Fiat Punto

Crann na Beatha

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bazz26

I wouldn't consider any of them particularly cheap given their year. Here is the newer and superior Grande Punto for not alot more:



http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/3131327

TheBody

Aquila wrote: »

So was checking out donedeal but i cant get over how cheap puntos are in Ireland,do they deserve that rather bad reputation they have?
to show what I'm talking about;
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/3267217
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/3365709
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/3411864
that was at 2k max,04s etc on show

My first car was a Punto. I my opinion, they are ok for a drivers first car as most young drivers can't afford much else or people who do low milage. Having said that, they all seem to have the same problems. The wiper linkage and head gasket seem to go on them all (including the one I had).

Pottler

Your examples are not exactly cheap, I was expecting €300 cars! Puntos are fine if you know a bit about them and can fix them/service them yourself. I've driven lots of them and some of the best fun days out me and my kids have had were in Puntos -even somtimes when they were breaking down. I suppose they are a car that are a bit like sean101s Landrovers, you sort of have to "get" them to enjoy them. I love them, plenty hate them, probably with reason, but then I like fixing cars and Puntos are just so easy to fix. The 1.2 fire is also a tough little engine with slightly crap ancillaries, and ancillaries are easy to change, engines are somwhat trickier. I do good ancillaries changing! I also usually bought them for €200 with the gasket gone and spent an afternoon fitting a new one/bleeding the cooling system properly. A doddle!

Crann na Beatha

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cena

Have had the same punto in the family since 02. Still going strong. I've had it since 07.

meoklmrk91

Both of my sisters have had 3 puntos between them, two were mark 1, the other was an early mark 2, all of them blew the head gasket, the mark 1's were fecking rubbish, but then they weren't minded either. The mark two however is still going strong, it's rusted in a few places, and it seems to be held together by cable ties but it is an admirable little thing in fairness to it, it will be going into retirement this year as they is not a hope in hell it will pass another NCT without some serious work.

Is the rep earned, well in a way yes because there is probably not a Punto left in the country that didn't blow a head gasket. But in more ways no, anyone who remembers back to the late 90's, early 00's will know that the entire country was covered in puntos, they must have been going cheap as chips new. But they people who were buying them didn't seem to put much into looking after them, and any car that isn't looked after will end up with problems no matter what the brand.

Anan1

bazz26 wrote: »

I wouldn't consider any of them particularly cheap given their year. Here is the newer and superior Grande Punto for not alot more:

Is that an empty vodka bottle on the floor in the back?

Alanstrainor

Anan1 wrote: »

Is that an empty vodka bottle on the floor in the back?

Looks like a sports bottle of water, evian or something.

Pottler

Anan1 wrote: »

Is that an empty vodka bottle on the floor in the back?

looks like mineral water. Head gasket probably gone, topping it up ever since!:D

L1011

Pottler wrote: »

looks like mineral water. Head gasket probably gone, topping it up ever since!:D

Far less common an issue on the Mk3.

Fiats depreciate hugely, won't change for years despite being incalculably more reliable than before.

dgt

The first one you picked seems decent enough value if its as decent as it looks

Once they're minded, they're a great car. Sadly, most are not minded :mad:

Pottler

MYOB wrote: »

Far less common an issue on the Mk3.

Fiats depreciate hugely, won't change for years despite being incalculably more reliable than before.

yes, and my daily driver is..... a Fiat. And I've had loads of... Fiats:)No Fiat knocker here.:)

baldshin

My first car was an 03 Punto, bought in 2010 for €1650 with 44000 miles, and sold earlier this year for €800 with 64000 miles.

In those 2 years and 20000 miles, the head gasket blew, starter and altenator needed replacing, exhaust fell off twice (only welded it the first time) and I went through hundreds of cable ties holding bits of it together, mainly the wiper linkage! Yet strangely, I miss it, was pretty nippy around the city and had an infinitely better mpg than my MG ZS!

padma

I suppose with the ould Punto the Head gasket goes at what 50-60 thousand miles, so you bought it just before it's due to go on ya

Delancey

I've had 2 Puntos and both blew their head gaskets , despite that I still have a fondness for them - great fuel consumption for starters , cheap and readily available parts , etc.
I understand that 1 reason for their popularity is the very attractive finance packages available from FIAT in the late 90's / early noughties.

Many are advertised as '' 1 careful lady owner '' , there are those who interpret that as meaning '' 1 careful lady owner who never raced it or treated it like a stock car but by the same token never serviced it or changed the oil ''