker gasket cover
few other little bits and bats but never let me down even with them broken.

Great on petrol too.

Tony
 
If you look to buy the car as cheap as possible then yes, it will most likely be unlooked after and unreliable. If you buy one for a good price and view the car before hand, making sure it has a good service history and has indeed been looked after then you will get a reliable one.

Obviously cars can and will go wrong at the most unexpected time but Puntos are just as reliable as anything else. The engines (F.I.R.E) are proven and reliable as long as they are serviced when they are supposed to be. Obviously if its been thrashed about and never serviced, its going to be a ****ter.

Just make sure the car is decent before you put your money down and make sure the seller seems genuine. Talk to them and get them to tell you about the car. Point out potential problems and see how they react. Passing off things like an oil leak by saying "oh i didnt know about that" is either bull**** or proves they never look under the bonnet and therefore its probably not been looked after.
 
I've had my 1242 8v for 3 years now. Broke down once- my fan belt was threading itself to peices.

Other than that, I've had usual rocker cover gasket (very cheap) and also replaced the sump. All in all, not bad reliability for a 10 year old car.

I often go on trips of a few hundred miles, and it eats the miles up no problem. As it's been said, don't expect to pay peanuts for a good runner, be prepared to ask questions and make sure you give it a good look over before you buy it.
 
im planning on spending around £600-700 will this get me a good one?

what are the 1.2 8v engines like, are the quite and smooth engines or are they noisey and tapperty like alot of small engines?

i dont expect it to be fast but i want something that is fast enough to drive without seeming like im having 2 drag a buss like my old 1.0 polo
 
The 1242 8v isn't that powerful but should spin up quickly in the low gears and should feel a lot faster than an old polo, It shouldn't sound tappety at all on a good car, they can be quite noisy at high revs but its alot more pleasant sound than most small engines, Get one with some bills with it to prove the previous owner wasn't a tight wad who treats his car like a mule, and look for signs of previous good up keep for example cleanish oil (not dark brown or black), Decent branded matching tyres, not 4 gutterfinders of different types, maybe even factory wheel trims in decent nick if its a very nice one, For eg http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/FIAT+PUNTO/Ne-2-4-5-6-7-8-27-44-49-53-61-64-67-103-133-146,N-12-41-4294966794-4294966893/advert.action?R=200805302877472&distance=87&postcode=NE39+2AD&channel=CARS&make=FIAT&model=PUNTO&min_pr=&max_pr=1000&max_mileage=60000 this one has fogs which aren't standard on a 60 but other than the mark on the passenger corner looks sweet

And as for reliability, in 4 years of mk1s had the AA out once
 
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