2001 Fiat Punto Sporting from UK and Ireland - Comments

Rust on a spot weld behind tailgate hinge, repaired under warranty.

Rubber hose on Air Con unit replaced under warranty after argument at garage (this is a known fault and a different design is put on).

Gear cable adjusted.

Despite the problems above, all fixed under warranty, here is a little review of my car:

What a little gem! I was on the look out for a small, economical yet sporty car and was having trouble finding one. But when my friend turned up in his new Punto Sporting, I just had to have one.

The exterior styling is sharp and fresh, with mine coming in a clean looking and cool as ice "Astral Blue". The small changes to the exterior of the standard 3dr Punto (small rear wing, small side skirts, excellent alloys all sharpen up the European edge of the car.

The interior is very impressive. The sports seats look very smart, not over the top, and are very comfortable and supportive to match, with height, tilt, slide and lumber adjustments. The interior is of a very high quality finish, ahead of most other cars I looked at (fiesta, corsa, fabia, clio). The on board computer is excellent, and helps you keep driving as economical as possible if that's what you want.

I've had it up to 68mpg, OUTSTANDING, although 50 around town is more like the norm.

I was wary of getting a fiat because of past quality issues, but this is excellent, very well put together and very solid, with 8 yr anti corrosion.

The power from the 1247 cc 16v motor and six speed transmission is excellent, great acceleration and cruising is very comfortable.

The car is very safe, with high levels of grip and ABS as standard.

There is a button which reduces engine power and makes the steering unbelievably light, excellent for parking and the city.

The sound system is pretty special too with a sub woofer and 6 cabin speakers as standard, as does remote central locking. Mine also has Air Con.

I would definately buy another, well done Fiat!

I paid £6500 for a 19month old model with 15000 miles, from Fiat dealer with remainder of 3yr warranty and AA cover and road tax.

Early depreciation makes it a good buy after 18months, as this car is £12000 new.

I have had loads more problems with my punto sporting, of which there are too many to list.

But my main problem is after driving the car for a few miles, then left to idle the gearbox starts to rattle which is most annoying. my dealer said that this is a common fault with the 6 speed gearbox in the sporting, which they consider to be acceptable and are refusing to put right.

HENCE I WILL NOT BE BUYING ONE AGAIN!!!

I have not got a rattling gear box, so I would not accept the mechanics opinion that it is expected of the car. Take it back and get it fixed under warranty.

And about the city steer button, it says in the handbook that comes with the car that it actually reduces power slightly, to provide a smoother power delivery for parking and driving at slower speeds.

12,000 pounds new! I paid just over 8 grand for my new sporting in 2001. It is yellow (no choice in colour) and came with 5 CD changer and air-con as standard. It had the full Fiat warranty (just as well!!) as well as a 'Warranty Holdings' warranty - which proved to have been a good buy when 3rd and 4th gears broke at 19,000 miles. The car is brilliant for that money, but I would not have paid the full list price which was around 11,400 at the time.

I brought my Punto back in April 2003 and the amount of silly little problems I have had with it are beyond a joke. Within the first day of having the car I discovered that there was an issue when using the wipers on slow and intermediate mode. They were juddering all over the place. I reported this to a main dealer and this was a known fault - they promptly replaced the wiper motor.

Within the first week I got my first air bag warning light, so fiat had to resolve that.

Since then I have had more air bag fault lights appear for both passenger and driver than I can count, the driver electric window has packed up, twice, the rear heated screen stopped working and had to be replaced, the horn has gone and the steering wheel replaced to resolve it.

Fortunately all of the work carried out to resolve these issues have been done under the remainder of the warranty, otherwise I dread to think how much this would have cost me so far.

As for other silly problems, indicators prematurely turning themselves off, interior light throwing a wobbly on occasion and the stereo turning itself off I have just learned to live with.

Saying all of this though the car drives like a dream, it's smooth, pokey for the little 1.2 engine, the 6 gear box makes cruising more economical, the power steering is perfect - the extra touch of the city button for parking is most appreciated for those tight gaps. The air con is a good perk and the interior is both comfortable and stylish. The stereo also sounds good as standard. Personally, I would never buy another Punto, the up keep has been far more hassle than it's been worth.