Faults:

Very little at all!

Oil sump replaced due to corrosion.

General service items (i.e. spark plugs, leads etc)

Brakes.

Two new tyres.

Nothing mechanical at all; the car is an absolute gem!

General Comments:

I personally feel the car is an absolute stunner, may be due to mine is fully modified (tints, alloys, lowered pretty much everything that can be modified within reason has been).

Inside is VERY VERY basic, yet I have happily managed with no central locking, no air con, no electric windows.

Handles very well; indeed I've had lots of fun with this car :p.

Speed/power; not what you would expect, put it that way. From a 1.1 engine it's not bad at all; 1st, 2nd and 3rd gears pull quite well, but going up hills can be somewhat embarrassing sometimes LOL. Reaches 100mph reasonably quickly (for a 1.1) and I've had 115mph out of it once going down a big hill :d.

Repairs and parts are very cheap indeed, can pick up most parts second hand if need be.

Petrol consumption not the best I have to say, rather poor actually. I usually get around 300 miles to a £50 full tank, which doesn't seem very good for a 1.1, yet I have got a full exhaust system + air filter, so this probably doesn't help much.

Reliability is unbelievable; this car has now got 135000 miles and it's had no serious problems whatsoever, at least nothing which has kept it off the road anyway, and I do a good 250/300 miles a week!!

My car gets so much attention; it sounds very loud also with sound system etc, and the ladies don't seem to mind it either :p.

Faults:

Clutch was juddering quite badly for about 2000 miles and then it gave out completely.

Starter motor.

Rear suspension arm.

General Comments:

OK. So I went from an Alfa GTV 3.0 V6 to this little Punto in order to put a deposit down on a house and I expected to hate the thing.

Oh how wrong I was!

This car is such a laugh! In the Alfa, you had to be careful with the power delivery. (220 bhp going through the front wheels with no traction control can be a bit hairy.) Not to mention the fuel consumption!... But the Punto is a stop or go car. Plain and simple. Just boot it everywhere when you're on the move, and stop at traffic lights!

The car just somehow always feels eager... if it were a dog it would be a Jack Russell puppy! It seems to lap up anything you can through at it. And has a great engine note too. I find myself driving like an 18 year old again and I'm 27 now! But I love it!... It really does put a big smile on your face when you're buzzing around the city. Especially since this little bundle of fun practically runs on pennies.

Downsides?

1/ Well, the ride is a bit harsh. It doesn't soak up uneven roads very well at all.

2/ Some little scrote managed to break into it just by punching a screwdriver sized hole through the door next to the lock.

And 3/... if I'm being really, REALLY picky, the intermittent wipe doesn't have a long enough delay.

So there you have it. Find yourself a well serviced Punto Sporting and you can't go wrong!

Faults:

I have owned my punto since April this year, the only fault I have with it is that it sometimes does not recognise the red key, and thus will not start, but this happens sporadically, and usually works if the key is removed, then re-inserted. The only other problem is that the drivers seat is rather worn, but after 130K+ miles I can't really complain.

General Comments:

For its age, and the amount of miles it has covered this is a great little run around, which I have had no major problems with.

I currently do a 50 mile per day commute, and uses around £40 a week to fill with petrol (at approx 98p per litre.)

To be honest its one of the best little cars I have had, and for a 1.2 is quite quick off the mark. I have currently spent around £120 on it, as it required new discs and pads at the front, but apart from that it has been trouble free motoring. And for a car that cost me £400 I can't complain.