Thinking of getting a Ford Puma, have you had/got one?
Discussion
Hi PH Ford massive. I'm thinking about getting myself a Ford Puma 1.7. I was wondering if anyone on here can give me some advice on what to look out for? Do they suffer from anything other than enthusiastic driving and tyre wear etc? It'll be kept on the drive and used as a daily commute of 10 miles and some weekend stuff.
When dose the cam belt need to be done etc?
Do they all come with Air Con?
Is Leather an option?
What's the 'lux pack' all about?
How ell do brakes, clutch, gearboxs hold up?
Any experiences you've had of a Puma, good or bad then please share with me!
I've seen R & S plate cars for £2500-£3000 with 80K miles ish, is this realistic, fair, good? As this is the sort of figure I'm looking at.
I currently have an Elise S2 111S and want to have my pride and joy tucked up in the dry, warm garage for most of the winter, it'll come out on mild weekend days for a blat though.
So as you may have guessed I love a "drivers" car! And I've always remembered the Puma getting 'Car of the Year' from the 'Old' Top Gear program a few years ago. Needle throwing Clarkson around in it on a track.
I guess I need to get myself a test drive.
D4V KC
When dose the cam belt need to be done etc?
Do they all come with Air Con?
Is Leather an option?
What's the 'lux pack' all about?
How ell do brakes, clutch, gearboxs hold up?
Any experiences you've had of a Puma, good or bad then please share with me!
I've seen R & S plate cars for £2500-£3000 with 80K miles ish, is this realistic, fair, good? As this is the sort of figure I'm looking at.
I currently have an Elise S2 111S and want to have my pride and joy tucked up in the dry, warm garage for most of the winter, it'll come out on mild weekend days for a blat though.
So as you may have guessed I love a "drivers" car! And I've always remembered the Puma getting 'Car of the Year' from the 'Old' Top Gear program a few years ago. Needle throwing Clarkson around in it on a track.
I guess I need to get myself a test drive.
D4V KC
My parents have had 3 in a row now and absolutely love it 
It is still one of the best cars I have ever driven from a driver enjoyment point of view.
Admiitedly in the 3 years they've had the current one it has only clocked up 15k miles so I'm not too sure about wera and tear items!
They're in France with the car at the moment and it laps up the motorway miles as well as being an absolute blast to thrash through the twisties!
Buy one and you will not regret it.
(All imho though obviously)!
I would also consider looking at a Clio 172 as well though.
It is still one of the best cars I have ever driven from a driver enjoyment point of view.
Admiitedly in the 3 years they've had the current one it has only clocked up 15k miles so I'm not too sure about wera and tear items!
They're in France with the car at the moment and it laps up the motorway miles as well as being an absolute blast to thrash through the twisties!
Buy one and you will not regret it.
(All imho though obviously)!
I would also consider looking at a Clio 172 as well though.
One of my colleages has one.
Excellent little car.
Drives really well. Steers nicely and had a nice gearbox.
Not much room in it and a bit of a pig to see out of, but that's not much of a flaw.
I'd have one for a daily snotter.
Cheers
Pat
>> Edited by PatHeald on Monday 17th October 13:17
Excellent little car.
Drives really well. Steers nicely and had a nice gearbox.
Not much room in it and a bit of a pig to see out of, but that's not much of a flaw.
I'd have one for a daily snotter.
Cheers
Pat
>> Edited by PatHeald on Monday 17th October 13:17
Dont know about running costs, but had a temporary one from a leasing company for a couple of weeks.
Quite small inside and restricted headroom / visibility due to body. But that said, its a Fiesta in drag so everything is pretty well laid out. Goes like a go-cart and lots of fun. Not that fast, but lots of smiles per mile as they say. Handling is the best part with lots of grip but plenty of handling too - adjustable and predictable. The 1.7 is nice and rev'y too. Got some torque low down but nice shove when it starts going - not overly fast, but plenty quick enough for the UK's winter roads for example.
Practicality is low though. Boot is pretty big but has a VERY high lip so getting stuff in and out is a pain. There was also a problem with boot seals - if it rains and you open the boot, lots of water can splash into it! Also the back seats are best for small children (if you can convince them to get in it) or for dwarf amputees. Not practical from that point of view. Oh, and make sure you get one with the uprated stereo - the standard one is a bit crap.
