FIAT PUNTO 1.2 3dr (1999)

My Punto - Didn't last a year!

I've got a few nice things to say about the Fiat Punto, and also I should say to be fair that I bought it for £200 second hand and nearly 10 years old with 60k on the clock.

Nice things... it is a good little practical car, bags of space inside for what it is, and decent visbility. Lots of poke all the way up to 80, and generally feels a lot of fun to drive.

It is a basic car, almost as basic as it gets, but it comes with some handy little features like a height adjustable driver's seat, which always worked for me, never got stuck or anything.

Getting in and out of the back was always easy enough, altho 3 seaters are never easy for that and I couldn't take my grandma out in it, which caused some problems.

My one had sort of racing seats in it, not full racing seats but they had lips at the sides to prevent you rolling out of it. Those were fun. Actually thinking about it that sort of gives a clue about how it was maybe driven before I got my hands on it, and why it didn't last so long.

So yeah it died after less than a year. It had a few little things go wrong at first like a dodgy seal on the passenger door, and a hinge that squeaked like it was dying on the driver door.

Then after about 10 months I think the wiper motor and exhaust needed doing, and shortly after the head gasket went and the whole engine died a horrible death. Total write off really, just had to get it scrapped.

Nice car though, just avoid an old one, and if you've got one, sell it quick.