fait punto

power steering column failure

Aren't Clutches meant to to die around 40-50k?

Leaning how to spell it is a good start.

It

eye tee ? ;-)

10 years ago I had a Fiat Punto as a company car. Brand new it was, but a garish yellow gold - the bosses of the company ordered four that way. European car of the year, or something like that.

Nowadays I look out for them that age in London. Gone. Vanished. Exterminated. Gone to the great graveyard in the sky to join other things erased from the current highway.

It would be great reading if the DVLC would release yearly how many of each brand's model were still on the road ... I'd say most of the first model edition of Renault Laguna's are going to do the same in a couple of years. Now going the way of the Sierra and Cavalier. Wipeout.

Ironically, I think that colour was called "exploit yellow"

If my sister in law's 2001 60,000 miler was anything to go by:

1. weak second gear synchromesh especially when cold
2. electrical gremlins inc wiper self park
3. electric power steering failure
4. head gasket if you don't change the coolant using genuine Fiat stuff.

5 excessive bulb failures

Thanks , managed to talk number 2 daughter out of one for the time being

she wants a corsa now

door locks, plugs, egr valves, steering column, water pumps, cam belts, gear linkage, timing chains (ecotec 3 pot). other than that...................... I wouldn't touch a corsa for myself unless it was free, and then sell it on. In fact I would rather have an aixam or a trabant !

Oh, no - try and talk her into something nominally or actually Japanese and shhe'll be pleased with the improved reliability: (new shape) Daihatsu Sirion or YRV, Toyota Yaris or the Citroen/Peugeot/Toyota Aygo, Nissan Micra or Cube, Honda Jazz or the like.

What about the diesels - I'd heard they fared better?

Assuming this is Corsa C:

Replacing the electrical power steering column can cost up to 1,000UKP! It's 600UKP for the parts alone.

The gearshift linkage kit is nearly 100UKP for the parts.

The 1.0 engine is prone to sludging, even if not used on short trips, and might lead you to think the head gasket had failed.

The doors can leak water into the cabin from the top.

My stepson had one from new. When it was just over a year old, he PXed it for an older Astra because it was such an unreliable pile of poo.

In the first 12 months of its life, it was off the road for a total of 2 months.

Chris

She wants a real car not a Noddy car! :~o

I expect she wants a car to drive rather than leave with the dealer. So anything from the list above would be quite sensible, although I would avoid Daihatsu personally, but I know lots of people who like them. Best bet would be the Toyota Yaris.

i will mention it to her , all i want is something realiable and wont cost me a fortune to repair

Then you have sealed the deal, it must be Japanese. Toyota have a zero percent finance deal on certain models at present.

But the point being missed is, whilst Japanese [1] cars are normally reliable the cost of repairs can be very much more expencive that a European car...

Good point, if one knows that one can keep up the monthly payments in these 'troubled times', and will want to trade in to another new car in three (or how ever many) years, thus one never has to actually pay for anything other than routine servicing - and even then one might get that thrown in for the duration of the finance deal.

[1] and far eastern