RE: SOTW: Ford Puma 1.7

[madtriumphman]

MarJay said:

Shed Fail.

This is (almost) worse than the V6 Laguna. Has the pattern become Good shed bad shed?

Almost? There is nothing on this planet worse than an old top spec obsolete French Car.....anywhere!

Think the pattern is Good shed, st shed, bad shed............

[dome]

What are these like for economy? A mate of mine had one years ago and it was a cracking car, punching well above its weight on the back roads. Would consider one as a daily if it was economical...

[damci]

Pat H said:

1.7 Pumas are as much fun to drive as a 1960s Mini Cooper S.

Lovely gearbox and fine revvy engine. Great FWD chassis.

Build quality not great and they do suffer from rot. Cramped and difficult to see out of. Comedy rear hatch fills the boot with water if you open it too quickly when it's wet.

1.7 motor not the most durable. Colleague at work had one with about 75,000 miles on the clock and it drank oil.

Did I hear somewhere that they have a potential nicasil lining problem a la BMW E36 328?

I rather like them.

Some of the early Puma's suffered from Nikasil related problems so service history is vital, I believe all the post 2000 cars are fine.

[JayMan]

Perfect for a trip to Tescos via the salon.

[SimonSaid]

collateral said:

Fuel tank is tiny and so's the back seat, although the person sitting behind the passenger will have more space because of the dash design.

I haven't sat in the back of one since I was 10, but in the Top Gear video Quentin Wilson seems to fit. Having had the privilege of meeting the chap once, I can confirm that he is pretty tall!

[marcosgt]

JayMan said:

Perfect for a trip to Tescos via the salon.

Or anywhere else if you like every trip to bring a smile to your face...

I had one of these new (98 in Blue) and I got rid of it only when my kids started complaining about space in the back. They are pretty small, especially for kids in the 6-10 range as their legs tend to be too short in thigh to bend over the squab.

Adults can squeeze in the back, but you wouldn't want to go that far - Lot more room than a 911, though

M.

Edited by marcosgt on Friday 29th January 11:59

[eddie99]

Excellent Car, Bit biased as i have one! but i love it and its great fun for the money!!!

[Mr Gearchange]

I have one and I absolutely love it.
The steering, handling and gearchange is one of the best in any car.

The build quality is pretty shabby tbh - in the last 30K I have had
New Alternattor
New Headlamp unit
Gearbox rebuild
New Clutch
2 x New wheel bearings and hubs
2x New ABS sensors (1 got chewed up when the bearing failed)
Discs and Pads

But I don't care - it never ever fails to put a smile on my face when I drive it as it is just epic fun. It is a more exciting, involving and engaging drive than my Legacy Spec B (and i really love that)

[Dave_ST220]

Got lent one of these when my car was in for service when they had juts come out. All i remember was sweet gearbox and great handling. It went around corners like it was on rails, the only downside seemed to be weak brakes??

[Mr Gearchange]

MarJay said:

Shed Fail.

This is (almost) worse than the V6 Laguna. Has the pattern become Good shed bad shed?

Epic car knowledge fail.

[Rob13]

Looks like it would make a great cheap track car. Strip it and have some fun. Brilliant TG video.

[Rockatansky]

I like the Puma, but are there not some parts availability issues?

I vaguely recall a Puma languishing in a local garage workshop for ages waiting for a seemingly innocuous part.

Edited by Rockatansky on Friday 29th January 12:13

[Motorrad]

Great value car, find it hard not to make offers however. Even if it's 5 quid off!

[Shropshiremike]

MarJay said:

Shed Fail.

This is (almost) worse than the V6 Laguna. Has the pattern become Good shed bad shed?

Think the Laguna was just a bit overpriced. I've been looking out for them since but not seen a V6 one in the flesh so to speak

[300bhp/ton]

Fantastic little car really. Only spot of rust and insecurer men to deter the most enthusiastic of petrolheads.

[soad]

SimonSaid said:

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

That's awesome driving, remember watching the video only last year.

[mgbond]

My GF has one and its a great car to throw around. Hers is the limited addition 2002 1.7 gets just over 30mpg. 6 disk is knackered and the ECU blew last year (I was driving oops). Other than that its not been a bad car.

[Forbes82]

SimonSaid said:

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

Fantastic, Tiff's great when hes there purely to rag a car, great bit of driving. I never understood the appeal of this 'Stig' character that shows no emotion and doesnt talk as the only decent driver on a car show. Much better to see Tiff on the edge and hear his opinions on the car and how hes driving it.

Great SOTW by the way, if i had a couple of grand to throw at a hatchback, i'm pretty sure testing a puma would be high on my list.

[MiniMan64]

Mr Gearchange said:

MarJay said:

Shed Fail.

This is (almost) worse than the V6 Laguna. Has the pattern become Good shed bad shed?

Epic car knowledge fail.

Indeed.

This is a top top SOTW, it would be on my shopping list if I had any money!

[soad]

Get it snapped up, only £950! I'm sure there's room for some negotiation too. These go for almost double (in a decent nick).

Still looks so fresh today.

Steve McQueen telly ad looks superb on a hilly San Francisco streets. I actually remeber seeing it back in the day. Damn, time flies by.