RE: Shed of the Week: Ford Puma
Discussion
PoopahScoopah said:
egor110 said:
I'm not sure a puma is a car is a car to sink money into when they all rust anyway.
Buy one with a long mot whack on some decent tyres and thrash the pants off it and enjoy it.
I've just bought one and so far done oil and filters , wheel bearing and a sticking rear drum brake , cambelt next i think so like you i'm not good at shedding
That's exactly my dilema. I totally agree that this is a car where you have to take the tough Shedding stance. But as tempting as it is I know I will fail miserably. Even if I could control myself and keep it bone stock I just know I'd end up chasing rattles and clinks and replacing all the suspension to get it handling perfectly, probably decent tyres too. Buy one with a long mot whack on some decent tyres and thrash the pants off it and enjoy it.
I've just bought one and so far done oil and filters , wheel bearing and a sticking rear drum brake , cambelt next i think so like you i'm not good at shedding
It's typical of PH that I read these tales of the amazing low mileage full MOT full SH ultra bargains that people have found and I get naughty thoughts, but these are "right time right place" bargains. I had a quick trawl through eBay, AT and Gumtree and nothing really stood out to me just now as being worth a punt.
Mine had zero history but it was low mileage and only 2 miles from where i live and not to rusty .
It's only when you put it on a lift you can see both sills have had work done , but £500 isn't a lot and worth a punt .
FELIX_5 said:
M1C said:
That sandwich looks a bit rank but i will follow your progress today!
All the best and let us know how you get on!
Ha, it tasted better than it looked!! It was warm and resembled bacon, so I'm not complaining, the bread roll was certainly the highlight though! All the best and let us know how you get on!
Let's hope the Puma is in better shape!
Rear wheel arches and under the sills are your 1st ports of call.
What's surprised me about mine is not the cabin build quality but how the suspension/bushes still feel really tight and in good condition.
I think that there's a lot of over rating going on here. I had a 1.7 and it was a decent car but it was far from the amazing go kart that it's being made out to be (at least in standard form).
The engine reved well but felt flat, it definitely could have done with another 30bhp and a bit of character. I was expecting a kick from the vvt but it was all too smooth.
The brakes were ok'ish on the road but I imagine they would have been scary on a track.
The suspension was wallowy but grip was good.
I supposed with a grand thrown at it everything could have been improved a bit but that's the case with most cars.
At the price they are now they are a bargain for a cheap bit of fun.
We kept our for about 3 years untill the first kid came along (buggy wouldn't fit in the boot) and it was a reliable but of fun but still flawed.
The engine reved well but felt flat, it definitely could have done with another 30bhp and a bit of character. I was expecting a kick from the vvt but it was all too smooth.
The brakes were ok'ish on the road but I imagine they would have been scary on a track.
The suspension was wallowy but grip was good.
I supposed with a grand thrown at it everything could have been improved a bit but that's the case with most cars.
At the price they are now they are a bargain for a cheap bit of fun.
We kept our for about 3 years untill the first kid came along (buggy wouldn't fit in the boot) and it was a reliable but of fun but still flawed.
0ddball said:
The engine reved well but felt flat, it definitely could have done with another 30bhp and a bit of character. I was expecting a kick from the vvt but it was all too smooth.
The VCT isn't a VTEC (Yo!) arrangement, but designed to optimise torque through the rev range. It's not about top end kick at all, and isn't designed to do that. I found it a very tractable, torquey engine for its size.If the suspension was wallowy on yours, there was something wrong with it. If anything I thought the ride was a little firm compared to the Peugeot efforts of the time. I do take your point on the brakes though which are marginal. And while we're picking faults, the headlights are gash as well.
Nice one Felix, looks good!
Oddball....overrating...i dont know about that. There's enough people on here now who over the years have maybe gone from 'it's a girls car' to it's actually really really good!'
But yes. On your points...
The engine is smooth rather than mental at the top. Id agree with that. However i'd also say it meant it had enough 'go' in the middle for decent relaxed progress (if thats what you wanted)
Brakes - i'd agree. Definitely the least good bit of the driving experience. Lacking feel, bit wooden.
Oddball....overrating...i dont know about that. There's enough people on here now who over the years have maybe gone from 'it's a girls car' to it's actually really really good!'
But yes. On your points...
The engine is smooth rather than mental at the top. Id agree with that. However i'd also say it meant it had enough 'go' in the middle for decent relaxed progress (if thats what you wanted)
Brakes - i'd agree. Definitely the least good bit of the driving experience. Lacking feel, bit wooden.
0ddball said:
I think that there's a lot of over rating going on here. I had a 1.7 and it was a decent car but it was far from the amazing go kart that it's being made out to be (at least in standard form).
The engine reved well but felt flat, it definitely could have done with another 30bhp and a bit of character. I was expecting a kick from the vvt but it was all too smooth.
The brakes were ok'ish on the road but I imagine they would have been scary on a track.
The suspension was wallowy but grip was good.
I supposed with a grand thrown at it everything could have been improved a bit but that's the case with most cars.
At the price they are now they are a bargain for a cheap bit of fun.
We kept our for about 3 years untill the first kid came along (buggy wouldn't fit in the boot) and it was a reliable but of fun but still flawed.
Maybe you bought a bad example with tired suspension ?The engine reved well but felt flat, it definitely could have done with another 30bhp and a bit of character. I was expecting a kick from the vvt but it was all too smooth.
The brakes were ok'ish on the road but I imagine they would have been scary on a track.
The suspension was wallowy but grip was good.
