I'm back and this time I will be writing some new reviews as well as making some long-overdue update...
I'm back and this time I will be writing some new reviews as well as making some long-overdue updates on my older work.
Member since:11.07.2000
Reviews:82
Members who trust:43
Why, of all the cars on the market did I choose to buy a Fiat Punto? I have to admit that I only considered this car because I had been driving one on hire for a few months. When I looked at the vehicles available, Fiat seemed to offer good value. Have I come to regret this decision?
I bought an ’98 registered vehicle in early 2000, and have driven about 16,000 miles since that time. So what are the pros and cons of this vehicle? This isn't the current model, but the immediately previous one wnich is very commonly available second hand.
Firstly, I should say that I am married but have no children and virtually all my mileage is from my daily 50-mile round trip to work. Most of my driving is on the motorway with a few intervals of stationary urban traffic.
Pros –
Decent fuel economy, not the best in class but I return about 43 mpg (which is about 15km per litre or 6.6 litres per 100km as some of our continental neighbours prefer).
A lot more spacious inside than similarly sized cars. Not quite sure how, but the boot is a lot bigger than its competitors and the relatively high roof gives a decent amount of headroom even for taller drivers.
Handles well on cornering, but this seems to come at the cost of stiffer suspension and a harsher ride, see below.
Reliability seems good – I’ve had no problems in the last 14 months, but it’s early days really so I’m prepared to edit this later!
Maintenance costs seem reasonable, again early days for this…
Bodywork seems sound and rust-free, but see below in ‘Cons’
Cons –
Steering is very heavy without power steering; maybe I’m getting old or have spent too long driving larger vehicles.
Ride is a little harsh and road noise is transmitted a bit too well into the passenger compartment.
The door skins appear to have been made from metal foil! I have never had a car sustain so much minor damage to the doors from neighbouring vehicles. On inspection I have found this to be very common on Puntos and certainly more so than is average on this size of vehicle (at least that’s the result of my survey of the Tesco car park). I should say that this is largely cosmetic and I've no idea how strong the doors are structurally.
The standard stereo seems to struggle with the background noise at motorway speeds – or maybe that’s my ears.
Strangely has no engine temperature gauge. OK it’s a minor point and we really never look at it, but how much does it cost the manufacturer?
Overall I have found this to be a competent all round vehicle. Easy to manoeuvre around town, if you can handle the heavy steering, and decent fuel economy and performance on the motorway
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Depreciation has been even heavier than usual in the last year or so due to falling prices of new cars. Paul.
tekk 15.05.2001 19:36
Great op! I owned a brand new 'V' registered 1.2 SX Punto for about a year and loved it. I recently moved and, deciding I didn't need a car anymore, sold my lovely Fiat... only to make a loss of £4,000!!! So watch out because deprciation can realllllllllly hurt!
alisonjeffrey 03.04.2001 12:31
excellent op - well written. I also agree with all points made as I have owned the same model for 3 years. I would buy the Punto again as very reliable, economical and roomy but I'll get power steering!
Advantages: A lot of kit for the money, and very large inside. Disadvantages: 3am breakdowns, clutch, electrics, body panels extremely weak, can be dented with a slight pressure.
Coops46 08.01.2009 (08.01.2009)
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