Advice on buying 2nd hand punto

eth0_

I'm going to look at a punto tomorrow in a dealers in Tallaght, it's my first car so i'm a bit nervous about it.

It has 36k miles on it and is NCT'd til 2007. One previous owner, and no crashes apart from a scrape above a wheel arch but the dealer is fixing that today.
Full service history.

What should I be looking for on the Punto? It's the ELX so there's lots of electrics on it...which could be bad as it's a Fiat :-)

Should the clutch have been replaced already on this car?

Help appreciated!

Dcully

My two cents ,stay a millino miles awy from Fiat.
For similar money your better off with a Skoda,Seat,Hyundai,Kia or Deawoo each of which are far better than any fiat.

Quarrybaby

What year is the car.

There are a lot of people out there who put down fiat's, but i've owned them for years, and in comparison to car's that my friends own, i found the reliability of my car better.

I currently have an 02 punto with 60k on the clock, i do a lot if travelling to work, and i've had no major problems.

One of the mose common things i've come across is a few problems with warning lights. As you said there are a lot of electrics, and there is a warning light for everything. Sometimes they are over sensitive and come on when there is nothing wrong. My airbag light was an example of this, but i got it re set at a fiat garage for 25 euro.

I think fiats are good value for money, and if you keep it serviced regularly, you wont have any more problems, than someone else with a second hand car fom another manufacturer.

eth0_

Sorry it's a 2001 ELX

dcully - have you actually owned a punto or are you just going on hearsay...i'd rather hear from people who actually know what they're talking about. i.e. have owned a punto.

quarryman

sold mine (99) with 90k on the clock (i put 10k on).

no major problems.

Interceptor

Hi Etho_,

Check the service history, check everything works in the car - switch it all on and off and make sure you are happy that it does what it is supposed to. Drive the car for fifteen minutes at least and check you are happy with how it 'feels' The ELX is a 16v 1.2 and the engines are very reliable, the clutch shouldn't have been replaced by now and should be ok for many thousands more miles. The timing belt is worth doing now and the dealer should include it in the sale if it hasn't already been done. The NCT to 2007 is reassuring but if you can get someone to cast an eye over it you will have extra reassurance.

People will always go on about how bad Fiats are - but the 16v Punto is an award winning, million-selling car with reliability equivalent to the Polo and better than the Corsa. The electrics don't give any particular problems but make sure the car comes with all its keys as spares are expensive.

Watch out for colour choice - some of the Mk11 Puntos had awful colours which might make selling it on tricky (that 'burnt orange is particularly bad!!)

*Edit* I've owned so many FIATs I've lost count and currently have a 01 Punto, 81 X1/9 and several Cinquecento field cars... All running perfectly

'c

Dcully

Nope never owned a Punto.
I admit im purely basing it on hearsay and 2 mates who had them last year and couldnt wait to get rid of them.
Also a neighbour bought a new one last year and i kid you not she rattles like feck,and feels like a 10 year old car.
Mt first an second cars were a fiat uno and tipo,uno was decent ,tipo was terrible.
Im sure engine wise a punto is ok but the build quality for Irish roads is a joke imo.
For similar money as i said even go test drive to ones i mentioned above.

pedro ferio-vti

Just make sure the head gasket isn't gone on it lol.;) They're not the best cars in the world tbh and it would have to be cheap to tempt me as a runaround. They have high depreciation and can be tough to sell on so make sure it's cheap and looked after and you're going to keep it for a while.

useeme

avoid

bazz26

eth0_ wrote:

I'm going to look at a punto tomorrow in a dealers in Tallaght, it's my first car so i'm a bit nervous about it.

It has 36k miles on it and is NCT'd til 2007. One previous owner, and no crashes apart from a scrape above a wheel arch but the dealer is fixing that today.
Full service history.

What should I be looking for on the Punto? It's the ELX so there's lots of electrics on it...which could be bad as it's a Fiat :-)

Should the clutch have been replaced already on this car?

Help appreciated!

I'm not going to get involved in another debate on whether or not to buy a Fiat as it has been done a 100 times here before.

If you are looking at a Punto, the one major thing to be concerned about is the head gasket. The Punto has been known to suffer alot from head gasket failure and this is not that cheap to put right.

Tell tale signs, look at the oil filler cap under the bonnet and if you see a whitish type fluid similar to mayonase then that is a sign the head gasket is on the way out.

Make sure all the electrics work, plus check the brakes and steering are ok. Also make sure you get a good warranty from the dealer with the car.

Check out http://www.honestjohn.co.uk for a comprehensive breakdown of the car.

Best of luck.

Interceptor

pedro ferio-vti wrote:

Just make sure the head gasket isn't gone on it.

Head gasket issue only a problem on Mk1 8v cars - this is a 16v

*Edit* Some of the ELX models had a 6-speed gearbox, its a nice to have and will make cruising easier.

'c

pedro ferio-vti

Sorry but it does happen to the 16v's as well Either down to people not using Paraflu as the coolant among others.

eth0_

It's not had clutch or timing belt replaced, the guy I spoke to said it wouldn't need that til its 40k service.

