Helpful advice needed please.

I'm looking at buying a secondhand car,and have a limit of £4,000.

I'd like your opinions on the Punto,pro's and cons,and would value any input anyone can share.I have driven one before,although only for a week whilst my car was in for repairs after an accident,(not my fault!!),and was impressed with the car.I'm looking at a 1.2, 3dr hatchback, and would be doing about

30 miles a day to and from work,with the occasional long journey thrown in for good measure.

Points I'd like info on are reliability,spares prices,mpg etc etc.i realise all cars are different,but i just need to gauge an opinion before flashing the cash!

Cheers in advance.

Bert B.

Reply to
BERT B
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Well your looking at the right sort of car for what you need , I would use a Dealer for the purchase as I got 12 month warranty on mine included at no extra charge from Perrys which is a Vauxhall Dealer, as there are loads of puntos about the price should be competitive enough to get a New shape one with little mileage

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This is a example lots to chose from really and that took 2 min to find :>

Parts Reliability and General running costs are just about the best you can get in this market Punto was the best UK small car, lots of room in the back as well for 2 extra Adult size passengers unlike the rest.

Reply to
Mick

Cheers Mick.

Thought I'd got a bargain recently after seeing a nice X reg Punto.1.2,3dr,24,000 miles e/w c/l p/s airbags cd player all for £3995. Didn't want to dive in and buy the first one i saw,so had a look round,and after finding nothing else of note,decided to go for the Punto.Went back to the garage and lo & behold,someone had JUST got back from a test drive and decided to take it!

Oh well,tomorrow's another day!

Reply to
BERT B

Hi Bert

That's the story of my life too ... lol

If you see another car, and the warranty that's offered looks good and the car has it's service records up to date, go for a test drive and get some cash for the deposit from the nearest cash point ....

Punto's are a common car now days, but good ones are much sought after ... so happy hunting.

Reply to
Mick

Hi Mick.

Been out looking again today and now have a dilemma.Seen another Punto W reg,1.2Mia,5 door,24,000 MILES,£4195,but no other frills apart from PAS which is fairly standard nowadays.Full service history and in really good nick as you'd expect.Took it for a drive and was happy with the result,although having sat behind the wheel of a 1.1 Fiesta for the last 9 years there's really no contest.Bit like comparing parmesan to dairylea slices really!

Dilemma is i also drove a V reg 1.4 VW Polo CL,£4995, same mileage,and has e/w,c/l pas,and i reckon that i can get him down to £4500,seeing as he wants to "move the car on" as he's had it a while now,and has already said he'd b prepared to let it go for£4700. The car also has FSH,and also drives really well,although the ride did seem and feel a lot smoother,so am torn between the two.My head says go with the VW,as it's likely to hold its value better over the course of time,although the Fiat felt as though it was more fun to drive,and lets face it motoring can be pretty boring sometimes.

I'm gonna sleep on it and probably go back for another drive of both(if they're still both there) to help me decide,though i really should have taken the bull by the horns and bought the first Punto I saw! Would have saved a lot of hassle.Seems to me the more info you get on cars the harder it is to decide which is right. Gut feeling will win in the end no doubt,as sometimes It's the only way to decide.At least you can't blame anyone else if it goes belly up!

VW or FIAT?........VW or FIAT?........

Thanks for your advice tho'

Cheers

Steve.

Reply to
BERT B

The salesman is having a laugh:

There are NEW FIAT MIAs (basic spec.) at

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from 5299 plus about 100 in fees plus tax.

If you'd tried a week or two ago they were from 4999.

Note I have no connection at all with these people.

Take care.

Reply to
john harrad

Easy choice :)

Sit in the back of each car and imagine your moving at over 30 MPH

which car has more leg and head room !!!

Yep you wont be buying the VW, I am 5'7" and it pushes my head down in the back , result sore neck bad back numb legs ..... Grumpy passengers from the rear ... so if you ever put anyone in the back of the car who is more than 12 years of age then you may want one with a bit more room....

I had the same problem tried out Renault clio, and a 106 , Fiesta, Punto ... Punto won this test. But I din'nt buy it , only cos the Dealer then showed me a Brava ... Sold...to me 5 min later ...

Reply to
Mick

Fair points Mick.It was a bit like the Tardis in the Punto,and the broom cupboard in the VW,but drive wise the VW won.The fact it has an immobiliser and a few more creature comforts over the Punto also earns it more brownie points,and as for passenger room,then all I can say is they won't be driving the car! I'm a single bloke who occasional has a full car of passengers,so that's not my first priority.I generally only use the car for travelling to work,so only on rare occasions will it be carrying more than 2 people.

Only problem with the VW is the interior is so dark & gloomy compared to the light and spacious Punto,and from that point of view the Fiat is more of a fun car to drive,but what I need is a car that is reliable and is going to hold its value,for when I want to change again in 5 years time,and whilst the Punto is nippy & economical ,does this outweigh the pro's for the VW? Wish I could combine the best bits of both cars,but then life ain't supposed to be easy is it?

D-DAY for me is Saturday,need to get it sorted before then one way or the other,and it is not yet clear cut which way I'm gonna go.Another test drive for both is in order I think,and then decision time...................i hope.Maybe I should flip a coin......................LOL!

Til the next time?

Steve.

Reply to
BERT B

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