Seen four cars - Finally find one I might buy

Its a 1998 R Punto 60 SX with 85,000 on the clock. It has service history and it seems to run like new. I can't much wrong with it other than a very very slight oil leak coming from the rocker cover gasket.

I reckon I might be able to make an offer for £775.

The other cars all had things wrong with them (which wasn't advertised) such as blown head gaskets, crack sump seal plugs, ECU faults this is the first one I have seen which seems mechanically sound.

Hopefully I might have a new car tomorrow, I still need to further checks on it but it seems to be a good little car.

 

Nope, it's a Fiat, nothing sound about any of 'em.

Buy Jap, you know it makes sense.

 

At least a Fiat has personality, unlike most Jap cars

Seriously i've driven a few bog standard superminis, and the Punto 60 is one of the most entertaining i've driven by a long way. They don't handle very well and the brakes stink, but they make a nice noise, feel decently quick and are plenty enjoyable to hustle around. I have quite a few jap superminis, and while they should be more reliable (mine were), they were nowhere near as much fun to drive.

 

My dad had a Punto for four years and it was a very reliable car . I think its unfair to brush 90's FIATs with the same brush as the 80's ones. For £800 I can't think of a better car which group 4 or below other than a 306 diesel which fetch too much.

The FIRE engines are very solid with only head gasket failures being the main problem.

Paul indeed they are great little cars to drive, they are surprisingly good in a crash too though the lack of an airbag is a bit off putting.

 

Hmmmm!

Oh, that's OK then .

Only kidding, I'm sure they're great, buy them all!!

 

why not post a photo..........

 

Its on loot I haven't taken any photos of it yet .

One of the tricks with Puntos is to make sure they have hardly been in a FIAT dealer as they are so awful a FIAT service makes the car worse. An example is not making sure there is no air blocks when changing the coolant which causes the head gasket failure.

The worst thing of all is the £1200 a year it will cost me to insure it

 

Bloody hell, thats more than three times what I pay fully comp on my XJR. However, I am very old if not quite crumbly.

Rod

 

If the car is prone to head gasket failures my experience is that it's worth checking the entire cooling system very thoroughly because any overheating is likely to trigger the problem. Replace any hoses that look at all iffy and consider replacing the thermostat and radiator cap (really). If there's an electric fan you might also consider fitting an overide switch.

Good luck
Steve

 

Thanks, I've had a good check of the hoses, it all looks mint, the fan kicks in after 10 minutes of idle, my dads old Punto did exactly the same thing and its normal.

I think its always a good idea to change the thermostat on any car as they are so cheap and its an easy job.

With Punto's apparently it can be a bit tricky to empty the coolant without letting in air locks, a good mechanic will do that no problem but a rogue one will probably let too much air into the system causing a blockage then overheating leading to a cracked HG.

On the upside 50mpg is possible, 0-60 in 16 seconds (much faster in lower speeds) and 150,000 miles have been known without an overhaul.

Even if a HG did go its a £250 job including skimming as its a very simple job on the FIRE engine.

 

I suspect the gearbox was going on that car It took me 2 minutes to learn the knack of getting it into 4th and even then it was random.

I am not spending £800 on a car that needs a new gearbox.

 

could be relatively simple.......the linkage perhapts?

 

I had that prblem (linkage) with my peugeot - a nut had fallen off while I was up the lake district...was murder trying to change gears!

luckily the RAC diagnosed and fixed the problem within about 10 minutes...

 

A punto 60 will crack 0-60 a lot faster than 16 seconds. When i drove one, it was a courtesy car while i got my 1.0 micra fixed. The micra was a 16 second 0-60 car, but the punto felt, and was, much faster. More like 12 seconds IMO.

I even had it over 110 mph on my private racetrack

 

yeah, is that the a693..?

 

Yeah I am aware it could be a linkage problem, I don't know enough to find out though as so far from my own inspections it needs the following done to it:-

New rear light cluster - £30 from scrappy
Possible suspension bushes
New rocker cover gasket
A radio

It has quite a short MOT too so I am best just walking away, a £50 linkage problem could turn out to be a £300 gearbox.

I think Puntos are fine when they are new but the MK1's don't seem to have been able to cope with age at all.

 

There's a really nice looking Nissan Sunny, near Manchester, low mileage and good pictures on Autotrader. £500. Never break down.
There's also a Skoda Fabia, 81,000 miles that's 1K
Also any number of Nissan Micra's. Boring yes, reliable, unbelievably so.

Have you seen this place if you really have to have a Fiat?
http://www.puntos.co.uk/search.cfm?Mode=0&Category=Punto Showroom

If you're spending only a little money, ask yourself why some cars seem to hold their value better than others, why can you only get an old Nissan, but a fairly new Fiat/Renault etc. It's because they don't last well.

 

My girlfriend would think I was her dad if I drove a Nissan Sunny, also too expensive for insurance. A Skoda Fabria for 1k? I want it

 

Does it matter it's a car, and it won't break down.
You'll have to search for the Fabia, I can't post links from Autotrader.

 

81k Fabia for a grand has to be the bargain of the bunch! A mk4 polo will set you back more than that, and the fabia is a mk6 underneath...

As for "boring"... For real life most people are happier with cars that start (boringly) first time every day, don't (boringly) break down and where everything (boringly) works. That's why "boring" skodas, hondas and toyotas tend to top the owner satisfaction surveys.