Daughters first car - Fiat Punto
Discussion
Picking up this tomorrow - my daughters first car - a 52 plate Fiat Punto Active 1.2
Quite nice actually for what it is (a girly little shopping trolley). Pretty much SOTW material since it was picked up for 'a bag'. 66000 miles and full service history. 2 new tyres, with the other 2 being decent, and new exhaust (inc cat).
Gape (and yawn) in amazement at it's splendour.
Tomorrow I'll set to work trying to train my daughter the correct cleaning/waxing methods. (Pipe down at the back !)
Quite nice actually for what it is (a girly little shopping trolley). Pretty much SOTW material since it was picked up for 'a bag'. 66000 miles and full service history. 2 new tyres, with the other 2 being decent, and new exhaust (inc cat).
Gape (and yawn) in amazement at it's splendour.
Tomorrow I'll set to work trying to train my daughter the correct cleaning/waxing methods. (Pipe down at the back !)
Excellent first car. Ideal for short shopping and urban use.
All my kids had Ford Ka's (original) for the same reasons. Sadly the Ka's rot in the rear arches and rapidly become uneconomic repairs. But your Punto is better protected.
If you can interest any women in car maintenance I would immediately apply to run Ofsted. Put petrol in, occasionally was all my lot ever managed. Then under protest. Much rather borrow Dads and Mums and return it empty, was par for the course in our house. Not even oil checks undertaken. Fortunately with modern cars there is really very maintenance.
I wish you well.
All my kids had Ford Ka's (original) for the same reasons. Sadly the Ka's rot in the rear arches and rapidly become uneconomic repairs. But your Punto is better protected.
If you can interest any women in car maintenance I would immediately apply to run Ofsted. Put petrol in, occasionally was all my lot ever managed. Then under protest. Much rather borrow Dads and Mums and return it empty, was par for the course in our house. Not even oil checks undertaken. Fortunately with modern cars there is really very maintenance.
I wish you well.
Nice little Punto! 
I had one for a daily commuter car, held up well for about 50kmiles of abuse from the twisty cadwell hills. Died eventually with big end bearing failure after the HG went and fried no.1 piston ring abit making it use loads of oil. Was forever topping up.
Common issue on the 1.2 8v engine are overheating leading to HG failure, and being a bugger to bleed all the air out of the coolant system due to the heater matrix. Also power steering failure, which to fix is a complete power steering assembly. How people still drove them without the PS working I do not know, sooo heavy! City mode is brill though, sooo easy and relaxing.
Hope she enjoys it!
I had one for a daily commuter car, held up well for about 50kmiles of abuse from the twisty cadwell hills. Died eventually with big end bearing failure after the HG went and fried no.1 piston ring abit making it use loads of oil. Was forever topping up.Common issue on the 1.2 8v engine are overheating leading to HG failure, and being a bugger to bleed all the air out of the coolant system due to the heater matrix. Also power steering failure, which to fix is a complete power steering assembly. How people still drove them without the PS working I do not know, sooo heavy! City mode is brill though, sooo easy and relaxing.
Hope she enjoys it!
My brother has one of these as a first car. Had some really horrible problems when we first got it, to be honest the engine turned out to be knackered.
But now its 100% I quite like it, nice place to sit, haven't really got a bad word to say about it. I don't understand the "city steering" button. The steering is really light as it is, but the city steer button makes it even lighter for tight parking. Maybe because i'm used to Non Pas i don't see the point.
But now its 100% I quite like it, nice place to sit, haven't really got a bad word to say about it. I don't understand the "city steering" button. The steering is really light as it is, but the city steer button makes it even lighter for tight parking. Maybe because i'm used to Non Pas i don't see the point.
I'd post some post-cleaning and waxing pics, but no one's really interested.
Suffice to say it cleaned & waxed-up really nice. Very nice indeed.
And yes, my daughter helped with the waxing too. (Still no pics).
After a weekend driving it - both I and daughter are really happy with it.
I can also say this: I don't know if it's down to gearing, but the 02 Punto 1.2 has more guts than the 1.2 12 plate Corsa I had on rental this weekend. A hill the Punto took easily in 4th, needed 3rd on the Corsa.
Only problem found so far is blown speakers. They're fine up to a certain volume, then they just break up and 'crackle'.
Suffice to say it cleaned & waxed-up really nice. Very nice indeed.
And yes, my daughter helped with the waxing too. (Still no pics).
After a weekend driving it - both I and daughter are really happy with it.
I can also say this: I don't know if it's down to gearing, but the 02 Punto 1.2 has more guts than the 1.2 12 plate Corsa I had on rental this weekend. A hill the Punto took easily in 4th, needed 3rd on the Corsa.
Only problem found so far is blown speakers. They're fine up to a certain volume, then they just break up and 'crackle'.
r1ch said:
My brother has one of these as a first car. Had some really horrible problems when we first got it, to be honest the engine turned out to be knackered.
But now its 100% I quite like it, nice place to sit, haven't really got a bad word to say about it. I don't understand the "city steering" button. The steering is really light as it is, but the city steer button makes it even lighter for tight parking. Maybe because i'm used to Non Pas i don't see the point.
Exactly - totally unnecessary. You can twirl the wheel by thought transfer.But now its 100% I quite like it, nice place to sit, haven't really got a bad word to say about it. I don't understand the "city steering" button. The steering is really light as it is, but the city steer button makes it even lighter for tight parking. Maybe because i'm used to Non Pas i don't see the point.
I got a 1.2 Punto Active Sport as my first car just before I passed my test. Nearly 5 years on, I still have it. Has been decently reliable (had a bit of money spent on it last year but think it was of the age where lots needed replaced at once), regularly get 40mpg despite thrashing the poor car everywhere and it constantly feels faster than it is. I honestly love it, and so will your daughter
The insurance wasn't that bad either. 499 quid with Kelly as main driver, on a provisional license, and me as a named driver. It went up to 650 to put a mate of mine on also. We were then offered the choice of paying 1300 quid in which case the insurance doesn't go up when she passes her test. Or 1800 quid (pro rata) when she passes.
Proud Dad here 
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