2000 Fiat Punto HGT from UK and Ireland - Comments

No real faults so far.

It does however 'squeak' for a second during start up, but the most likely cause of this is to do with a belt that either needs tightening or replacing.

I would like to say to people who have owned pre 1996 fiats, and probably have been put off from buying fiat ever again that fiat have changed their thinking dramatically.

No longer do we have fiats that have dubious build quality, doors that slam shut with a cheap clink, and interiors that squeak for the duration of the journey.

I would say that fiat have matched volks*****'s build quality without the usually attached price premium!

Another thing I noticed was how well packed with features my Punto HGT was.

For instance my car has.

Satellite navigation/Radio/5 disk CD changer (integrated system).

Anti-lock brake system with traction control system.

Electric windows and mirrors which are heated.

'City mode' which makes steering very light to turn. I leave it in city mode all the time.

These cars drive respectfully below

3500 rpm. if you exceed this, hold on tight!

I gave a 6/10 for running costs because it returns an urban average of 22.5 mpg

but you should expect this from a 1.8 litre car.

Insurance is expensive for the under 25's like me £100 a Month!

Put simply, if you are after a "hot hatch" with all the extra features, this is the car for you.

What are you waiting for?

The fiat punto hgt is better looking than the standard punto and has more power, but is still hindered by the poor fiat build quality. I have owned two puntos, an x reg 2000 model 60s which fell apart all the time so I had to trade it in for a hgt model and in the first week the power steering stopped working. the dealer told me to use it for three weeks until the car could be repaired (real safe).

The handling could do with some major rework, like lowering and stiffening the suspension to stop the weable wobble effect when turning at any speed. but apart from that the car is a vast improvment to the others in the punto range.

The power steering failing is not dangerous at all. It is just a little electric motor that speeds up the travel of the teeth across the rack. Just because the power steering has failed, it doesn't mean the car is unsafe, it just means that the steering will be heavier. Just be thankful that it is a Punto and not a 5 Series BMW. Now they are heavy without PAS...

Living in northern ireland and owning a punto HGT 2000 model with only 16,000 miles on the clock, I have found that if you wish to drive it you need to have access to fort knox due to outragous insurance demands of northeren ireland, eg. I pay around double the insurance of the rest of the uk - £1,300 per annum and I'm 31 years old with a clean licence and have been driving for 14 years!

Altho I must admit the car itself whenever your driving it, looking at it, sitting in it and taking it above 4,000 rpm puts a huge grin on my face and takes the smile of the poor guy left sitting at the lights!!!

For that kinda of effect £1,300 per year and an average of 24.9 mpg around town (30 on a very good day everywhere else) is well worth it!

Would recomend induction kit and free flow exhaust and a strut brace for maximum effect on the pleasure lobes of your brain!

I own a hgt,2003 model the car is great, a good head turner I always get guys ready to race me at lights' its hard to hold the grin off my face because I know my beauty is a beast' the only problem I have is the hand brake warning light keeps coming on do you know what my problem could be? also could you tell me what hgt stands for. thanks maria mariagrham@hotmail.com.

I've had my hgt from new for about the last 2 weeks. great car and I have to agree very fast. I had a sporting before which was quick, the hgt would leave it standing. can't believe how much fuel it uses though. I had the trip computer on the instant fuel consumption setting and I spend half my time driving and checking how many mpg I use at certain speeds. no alarm as standard now though which really got to me. brill driving a car which not too many people know much about and I love putting my foot down and knowing the person being is thinkng what the hell is that lol. group 14 insurance as well... thankfully I'm 36 so I can keep the costs down.