Fiat Puntos ???

Suzywuzy

Hey !

I'm looking for opinions on Fiat Punto's in general. I've heard alot of bad reports about them from friends/family yet the two people I know that currently own one can't say a bad word about them !!!

Little confused !!!

Lewe

I'm a mechanic and i would recomend steering clear of them.




FIAT=Fix it again Tomorrow

Suzywuzy

Why are there so many problems with them then ??? Have they not improved in recent years ???

alias no.9

They probably have a worse reputation than they deserve. Many are bought very cheap and not maintained and they do not stand up to this. They are a reasonably nice car to drive, very economical and reasonably stylish. They're cheap to buy but get them checked out properly before buying. Weak points include an apetite for blowing head gaskets and suspension bushings which tend to wear quickly on irish roads. Parts and servicing are pretty cheap and straight forward.

Lewe

They have but i still wouldn't drive one.Thats just my oppinon

L1011

Punto, 1.2 petrol = avoid like the PLAGUE. Engine will go "pop". Repeatedly.

Grande Punto, 1.3 diesel = indestructable but rather expensive. Don't like the gearbox much but I'm used to a much tighter one; and its definately not a "bad" box.

Also, the MkII is seen as an easy target for radio thieves, very easy lock to get through and the Blaupunkt cd deck seems to be worth a bit for junkies...

Lewe

Also the slave cylinder always seems to go on them.I have replaced 2 of them in the last week.

wba88

They are grand if you look after them. What year (model) would you be looking at?

sandyg

I have the grande punto 1.2 petrol (its nearly two years old) and have found no problems with it what so ever. (Its great on petrol, cheap on tax and insurance). Ive decided to keep it another year as ive hassle free driving with it.

jameshayes

I had 2, (97' and a 00) my girlfriend has 1 (01) and 2 of my friends drive them. Great cars IMO, cheap and cheerful... the only problem from the 4 of them was the back window spontaneously exploded on my girlfriend when she closed her car door(she's a slammer)

Suzywuzy

Yeah, don't know alot about the technical side of cars at all but have heard people mentioning negative things about the "head gasket" alright !!! :mad: Did my lessons in a Punto and really liked driving it ... maybe that wasnt a good thing !!!

jameshayes

as long as you keep them topped up with water / coolant you will be fine, the have a tendancy to be full one day and be empty 2 days later...

Suzywuzy

wba88 wrote: »

They are grand if you look after them. What year (model) would you be looking at?

Was offered a 99 Punto from a family friend who's a car dealer and has been getting us our cars for as long as I can remember, but we turned it down due to all the bad comments on them !!!

rs

Anyone I know who's owned one of the late 90's or early 00's Puntos has had major engine problems.

The newer models may be better, I really don't know. Typically they don't have a great reputation though.

bazz26

It's the 8 valve "Fire" unit which is notorious for blowing head gaskets. The newer 16 valve engine tends to be more reliable.

The Punto can be hit and miss though, lots of people are very happy with their Puntos but equally some have had their hearts and wallets broken by them.

The important thing to do if buying one like any car is have it inspected fully by a good mechanic who knows his stuff. Like anything bought cheap, you pay your money and take your chance.

vectra

Save your money and buy a Corsa. :cool:

Suzywuzy

Apologies, it wasn't a 99 we were offered, that was a friends one, I think the one the car dealer offered us was 06. I don't know if that comes into the "good" or "ok" category !!!

L1011

Suzywuzy wrote: »

Apologies, it wasn't a 99 we were offered, that was a friends one, I think the one the car dealer offered us was 06. I don't know if that comes into the "good" or "ok" category !!!

06 Punto or 06 Grande Punto? Both were made, the Grande is a larger car and significantly more reliable (to date) and more comfortable/higher spec/higher price.

