RE: SOTW: Ford Puma 1.7

RE: SOTW: Ford Puma 1.7

Friday 29th January 2010

SOTW: Ford Puma 1.7

Shed falls for a charming coupe that transcended its shopping-trolley roots



This week's shed is an odd-looking thing, really. The Ford Puma's styling didn't quite do it for many, who noted its attractive feline shape but felt it rather hampered by a gawkish stance and an oddly proportioned bottom. As such, many surviving examples have been modified in all sorts of ways, and plummeting used values have given the characterful coupe a rising following among the more tasteless car modifying communities (boo-hiss).

The scarcity of the hot Racing Puma (1999) also tempted owners of 'boggo' ones to try (generally unsuccessfully) to ape its beefed-up look. Which is why a nice, standard example like this week's SOTW is a refreshing sight - especially for the sort of money Shed keeps in its pocket.

The Puma pounced (sorry) onto the scene in 1997, and was an instant hit with critics. With one swipe of its tiny paws (sorry again), the Fiesta-based compact coupe trounced (admittedly ropey) rivals like the Vauxhall Tigra, Renault Megane Coupe, Mazda MX-3 and the truly awful Toyota Paseo. Here you could get an even sharper version of the contemporary Fiesta's chassis and a peppy, reliable 1.7-litre four-pot (developed jointly with Yamaha) mated to a slick, precise gearchange, all wrapped up in a distinctive and unabashedly modern body.

Despite the above reservations on the styling from some quarters it was certainly a bold shape, exemplifying Ford's 'New Edge' design philosophy that had been launched a year earlier with the Ka, and suggesting a sporty new direction for a company whose last effort at a coupe was the manifestly underwhelming Probe (which was coincidentally dropped in the same year).


Marketing played its part too. While fellow coupes like the Tigra went for the 'cute' angle, Ford pitched the Puma as something altogether more cool. Its clever telly ad won numerous awards, featuring clips of a Puma being driven hard through San Francisco spliced together with scenes from the film Bullitt, and even managing to make it look as though the deceased Steve McQueen was driving. Above all, Ford were pushing this as a driver's car, equipped with their marketing motto 'Puma: A Driver's Dream'.

At the same time, Top Gear made the Puma its 'Car of the Year' for 1997 (remember Tiff Needell doing that heroic J-turn?), praising the Puma's pin-sharp front-wheel drive chassis and cheerful chuckability. I remember sitting in the back of one as my older brother took it for a test drive shortly after the car's launch, having an absolute ball racing around local roads and conveniently 'not noticing' the speed dial as it crept to the car's advertised top speed of 125mph on the motorway. Surprisingly, the car was still pulling (and even more surprisingly with the young sales chap telling him to 'Keep pushing!').

The performance from the 123bhp engine was nothing special. 0-60mph in around 8.5 seconds was hardly going to melt tyres, but it did mean the Puma could keep up with the Golf GTis of its day, and that was arguably all a sub-£15k coupe needed to do at the time. A 1.4 version joined the range in 1998, offering just 88bhp but winning fans and sales with its low insurance premiums, until it was replaced in 2000 with a 100bhp 1.6. A multitude of special editions including Millenium, Black and the limited-run 153bhp Racing Puma emerged before the Puma was retired in 2002.


The Puma we've found appears to be a pretty straight example. It's an early model with the bigger 1.7-litre engine and looks just a T-Cut away from great in its bold red paint.

Like almost every surviving Puma we found at this price level it has some rust bubbles over the rear wheel arches (evidently a weak spot), and a damaged seat bolster (which has the added benefit of looking absolutely filthy in the photos). But apart from those bits this Puma doesn't seem to have fared too badly over its 102k miles, escaping the modifier's clutches and, because the Puma was never built or sold in particularly vast numbers, unmolested ones like this are getting rarer.

Ad reads:

Ford Puma 1.7
98 R reg
102k miles
8 month TAX
2 MOT
Air-conditioning
Central locking
Electric windows
Electric mirrors
Perfect working order with good bodywork for it's age.
Bad points - small rust bubbles to rear arch (common Puma trait) and a hole in the driver seat boulster
£950 no offers

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Author
Discussion

Frimley111R

Original Poster:

15,537 posts

233 months

Friday 29th January 2010
quotequote all
Best SOTW for ages!! clap

Papa Hotel

12,760 posts

181 months

Friday 29th January 2010
quotequote all
Good shedding! Surprised to see this so soon though, wasn't the Puma SOTW only a few months ago?

