# Fiat Punto - Any Opinions



## foxylady (17 May 2006)

Has anyone got any views on these cars as I am thinking of buying one for first car, and am hearing loads fo horror stories, however still manage to see loads of these cars on the streets. Everyone keeps saying that fiat stands for fix it again tomorrow. Help


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## carina (17 May 2006)

I worked in a large motor dealer and can tell you that Fiats are not great cars. The Puntos are nice to look at & cheap, I think thats why theres so many of them out there. Alot of mechanics seems to drive them because they can fix them themselves!! Not very reliable at all. I would steer well clear esp for first car, you need something safe.


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## DOBBER22 (17 May 2006)

As a first car I'd go with a Toyota Starlet or Yaris they are rock solid for reliability and are cheap to tax and insure.

Good Luck


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## joeysully (17 May 2006)

I'll Second that, you cant go wrong witha toyota. simple and easy to maintain. 
would suggest a VW polo if you dont like toyota


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## X-Man (17 May 2006)

Dobber is correct


stick with the toyotas or nissan micra.  Fiat= !


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## Sunster (17 May 2006)

Fix
It
Again
Tomorrow


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## foxylady (17 May 2006)

Sunster said:
			
		

> Fix
> It
> Again
> Tomorrow


 
That was mentioned already, anyway I was asking about these as they are cheap option and thats my budget also as a first car it might get wrecked so dont want anything expensive.


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## DOBBER22 (17 May 2006)

Here this looks like a good one

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=422926

Good Luck


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## Pseudonym (17 May 2006)

I was asking about these as they are cheap option and thats my budget also as a first car it might get wrecked so dont want anything expensive...

But will the chap car turn out to be more expensive in the long run? If as the other poster have outlined, it is unreliable, then it could cost you a fortune ot maintain it.

I would 2nd the Toyota (or most Jap cars), but my 1st car was a VW Polo.. a little dinger she was.. (ah the memories)..


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## foxylady (17 May 2006)

DOBBER22 said:
			
		

> Here this looks like a good one
> 
> http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=422926
> 
> Good Luck


 
Thats way out of my budget and not great value for a car thats 7 years old


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## wavelength (17 May 2006)

I have two friends who had a punto both had problems. When I was buying my first car I did some research and polo's, yaris's and starlets seemed to be the most reliable. I got a Polo which has been great but it seems Starlets have no problems commonly associated with them.


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## DOBBER22 (18 May 2006)

foxylady said:
			
		

> Thats way out of my budget and not great value for a car thats 7 years old


 
You could probably pick that up for 3k it's a Starlet with only 30k on the clock in mint condition maybe you are better off buying a fiat for 2k and spending 2k on repairs  at least with the Toyota you'll get tried and trusted reliability and probably won't ever have to pay out for any major expensive repairs. What kind of budget have you got maybe I find something more reasonable?
Heres another reliable first time drivers car Suzuki Swift I reckon you could pick this up for under 3K.

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=422276

If you are thinking of a VW Polo it's very hard to get one with power steering before 99 and if you are looking at getting a good one be prepared to spend between 4-5k


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## 892896 (18 May 2006)

That starlet looks spot on and isnt badly priced.

Avoid the Punto.


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## Pseudonym (18 May 2006)

Foxy,

What's your budget??


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## aonfocaleile (18 May 2006)

Bought a second hand fiat punto nearly 4 years ago and I have never had a days trouble with it. Its 8 years old now and still going grand..........


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## tml (18 May 2006)

Hi,

I have a 99 punto, my mam has a 97 punto, the main problem I have with mine is that the tracking regularly needs to be fixed, the most expensive thing I ever needed to get fixed on it was the motor for my windscreen wipers, and I needed a new exhaust once. Apart from that I havent really had any problems, apart from the usual new tyres etc. Had a renualt 5 before it and had way more hassle with that

My mam has had to replace her battery once and starting motor once and has had no other probklems.

I would agree with the other posters that toyotas / VW's etc are more reliable......thats why they are more expensive!


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## foxylady (18 May 2006)

Pseudonym said:
			
		

> Foxy,
> 
> What's your budget??


