General We're considering buying Fiat Punto S but need help:

[R Smith]

Hi there. My partner and I spotted a R Reg (98) Fiat Punto S earlier today for £395. It has TAX until the end of November and MOT until June. It's in good condition considering it's age, few day-to-day scratches/ware-and-tare. We're considering in buying it and have arranged a viewing/test drive for tomorrow. As it's our first car, I was just wondering if anyone could give us some tips. We've kinda looked online for additional information on these vehicles but who better to ask than fellow owners.
How much petrol does it hold?
Speed?
Power?
Cheap to run?
Reliable?
Pro's and Con's.... etc etc.
Are they easy to maintain?
Power steering?
Air con?
Air bags?
Easy to buy accessories for (wheel/alloys, etc)?
Those kind of things.
I know these depend on each individual car but it would help a lot.
Many thanks.

 

[beau]

Hi there. My partner and I spotted a R Reg (98) Fiat Punto S earlier today for £395. It has TAX until the end of November and MOT until June. It's in good condition considering it's age, few day-to-day scratches/ware-and-tare. We're considering in buying it and have arranged a viewing/test drive for tomorrow. As it's our first car, I was just wondering if anyone could give us some tips. We've kinda looked online for additional information on these vehicles but who better to ask than fellow owners.
How much petrol does it hold?
Speed?
Power?
Cheap to run?
Reliable?
Pro's and Con's.... etc etc.
Are they easy to maintain?
Power steering?
Air con?
Air bags?
Easy to buy accessories for (wheel/alloys, etc)?
Those kind of things.
I know these depend on each individual car but it would help a lot.
Many thanks.

a full tank is about 35 litres off top of my head.
speed? it will do 95ishmph max, will sit at about 75-80 quite happily though.
well yes there cheap to run, its a 1.2
reliable- well how many miles has it done? you could buy it and it need a clutch, radiator, water pump and exhaust for example and that could cost over £500, but same goes with every single car on the road, hence you must check the car out fully
pros/cons? well i love my punto no cons really
yes very easy and simple engine, engine is dead simple, belts are simple, oil changes are simple, brakes are simple etc
no power steering
no air con
no airbags

(but all the above was optional but 99% it wont have it)

loads of parts on ebay, fiat do alot of accessories too, my yellow one has no aftermarket parts in my sig, all bought from fiat.

 

[Eklipze3k]

This should answer most of the numerical questions - http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/specs/Detail.aspx?deriv=13663 and the review should give a details on things like air bags and safety. Aircon would have been an option, so only way to know is when you get in and see it. As you can see on there though, there are 3 different types of 'S' - a 55bhp model, a 60bhp model and the turbo diesel.

I'll let an actual Punto owner answer the rest of your questions now