Other than that its basically a Fiesta so parts and maintenance are typical Ford, i.e. cheap. You can even get a "quickclear" heated front screen which is nice with the onset of Winter ahead! If you can get one for £3000 then its a bit of a bargain.
The Clio is ultimately the faster car, but its a harder riding and more costly car to run. The older Clios will have some big maintenance bills coming up at that type of cost so the Puma would be the better bet IMHO. If you can double the budget though, the Clio would be the better car - newer, probably under waranty and ultimately the better hot hatch.
Quite small inside and restricted headroom / visibility due to body. But that said, its a Fiesta in drag so everything is pretty well laid out. Goes like a go-cart and lots of fun. Not that fast, but lots of smiles per mile as they say. Handling is the best part with lots of grip but plenty of handling too - adjustable and predictable. The 1.7 is nice and rev'y too. Got some torque low down but nice shove when it starts going - not overly fast, but plenty quick enough for the UK's winter roads for example.
Practicality is low though. Boot is pretty big but has a VERY high lip so getting stuff in and out is a pain. There was also a problem with boot seals - if it rains and you open the boot, lots of water can splash into it! Also the back seats are best for small children (if you can convince them to get in it) or for dwarf amputees. Not practical from that point of view. Oh, and make sure you get one with the uprated stereo - the standard one is a bit crap.
Other than that its basically a Fiesta so parts and maintenance are typical Ford, i.e. cheap. You can even get a "quickclear" heated front screen which is nice with the onset of Winter ahead! If you can get one for £3000 then its a bit of a bargain.
The Clio is ultimately the faster car, but its a harder riding and more costly car to run. The older Clios will have some big maintenance bills coming up at that type of cost so the Puma would be the better bet IMHO. If you can double the budget though, the Clio would be the better car - newer, probably under waranty and ultimately the better hot hatch.
I had an R reg 1.4 for about 2 years
Do they all come with Air Con?
- Only if it was chosen as an option
Is Leather an option?
- It wasn't when i ordered mine
What's the 'lux pack' all about?
- I think it was heated widscreen, CD player, electric mirrors and possibly Air Con. Worth having if you can get one with it.
Do they all come with Air Con?
- Only if it was chosen as an option
Is Leather an option?
- It wasn't when i ordered mine
What's the 'lux pack' all about?
- I think it was heated widscreen, CD player, electric mirrors and possibly Air Con. Worth having if you can get one with it.
I've had mine since new in '98, done 94K miles in it & never looked back. Its been a great car, the only problem i have is what to replace it with. . . .
When dose the cam belt need to be done etc?
- Dunno, my was replaced when i had a slight oil leak on the cam seal.
Do they all come with Air Con?
-It was an option on mine.
Is Leather an option?
-There are versions with leather
What's the 'lux pack' all about?
-It was CD, heated mirrors, heated windscreen, aircon on mine.
How ell do brakes, clutch, gearboxs hold up?
-Original brake disks were made of cheese on mine, replaced with after-market ones years ago and never had a problem since. Still on original clutch.
Any experiences you've had of a Puma, good or bad then please share with me!
-The only thing annoying me at the moment is rust at the top rear edge of both rear wheel arches.
I've seen R & S plate cars for £2500-£3000 with 80K miles ish, is this realistic, fair, good? As this is the sort of figure I'm looking at.
-I'd be happy if i could get that much for mine !
I currently have an Elise S2 111S and want to have my pride and joy tucked up in the dry, warm garage for most of the winter, it'll come out on mild weekend days for a blat though.
- I have a TVR as my second car.
So as you may have guessed I love a "drivers" car! And I've always remembered the Puma getting 'Car of the Year' from the 'Old' Top Gear program a few years ago. Needle throwing Clarkson around in it on a track.
I guess I need to get myself a test drive.
D4V KC
[/quote]
>> Edited by boz on Monday 17th October 13:37
>> Edited by boz on Monday 17th October 15:24
When dose the cam belt need to be done etc?
