RE: Shed of the Week: Ford Puma
Discussion
V8 FOU said:
What's all this "if only it wasn't so far away" b
ks?
I don't think I have ever bought a car less than 200 miles away.
Usual PH rubbish.
I suppose if there is a feature on the lastest hyper thing, the same people would be posting "if only I had the money" "when I win the lottery" etc etc
Brilliant Shed BTW!
Lol, bang on point Fouster, I am one of the few who could actually play the 'it's too far away' (in a girlie voice) card, being in Sydney and all.ks?I don't think I have ever bought a car less than 200 miles away.
Usual PH rubbish.
I suppose if there is a feature on the lastest hyper thing, the same people would be posting "if only I had the money" "when I win the lottery" etc etc
Brilliant Shed BTW!
But even I am considering getting on the phone and buying the thing for when I am next over for a month or two.
Get over yourselves ffs, it's a cracking shed, someone buy it, daily it until it fails its MOT then strip out the interior and track the sht out of it. Otherwise I might lose a few quid on the exchange rates!
I had a blue 1700 one about five years ago. Paid £120 for it, needed tyres and brake lines. Rear arches had been fixed and it had been painted. Looked lovely. About six months in to ownership a low-flying Pigeon smashed the windscreen and it just wasn't worth the insurance excess to get a replacement, so I broke it and scrapped it.
Cracking cars, unbelievably fun to drive!
Ford Puma 1.7 by WoertherseePics, on Flickr
Cracking cars, unbelievably fun to drive!
Ford Puma 1.7 by WoertherseePics, on FlickrI had a Black edition (pleather interior and F1 style wheels) as my second car! Still have fond memories of it now, it was a hoot to drive! Either pottering to work and back or going out for a blast just because!
Rot got mine, and bits in the engine bay generally failing (it wasn't the best example) so I broke it for spares and made £600 back in parts and got £100 for the rolling shell!
Would have another, even a rusty one with a few years in it would do! Mine passed it's last MOT with the rear arch wobbed in black silicone, although when I pulled the carpet up to sell it the floorpan was very scabby!
I also remember it being excellent in snow! The first year I had it was the first time it had snowed since I passed my test, so I pottered off to the closed local cinema and did sensible handbrake turns, turning in too quickly, harsh braking to see which way it went etc, learnt alot! I also found that pulling away was easier to just put some revs on and let the ABS kick in, then into 2nd and away it went! Nice wide tyres on a light car helped it there!
The boot struts on mine were broken too, but that was OK, as it stopped the aformentioned water ingress (the water runs around the glass and into the boot, missing the gutter). A quick pop with the key, then lift it an inch and let the water drain and then open the boot was a much better way of doing it! The boot was also HUGE, I moved in with my girlfriend when I owned it and got a surprising amount in it each time! (althoug hthe XM estate I had when we moved from that flat to our current house was better!)
That bloody gearknob was freezing in the winter and burnt your hand in the summer though (mine would stall at idle with hte air con on...)
Rot got mine, and bits in the engine bay generally failing (it wasn't the best example) so I broke it for spares and made £600 back in parts and got £100 for the rolling shell!
Would have another, even a rusty one with a few years in it would do! Mine passed it's last MOT with the rear arch wobbed in black silicone, although when I pulled the carpet up to sell it the floorpan was very scabby!
I also remember it being excellent in snow! The first year I had it was the first time it had snowed since I passed my test, so I pottered off to the closed local cinema and did sensible handbrake turns, turning in too quickly, harsh braking to see which way it went etc, learnt alot! I also found that pulling away was easier to just put some revs on and let the ABS kick in, then into 2nd and away it went! Nice wide tyres on a light car helped it there!
The boot struts on mine were broken too, but that was OK, as it stopped the aformentioned water ingress (the water runs around the glass and into the boot, missing the gutter). A quick pop with the key, then lift it an inch and let the water drain and then open the boot was a much better way of doing it! The boot was also HUGE, I moved in with my girlfriend when I owned it and got a surprising amount in it each time! (althoug hthe XM estate I had when we moved from that flat to our current house was better!)
That bloody gearknob was freezing in the winter and burnt your hand in the summer though (mine would stall at idle with hte air con on...)
Great shed, sounds like a half decent one. I bought a late 1.7 last year as a winter track car project for £250. For around a grand I had a very capable car that was a right hoot on track and was mercilessly thrashed around Oulton Park all day with very few breaks (I fitted RSR tyres and DS3000 pads and served everything to make sure I could stay out for long stints). What a hoot! Even being used to driving much quicker stuff it's surprising just how much fun can be had in something low-powered with excellent handling. Especially in the wet when everyone else hides in the paddock!!
