RE: SOTW Special: Ford Puma
Discussion
The Puma certainly made the best of the small Ford parts bin (Fiesta).
But really great cars are cast from different blocks.
for the next months, I beg your pardon...you youth seem to be no good
in the workshop anymore...
Otherwise Riggers can have a row of beers, next time he is in Cologne.
(Cologne, Germany, - not bathed in Old Spice...)
Martin 480 turbo
But really great cars are cast from different blocks.
for the next months, I beg your pardon...you youth seem to be no good
in the workshop anymore...
Otherwise Riggers can have a row of beers, next time he is in Cologne.
(Cologne, Germany, - not bathed in Old Spice...)
Martin 480 turbo
Slightly iffy choice as a shed given that we're used to seeing cars you'd not expect to get for a 'bag o sand' and there's nothing surprising about a 'fancy Fiesta' being this cheap.
Don't get me wrong, I love Pumas - Ford's best car since the Cosworth - it's just as they pass 10-years-old they're finally going to sell to people who WILL get the most from them.
Cramped inside, boot pointless (and lid soaks all contents when you open it) but absolute firecrackers in performance and handling terms - clearly a car for the petrolhead on-a-budget, if you've not driven one, you're automotively ignorant.
If you can stand the hairdresser jokes - and it's seems Riggers will have no issues there - you could even have one for cheaps!!
Don't get me wrong, I love Pumas - Ford's best car since the Cosworth - it's just as they pass 10-years-old they're finally going to sell to people who WILL get the most from them.
Cramped inside, boot pointless (and lid soaks all contents when you open it) but absolute firecrackers in performance and handling terms - clearly a car for the petrolhead on-a-budget, if you've not driven one, you're automotively ignorant.
If you can stand the hairdresser jokes - and it's seems Riggers will have no issues there - you could even have one for cheaps!!
Bought my 98 Puma in May and have not looked back since even after AMG's, Twin Turbo'd Soarer's, TT's (not torn testicles) and some other rapid/rabid stuff. I think the go cart handling is akin to the bit in one of the Batman films where he turns the car with a wire hooked round a lamp post. It hasn't got a great deal of power but probably almost enough but the handling more than makes up for it!
B'stard Child said:
Don't take the "shed" term so literally - it's been done to death over the years - think of it as what can be bought with a bag a sand or less (up to £1,000).......
no, still not buying it...shouldn't be called shedding then, maybe 'interesting motoring on a budget'surely a Shed should have once been the play thing of an oil baron/stockbroker/city lawyer etc, and now we get to play with it as its been to the moon and back and might go pop at anytime...i used to swan about in my grandad's 1978 XJ6 Damiler, 3 speed auto, Straight 6, leather, map light on dash etc...killed by rust 12 months later ...thats a shed...IMO don't see the Puma as one of these...
Ps. Please disregard the above if it is going to cause offence/ start world war 3 etc..
First Puma I drove came right-after a drive in a Mk1 Elise - and in some ways, the Puma actually felt 'as sharp' - certainly sharper than any roadcar usually would.
When you're pulling-out onto a roundabout there's a point where the clutch is biting and the car is starting to move which you factor-in everytime you do it - except that in cars like the Elise and the Puma, it doesn't exist.
You just raise the revs, lift the clutch and you're in the middle of the roundabout and accelerating off it
A feeling of no mass, no drag, no slip - lovely...
When you're pulling-out onto a roundabout there's a point where the clutch is biting and the car is starting to move which you factor-in everytime you do it - except that in cars like the Elise and the Puma, it doesn't exist.
You just raise the revs, lift the clutch and you're in the middle of the roundabout and accelerating off it
A feeling of no mass, no drag, no slip - lovely...
Rollcage said:
Pumas are great little cars - if it had another 50bhp it would be an absolute riot, and more than a match for the aforementioned Clio Cups, etc - which incidentally, don't seem to be available for Puma money, or is that not the point?
For the money, there's not much to beat them.
They did also do a Ford Racing Puma, with 30 Extra BHP and reducing the 0-60 times, but I think the main idea of the Racing Puma were Handling upgrades to what was already very good handling.For the money, there's not much to beat them.
I love how so many criticise this little car. They certainly wouldnt if they hadnt driven it. These are some of the finest small cars ever made. Revvy little engines, simple but well positioned seating and one seriously great handling car. Sure it wasnt seriously quick but thats not the point of this car. Its about fun and the smile factor and this car delivers in bags, not to mention having one of the best gear knobs in history.
Congrats on the buy, you will be enjoying what you drive every time you move!
Congrats on the buy, you will be enjoying what you drive every time you move!
Goodfella 555 said:
Its funny you say that cos i had a 728i which i traded in for a Puma! I missed the quietness and the luxury but that was about it. I got the Puma because i wanted something cheap to chuck around and it really didn't disappoint. As with all Pher's, I think I just like good cars (or cars that were good once) and it depends on what mood i'm in as to whether i buy a barge, hot hatch, saloon, two seater (anything really!)
Goodfella, you make a valid point...horses for courses i suppose. I don't think that i have the right mind set for sheds, i've spent all up £5K on my Mk1 MX-5, maybe its worth £2.5K at a stretch...this makes no sense at all, especially not to my wife, but it looks nice and shinny when i polish it...
