Ford Pumas

Vanhalla

what do ppl think of those cars?

EPM

Came very close to buying one a few years back. It was one of the last of them with a 1.6 engine. You can get a 1.4 or a 1.7 also. Lovely car to drive. Good ones are getting rare now though:(

CharlieCroker

nice car. bit tight on space but good craic to drive.
As EPM says, good ones are getting rare now.
Based on the Fiesta so parts and servicing are fairly reasonable.

Biro

There was a wide arch version which was very cool

Darwin

Had the 1.6 myself a few years back, to me it's best features were in no particular order:
- the gearbox (really short throw and very slick)
- very accurate steering - very small inputs to change direction
- great road holding
- good speaker system/stereo
- cheap servicing.
- timing chain good for 100K miles I believe

The bad points were:
- weak electric window motors
- condensation in headlights
- cramped cabin space
- firm suspension does not gel well with Irish roads.

stealthyspeeder

Well weighted car, apparently good to drive (i've never driven one), and every time time I see my girlfriends hairdresser in hers, I cant help think how much it suits her!:D

Vanhalla

what do u mean the good ones are getting rare?

Darwin

stealthyspeeder wrote: »

Well weighted car, apparently good to drive (i've never driven one), and every time time I see my girlfriends hairdresser in hers, I cant help think how much it suits her!:D

Now there's an original comment :rolleyes:

CharlieCroker

Vanhalla wrote: »

what do u mean the good ones are getting rare?

They can be getting a bit old, not maintained or serviced properly, more likely to have a few dings and scrapes, or some young fella chopping it to pieces to fit a bodykit or bigger alloys.

robtri

Brother in law has had two of these, he absolutley loves them,
he has had the 1.4... then got the 1.7racing puma....

have to say the 1.7racing is the rare one, iirc only 500 og this model where made... but it is the best of the bunch... worth paying the extra few quid for...

good car, well built, nice to drive...

RobAMerc

great little car and a real hoot to drive -

Honest opinion is the 1.4 is underpowered and space is tight but you'll be able to make up for the lack of power by carrying alot more speed into the bends ( not speeding before the high horse nanny's come out )

If you need more space the Fiesta 1.6 zetec S is great and I believe its got higher torsional rigidity which will make it handle a touch better too - ( I certainly ain't good enough to notice )

downside is you'll also have to put up with tools who know fook all about cars calling you names I am afraid - but i think you'll have the last laugh.

tc20

robtri wrote: »

have to say the 1.7racing is the rare one, iirc only 500 og this model where made... but it is the best of the bunch... worth paying the extra few quid for...

fantastic car - weren't they approx £30k (punts) when new? an outrageous amount compared to the standard Puma.(I know its not fair to compare them)
Used to see one around Greystones for a couple of years. A rare beast indeed, and worth going for - -


http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1067722.htm (Racing)

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1078242.htm (Racing)

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1088711.htm (Standard)

Alanstrainor

A Puma was always one of those cars that i was curious about, maybe it was that ad where they made it seem like Steve McQueen was driving one around San Fran al la Bullet.

Anan1

I've driven a 1.7, great little car.

bazz26

The 1.7 litre engine is nice and free reving. This was eventually replaced by the 1.6 litre from Focus afaik. Heavily based on the Fiesta so should have similar running costs. It is hard to find a good one because the last of the Pumas were sold in or around 2002 when the Fiesta was replaced by a new model. That means the newest ones are now 7 years old.

Racing Puma is expensive and rare enough on these shores.

L-M

After all the hype I heard about them from boards, I went out and drove one. A friends car, 99 with only 40,000miles on it, and what a surprise I got.

Besides the fact the ride was a bit harsh, and the seats were a tad uncomfortable, I thought it was a cracking little car to drive. It was the 1.4, but there was plenty enough poke, more so in the higher revs. Great feeling to drive it and the gearbox was good fun. Handles great as well.

Although I wouldn't drive one, I couldn't reccomend one more.

Owen

One of my friends (A guy) has a 1.7 one. Nearly as much fun as my JCW to drive, cracking handling, good acceleration and this sense when you're driving it that you're constantly over achieving even if you're only going around a roundabout. Plenty of fun!