- Dunno, my was replaced when i had a slight oil leak on the cam seal.
Do they all come with Air Con?
-It was an option on mine.
Is Leather an option?
-There are versions with leather
What's the 'lux pack' all about?
-It was CD, heated mirrors, heated windscreen, aircon on mine.
How ell do brakes, clutch, gearboxs hold up?
-Original brake disks were made of cheese on mine, replaced with after-market ones years ago and never had a problem since. Still on original clutch.
Any experiences you've had of a Puma, good or bad then please share with me!
-The only thing annoying me at the moment is rust at the top rear edge of both rear wheel arches.
I've seen R & S plate cars for £2500-£3000 with 80K miles ish, is this realistic, fair, good? As this is the sort of figure I'm looking at.
-I'd be happy if i could get that much for mine !
I currently have an Elise S2 111S and want to have my pride and joy tucked up in the dry, warm garage for most of the winter, it'll come out on mild weekend days for a blat though.
- I have a TVR as my second car.
So as you may have guessed I love a "drivers" car! And I've always remembered the Puma getting 'Car of the Year' from the 'Old' Top Gear program a few years ago. Needle throwing Clarkson around in it on a track.
I guess I need to get myself a test drive.
D4V KC
[/quote]
>> Edited by boz on Monday 17th October 13:37
>> Edited by boz on Monday 17th October 15:24
D4V KC said:
Hi PH Ford massive. I'm thinking about getting myself a Ford Puma 1.7. I was wondering if anyone on here can give me some advice on what to look out for? Do they suffer from anything other than enthusiastic driving and tyre wear etc? It'll be kept on the drive and used as a daily commute of 10 miles and some weekend stuff.
When dose the cam belt need to be done etc?
Do they all come with Air Con?
Is Leather an option?
What's the 'lux pack' all about?
How ell do brakes, clutch, gearboxs hold up?
Any experiences you've had of a Puma, good or bad then please share with me!
I've seen R & S plate cars for £2500-£3000 with 80K miles ish, is this realistic, fair, good? As this is the sort of figure I'm looking at.
I currently have an Elise S2 111S and want to have my pride and joy tucked up in the dry, warm garage for most of the winter, it'll come out on mild weekend days for a blat though.
So as you may have guessed I love a "drivers" car! And I've always remembered the Puma getting 'Car of the Year' from the 'Old' Top Gear program a few years ago. Needle throwing Clarkson around in it on a track.
I guess I need to get myself a test drive.
D4V KC
Have had 3. One of the very first in Black, another with more toys in Silver, and a Racing for a short while. (overpriced at 23k new!)
one of the best small drivers cars, if not the best.
They don't all come with A/C
Leather wasn't an option, but came as standard on the Thunder (Grey or Silver) and the very lairy "Millenium". The yellow one. Always black leather, no option.
Lux Pack was heated mirrors/front screen, most of them have got it.
They came in 3 formats.
1.7
1.4 (dont bother)
and the last of the line came with 1.6's.
Best one would be to try and get an S or a T plate one, with air and Lux. Not much to go wrong with them as they are essentially fiestas in dresses, but they do like front tyres and pads, the steering wheel can wear a bit if driven with enthusiasm.
As a daily hack, you cannot possibly go wrong, still a superb chassis, one of the great gearchanges and cheap to run. The 1.7 is insurance group 12. You won't be disappointed, just avoid bad boy aftermarket 18" rims, and go for the propeller style alloys, rather than the later wheels. And don't buy a red/green one.
One thing was I used to regularly blow my "Hego" [sic] censor, something to do with exhaust gasses, but I had a 2 litre one put in, which seemed to do the trick.
Best Colours are Panther-Black, Moondust - Silver or Cirrus if you're feeling girly. (sort of mauve type affair).
PM if you need any more info.
James
tiga84 said:
, and go for the propeller style alloys, rather than the later wheels. And don't buy a red/green one.
Disagree on the colour - mine was Red and looked just fine. Agree with the propellor alloys though and it was a great car to drive, nippy enough to be fun but not outrageous or expensively fast!
Thanks everyone, good to get info from the horses mouth so to speak!