I love seeing these appreciation threads popping up for the deserving little car that the Puma is. I'm on my third Puma from over the past 2.5 years, (35,000 'ish miles) all bought for £2500 or under and with the exception of a rocker cover gasket and routine maintenance they have needed nothing.
My Current 1.7 Moondust silver has covered around 19,000 miles with me and has just hit 51,000 miles - I plan on keeping it for some time yet.
No feeling better than sticking with them Fiesta ST's which my friends are upto their eyeballs in finance paying for.
G
My Current 1.7 Moondust silver has covered around 19,000 miles with me and has just hit 51,000 miles - I plan on keeping it for some time yet.
No feeling better than sticking with them Fiesta ST's which my friends are upto their eyeballs in finance paying for.
G
Itsallicanafford said:
B'stard Child said:
Don't take the "shed" term so literally - it's been done to death over the years - think of it as what can be bought with a bag a sand or less (up to £1,000).......
no, still not buying it...shouldn't be called shedding then, maybe 'interesting motoring on a budget'surely a Shed should have once been the play thing of an oil baron/stockbroker/city lawyer etc, and now we get to play with it as its been to the moon and back and might go pop at anytime...i used to swan about in my grandad's 1978 XJ6 Damiler, 3 speed auto, Straight 6, leather, map light on dash etc...killed by rust 12 months later ...thats a shed...IMO don't see the Puma as one of these...
Ps. Please disregard the above if it is going to cause offence/ start world war 3 etc..
Just don't take the shed bit quite so literally and accept that every so often the car chosen isn't in line with your shed perception
It's SOTW every week not SOSOTW when it's not a luxo barge
SOSOTW = Sort Of Shed Of The Week
toon10 said:
Pumas are so cheap now there's scope for having a luxo barge for those moments when you need to waft in opulence and a Puma to stick in the garage for fun jaunts/cheap commuting, etc.
I mentioned it a couple of weeks ago so i'll make it v.brief but i'm possibly going to do what you said but the other way round. I have a 53 plate MR2 and the wife has an 06 S2K. I'm considering buying an XJ8 (or similar) for long journeys, shopping and trips to the airport etc. Seems ridiculous but as big thirsty motors are getting cheaper and cheaper it seems like a good plan(!) 
Itsallicanafford said:
no, still not buying it...shouldn't be called shedding then, maybe 'interesting motoring on a budget'
surely a Shed should have once been the play thing of an oil baron/stockbroker/city lawyer etc, and now we get to play with it as its been to the moon and back and might go pop at anytime...i used to swan about in my grandad's 1978 XJ6 Damiler, 3 speed auto, Straight 6, leather, map light on dash etc...killed by rust 12 months later ...thats a shed...IMO don't see the Puma as one of these...
Ps. Please disregard the above if it is going to cause offence/ start world war 3 etc..
Right, we'll change it then. After all, it's only been running for about 8 years surely a Shed should have once been the play thing of an oil baron/stockbroker/city lawyer etc, and now we get to play with it as its been to the moon and back and might go pop at anytime...i used to swan about in my grandad's 1978 XJ6 Damiler, 3 speed auto, Straight 6, leather, map light on dash etc...killed by rust 12 months later ...thats a shed...IMO don't see the Puma as one of these...
Ps. Please disregard the above if it is going to cause offence/ start world war 3 etc..
Shed: A term that (when attached to the phrase 'of the week' on popular website PistonHeads) defines the best car for sale in a given week, for £1000 (or less).
A partial shed history can be found here: http://www.pistonheads.com/doc.asp?c=162
B'stard Child said:
It won't - it's been discussed before so we don't need to do it again
Just don't take the shed bit quite so literally and accept that every so often the car chosen isn't in line with your shed perception
It's SOTW every week not SOSOTW when it's not a luxo barge
SOSOTW = Sort Of Shed Of The Week
...this is a very good point, one man's meat and all that and it does open up the discussion beyond mercs, bm's and Jags...Just don't take the shed bit quite so literally and accept that every so often the car chosen isn't in line with your shed perception
It's SOTW every week not SOSOTW when it's not a luxo barge
SOSOTW = Sort Of Shed Of The Week
...its and interesting feature this as surely soon all possibilites will be exhausted, there are only so many cars to discuss that fall into this bracket and i cannot imagine that their numbers are increasing by the 1 a week which will keep this all going....when an ford orion is up for discussion the tipping point might have been reached...(it hasn't, has it?)
thetapeworm said:
hora said:
OP and Salmon, on this you can get away with 'cycling' the heating - i.e. set to max on heat, run then switch suddenly to max on cold and vice versa for a while. This clears it out.
One of the HCV faults is that the plastic connectors that the pipes push onto just snap off - they go brittle with age and then suddenly let go in a way that makes it hard to perform a roadside fix.One of those easy to replace parts that's worth doing just for the sake of it - OEM parts only though.
Just ticked over 67k here. Get the revs over 3.5k and point at your twisty bits of choice
Only wish the seats had bigger bolsters, cornering capabilities being what they are
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