i guess since you say new car, you mean a grande punto?
i'd like to be able to say its a good choice, but i'd be telling wopping great fibs. as a general rule of thumb, dont ever buy an italian car unless you're married to a mechanic.
my brother's girlfriend owns a grande punto active sport, and in her own words "i'll never buy another fiat ever again, its crap". she's had a lot of trouble with it and its been back to the dealer many times, even for basic problems like the door handles not working and the paint been defective. she owned a hyundai getz before the punto. she thinks that was better built, more reliable, nicer to drive, and better all round apart from styling. i have to agree with her on that.
just read the threads in the grande punto section and see how many faults there are, how awful the dealers are, and how many owners are not satisfied. then ask yourself if you want one.
if you want a hassle free car that wont let you down or cost you money, consider a micra, yaris or swift. they're a lot better, its just a shame they dont look as good. the swift would be my recommendation, suzuki have some good deals on offer, and reviews for the swift are excellent. plus for the ladies, the swift comes with an optional "pink pack" which has pink stiching in the leather and loads of other pink goodies.