Nickellarse

533 posts

188 months

Friday 29th January 2010
quotequote all
It's a shed alright...

10 Pence Short

32,880 posts

216 months

Friday 29th January 2010
quotequote all
Great little cars. Not sure the 1.7 is quite as reliable as it should be, though.

Garlick

40,601 posts

239 months

Friday 29th January 2010
quotequote all
Papa Hotel said:
Good shedding! Surprised to see this so soon though, wasn't the Puma SOTW only a few months ago?
Time flies when you're having fun, it was June 2008 biggrin

http://www.pistonheads.com/doc.asp?c=162&i=182...

Papa Hotel

12,760 posts

181 months

Friday 29th January 2010
quotequote all
10 Pence Short said:
Great little cars. Not sure the 1.7 is quite as reliable as it should be, though.
Heard many horror stories? I haven't.

off_again

12,252 posts

233 months

Friday 29th January 2010
quotequote all
Great cars. For that price (assuming the aircon works) its a fantastic bargain. Love 'em.

drgoatboy

1,611 posts

206 months

Friday 29th January 2010
quotequote all
These are fun, and interesting little cars, good SOTW.
I looked seriously into getting one about 4 years ago but struggled to find one that wasn't rusty back then...

Papa Hotel

12,760 posts

181 months

Friday 29th January 2010
quotequote all
Garlick said:
Papa Hotel said:
Good shedding! Surprised to see this so soon though, wasn't the Puma SOTW only a few months ago?
Time flies when you're having fun, it was June 2008 biggrin

http://www.pistonheads.com/doc.asp?c=162&i=182...
A year and a half ago! Before I even joined the site!

10 Pence Short

32,880 posts

216 months

Friday 29th January 2010
quotequote all
Papa Hotel said:
10 Pence Short said:
Great little cars. Not sure the 1.7 is quite as reliable as it should be, though.
Heard many horror stories? I haven't.
My mother has one and had a failure. That set me off investigating and it seemed more common than it should.

Certainly not unique in that it happens to lots of manufacturers, but so be it. I just wouldn't use engine reliability as a selling point of the 1.7.


edo

16,699 posts

264 months

Friday 29th January 2010
quotequote all
Sory, but why would you spend £950 on a car with rust and a seat with a hole in it when (before negs) for £400 more you could have a car with less than half the miles?

1998 S Reg FORD Puma 1.7i 16v
Price: £1,395 p/x welcome

3 Doors, Manual, Coupe, Petrol, 46,985 miles, Metallic Silver, MOT-11-2010, 3 Owners. ABS, Adjustable seats, Alloy wheels, Anti theft system, Central locking, Cloth upholstery, Colour coding - Body, Driver airbag, Electric windows, Foglights, Head restraints, Heated screen, Metallic paintwork, Power assisted steering, Radio, Remote locking, Sports seats, Tinted glass, Traction control. Insurance Group:12E, MOT 5TH NOV 2010 . LOW MILAGE LAST 5 MOT MILAGES TO VIEW,.4 GOOD TYRES .DRIVES VERY WELL .

Papa Hotel

12,760 posts

181 months

Friday 29th January 2010
quotequote all
10 Pence Short said:
Papa Hotel said:
10 Pence Short said:
Great little cars. Not sure the 1.7 is quite as reliable as it should be, though.
Heard many horror stories? I haven't.
My mother has one and had a failure. That set me off investigating and it seemed more common than it should.

Certainly not unique in that it happens to lots of manufacturers, but so be it. I just wouldn't use engine reliability as a selling point of the 1.7.
Well I have one and haven't had a failure. What failed?

Garlick

40,601 posts

239 months

Friday 29th January 2010
quotequote all
edo said:
Sory, but why would you spend £950 on a car with rust and a seat with a hole in it when (before negs) for £400 more you could have a car with less than half the miles?

