RE: SOTW: Ford Puma 1.7

[pbirkett]

Papa Hotel said:

pbirkett said:

I remember someone on a thread I started saying they preferred theirs to a Clio 197 it replaced, high praise indeed.

Was that me?

Don't remember - it may have been - the thread was about downgrades which turn out to be more fun than the car they replaced...

[Papa Hotel]

pbirkett said:

Papa Hotel said:

pbirkett said:

I remember someone on a thread I started saying they preferred theirs to a Clio 197 it replaced, high praise indeed.

Was that me?

Don't remember - it may have been - the thread was about downgrades which turn out to be more fun than the car they replaced...

Yeah, I'm sure that was me. The Puma is more fun, no doubt about it. The fanboys on cliosport wouldn't agree but the Puma just works, the 197 left me slightly empty once the thrill of that engine wore off.

[pbirkett]

collateral said:

zakelwe said:

I was a passenger around the Goodwood circuit in an original Integra in the pouring rain and my driver completely mullered the Puma, even though that was the uprated 155bhp version with wider tyres and track. Perhaps that says more about the Integra R on skinny 195's than the Ford?

The Tigra was nowhere near as good, but the shape has lasted better over the years.

Andy

Doesn't an Integra have circa 200hp though?

There's a good review on the below page comparing an Integra with a Racing Puma and 172, it was a while ago when I read it, but I think the Integra has the legs on the Puma on the straights, but the Puma more than competes in the bends, it has a HUGE amount of mechanical grip, and a superb chassis - I don't think the lack of LSD hurts it that much.

[pbirkett]

Papa Hotel said:

pbirkett said:

Papa Hotel said:

pbirkett said:

I remember someone on a thread I started saying they preferred theirs to a Clio 197 it replaced, high praise indeed.

Was that me?

Don't remember - it may have been - the thread was about downgrades which turn out to be more fun than the car they replaced...

Yeah, I'm sure that was me. The Puma is more fun, no doubt about it. The fanboys on cliosport wouldn't agree but the Puma just works, the 197 left me slightly empty once the thrill of that engine wore off.

I can totally relate to why a puma is more fun, it has the fun factor, the clio seems to be becoming a more precision weapon as generations go on, efficient, but in some ways clinical.

I had a 182 and while it was fun, you got used to the pace pretty quickly, but you had to be going highly illegal speeds to have much fun in it, I imagine the 197 is like this but even more so.

The beauty with cars like the Puma is that while they aren't mega quick, they're not that slow either, and feel and sound quick and thrilling barely without breaking any speed limits. Perfect cars for the road IMO, better than these stupid power hot hatches who's performance would land you in prison if you used them to their potential on the road.

[eddie99]

Papa Hotel said:

eddie99 said:

To date, i havent found any cars other than the elise that i can't keep up with in real life through the twisties

Your rose-tinted spectacles are working just fine then. Come on, it might handle beautifully but it's no rocketship. Don't confuse fun with pace. Nippy, yes, fast, no.

Thats true too, But in real life on narrow bumpy country lanes. A little 1.7 puma can equal alot of serious cars!

[marcosgt]

eddie99 said:

Papa Hotel said:

eddie99 said:

To date, i havent found any cars other than the elise that i can't keep up with in real life through the twisties

Your rose-tinted spectacles are working just fine then. Come on, it might handle beautifully but it's no rocketship. Don't confuse fun with pace. Nippy, yes, fast, no.

Thats true too, But in real life on narrow bumpy country lanes. A little 1.7 puma can equal alot of serious cars!

Yes - not a single carriageway A road with straights perhaps, but certainly on a really tight twisty B road.

When I had mine I went down one very twisty B-road on my commute and very few cars were able to get away from me.

M.

[ajg31]

Bought one of these back in in the day when i worked for Ford. Loved it. Only thing i never liked was sitting up high in the seat. But the 1.7 revved well, handled well, and for us, was cheap. As a runaround car this would be great

[lippydave]

Bought a 1.7 as a cheap shed ca.800 quid before xmas.
Spent the princely sum of 15 quid on a new heater control valve, and then just used it as a hack....
2000 miles later it's doing over 35mpg sitting comfortably at 90mph on m'ways everywhere, and cheap entertaing rapid(ish) progressive fun on the backroads.
I'm thinking about buying a new car and the Pumas was just a cheap stop gap, but it's soo much cheap fun, I've not bothered looking too had for a new car yet! Rear arches are bubbling a little bit, but WTF do you want for 800 quid?
Proper shed, entertaing to drive, cheap to run, cheap to buy ..What more could you want from a shed?
If it fails, toss in a match and walk away....Proper shedding.... ;-)

[RobCrezz]

I bought a Puma when I was 18 as I couldnt get insured on anything more powerfull really. Loved it, was brilliant fun to drive.

Bought one for my girlfriend last year and she loves it, far better than her 106 she had previously.

[tommobot]

For actual all out grip and sticking to the road like glue I haven't found anything that comes close to the Racing Puma. Thats including Clio Trophy, ITR, and VX.

Yes, it could have done with a bit more power, but was fantastic.

