1995 Fiat Punto 55 SX 1.1

Summary:

A nice and cheap little runner - looks good too

Faults:

My head gasket blew at 30,000 miles, got it replaced and it went again within 11 months!

Steering pulls to the left (always has), I had Fiat check it out and they could not fix it.

Timing belt popped at 32,000 miles, but caused no long term damage (even though I had it towed and tried to jump start it).

Intermittent failure of one rear light. Works most times though.

I had a rear suspension arm replaced at 58,000 miles and then the other needed done for its MOT at 32,000 miles.

The car does dent very easily (door bumps).

The heater matrix popped and soaked the interior of the car at 63,000 miles.

..but one of the most annoying points to the car is that the drivers seat squeaks when moving. I have heard of other Punto owners with the same problem, what about you?

General Comments:

Great looking little car, cheap to run and nippy when there are no passengers. I hate to drive it with 3-5 people, you can really feel the loss of power.

A nice cabin and SX models have enough toys to make it fun to own (when it's running).

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 4th April, 2001

11th Jul 2001, 03:15

Head Gasket has just blown on mine at 36,000 miles.

29th Oct 2003, 04:29

My f**king head gasket has gone at 38,000 miles and they want £450 to fix it!!!

FOR SALE:

Fiat PUNTO with blown head gasket!!

7th Apr 2005, 13:48

Fiat punto 1.1sx p reg head gasket skimmed twice now any body no how much a new one costs and if its worth repairing.

1995 Fiat Punto 55SX 1.1

Summary:

Great little car

Faults:

Needed a new exhaust at 40,000.

Rear light cluster a bit dodgy - intermittent fault.

Dealer servicing was exorbitant - no problems since changing to a local mechanic.

General Comments:

Excellent all round, and would recommend to anyone needing a cheap runaround.

Comfy enough for long journeys and loads of boot space.

Bodywork still looks in great nick with little help from me!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd January, 2001

1995 Fiat Punto 75 ELX 1.2

Summary:

Short term runaround

Faults:

Cutting out, constant probs with the temp sensor for auto choke, clutch replacement at only 6000 miles, the worst dealer service I ever encountered by Arnold Clark!!!

Also injection warning light kept coming on for a while and intermittent dip beam.

Seems to be all for now.

General Comments:

Big improvement on what Fiat used to make but still not quite up to standard.

Dealer service needs to be completely overhauled.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 7th August, 2000

12th Feb 2001, 12:02

Could not agree more, I've also had major problems with Clarks. Too add to that I've had problems with subframe bushes and rear arms, and also the pipe broke off on the fuel pump and cost over £200 for a replacement.

1995 Fiat Punto 75ELX 1.2

Summary:

Spirited but tempramental Latin

Faults:

Persistant aircon leaks.

Intermittent N/S brake light.

Intermittant O/S/F electric window.

General Comments:

Very stylish, peppy, fun car let down by iffy built quality and, in our case, appalling dealer service (10 days to get an exhaust!)

Very roomy (Polo sized on the outside, Golf sized on the inside).

Make sure you get one with PAS.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 17th July, 2000

1995 Fiat Punto 55S 1.1

Faults:

Alternator became noisy.

Peeling top layer of paint.

Loose trim.

Exhaust silencer fell off.

General Comments:

More problematic than you might hope for a recent car, but it's still great for interior space.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th December, 1999

1995 Fiat Punto GT 1.4

Faults:

Nothing so far, however there are lots of rattles that are hard to locate.

General Comments:

Great value, Electric everything, ABS and power steering. Great fun to drive but a bit of a handful in the wet. 14 inch tyres expensive. Still makes me smile.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 2nd November, 1999

8th Mar 2001, 06:28

Handbrake broke, glove apartment broke, overheating, lost of boost + power (possibly the lambda probe or ECU or stretching of the throttle cable etc...). The 'THICK' Fiat dealers cannot decide what the problem and told me to replace every part to see if the problem will go away. Says it all really, my advice is don't ever buy one, go get a Japanese turbo import, I definitely will, just as soon as I can get some mug to buy my Punto GT!!