22nd May 2005, 12:58
I have a 1996 P reg Punto 55SX.
The car has tilt steering front fogs, height adjustable drivers seat, tacho, central locking and a remote boot release. A high spec for such a cheap car.
I struggle to get 330 miles from a tankful of fuel, but do drive it fairly hard. I have found the car fairly reliable, but have changed : Internal heater matrix, head gasket, front wheel bearings, rear trailing arm bearings and the sump!
To be fair the car has done 102000 miles.Don't worry about service costs, these cars are a cinch to work on, get the Haynes book and have a go.
8th Aug 2006, 06:44
Have an HGT Punto, timing belt snapped at 41k.. lot of damage done to the head, and costing big money, which is what Fiat want..
Never touch a Fiat, Alfa, Kia, or any car made by Fiat again. Back to Fix It Again Tomorrow. No wonder they made 40 million on parts last year.. if you've a problem with Fiat Puntos, don't contact Fiat, cuz they couldn't care less.. customer service, yeah right!!!
23rd Feb 2005, 11:21
I agree with everything here.
I have just bought 1998 Punto 60S with 42000 miles and before I got it home it required a new cylinder head and gasket, thermostat, water pump, replacement timing belt and tensioner unit.
The heavy doors drop and don't sit correctly without slamming them and the seatbelts jam if you pull them too fast. The headlights and tail lights have also failed and required a full round of bulbs.
The clutch doesn't have much life left in it for such a low mileage car.
The rear washer pours water into the boot and the roof mounted aerial leaks.
Despite this it's a fun car to drive and cheap to run, so always buy a cheap one that's had everything done on it already!!