Suzywuzy

vectra wrote: »

Save your money and buy a Corsa. :cool:

Had a Corsa (well the mother did !) and it was stolen and written off !!! :mad:

Wasn't driving at that stage though myself. I'm insured in my mum's Polo at the minute ... and surprisingly ... I hate it !!! :eek:

wba88

I have a '04 1.2 Active Sound 16v. I have had no problemms with it and find it a good drive, I will be selling up soon though as I am looking for something with a bigger engine.

Great for tax and insurance though

keefg

I had a 1.2 petrol which I bought brand new in 2001 and it was a fantastic little car, no probs upto about 80k miles - then the clutch and head gasket went within about a month.

I got those done and had no probs since - it is serviced when it should be, I gave the car to my mum about a year ago and it's still going strong.

If you are looking for a cheap car to buy & run then they do the job, don't expect a good resale price though.

If you do buy one I suggest you look at the service history carefully.

vectra

Suzywuzy wrote: »

Had a Corsa (well the mother did !) and it was stolen and written off !!! :mad:

Yup.
I had an Opel Ascona 2.0L and That Got stolen,
I had a Vectra 2.0L 16v and that got stolen as well :eek:

Just goes to show how good the Opels are.
everyone wants one.

RobAMerc

My wife has a 00 1.2 that I bought for peanuts and use regularly.

Its got 85k on it.

The Head gasket went at 75k, the exhaust and 80k and it now could do with a crank sensor ( about €60 ).

None of these things add up to the difference between what we paid for a 00 punto and would have paid for a 00 - lets say Yaris or Micra.

And more importantly for me, no amount of hasstle or crap would make up for having to drive one of those biscuit tins rather than the punto - its fun, nippy, quiet, rides far better than it should and it doesn't handle too badly given ours is on worn out sh*te tyres.

Suzywuzy

MYOB wrote: »

06 Punto or 06 Grande Punto? Both were made, the Grande is a larger car and significantly more reliable (to date) and more comfortable/higher spec/higher price.

Not actually sure !!! It was the Punto I learned in but not sure what they were offered. Not buying it myself, it's my Mam's car and I'm just insured on it !!! Should probably get more information on it before posting on this about it !!! Bored in work !!!

stooge

has anybody her changed the rear lights on a fiat punto sporting (2000)?

I gather that they are tricky to replace. Any help would be very welcome!

wba88

stooge wrote: »

has anybody her changed the rear lights on a fiat punto sporting (2000)?

I gather that they are tricky to replace. Any help would be very welcome!

no but i heard it was easy, couple of screws or something. try a google search for a detailed guide

Suzywuzy

wba88 wrote: »

I have a '04 1.2 Active Sound 16v. I have had no problemms with it and find it a good drive, I will be selling up soon though as I am looking for something with a bigger engine.

Great for tax and insurance though

Parden my stupidity, but what's an Active Sound ????

woop

I presume its a model of the punto, its funny i done my lessons in a punto and hated it, found it real twitchy if you get what I mean:) and just annoyed me really but I suppose whatever suits

the new one is a lot nicer to drive but then again a newer car will always be nicer to drive

Suzywuzy

Hmmm, yeah that would make sense !!! Haha. Yeah, I really liked the punto to drive though. I think it was a MK2 I did my lessons in judging by a google on it !!!

alias no.9

stooge wrote: »

has anybody her changed the rear lights on a fiat punto sporting (2000)?

I gather that they are tricky to replace. Any help would be very welcome!

I presume it's similar to the older model. Open the boot, look on the inside of the pillar behind the light, there should be a release bolt. The wheel brace should fit this. Undo it and release the lamp unit.

[haynes manual] Refitting is the reverse of removal [/haynes manual]

yellow012

stooge wrote: »

has anybody her changed the rear lights on a fiat punto sporting (2000)?

I gather that they are tricky to replace. Any help would be very welcome!

Have done it on a MK1 and its a 10 min job, very simple. Disconnect the wiring loom and undo a few bolts and there out, AFAIK the mark 2 is exactly the same.