I'll have to go and check out a couple of cars and see what i can find. Don't want to get too carried away with the cost (Clio 172 suggestion) as i already have the Pride And Joy to go in the garage. Want fun and involving and a little different and so the Puma is looking good.
Please keep the comments coming, i'll check back to the thread a little later.
Regards D4V KC
I'll have to go and check out a couple of cars and see what i can find. Don't want to get too carried away with the cost (Clio 172 suggestion) as i already have the Pride And Joy to go in the garage. Want fun and involving and a little different and so the Puma is looking good.
Please keep the comments coming, i'll check back to the thread a little later.
Regards D4V KC
One point - if you do go for ' the propellor style alloys' you'll be getting solid front discs. the later one's (with more boring wheel design) have ventillated discs. they might be slightly bigger discs too but i might be wrong. my old man has a later one. he chose it cos of all the reasons stated - and it's economical too. he's found it to be a bit heavy on front tyres but his driving's all in NWales..!
D4V KC said:
Thanks everyone, good to get info from the horses mouth so to speak!
Don't want to get too carried away with the cost (Clio 172 suggestion) as i already have the Pride And Joy to go in the garage.
Ooops, my fault sorry, I missed the bit where you said about the budget
Certainly would reccommend the Puma in that case, an absolutely superb car
baskey said:
One point - if you do go for ' the propellor style alloys' you'll be getting solid front discs. the later one's (with more boring wheel design) have ventillated discs. they might be slightly bigger discs too but i might be wrong. my old man has a later one. he chose it cos of all the reasons stated - and it's economical too. he's found it to be a bit heavy on front tyres but his driving's all in NWales..!
Rubbish - they all have ventilated discs. The early models (pre 2000) have smaller discs (238mm against 258mm) which can cause the brakes to fade - I'll be trying a fast road pad on mine to see if it gets over the problem, otherwise the later calipers can be fitted.
I run one a second car to my Elise and they're great fun. All the comments about visibilty, rear seat room etc. are true - the A pillar in particular seems to be in just the wrong place at roundabouts but you get used to it. Mine has the lux pack, which is heated screen and mirrors (very useful this morning!) CD changer in the dash and might be A/C too.
Cambelt is due every 5-6 years on the 1.7 I think - it was every 10 but Ford changed the interval. The 1.4 and 1.6 are different but the 1.7 is the one to go for.
The lower priced ones might well be those with A/C or a CD player so make sure you compare the specs properly.
Edit>>> Go here to have all your questions answered www.pumapeople.com
>> Edited by cuzza on Monday 17th October 15:39
cuzza said:
One point - if you do go for ' the propellor style alloys' you'll be getting solid front discs. the later one's (with more boring wheel design) have ventillated discs. they might be slightly bigger discs too but i might be wrong. my old man has a later one. he chose it cos of all the reasons stated - and it's economical too. he's found it to be a bit heavy on front tyres but his driving's all in NWales..!
Rubbish - they all have ventilated discs. The early models (pre 2000) have smaller discs (238mm against 258mm) which can cause the brakes to fade - I'll be trying a fast road pad on mine to see if it gets over the problem, otherwise the later calipers can be fitted.
easy tiger. my brain must be adled by lemsip!
well disappointed with myself from a car nerd point of view - i knew this. disappointing very disappointing.....
>> Edited by baskey on Monday 17th October 15:54
baskey said:
One point - if you do go for ' the propellor style alloys' you'll be getting solid front discs. the later one's (with more boring wheel design) have ventillated discs. they might be slightly bigger discs too but i might be wrong. my old man has a later one. he chose it cos of all the reasons stated - and it's economical too. he's found it to be a bit heavy on front tyres but his driving's all in NWales..!
All the 1.7 models have vented front discs. The newer cars have bigger ones which are worth having. (I recently fitted new ones, £48 for a pair of discs and set of pads!)
The bushes in the front wishbones wear out on a regular basis (automatic MOT failure) you can replace them with poly bushes (which will last almost forever). I think you can get the whole lot done including labour for around the £200 mark.