[yarass]

Swapped a 106 quiksilver for a 1.7 puma & it was an amazing little car.

Did a few little upgrades to it & it was perfect when i took it to the Nurburgring!!! It suprised alot of people & me, with the way it handled. If i was ever to get a wee runabout again, i would deffo get another Puma!!!

[Zad]

It is probably worth mentioning to Puma owners that the existing rubber compliance bushes will be well past their use-by date now. A pair of Powerflex front Anti-roll bar bushes cost about £32. From experience in other cars, they shouldn't in any way worsen cabin noise, but will make cornering more precise and, well, Puma-like. the front "wishbone" bush is £40ish a pair, but I don't think I would bother with those unless they are on the way out anyway.

Given the improvements to the breed that Ford have made with the Fiesta, wouldn't a Mk 2 Puma be a tasty proposition?

[collateral]

Zad said:

Given the improvements to the breed that Ford have made with the Fiesta, wouldn't a Mk 2 Puma be a tasty proposition?

There's allegedly one in the pipeline...If they follow the pokey-motor-in-a-Fiesta-chassis formula it could be a giggle, although I have a suspicion they might turn out a Focus coupe dealie

Speaking of, didn't I remember seeing someone who had put the 1.7 into an old Ka?

Edited by collateral on Monday 1st February 13:00

[Ecurie Ecosse]

thatone1967 said:

soad said:

Steve McQueen telly ad looks superb on a hilly San Francisco streets. I actually remeber seeing it back in the day. Damn, time flies by.

Was just about to post this.. possibly one of the best tv ad's ever
IMHO!

+1

Does anyone remember that a few weeks before the full ad came on
they showed a teaser version, with just a snippet of the Bullitt music and a few split screen shots of San Francisco? I was working in a bar at the time and remember the first time i heard it in the bar - fantastic!

Certainly better than the Go Compare / Meerkat / Webuyanycar rubbish that's on these days!

[Ralph Wiggum]

I've had mine for about 18months now.

Sold a 182 (purely for financial reasons) and by blind luck, someone was selling this literally down the road.

Its not as much of a downgrade as I thought it would be, as has been previously said, the gearshift is pretty much fantastic. Engine is fairly eager, not overly powerful though. Mine is a '98 and has every common fault that can possibly go wrong with it. Such as the engine seemly holding the revs when the clutch is depressed, engine fan packed up, engine drinks a fair amount of oil having nikasil liners, rusty rear arches.

Some bastid drove into it last christmas so it looks a right old banger now which i dont mind as it didnt set me back much cash, I dont think I would buy another one.

Not a bad banger providing you spend less than 1k to get one. Handling is bob on, rolls a little but the ride isnt bad on the 15s as the profile is quite big. Oh and the fact that if you open the boot after its rained/raining, all the water goes in the boot rather than the drainage channel lol.

[Chapppers]

MX5, Puma, MINI

So... why can't they make these ULTIMATE DRIVERS' CARS look a bit more manly?

Edited by Chapppers on Monday 1st February 13:27

[marcosgt]

Do you find things that look 'manly' attractive then?

As you've not provided an example, I'm not sure what you consider to fit that description, but I suspect the Puma was a little hamstrung by the short wheelbase of the Fiesta it's based on. It was either going to be stupidly low or look a bit up on stilts and short - As it's not girly pink or featuring a vase on the dash, I'm not sure what's particularly 'unmanly' about it (and personally, I like plants and flowers around the house, although probably not in the car).

The MX5? Well, it's probably down to keeping it relatively light - A chunkier, butch-er looking body would probably been heavier and require a more powerful/expensive/heavy engine - descending spiral...

If you worry about whether your car is 'manly' enough, buy a Trans Am...

M.

Edited by marcosgt on Monday 1st February 12:13

[lippydave]

Aynone who believes that their choice of car endows them with added manliness, or sexual attraction is a pretty sad deluded puppy....

A car, is a car, is a car.....It's doesn't change your physical attributes very much unless you have bucketloads of torque or massive brakes with which to re-arrange your internal organs or exterior features...;)

I know a mincer who drives a 7.5 tonne truck, and a bruiser who drives a Ka.....I don't think either of 'em feel that their car defines their sexual orientation or sexual appeal....

When narrow minded folk regard a fun car as girlie, it's generally a good thing 'cos it drives prices lower for those confident enough of their own sexuality and macho quotient without the crutch of their chosen wheels.....

Edited by lippydave on Monday 1st February 12:50

[Chapppers]

Christ you two, lighten up.

I was just making an observation that these well renowned driver's cars look a bit girly. I'm not questioning your manhood in any way. I have an MX5. it's Brilliant.

Oh, the Ka handles well too doesn't it?

[da_murphster]

TERRIBLE SHED......


.....but mainly because I'm just about to sell the g/f Puma's and want to get a decent price for it.

These are truely excellent cars, cheap to run, fun to drive, great seats, great gear change, good mpg, good insurance etc etc.

Bad bits - rust over rear arches, boot bit of an odd shape so you would struggle bigger loads.

Girlfriend now has a mk1 elise and often drives my 172 - she prefers the puma to both, so much so that I may have to sell the elise so she goes back to the puma.