1998 S Reg FORD Puma 1.7i 16v
Price: £1,395 p/x welcome

3 Doors, Manual, Coupe, Petrol, 46,985 miles, Metallic Silver, MOT-11-2010, 3 Owners. ABS, Adjustable seats, Alloy wheels, Anti theft system, Central locking, Cloth upholstery, Colour coding - Body, Driver airbag, Electric windows, Foglights, Head restraints, Heated screen, Metallic paintwork, Power assisted steering, Radio, Remote locking, Sports seats, Tinted glass, Traction control. Insurance Group:12E, MOT 5TH NOV 2010 . LOW MILAGE LAST 5 MOT MILAGES TO VIEW,.4 GOOD TYRES .DRIVES VERY WELL .
Because....PH SOTW rules dictate that we can only 'spend' a maximum of £1000 smile

In real life however I'd agree.

SimonSaid

407 posts

185 months

Friday 29th January 2010
quotequote all
It really is worth watching the Top Gear video again - I had forgotten how brilliant it was. A truly epic bit of driving from Tiff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3QuH7z1Z1o

Papa Hotel

12,760 posts

181 months

Friday 29th January 2010
quotequote all
edo said:
Sory, but why would you spend £950 on a car with rust and a seat with a hole in it when (before negs) for £400 more you could have a car with less than half the miles?

1998 S Reg FORD Puma 1.7i 16v
Price: £1,395 p/x welcome

3 Doors, Manual, Coupe, Petrol, 46,985 miles, Metallic Silver, MOT-11-2010, 3 Owners. ABS, Adjustable seats, Alloy wheels, Anti theft system, Central locking, Cloth upholstery, Colour coding - Body, Driver airbag, Electric windows, Foglights, Head restraints, Heated screen, Metallic paintwork, Power assisted steering, Radio, Remote locking, Sports seats, Tinted glass, Traction control. Insurance Group:12E, MOT 5TH NOV 2010 . LOW MILAGE LAST 5 MOT MILAGES TO VIEW,.4 GOOD TYRES .DRIVES VERY WELL .
One of the criteria for SOTW is that the car is less than a grand. Would you go 40% over your budget for buying a car?

Belfast Boy

855 posts

181 months

Friday 29th January 2010
quotequote all
Interesting that these are shed money now, Bruv-in-law had the Racing one, it got nicked at Elephant and Castle, that was an interesting little car, nice seats.

Just look at the lovelyness of the dash and seats, hmmm Fleesta quality in there.

Might prefer the Mx3, at least its a V6 and doesn't wear a blue oval badge.....me a badge snob. Mwaw... ha... ha???

But as a 1st car or a general hack for a few months it actually gets the thumbs up from me, good (Shed)........of the week!

edo

16,699 posts

264 months

Friday 29th January 2010
quotequote all
Garlick said:
edo said:
Sory, but why would you spend £950 on a car with rust and a seat with a hole in it when (before negs) for £400 more you could have a car with less than half the miles?

1998 S Reg FORD Puma 1.7i 16v
Price: £1,395 p/x welcome

3 Doors, Manual, Coupe, Petrol, 46,985 miles, Metallic Silver, MOT-11-2010, 3 Owners. ABS, Adjustable seats, Alloy wheels, Anti theft system, Central locking, Cloth upholstery, Colour coding - Body, Driver airbag, Electric windows, Foglights, Head restraints, Heated screen, Metallic paintwork, Power assisted steering, Radio, Remote locking, Sports seats, Tinted glass, Traction control. Insurance Group:12E, MOT 5TH NOV 2010 . LOW MILAGE LAST 5 MOT MILAGES TO VIEW,.4 GOOD TYRES .DRIVES VERY WELL .
Because....PH SOTW rules dictate that we can only 'spend' a maximum of £1000 smile

In real life however I'd agree.
fair point, let you off!

Dagnut

3,515 posts

192 months

Friday 29th January 2010
quotequote all
Shabby build quality.

Hellbound

2,500 posts

175 months

Friday 29th January 2010
quotequote all
If I were female....and a student...I'd have one of these.

CTT

45 posts

171 months

Friday 29th January 2010
quotequote all
great little shed, hotish hatch, super handling. If you could get it for 750 youd be a happy bunny