The in the service book the cambelt should be changed at 100,000 miles or 10 years but its now been changed by Ford to 80,000 miles and I think 8 years. The tensioner kit should be changed at the same time. I think specalists are charging around £350.
I think most of the questions have been answered already, but I had a brand new (when they came out) Fiesta Zetec-S followed by a Puma Thunder.
Both were good cars, and offered an enjoyable driving experience. Rearward visibility on the Puma takes some getting used to, but you do learn it pretty quickly. What hasn't been mentioned here is that some of the 1.7's suffered with Nikasil issues... worth doing some homework first to save a big bill. IIRC this tended to surface around 70k. There used to be a Yahoo group / website called PumaPeople which was a good source of information.
IMO it's worth considering a Fiesta Zetec-S if that's in your budget. The Puma was basically a "Fiesta with a different hat on" (that's how it was sold internally!!) and you do get more space for your money.
Moondust Silver seems to be THE colour that Puma owners chose... although it is a slightly soft paint. In fact there were some issues in build, and mine even had twice the thickness of paint it should have done... it had actually been sprayed twice at the factory!
If you do go for the Puma... just be careful when you open the boot after it has rained. Pop the boot and you'll get water inside... you need to lift it about three inches first, hold it to let the water drain off... the let it open fully!
Both were good cars, and offered an enjoyable driving experience. Rearward visibility on the Puma takes some getting used to, but you do learn it pretty quickly. What hasn't been mentioned here is that some of the 1.7's suffered with Nikasil issues... worth doing some homework first to save a big bill. IIRC this tended to surface around 70k. There used to be a Yahoo group / website called PumaPeople which was a good source of information.
IMO it's worth considering a Fiesta Zetec-S if that's in your budget. The Puma was basically a "Fiesta with a different hat on" (that's how it was sold internally!!) and you do get more space for your money.
Moondust Silver seems to be THE colour that Puma owners chose... although it is a slightly soft paint. In fact there were some issues in build, and mine even had twice the thickness of paint it should have done... it had actually been sprayed twice at the factory!
If you do go for the Puma... just be careful when you open the boot after it has rained. Pop the boot and you'll get water inside... you need to lift it about three inches first, hold it to let the water drain off... the let it open fully!
Mrs. NCOT has been looking at these to replace her Corsa (hallelujah! 
)
I found the interior pretty dull to be honest (I hate cars without a centre console, reminds me of my old X-reg Metro!
)
What I do need to know is the dimensions of the boot - how wide/deep is it as she needs to fit her violin in there Anybody pop outside with a tape measure? Cheers!
) I found the interior pretty dull to be honest (I hate cars without a centre console, reminds me of my old X-reg Metro!
) What I do need to know is the dimensions of the boot - how wide/deep is it as she needs to fit her violin in there
Anybody pop outside with a tape measure? Cheers!NiceCupOfTea said:
Mrs. NCOT has been looking at these to replace her Corsa (hallelujah!
I found the interior pretty dull to be honest (I hate cars without a centre console, reminds me of my old X-reg Metro!
What I do need to know is the dimensions of the boot - how wide/deep is it as she needs to fit her violin in there
You can fit a golf bag diagonally in there (minus eveything above a 3 iron, so a violin should be ok. Its actually quite a big boot, its deeper than you think, but as mentioned, a bastard when its rained.
Great car - easily the best i have owned - so much fun and really cheap to run.
Had a 1997 model and covered 50k in it about 4 years.
only problems i had were clutches - it had two one at 40k then another at 80k. I was under the impression this was normal, i think its what the evo buying guide said at the time. I also had an exhaust corrode, but that was down to a couple of years of short journeys.
Never missed a beat other than that.
I moved onto an ST170, although the focus is the faster car by a margin it still doesnt beat the puma in the smile factor!
Had a 1997 model and covered 50k in it about 4 years.
only problems i had were clutches - it had two one at 40k then another at 80k. I was under the impression this was normal, i think its what the evo buying guide said at the time. I also had an exhaust corrode, but that was down to a couple of years of short journeys.
Never missed a beat other than that.
I moved onto an ST170, although the focus is the faster car by a margin it still doesnt beat the puma in the smile factor!
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