2002 Ford Puma from UK and Ireland - Comments

Hi, I have just finished reading some of the comments posted on this site. I am in the process of buying my first Puma, a Thunder. I haven't taken delivery of it yet, but I have recently test driven a couple of Pumas. At this stage I should say that I have been a Honda driver for the last 25 years+ - no not sports or performance models, but an Accord, Aerodec, Civic etc. My wife recently purchased a Honda IMA (an amazing vehicle). They are probably the most reliable cars you can get. Anyway, I am changing my old Civic and wanted to get something that looked interesting, had reasonable performance and wasn't too expensive to run - particularly mpg. After much looking around, lots of reading website reviews etc., and magazines, the Puma looked like it did most of the things I wanted. I have to say that when I had my first test drive I was really impressed and now understand why people talk about the fun factor. It certainly has much more performance than my recent cars though is not a full blown sports car - in my youth I had an MGBGT V8 which could leave Porches standing!, and a Bristol 405!! I'm sorry that some people seem to be very agitated about car comparisons, particularly when the cars being compared don't really bear any similarity to each other. Anyway, the Puma certainly has a certain style to me and I'm sure will deliver loads of fun - something that there is too little of these days. Oh and by the way I am neither female nor a hairdresser, but male and middle-aged. I will post again once I have my car.

I own the Starship Enterprise and I'm afraid to say that me and Scotty were gutted when a 1.4 Puma blew us away at the lights.

Seriously, the Puma is not a fast car, it's just fun and that's all to be said.

As an owner of a Clio 182, I am well aware of what the car can and will do; the Civic Type R is every bit just as quick and maybe a bit more... depending on the driver.

Let's face it, if you're not a great driver or don't have the balls, the other guy will win every time.

As an ending statement, I would urge people to think who is behind the wheel of whatever car the try to race.

The driver of the BMW 330i was more than likely to be mid age and in a hurry home for his fix of viagra.

Why does almost every review of a performance car on this site end up with a debate / row over whether the car is quicker or slower than a Civic or Integra Type R?

Are all you Honda drivers really that poorly endowed that you have to continuously point out how much better you think you cars are? At least its not personal - you can be found doing it in Ford, Vauxhall, Peugeot, Renault, Citroen and most amusingly Alfa Romeo reviews.

Japanese screamers are one approach to performance cars - not THE approach.

Well said, people in type R's think they are untouchable.

Everyone's taste is different, and from time to time, gives us a good laugh and a good slagging match.

The Honda is a good car, and the Puma is a good car.

But can the puma owner afford to run a Type R Civic?

Is the Honda driver interested in a Ford Puma?

Who cares? The fact of the matter is, you are the owner of the car and you made the choice of which one to buy and look after. If everyone drove the same car and had the same shoes and the same haircut, the world would be pretty boring.

My chip tuned Puma 1.7i VCT is now 10 years old and has covered 217,000 miles, and still puts out over 300BHP.

My brother in law was amazed when his new BMW 335i coupe simply could not keep up in corners or on straights when we visited the nurburgring last month. His best lap time was over 1 minute behind the Puma which went round in 7 minutes 11 seconds. (not a bad time as I don't know the track very well)

He has contacted BMW about the possibility of chip tuning the BMW using the F1 car codes, but so far they have not obliged.

300 bhp is not possible from the 1700 Sigma engine without forced induction, or spending far more than anyone would ever consider spending. Sorry.

Not possible to get 300bhp from any Puma engine unless you have a stupid budget, a Cosworth transplant (which can be done) or a tuned RS Focus engine.

If you do chip a Puma to 300bhp, stick a vid on youtube and lets see what it can do.

I expect to wait a while to see that one.

Haha to the 28th dec 9:41 commentor, yeah right, the BMW 335i is not as quick?? LOL if you have 300bhp from the engine at that mileage without a rebuild, please let us all know your secret, which superhero does your servicing??

Remember it's still a Fiesta underneath won't you? And not a Ferrari 430.

Nuff said.

My 300BHP Puma is no more, I skidded on ice and it is a total write off, gutted.

I am now looking for a new car, one of the final 2002 models will be ideal.

My chief mechanic says that if I can find a rare Thunder limited edition, then the Ford F1 chip will go straight in and can produce over 360BHP at the wheels.

To see the winter out safely, I will be driving my Dads Sierra Cosworth 4x4, it goes alright with a 400BHP GGR chip, but seems slow and lardy compared to the old Puma! (bit of an old timers car if you ask me! lol!)

Ciao for now

(vids on youtube as soon as the new monster is rolling)

LOL, a chip giving the puma 240bhp 'OVER' standard!! ha! yea right.

You'd be lucky to see that figure with extremely heavy tuning and a turbo.

The puma is a pumped up girls car with OK handling, little else.

Ford F1 chip straight in? The funniest thing I've ever read on this site and that's saying something.

Can't agree with the commenter above either though. The Puma's a classic. Evo still rate it as a 5 star car after all these years.

Does anyone know of where one might possibly procure the acclaimed Ford F1 Chip for the Puma?

My brother speaks of his Escort Mexico which had so much power it could drive sideways after fitting parts from an F1 car which he bought from Ebay. (NB: The Mexico was the 1995 Mk V version, not the classic Mk I rubbish)

I own a 2002 1.7 Thunder Puma and have had it since new, this is my second Puma. I want to change it, however I want something the same size and performance, with the sports coupe feel, as well as being able to hold 4 adults or plenty of shopping!!. As I have only travelled less than 28,000 miles I think I may keep it a bit longer.

Any suggestions on a replacement?

'I own a 2002 1.7 Thunder Puma and have had it since new, this is my second Puma. I want to change it, however I want something the same size and performance, with the sports coupe feel, as well as being able to hold 4 adults or plenty of shopping!!. As I have only travelled less than 28,000 miles I think I may keep it a bit longer.

Any suggestions on a replacement?'

How about a Hyundai Coupe? They look good, well built, reliable, cheap second hand. Only problem is the underpower engines, and if you get the V6 the fuel economy is pretty awful.

I'd also suggest the Toyota Celica. Similar to the Hyundai, but better engines.