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General New Grande Punto

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General New Grande Punto

Thomas_Si

Thomas_Si

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Location
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I've heard a few bad posts about the new Punto's so I thought I'd add my positive one in to even things up a bit.:D

I bought a 5DR Dynamic 1.2L 8V 5dr just over a week ago & I'm delighted with it.

I can recommend the dealer TJ Vickers in Shrewsbury. I got a good discount on the car & got a service & a quarter tank of fuel thrown in free. Even the coffee I got was in a proper mug and not from a Klix machine.:eek:

Car isn't very fast but I didn't buy it to be. I wanted soemthing cheap on insurance as I'm still on a provisional even though my wife has been driving for a few years + given I've just put a deposit down on a mortgage the less I spend on petrol the better.

Car is very quiet on the road. The 15" wheels and wider tyres hold the road a lot better than the old Punto's. The brakes are also a vast improvement if a little noisy.

Fiat seem to be trying to adress the overheating issues as well. There is more collant in this enging 5.6L compared to 4.7L in the old Punto and they've finally gone for a sensible reservoir that will prevent air-locks. The more open front grille and arch vents, along with the CAT heat shield all help.

SMPi makes for a smoother ride as well.

I only have a couple of little niggly problems that I don't expect to be difficult to sort out. Rusty battery tray bolts are being changed by the dealer, & they're going to see if they can quieten my brakes down a bit. New dashboard vent trim and re-align the radio so the left hand edge sits flush with the dash.

Overall I'm very happy with the car, it's a huge improvement on the Mk1 I was driving around.

Who knows might go for a sporting in a few years when I got some no-claims. Not gonna get a 1.9 M Jet as diesel is the fuel of satan, but I believe that is a subject for another thread:devil:
 
Thomas_Si said:
Not gonna get a 1.9 M Jet as diesel is the fuel of satan, but I believe that is a subject for another thread:devil:
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:eek: :nono: diesel is good :slayer: why is this myth propagated? :bang: modern diesels rock and will only get better and better! (y)
 
Ffoxy said:
:eek: :nono: diesel is good :slayer: why is this myth propagated? :bang: modern diesels rock and will only get better and better! (y)
Click to expand...

Correct which is why the winning le-mans race car is a TDI. It lapped the other cars as they refuelled LOL. And you got the added benefit of using bio diesel which is 82p a litre at my closest outlet :). Would be even cheaper if you could make it yourself as you could dodge the tax :devil: :slayer:.

As to OP glad you like the car, they are good for what they are. It all goes wrong when people expect a perfect car but only want to pay budget money! :bang:.
 
ChrisUK said:
Correct which is why the winning le-mans race car is a TDI. It lapped the other cars as they refuelled LOL. And you got the added benefit of using bio diesel which is 82p a litre at my closest outlet :). Would be even cheaper if you could make it yourself as you could dodge the tax :devil: :slayer:.

As to OP glad you like the car, they are good for what they are. It all goes wrong when people expect a perfect car but only want to pay budget money! :bang:.
Click to expand...


I agree, nothing is perfect as perfect does not exist, you just have to accept that you get what you pay for, i bet if you bought a £70,000 car you could still find little niggles with it, my previous car cost £15,000 "type r" and that had niggles coming out of it's exhaust.
 
jongp said:
I agree, nothing is perfect as perfect does not exist, you just have to accept that you get what you pay for, i bet if you bought a £70,000 car you could still find little niggles with it, my previous car cost £15,000 "type r" and that had niggles coming out of it's exhaust.
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A recent survey said Mercedes drivers were the least happy with their cars, and they are not cheap, this is mainly due to the dealers,... seems FIAT are not alone, and not really surprising as the Techs move from dealer to dealer, make to make. Then the dealers all want and need to make money, so things get missed or done badly. So far I have no real complaints with TJVickers in Donnington Telford.
 
Yeah i bought mine from TJ Vickers in Donnington they are fantastic, very happy with them. Gave me a great deal and had my brand new car a week early!


good stuff (y)
 
Dont think your gona get an exhaust on a diesel that sounds good! When I was at work the other day out and about, I spotted a Focus TDCI with two very large tail pipes, intriqued to hear it, I waited for the guy to come back. It sounded no different when he drove off! seemed pointless. Ive seen a guy who driving round solihull in an old 306 diesel, with a massive exhaust on it, sounds like when you blow down a big carboard tube. And what is it with radios that down align properly on the GP!!!!!! mines back in again on the 25th, to have it done again, different dealer im trying this time, also to get the climate control panel aligned, and the glovebox for a third time, my fans started making a terrible noise lastnight on low settings... joy.
 
JimbbobW1977 said:
Dont think your gona get an exhaust on a diesel that sounds good! When I was at work the other day out and about, I spotted a Focus TDCI with two very large tail pipes, intriqued to hear it, I waited for the guy to come back. It sounded no different when he drove off! seemed pointless. Ive seen a guy who driving round solihull in an old 306 diesel, with a massive exhaust on it, sounds like when you blow down a big carboard tube.
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Find the right exhaust and you can sometimes get a nice sound. Some fabia Vrs's sound nice.

Listen to these astra CDTIs fitted with a miltek exhaust (GOOD exhausts).
It's the same 130bhp lump thats in the GPS:



 
puntokris said:
Find the right exhaust and you can sometimes get a nice sound. Some fabia Vrs's sound nice.

Listen to these astra CDTIs fitted with a miltek exhaust (GOOD exhausts).
It's the same 130bhp lump thats in the GPS:

Not to bad tbh, though the Astra seemed very sooty to me?? im guessing its been mapped, if the first video is on a rr.
Click to expand...
 
JimbbobW1977 said:
puntokris said:
Find the right exhaust and you can sometimes get a nice sound. Some fabia Vrs's sound nice.

Listen to these astra CDTIs fitted with a miltek exhaust (GOOD exhausts).
It's the same 130bhp lump thats in the GPS:

Not to bad tbh, though the Astra seemed very sooty to me?? im guessing its been mapped, if the first video is on a rr.
Click to expand...

I think they sound good for a diesel. Have you heard most diesel exhausts? they sound like a lorry. Listen to the same car but with a magnex on, it sounds sh!te.

Yes that astra was definitely mapped. Mapped cars always look worse on RRs as theres not really anywhere for the fumes to go.
Click to expand...
 
ChrisUK said:
Correct which is why the winning le-mans race car is a TDI. It lapped the other cars as they refuelled LOL. And you got the added benefit of using bio diesel which is 82p a litre at my closest outlet :). Would be even cheaper if you could make it yourself as you could dodge the tax :devil: :slayer:.

sure i saw something on on of thecar progs on tell, think it was fifth gear you can actully buy a machine for about £2000 that will convert oil int bio, all you need to do is con your local kebab shop to give you theres lol...
Click to expand...
 
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