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.

wba88

Suzywuzy wrote: »

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

Its a model of Punto, speakers are 100W, including small speakers i think there are 7 in total. Brilliant sound quality!!

woop

actually this came up a while ago on one of these threads, theres some button for city driving that makes everything turn sh*t maybe this is why, any wiser individual willing to shine light on this?

I never actually saw this fabled button

wba88

woop wrote: »

actually this came up a while ago on one of these threads, theres some button for city driving that makes everything turn sh*t maybe this is why, any wiser individual willing to shine light on this?

I never actually saw this fabled button

Oh god when there are drunk ppl in the car and they try to press the window button on the centre console they end up pressing the city button or warning lights, thats kind of annoying.

The city button is handy in tight parking spaces, its like double power steering!

keefg

woop wrote: »

actually this came up a while ago on one of these threads, theres some button for city driving that makes everything turn sh*t maybe this is why, any wiser individual willing to shine light on this?

I never actually saw this fabled button

Yeah, it was in between the electric window buttons (I think) - it was marketed as "The Girly Button" to make it easier for parking. As you say, crap for driving normally when it was on.

wba88

keefg wrote: »

Yeah, it was in between the electric window buttons (I think) - it was marketed as "The Girly Button" to make it easier for parking. As you say, crap for driving normally when it was on.

Yeah exactly i know a few women with puntos and they use it a good bit. I have used it twice both times showing people what the button does

TripleAce

Suzywuzy wrote: »

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 !!!

Have my Punto for 10 years and 100k km and never had the problem!!!

Surely it will also help your success with women

L-M

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!

Put lexus lights onto a 02,which i presume would be the same thing. Simple job. Ten mins literally... Also for the OP that same 02 was bought new in 02, currently has 33000miles on it and all that has when wrong (besides the wheel falling off:o) was a wiper blade arm and the exhaust... Both very simple job... The wheel, well, not so simple...

Suzywuzy

TripleAce wrote: »

Have my Punto for 10 years and 100k km and never had the problem!!!

Surely it will also help your success with women

Hey again !

Hmmm, I'm actually a girl myself so not really looking for success with women, thanks anyway tho !!! Haha

kmb

Had loads of fiats,850,128,uno fire,punto 1997 elx,brava 1.2 16v and now have the 1.2 stilo with full roof sunroof!

Only problem i ever had was teaching sister to drive in the brava and the gearbox differential got shagged.
The elx was like a bomb to go and very economical to run.Never had a problem but do know the head gasket needs changing around the 45k mark.
Genuine fiat parts are fairly cheap.

Now fiat had some bad cars especially the brava 1.4 12vavlve but with a little research into models helps.
This applies to ALL CARS AND MAKES!!!

su_dios

If its a Grande Punto(the new look punto) then go for it! Great car and very well specced too for its price. It definitely cannot be compared to its predecessors. The Punto is Fiat main image problem. I drive a Stilo specced to an abarth and the styling is better than most competition around for a 7year old design and the build in mine('05) is pretty good but I've been in some 01-03 puntos and they feel horrible.

Go test drive one and instead of trying boards go have a look at the punto or punto grande section on www.fiatforum.com

L1011

woop wrote: »

actually this came up a while ago on one of these threads, theres some button for city driving that makes everything turn sh*t maybe this is why, any wiser individual willing to shine light on this?

I never actually saw this fabled button

Its only in the MK2 up, and in some Fiats it has the nasty habit of ****ing your power steering for about 2 miles after its turned off - its like steering a bus in to corners, and low speed manoeuvres require you to turn off and on the engine every few inches.

And I don't find it realistically helps with parking manoeuvres in my current Fiat, but its fecking tiny to begin with...

su_dios

City buttons lightens up the steering for ..well..city driving or parking etc. I found it very useful before I changed tyres to a 225 width. Now the city button combined with this will pull my car ini every direction with the slightest bump

deRanged

I used the city button once to try it out - nearly put the car into a house it made the steering so light. never touched it again. the car was so easy to move anyway that I can't see why you'd need it at all.