 
Budget is 1500 max as have just put deposit on house and cant afford to have any loans.


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## momomo (18 May 2006)

tml said:
			
		

> Hi,
> 
> the most expensive thing I ever needed to get fixed on it was the motor for my windscreen wipers,
> 
> ...


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## JR Rizzo (18 May 2006)

Fiat are terrible cars all round

- horror stories about reliability
- horror stories about various irish fiat dealerships
- horror stories about costs to fix

all car makes usually get problems, even Toyotas,
but I've never heard so many *PAINFUL* stories regarding
fiats and Puntos in particular.

I cant warn you enough ! DONT BUY THEM!

Financially, Fiat may be cheaper, but it shouldnt be percieved as
better value:-

if you can get an extra e1,000 or less
it will be actually far better value as well as superior car
to go for an older *Toyota Starlet or Nissan Micra*

and you will probably be able to sell jap car on for SOME cash and
alot more easier later on if you need to.....

....you can be cursing your broken down Punto 
which is costing you more to fix than you paid for it

while some other learner passes you by in their little, reliable jap car
totally ignorant to your pain!

*DONT MAKE THE MISTAKE OF BUYING A FIAT, NO MATTER WHAT PRICE*!


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## momomo (18 May 2006)

JR Rizzo

Have you ever owned a Punto???
I own one no problems but the wiper motor!


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## DOBBER22 (18 May 2006)

foxylady said:
			
		

> Budget is 1500 max as have just put deposit on house and cant afford to have any loans.


 
Found a spotless Starlet for E1500 it looks perfect, can't see this hanging around long so go and see it try to bump the dealer down to 1200-1300 for a cash deal remember it's a buyers market at the moment so if you are buying with cash you should have no problem getting a few euro knocked off the price 

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=413291

If you know a mechanic bring him with you to see the car as he should be able to spot any obvious problems that a novice may not spot. If you don't know a mechanic then bring somebody that knows a good car when they see one.

Good Luck


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## foxylady (18 May 2006)

DOBBER22 said:
			
		

> Found a spotless Starlet for E1500 it looks perfect, can't see this hanging around long so go and see it try to bump the dealer down to 1200-1300 for a cash deal remember it's a buyers market at the moment so if you are buying with cash you should have no problem getting a few euro knocked off the price
> 
> http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=413291
> 
> ...


 
thanks for all the advice  from everyone.


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## mc-BigE (18 May 2006)

foxylady said:
			
		

> Budget is 1500 max as have just put deposit on house and cant afford to have any loans.


 
To be honest with you, with 1500 euro's, maybe a mid 90's Micra off your local paper would be best option. or possibly same age starlet but bigger engine.

try to find a one lady (or man!) owner car if possible, if you can bring along someone mechanicaly minded and able to haggling for cars with you, and don't buy the car straight away or the first one you look at, think about it for while.

that starlet dobber22 mentioned looks good.


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## PGD1 (19 May 2006)

i owned a FIAT, my brother owned a FIAT, my neighbour owned a FIAT and I know lots of people who ownd FIATS and they all have problems. I'm sure you can get ones that are fine but for a first car on a limited budget it is too much of a risk to take.

Find yourself an old jap car and take your chances.


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## DOBBER22 (22 May 2006)

DOBBER22 said:
			
		

> Found a spotless Starlet for E1500 it looks perfect, can't see this hanging around long so go and see it try to bump the dealer down to 1200-1300 for a cash deal remember it's a buyers market at the moment so if you are buying with cash you should have no problem getting a few euro knocked off the price
> 
> http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=413291
> 
> ...


 
Looks like that Starlet was snapped up was it you who bought it FOXYLADY?

This car was recently *SOLD* (Sunday, 21 May 2006)


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## foxylady (23 May 2006)

DOBBER22 said:
			
		

> Looks like that Starlet was snapped up was it you who bought it FOXYLADY?
> 
> This car was recently *SOLD* (Sunday, 21 May 2006)


 
no it wasnt me and i have just missed out on a corsa since then too.


