2000 Fiat Punto 60 S 1.2

Summary:

Nice car, but poorly constructed

Faults:

Rubber seals on hinged area of the doors have fallen off and have had to be replaced.

Headlamp units had internal condensation and had to be replaced. One of them more than once.

Severe ingress of water on drivers floor area. Dealer has repaired this only after protest. According to the dealer, the water was coming in via the windscreen wiper mountings.

General Comments:

A nicely styled car with good performance and good mpg.

However the build quality leaves a lot to be desired making you wonder how it will fair several years down the road.

Dealer servicing costs are scandalous. £95 for the first service and £194 for the second one. £75 for front brake pads.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 29th June, 2002

2000 Fiat Punto HGT 1.8 16v

Summary:

Good looking mover... Bella!

Faults:

Reverse light went after 6 months.

Annoying 'clunk' of the exhaust when taking corners at speed. Had it looked at and was told there was nothing wrong.

General Comments:

The car looks fantastic, Astral blue, Abarth alloys, the car looks sleek.

The performance is fast although you have to get the revs high and the engine is noisy at that level.

6 CD stereo & sat navigation is excellent.

Driving seat can be difficult at times to get comfy.

City button is good and when turned off feels good on country roads, although the steering could be a lot firmer.

One final thing, the Insurance rating is too high! At 15 it's quick, but not that quick. The initial quotes (23 male) I got were no cheaper than 3 grand! Almost stopped me from purchasing, but did find cheaper insurance in the end.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 17th August, 2001

2000 Fiat Punto S 1.2 8v petrol

Summary:

Excellent value and a great drive

Faults:

Can be a problem to fill up the tank to the top, the fuel pumps cut off at about 3/4 full.

General Comments:

I have now completed over 15000 miles in 8 months and the car has been faultless.

The engine did not loosen up until I had about 6000 miles on the clock and it appears to be getting better and better.

I have averaged over 50mpg and it only drops to 48 when driven hard.

The handling is very good and it is fun to drive.

The radio takes a standard Blaupunkt CD changer which is very easy to fit. I upgraded the speakers and now it sounds excellent.

Twin airbags, central locking, electric windows, good looks, comfy and quiet. All this for only £6300, a bargain.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 9th August, 2001

2000 Fiat Punto ELX 1.2

Summary:

Sweet

Faults:

The dealer fixed a power steering fault just before I took delivery. This was a recall item from Fiat, hopefully just a faulty batch. No problems since.

General Comments:

This is a very attractive and fun to drive city car. It's great around London and competent enough, if a bit noisy, on the motorway.

Lots of headroom, comfy seats, and a reasonably good factory stereo for the price.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 31st July, 2001

2000 Fiat Punto Sporting 1.2 16v

Summary:

A fun, nippy, roomy and practical good-looking, over-looked bargain

Faults:

This is my 2nd Punto Sporting during the past year, as my original purchased one got vandalized by fire while in my local Fiat dealers car park. My current car is a brand new replacement, with all extras included, not bad eh.

But one common fault with both of them was an annoying loud mechanical noise sounding while braking and reversing at slow speeds, happens infrequently so impossible to show the garage this fault.

My new car had both headlamps replaced under warranty due to excessive condensation.

Front wiper blade motor replaced, also under warranty, due to a loud noise when operating.

General Comments:

A good mean looking car, a class beater, economical and very fast for a 1.2 engine.

Great city drive, especially with the "City Button" function.

Front seats need more support, interior build and overall reliability need to be improved.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 17th April, 2001

9th May 2001, 08:13

I also have a punto sporting and have the same problem with the noisy brakes, although I am throughly delighted with the car.

24th Jun 2001, 01:09

Just bought a new Sporting and my car also makes a noise when reversing and braking (my last car was a 1.2 ELX bought new at the end of March this year and that did not have this problem).

28th Jun 2001, 06:52

I have a new Punto Sporting also - now done over 11000 miles in it - when new my car also made the harsh noise when the brakes were applied in reverse - I took the car back to the dealer who said he had cleaned out the brake calipers and discs - after that all was fine - do these brakes need time to 'bed in' I wonder?

19th Jul 2001, 07:01

I have also had the same problem and was about to take it in to my local dealer. My wife has the basic model and she doesn't have this problem. I enjoy driving this car... it does slow down considerably when I get the family in though. Mine is an import and had many extras CD etc except it has 14" alloys. I want bigguns... any ideas?