As illustrated here (excuse my terrible editing 'skills') https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSBA99Zfm3o
As illustrated here (excuse my terrible editing 'skills') https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSBA99Zfm3o
Richair said:
Great shed, sounds like a half decent one. I bought a late 1.7 last year as a winter track car project for £250. For around a grand I had a very capable car that was a right hoot on track and was mercilessly thrashed around Oulton Park all day with very few breaks (I fitted RSR tyres and DS3000 pads and served everything to make sure I could stay out for long stints). What a hoot! Even being used to driving much quicker stuff it's surprising just how much fun can be had in something low-powered with excellent handling. Especially in the wet when everyone else hides in the paddock!!
As illustrated here (excuse my terrible editing 'skills') https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSBA99Zfm3o
Love it As illustrated here (excuse my terrible editing 'skills') https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSBA99Zfm3o
I did embarrassingly spin mine at Abingdon once when turning in to the first left hander, but otherwise just thoroughly enjoyed it. Great fun, generally very friendly on the limit, and light on tyres and fuel due to the weight.
Gonna have to get another
Limpet said:
Love it
I did embarrassingly spin mine at Abingdon once when turning in to the first left hander, but otherwise just thoroughly enjoyed it. Great fun, generally very friendly on the limit, and light on tyres and fuel due to the weight.
Gonna have to get another
They're set up 'on the nose' very well, so I can see how people say they're easy to spin. A very good set up for making progress, Ford did a cracking job with the spring rates and basic geometry. I was very impressed with the stability and lack of understeer in the wet (with a good dollop of trail braking of course!) in the wet. Pretty much a perfect car for beginners on track! I did embarrassingly spin mine at Abingdon once when turning in to the first left hander, but otherwise just thoroughly enjoyed it. Great fun, generally very friendly on the limit, and light on tyres and fuel due to the weight.
Gonna have to get another
I flogged this one to a mate, but like you I do like the idea of another one at some point.
Great little cars. My Mum ran one of these for 10 years and she loved it. Despite plenty of opportunities to buy newer more upmarket cars she couldn't be tempted out of the Puma. Only when the bodywork began to fail was it sold. Was always a reliable little motor, never broke down and never needed much repairs.
Excellent budget fun.
A great "my first sports car" choice.
Can only think of one other car of that era that approaches the way these drive
And that's a Clio 172, but they are on a different price point these days.
Rust will remove all but the most cherished of these from the roads soon but
A good one is still a great steer,
Surprisingly bulletproof 1.7 engine, a female friend owned one for 5-6 years and
Religiously ran it low on oil & coolant all the time. It still had enough life in it
To be passed on to my then Student Nephew who drove it hard for another 2 years
Without failure.
We still have one in the family.
In no particular order they like.....
Heater fan resistors
Front lower control arms (cheap and easy to replace)
Heater valve units (easy swap out)
Fuel pumps....(tank out job inc grit in the eyes...)
Idle control valves.
Corroded rear brake pipes & fuel lines.
Early cars leak through bulkhead seals & make the floor wet.
Most parts are cheap as chips, just get friendly with a local welder come mot time
A great "my first sports car" choice.
Can only think of one other car of that era that approaches the way these drive
And that's a Clio 172, but they are on a different price point these days.
Rust will remove all but the most cherished of these from the roads soon but
A good one is still a great steer,
Surprisingly bulletproof 1.7 engine, a female friend owned one for 5-6 years and
Religiously ran it low on oil & coolant all the time. It still had enough life in it
To be passed on to my then Student Nephew who drove it hard for another 2 years
Without failure.
We still have one in the family.
In no particular order they like.....
Heater fan resistors
Front lower control arms (cheap and easy to replace)
Heater valve units (easy swap out)
Fuel pumps....(tank out job inc grit in the eyes...)
Idle control valves.
Corroded rear brake pipes & fuel lines.
Early cars leak through bulkhead seals & make the floor wet.
Most parts are cheap as chips, just get friendly with a local welder come mot time
Bought a 2001 Puma 1.7 3 months ago. 184k miles, no visible rust on arches, 1 owner from new, new clutch, rad, cambelt, waterpump, long MOT £350....
Needed a new exhaust, £50 for a full catback from eurocarparts. You can buy a spare car MOT failure with less than 100k miles for less than £150, and harvest it's engine, gearbox etc.