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## tina_cork (23 May 2006)

Everyone told me not to buy a FIAT when i was looking around but i had a small budget and the Punto worked out perfect for me. I have it 5 years now


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## mell61 (23 May 2006)

Foxy lady, 
as an ex-Yaris owner, never had a days trouble in 4 years (that was 80k miles, so believe me Toyota are reliable).
check out BuyandSell.ie, there are a number of starlets '93-95s on that site for less than Eu1.5k, and most have NCT for next 1-2 years.
as a few others have said take someone with you who knows cars, if you don't have someone in mind I believe that the AA will do that service for you for about Eu100 (i'm prepared to let someone correct me on the cost).


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## DOBBER22 (23 May 2006)

foxylady said:
			
		

> no it wasnt me and i have just missed out on a corsa since then too.


 
Pity but theres no shortage of good second hand cars around so keep looking if I find any other good ones I'll let you know


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## jasconius (23 May 2006)

Wife has one , daughter has one
Plenty of space - not rubbing up against passenger.
Does 42mpg
Nippy - easy to park with 'City' power steering

However - always buy at least an 01 reg - it has temp gauge - gives you a chance if head gasket wants to go.

good as a first time starter car


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## gianni (16 Aug 2006)

Have had Punto experience. Never any major problems (touch wood). I think the car suffers from a bad reputation. There are certain Punto specific probs - wiper motor, squeaky noise from back, condensation on headlights. But for the price you pay I think the Punto is a great buy. They are v affordable and v reliable. They will get you from A to B every time - it mightn't be the most comforatble ride and you may lose some pieces in transit - but at the end of the day you get what you pay for!


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## meathenterpr (17 Aug 2006)

My first car was a Fiat Punto,  I must have been one of the lucky ones as it gave me no trouble was so ever.  If you are buying one privately or with a car dealer bring your machanic with you.  But then you should do this no matter what second hand car you buy.


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## liamwoods (19 Aug 2006)

Fiat Punto: Worst Car Ever!


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## seriams (12 Sep 2006)

3 friends had Fiat Punto, one purchased brand new. 2yrs old and started giving trouble. Other 2 also had problems (serious ones) - stick to toyota or sucuki(I know these don't look great but boyf drove one for 4 yrs and absolutely no trouble)


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## Moving (2 Jan 2007)

gianni said:


> Have had Punto experience. Never any major problems (touch wood). I think the car suffers from a bad reputation. There are certain Punto specific probs - wiper motor, squeaky noise from back, condensation on headlights. But for the price you pay I think the Punto is a great buy. They are v affordable and v reliable. They will get you from A to B every time - it mightn't be the most comforatble ride and you may lose some pieces in transit - but at the end of the day you get what you pay for!


Hi Gianni,

I have an '01 Punto and I have similar prob's - "squeaky noise from back, condensation on headlights" - At present I'm looking into getting the car serviced for these 2 specific reason's.Did you ever get these fixed on your Punto? And if so,where? ( I'm in Dublin )

Also,do you know what that "Squeaky" noise is? I was afraid it was a serious suspension prob. but as you've had this problem and it seem's to be common enough then I guess it can't be too serious??


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## Thirsty (2 Jan 2007)

owned a punto for several years - no major problems - good space - good car for the money.


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## tosullivan (2 Jan 2007)

my sister in law has a 96 Starlet from new.  Never once gave her any ounce of trouble.  She even phecked off for a year abroad and left it in her drive and was started the 'odd' time and she's been back 2-3yrs and still runs on.
No power steering though which is a pain.
Wife had a Punto.  Most of the faults were fixable by myself, but in general as a first car, I would stay clear.


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## jmayo (3 Jan 2007)

Back in 90s once got a Punto as a hire car from garage while normal car (Honda Accord) was in getting door replaced.
Had to drive to Galway and back to Dublin.
Only fun was driving round multi storedy in Galway.
Had to rev the bloody cr** out of it to get it to move.
It felt unstable, noisy, unresponsive and I could not find any redeeming features bar my fuel bill was a lot lower than with the Honda.

Buy Japanese, they are more reliable and usually offer more features for your euro.  Yaris, Starlet or Corolla would be far better buy.
You could also buy an old VW as they used to be reliable back in 90s.

You do know that FIAT does stand for Fix It Again Tomorrow


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