General should i buy a punto ?

[scrambler95]

afternoon all !

I am 18 and my insurance is sky high obviously except on a corsa or punto !

A garage buy mine are selling a 54 plate facelift mk 2 punto (1.2 8v) for £1200

The car looks mint and has done 68,000 miles im really interested in it as my insurance is really cheap on it !

the only thing putting me off is people saying 'oh a fiat that means it will be a money pit' and just making sarcastic jokes so i was wondering if anyone else has or have had one of these and could tell me their experiences with this exact car

thank you !

 

[s and b]

car sounds spot on to me
make sure you get an in house warranty
dont forget

 

[Ziggy122]

Like any car - there are going to be things that break

Make sure you get the car upto temperature - you want to hear that fan kicking in, however it might not been soo cold....

The facelifts are better (not bias tho )
Some of the niggles are fixed, not all tho

And the price, miles etc sound okay

Ziggy

 

[fingers99]

As with all old cars, they're only cheap to run if you're prepared to do most of the work yourself.

 

[jon1612]

afternoon all !

I am 18 and my insurance is sky high obviously except on a corsa or punto !

A garage buy mine are selling a 54 plate facelift mk 2 punto (1.2 8v) for £1200

The car looks mint and has done 68,000 miles im really interested in it as my insurance is really cheap on it !
thank you !

every car has inbuilt problems but at that age should have all been sorted. I have had 2 puntos 1.2 8v is the best to go for as engine is pretty nippy and very robust, timing belt went on first one, mate fitted a new belt cos me £20 for belt. now have a panda (same engine) wont last you forever but will get you on insurance ladder, plenty of them doing well over 150,000 miles ( my first one had 120k on it , gearbox rumbled but drove mint) only got rid to buy a suzuki grand vitara when got left some money. when couldnt afford to run that 3 year later replaced it with second punto and have replaced that with the panda a few weeks ago. people go on about electric power steering but i never had issues on either. wife has a corsa auto 1.2 16v its not a patch on the punto, but if you are getting a corsa get one with timing chain NOT belt as when they go its new engine unlike the punto which is new belt and off you go again

 

[atom0007]

every car has inbuilt problems but at that age should have all been sorted

 

[jon1612]

FIAT =

Fix
It
Again
Tomorrow
:bang:

 

[scrambler95]

thank you all for the comments im going to have a look at it on wednesday really excited !

I must say your all more friendly than the guys on the corsa forum just getting sarcastic comments back on my thread their so thank you !

 

[atom0007]

Great fun car, good forum to support you, good combo

 

[oldhammer]

should i buy a punto ?


yeah get one bought mate they is good fun oh and they don't have droplinks
to go fubar like other cars

 

[jono987]

I bought mine over a year ago, same 04 1.2 active sport 8v, 64000 miles. So basically nearly exactly the same.

The car has now done 81000 miles, getting me to work and back every day. In the year i have had it i have spent money on new break pads and disks and tyes, and thats it. So basically just wear and tear.

Its great on fuel and the 1.2 8v is actually pretty nippy.

You wont regret it But make sure you treat it well! Punto's only have a bad rep cos they are the most abused cars. Treat it will and it will last

 

[TONY55S]

hi,i have a 13 year old punto 1.2 8 valve.
Their weak point is head gasket,so make sure you get the water coolant changed straight away and fit a new thermostat,also check when water pump
and timing belt were last changed,good for around 60,000 miles.
tony

 

[Col Max Pyatnitski]

Punto's only have a bad rep cos they are the most abused cars. Treat it will and it will last

I think there's a lot of truth in that.

I'm trying to give my punto a bit more tlc these days, realising how cheap the parts are and how easy the maintenance can be!

I'm taking away the message: if you are prepared to learn a bit about your car, you can maintain a punto very cheaply indeed.

 

[Ziggy122]

Puntos hg are not a weak point
They only let go due to a failure of another part

Usually a coolant leak and they run dry and overheat.....


Waterpumps are pretty good tbh never had 1 go.... yet todo a punto waterpump

But if belts off change it - makes sense too

Ziggy

 

[unot190bhp]

defo buy a punto they are great fun we cars but id go for a mk1 1.2 sporting far faster than the mk2 they have 86bhp im sure and they are nippy we cars for the engine size and look far better in my opinion

 

[benny279]

As rightly so as people have pointed out these cars are "great" have niggles there and there etc....

I've had mine since Jan 2012 can't say its had major problems...oh wait yes I can engine failed Aug 2013 3 cylinders went and hg blew. A true fix it again tomorrow moment.

Now they great cars but when they start going wrong one problem will develop after another! So really only get one if you have the dedication of fixing it yourself as mentioned previously if you're not then look at another car, I'm selling mine maybe next year or 2015 don't know yet....not decided!

Honestly though, they are generally fun cars and happy go cars if looked after. But don't be expecting wow on the power they ain't powerful, I think a snail is faster

Good luck finding a decent enough punto mk2/2b without it falling to pieces!

 

[sponger]

Yep go buy that Punto!
Clocked up a combined 300,000+km in my last two cheap second hand ones - and I'm maintenance averse!

 

[Eklipze3k]

With a car of this age the only thing you can't be sure of is how well the previous owner(s) have maintained it. That said, they are very simple machines and as long as you do your homework you could easily maintain it yourself to a good standard cheaply. People tell horror stories about blown HG's for example, but in my opinion I'd say this is most often caused by people not using a proper coolant mix and just topping up with water.

If you tell us whereabouts you are someone local might be able to come and have a look at the car with you, make sure it's not a dog, and perhaps give assistance when it comes time to do some work on her.

 

[Ziggy122]

defo buy a punto they are great fun we cars but id go for a mk1 1.2 sporting far faster than the mk2 they have 86bhp im sure and they are nippy we cars for the engine size and look far better in my opinion

The mk1 came in different engines to start with

1.1 8v
the 1.2 8v
The 1.2 8v (75) aggressive cam iirc?
Then the 1.2 16v

Also there is the 1.4 Turbo GT

Then numerous diesels

Where as the mk2 came in as follows
1.2 8v (60bhp)
1.2 16v
1.9 Diesel
1.8 16v HGT

Then the mk2b arrived which added
The 1.4 16v
1.3 Diesel Multi-jet
and i think another 1.9 diesel?

Tbh the 1.2 8v has punch, but not higher up, but its still fun to drive with the tappets bouncing off the bonnet

Ziggy