Faults:

Leak from radio aerial mounting (fixed by purchasing a new one from dealer).

Front Right speaker not working.

Exhaust needed replacing at approx. 46000.

General Comments:

This car is fantastic! I enjoy driving it each day and I have never got bored of it. The 1.2i engine and 5 gears seem to be perfectly matched for a good combination of acceleration and cruising at speed.

It is a surprisingly quiet car considering its size and cost, although since having a new exhaust fitted by Kwik Fit it is a lot noisier.

It is simple to service yourself with the appropriate Haynes manual and parts are not too expensive. I use fully synthetic oil and I believe this will be economical in the long run.

Have done long journeys from Bristol to NW Highlands of Scotland with no problems and the driving position is still comfortable after many hours.

Faults:

So far (touch wood) nothing has gone wrong with my car, although I think the fan belt is on it's way out.

There is a groaning noise when the car is turned off after a long drive.

The seats are wearing quickly.

The gear box isn't very solid, but it goes into reverse every time.

General Comments:

I wasn't sure on buying this car purely as it was Italian, but I was proved wrong, comfortable although on long journeys I get aches in my right foot and I fidget a fair amount.

The car handles well steering is precise, but when taking corners it leans well into the corner.

Very roomy, no problem fitting 4 fully grown men inside, lots of head room.

Faults:

I have this car about 2years now... i have done 20.000km with him and I even don't have a problem... just the normal periodic revisions to check oil, brakes, etc...

General Comments:

Just a couple of things I don't like about this car: If I want to do a more "sport" drive, I can't because the gear box is very long, sometimes when I need to change gear more faster I just can't...in the meanwhile the clutch is on top and the gear is not still engaged.

I don't like the 2nd gear when the car is cold... sometimes is very rough to engage it, and the 1st is very rough too.

The last thing I don't like about it, is this... when I am driving I feel everything on the road, I feel any little hole in the road and every little stone I step in... it make me some confusion in the turnes... but in one way it as vantages, because it's a more direct steering, but it does not provide any comfort on the driving matter, very big disadvantage in this vehicle.

Now I have just modified my car a bit.

I have put a performance air filter from k&n, it give me more 5hp.

Than I put a performance spark wires and the spark plugs too from "ractive" it gives me at least 2hp.

The big change was I have taken is cat. and I have put a "supersprint" final exaust...

So now it has 101hp...

The car tends to not be very secure on the turns, because it's a tall car... but if you put a stability bar like I do, you will see the diference...

The seats are not so bad though, you can make a 500km trip and be still comfortable on the car.

The steering wheel assistance is very good you can park the car easily, very soft.

Faults:

This little car has been quite reliable, however, refused to start one damp morning as the fuel injection relay had developed a fault. Fairly easy to replace, but I had to get the bus to work that day!

When I first purchased the car it suffered from intermittent power loss under acceleration. Turned out that the HT leads were at fault, and were rather expensive to replace too (£60 for the leads alone!)

Air con needed re-gassing at a cost of £100 (ouch!)

Other than those little faults, nothing else has gone wrong... yet.

General Comments:

I wonder how well the engines in these Punto sporting will age because they are incredibly low geared. In 5th gear at motorway speeds, the rev counter rarely drops below 4000rpm, the engine must be very stressed! I expect this is why the mk2 Punto sporting has a 6 speed gear box! Mine has covered almost 50k miles however, and is still as smooth as the day I bought it.

The car is great fun to drive though; it pulls very strongly through all the gears and can keep up with the pace on the motorway too!

Handling was a bit sloppy at times, but I have invested in stiffer springs which have improved the situation enormously!

Also, very well equipped - fiat did a deal where you could lose the sun roof and get air con for a pound, so there is quite a few 'cool' sporting's about...