In the last eight months I have owned the car, I have driven it daily and added 6,000 to the clock and have had NO problems. It always starts first time, runs smoothly and drives well. Gearbox is good, it has good power. All of the accessories (i.e. tape, heater etc) work perfectly.
My previous car was a Nissan and I was under the impression that Fiat had a bad reputation for bodywork and reliability, but I was offered this Fiat from a female work colleague who had owned it since new. It has amazed me how superb it is. I cannot fault it for reliability or performance. The petrol consumption is slightly higher than my previous Micra, but the Fiat has a slightly more powerful engine. The Fiat does 170 miles (town driving) for £20 based at 85p/litre unleaded. It is incredibly spacious inside. I am 6 ft tall and there is ample leg room in both the front and the rear. Boot size is good too. It has significantly more room (SIGNIFICANTLY!!) than my parent's car which is a Fiesta. The only slight thing if I have to be picky is the rear inside door handle has come loose (but the car is 6 years old and that isn't much to moan about!). I might add the previous owner who bought the car new, also had no trouble with it and bought herself another Punto. I believe Fiat dealers are expensive so I have my car serviced at my local garage.
I wrote the original review although feel I must add that since the review I have had problems. The car failed the MOT on a rear radius arm, apparently common with Puntos, with VAT this cost nearly £100. After having a full service and timing belt renewal as a matter of course, there are more problems, which I believe are all symptoms of a broken cylinder head gasket which will be another £150+. On a well looked after, low mileage car with FSH, this is completely unaceptable and I would not recommend Fiat. I will revert back to Nissan next time and stick to Japanese.
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