1998 Fiat Punto SX review from UK and Ireland

New step-up motor £50 - 73500miles

New cam belt £20 - 73500miles

Left rear shock absorber £130 - 73500miles

7 bulbs blew in the car within the first 6 months

Rear bushes £200 - 76000miles

Heater matrix leaked £170 - 78000miles

Flex exhaust £70 - 78000miles

Right rear shock absorber £130 - 78000miles.

The car was costing more in running costs within the year than the actual car was worth! Its great on petrol, but on everything else, it soon mounts up.

Performance is decent, need to get the revs quite high to get decent power, though it does run out of grunt at 4500rpm. The car sounds great and sporty, and with a decent pair of thick tyres, it really grips, as long as it isn't raining or windy. As the car is quite tall, side winds make the car unstable. There is good feel through the wheel in the dry, but nothing in the wet.

The build quality is decent, but not of the standard of Ford or Vauxhall, and a million miles away from VW! For instance, the passenger e/window was painfully slow to close, often taking in excess of a minute to go from fully open to close. Heaters are good, and warm the cabin very quickly. Cabin is very roomy for a small car, and rear space is very good.

Reliability was poor, as bits kept failing, and the heater matrix was the worst, as it allowed the toxic fumes from the antifreeze to enter the cabin. The shocks kept going, even though I was doing motorway miles. I heard this was a common fault, and needs urgent attention, as the leak can cause the ECU to fail, which would be very costly.

Thought it would be a cheap car to run, but turned out to be the most expensive car I've ever ran! I feel sorry for the person who bought it off me!