I supposed with a grand thrown at it everything could have been improved a bit but that's the case with most cars.
At the price they are now they are a bargain for a cheap bit of fun.
We kept our for about 3 years untill the first kid came along (buggy wouldn't fit in the boot) and it was a reliable but of fun but still flawed.
To me a go kart is a car that you fling into corners and it just grips , there never going to have loads of torque are they are.
0ddball said:
I think that there's a lot of over rating going on here. I had a 1.7 and it was a decent car but it was far from the amazing go kart that it's being made out to be (at least in standard form).
The engine reved well but felt flat, it definitely could have done with another 30bhp and a bit of character. I was expecting a kick from the vvt but it was all too smooth.
The brakes were ok'ish on the road but I imagine they would have been scary on a track.
The suspension was wallowy but grip was good.
I've said it before, and also earlier in this thread in fact, that I also found the engine overrated in these. It wasn't "bad" by any means, as others have said, its a flexible, and reasonably tractable engine, but I too found it a bit flat and lacking in character. By comparison, a 1.8 Corsa SRI that I drove not long before it had a much nicer engine for me. Despite having the same power output, it felt more urgent, and sounded better.The engine reved well but felt flat, it definitely could have done with another 30bhp and a bit of character. I was expecting a kick from the vvt but it was all too smooth.
The brakes were ok'ish on the road but I imagine they would have been scary on a track.
The suspension was wallowy but grip was good.
The brakes were crap on the road, never mind a track.
It did have a fair bit of body roll but I would not describe it as wallowy. If anything the suspension travel that many find "ugly" was one of the reasons for me it did so well on a bumpy B-road.
Nope, not a bad example ( I suspected that was coming). It was a low mileage decent one and the others I drove were exactly the same. It was the girlfriend who wanted one.
Like I say, it's a decent but of fun and probably the best all round car you can get for £500 but imo they are aren't all that. I do wonder what a £500 example will drive like.
Like I say, it's a decent but of fun and probably the best all round car you can get for £500 but imo they are aren't all that. I do wonder what a £500 example will drive like.
0ddball said:
Nope, not a bad example ( I suspected that was coming). It was a low mileage decent one and the others I drove were exactly the same. It was the girlfriend who wanted one.
Like I say, it's a decent but of fun and probably the best all round car you can get for £500 but imo they are aren't all that. I do wonder what a £500 example will drive like.
If your in Somerset come and have a drive .Like I say, it's a decent but of fun and probably the best all round car you can get for £500 but imo they are aren't all that. I do wonder what a £500 example will drive like.
I think at shed money you need to be realistic as to what you can have for your money.
egor110 said:
You might be surprised , i thought i'd have to replace the suspension and bushes but to be honest it feels really tight .
.
Well I read a 45 page project thread that spanned 6 years on ProjectPuma yesterday. And the funny thing was that the owner thought the handling was fabulous from day 1 (and he was an ex 205 GTI owner) but later found that one of the front springs was broken. After that was fixed it felt even better. And then over time he found and replaced more and more worn out bits and felt the improvement every time. And yet in spite of this wear and tear it felt brilliant BEFORE he'd done any of that work. I guess that says a lot if a broken worn out PUma feels better and more fun than a lot of other unbroken cars..
PoopahScoopah said:
egor110 said:
You might be surprised , i thought i'd have to replace the suspension and bushes but to be honest it feels really tight .
.
Well I read a 45 page project thread that spanned 6 years on ProjectPuma yesterday. And the funny thing was that the owner thought the handling was fabulous from day 1 (and he was an ex 205 GTI owner) but later found that one of the front springs was broken. After that was fixed it felt even better. And then over time he found and replaced more and more worn out bits and felt the improvement every time. And yet in spite of this wear and tear it felt brilliant!.
FELIX_5 said:
Thanks, got back home about half an hour ago.
I'm going to start a readers ride thread soon, I'll go into a lot more detail, and give an honest appraisal of it.
But my first impressions, it's even better than I'd hoped!
It drives superbly, everything feels lovely and 'tight'. The steering, gear change everything feels lovely and crisp, you can really tell it's been properly maintained!
So briefly, what does £650 buy you?
Four matching Dunlop tyres, the seller VERY kindly brimmed the tank with fuel, so I didn't have to stop on the way home! (Very generous given how little I paid for the car!) All 3 keys including the 'master key', a recent service in August this year, that came to a total of £644.53, almost as much as I paid for the whole car!!!
All the old mot certs, service invoices, including the documented timing belt change, a fully stamped up service book, and even the original bill if sale! This revealed that this had the air con and 'lux pack' as cost options.
So I'm over the moon with it!!
Will post pictures and more details over the next few days.....
Great work, sir I'm going to start a readers ride thread soon, I'll go into a lot more detail, and give an honest appraisal of it.
But my first impressions, it's even better than I'd hoped!
It drives superbly, everything feels lovely and 'tight'. The steering, gear change everything feels lovely and crisp, you can really tell it's been properly maintained!
So briefly, what does £650 buy you?
Four matching Dunlop tyres, the seller VERY kindly brimmed the tank with fuel, so I didn't have to stop on the way home! (Very generous given how little I paid for the car!) All 3 keys including the 'master key', a recent service in August this year, that came to a total of £644.53, almost as much as I paid for the whole car!!!
All the old mot certs, service invoices, including the documented timing belt change, a fully stamped up service book, and even the original bill if sale! This revealed that this had the air con and 'lux pack' as cost options.
So I'm over the moon with it!!
Will post pictures and more details over the next few days.....
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