1994 Fiat Punto Reviews - Page 2 of 4

Head gasket at 38k miles, tappets still not right.

Rear brake shoes, twice in 5000 miles.

Clutch judder, probably needs replacing.

Drivers seat falling apart and it's not as if I'm a heavyweight!

There is a lot of room inside the car and loads of adjustment for the driver in SX spec. Despite the room and adjustment, only a chimp could get comfy in those seats (typical Italian driving position, long arms-short legs).

Steering is a bit heavy without power steering and odd 14 inch tyres are expensive and rare (£60+) for a budget car.

Very economical, even for a small car. Not the best car for overtaking (55bhp), though great around town.

A little noisy on the motorway at legal speeds. At 80Mph you'll get tinnitus after a few minutes.

Overall, quite a good car, but needs more power and seats designed for a human.

Exhaust fell off twice, once at 30,000, again at 67,000. Not cheap to replace as you need complete system from CAT backwards. Front section replaced at 77,000 miles.

Clutch went at 70,000.

Head gasket went at 72,000.

Rear suspension arms needed replacing at 62,000. Not cheap either as you have to buy the complete arm.

Mysterious squeaking when turning full-lock.

Constant pulling to the left, which tracking adjustment fails to rectify.

Unknown knocking noise from left wheel on uneven roads.

Flimsy doors easily damaged when opening in strong winds.

Brake pipe replacement very pricey.

Sump corrosion at 80,000 miles-very expensive to replace.

Dents very easily.

Whenever you open the windows after its been raining, all the water off the roof comes in and soaks you.

You can't get roof-racks to fit.

The boot is tiny.

Nippy up to 50mph.

Good economy-40mpg at 80mph.

Cheap insurance.

Roomy for its class.

I have only owned the car for 2 months, so far though it has been excellent, touch wood.

The only problems that have occurred have been through modifications, since fitting a foam induction kit and dump valve there is an occasional flat spot before the turbo kicks in.

The car is pretty ballistic when running correct.

Handling is a bit iffy, although up-rated springs are meant to help.

Seats are unsupportive compared to my old G.S.I.

Love the car, despite all this.

Trailing arms (pivot bearing), one at 50 and the other at 55K miles.

Electric sun-roof cuts out when parked in hot sun, but works again when driven for a few minutes (I've read elsewhere that this is caused by the grease shorting the electrics) - not a big deal.

Some intermittent electrical problems manifested as the engine briefly cutting out with the injector warning light on. Injector relay lifting out of its sprung contacts was the first cause (which I've also heard from another Punto owner). Second cause was a poor connection to the air flow meter. Pity the dealer recommended a new meter at £440 + labour, when just checking the connection fixed it!. Disappointing lack of effort on their part to correctly diagnose the problem.

Recently some 'judder' in the front suspension/steering when cornering/accelerating which I've yet to fix.

A great all round package. Stylish design, roomy interior, electric everything, and near Golf VR6 performance.

A more unusual hot hatch with understated looks and affordable insurance.

Not sure about the dealers, but then I'm sceptical of dealers in general.