There's a 6 month warranty on it anyway...they'll service it tomorrow morning.

He's looking 5500 for it though. Seems a bit over priced to me, I think i'll offer 5k and hopefully get it for under 5250?

Balman

I know three people who have had Puntos and all of them have had continuous problems with various bits and pieces. They are cheap for a reason.

Dcully

Seriously Etho, your asking for trouble going near a punto form what i see.
Why dont you just check out the other brands?
Are you dead set on a punto?

The General

eth0_ wrote:

I'm going to look at a punto tomorrow in a dealers in Tallaght, it's my first car so i'm a bit nervous about it.

It has 36k miles on it and is NCT'd til 2007. One previous owner, and no crashes apart from a scrape above a wheel arch but the dealer is fixing that today.
Full service history.

What should I be looking for on the Punto? It's the ELX so there's lots of electrics on it...which could be bad as it's a Fiat :-)

Should the clutch have been replaced already on this car?

Help appreciated!

i drive a punto and my mother drove it before me, never had any problems with it except the electric windows are really slow to move up and down but i heard this was fixed on newer versions, mine is 98

commited

We had a punto.. clutch BLEW UP went after 32k miles which is ridiculous. That in turn did a fair amount of damage to the box. Electric windows went a bit dodgy too.

deRanged

I reckon a punto is a great little car. Nippy out, easy to drive and park, good mileage.

My father bought one new in '98, he drove it for years then handed it to my sister, who's still driving it. It does about 15k miles a year. Unfortunately the head gasket did go on it - but that's been replaced and it's grand again now. Like any car it does need work from time to time. but the plans are to hand it on to another sister in 2 years when she can drive.

I bought one new myself for my first car (and to get through the driving test). I had it exactly one year, it was great, made the test much easier as it's so easy to drive and control. I had one fault with it in that year - the airbag warning light came on. That was just a faulty sensor which was replaced under warranty, no problems there at all.

The biggest problem with FIATs is people telling you how crap they are.
Best to get reports from people who actually have them.

I have no hesitation at all in recommending a punto. That said, it is a car so all the usual caveat emptor rules apply.

maidhc

deRanged wrote:

Like any car it does need work from time to time. but the plans are to hand it on to another sister in 2 years when she can drive.

You must try a Toyota sometime.

deRanged

maidhc wrote:

You must try a Toyota sometime.

I actually switched to a Mazda!

But to get back on topic the main work done on the punto is regular services.
Other than that the shocks were changed, but I reckon that's fair enough in a car that does a fair bit of driving over crap roads.

Dcully

Tell me she doesnt rattle like hell and that shocks and suspension are perfect.
I seriously doubt it.
As has been said, engine wise its ok i suppose with exception of head gasket but electrics and actual build are terrible.
Decent enough if you want a run around but far better out there for same money,that is my point to etho.

eth0_

And my point to you dcully was, if you don't have first hand experience of Fiat Punto ELX's, i.e. YOU HAVE OWNED ONE, don't comment!

mondeoman

my G/F had a mk1 punto for about 3 years,which never give us any trouble,we had the odd problem with central locking & electric windows stop working,but i just unplugged the wiring to each one & reconnected it & it never happened again.

my friend has a 2000 mk2 ELX & it is deffo a 8v not 16v,so there NOT all 16v's on a mk2.

Interceptor

So Etho_, we're all dying to know - did you buy it?

'c

Dcully

etho i was trying to help you out is all.
Dont come on here asking advice and then when you get it you mouth down to folk with your capital letters.

YOU HAVE OWNED ONE, don't comment!

Fair enough i wont comment, its your money going to waste not mine.
Tip for you,lose the attitude and dont be so ignorant with those who are trying to give advice which is what you asked for.
All i done was give honest opinion and hope to save you future grief
All i suggested was you check out other makes for similar money you ungratefull twat.
FFS is this guy for real?
He doesnt deserve advice.

gearbox

AVOID!!!!
i used to own a fiat... went against everyones advice i was in denial as i loved my bravo, it was my first car and more sweat and blood came out of me over that thing. yeah i miss it now but i REALLY dont miss the heart ache that thing cost me, go jap man the only way to go!!!

Fix
It
Again
Tomorrow

TheLedge

Had a 00 Punto a couple of years back. 50k on clock.

Head Gasket blew after three days.

Windscreen wipers fell off (in pissing rain!- very dangerous, although kinda funny!):D Had to stick my head out the window to see where I was going! :eek:

Suspension broke, ball joints wore fast, clutch made wierd clicking noises which couldnt have been good!

Failed the NCT twice in a row.

Save up a little extra and buy yourself a Golf. It'll save you money in the long run & be worth a lot more to sell on.

Best of luck with it though if you do decide to take the plunge. :eek:

Jimmy_Jazz

I also just bought a '98 Punto - the bog standard 1.2 litre. The head-gasket has already been replaced, as has the clutch, and since there aren't many electrics, I don't expect too many problems. It has very low mileage (40k) too, so I'm fairly optimistic. Watch this space - I sense a Punto-themed blog coming on...