It's quite simply better than these cars I have owned/own
Clio 172 Cup
Civic FN2 type r
Renault 5 GT Turbo
Renault 19 16v Chamade
Renault Megane 225.
The 1.7 is torquey and revs strongly. On a good day with just me in the car it feels fast for what it is. I've had it 3 months and I'm still not bored of it. The steering, handling, engine response and gearbox are all excellent.
I can pick faults easily, mainly with the interior, but for £350, I'm not cruel. This car is a keeper, in fact I'm going to start hoarding Pumas. The're that good.
If you're thinking about trying one, don't delay, this is the golden time to buy one. Cheap visibly rust free cars are still out there, there is plenty of MOT failures ready to be harvested and pattern replacement parts are ridiculous cheap. I've priced up a major service kit, including front disks and pads and good oil - £90!
Needed a new exhaust, £50 for a full catback from eurocarparts. You can buy a spare car MOT failure with less than 100k miles for less than £150, and harvest it's engine, gearbox etc.
It's quite simply better than these cars I have owned/own
Clio 172 Cup
Civic FN2 type r
Renault 5 GT Turbo
Renault 19 16v Chamade
Renault Megane 225.
The 1.7 is torquey and revs strongly. On a good day with just me in the car it feels fast for what it is. I've had it 3 months and I'm still not bored of it. The steering, handling, engine response and gearbox are all excellent.
I can pick faults easily, mainly with the interior, but for £350, I'm not cruel. This car is a keeper, in fact I'm going to start hoarding Pumas. The're that good.
If you're thinking about trying one, don't delay, this is the golden time to buy one. Cheap visibly rust free cars are still out there, there is plenty of MOT failures ready to be harvested and pattern replacement parts are ridiculous cheap. I've priced up a major service kit, including front disks and pads and good oil - £90!
generationx said:
The only criticism I have of these is the driving position on the normal seats made you felt like you were sitting "on" the car, not "in" it
Yes. I only had the Mk3 Astra and 2 x Corsa B's I'd driven before to compare to, but I remember my old man's 99T Fiesta Zetec felt like that. It was still a cool thing to have access to at 21 though. I'd have loved to have tried a Puma 1.7. Nice shed.
exgtt said:
Bought a 2001 Puma 1.7 3 months ago. 184k miles, no visible rust on arches, 1 owner from new, new clutch, rad, cambelt, waterpump, long MOT £350....
Needed a new exhaust, £50 for a full catback from eurocarparts. You can buy a spare car MOT failure with less than 100k miles for less than £150, and harvest it's engine, gearbox etc.
It's quite simply better than these cars I have owned/own
Clio 172 Cup
Civic FN2 type r
Renault 5 GT Turbo
Renault 19 16v Chamade
Renault Megane 225.
The 1.7 is torquey and revs strongly. On a good day with just me in the car it feels fast for what it is. I've had it 3 months and I'm still not bored of it. The steering, handling, engine response and gearbox are all excellent.
I can pick faults easily, mainly with the interior, but for £350, I'm not cruel. This car is a keeper, in fact I'm going to start hoarding Pumas. The're that good.
If you're thinking about trying one, don't delay, this is the golden time to buy one. Cheap visibly rust free cars are still out there, there is plenty of MOT failures ready to be harvested and pattern replacement parts are ridiculous cheap. I've priced up a major service kit, including front disks and pads and good oil - £90!
Interesting you think it's better than a 172 cup.Needed a new exhaust, £50 for a full catback from eurocarparts. You can buy a spare car MOT failure with less than 100k miles for less than £150, and harvest it's engine, gearbox etc.
It's quite simply better than these cars I have owned/own
Clio 172 Cup
Civic FN2 type r
Renault 5 GT Turbo
Renault 19 16v Chamade
Renault Megane 225.
The 1.7 is torquey and revs strongly. On a good day with just me in the car it feels fast for what it is. I've had it 3 months and I'm still not bored of it. The steering, handling, engine response and gearbox are all excellent.
I can pick faults easily, mainly with the interior, but for £350, I'm not cruel. This car is a keeper, in fact I'm going to start hoarding Pumas. The're that good.
If you're thinking about trying one, don't delay, this is the golden time to buy one. Cheap visibly rust free cars are still out there, there is plenty of MOT failures ready to be harvested and pattern replacement parts are ridiculous cheap. I've priced up a major service kit, including front disks and pads and good oil - £90!
I got a puma on tuesday and it's a great little go kart but my cup was quicker and the brakes we'e a totally different league compared to the puma .
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