Faults:

Seat sliding mechanism fell off.

Dodgy electrical connection meant the fan turned the lights on.

Gear linkage came loose.

Stereo does not fit neatly.

Side trim coming off.

All this in the 3 months we have had it.

General Comments:

My wife wanted a shopping car that was more fun than her Mondeo.

It looks fantastic and has a really stylish interior.

Stereo could do with a bit more oomph, it has a sub woofer in the boot, but distorts quite early on.

Aircon is a bit feeble.

Sat Nav is a giggle for the first week, if we used the car for anything, but shopping it would probably be useful.

The engine isn't bad, it goes well above 4000 revs and I bounce off the rev limiter at 7000 revs when overtaking. Third gear is good for 30 - 85 mph.

The gearing is too low, it runs 4000 revs in fifth at 85 mph.

The driving position is odd, the pedals are close to the seat which leads to aching legs and pedals are offset and close so hitting the brake often hits the throttle too.

The ride is rock hard which gives amazing handling, I can't unstick it in the dry, the downside is that the ride if hard and choppy even on motorways, not a long distance cruiser.

The traction control doesn't do anything, it still spins the wheels off roundabouts.

Another 20 bhp and it would be fast enough for me.

Generally a good old hot hatch, fine if you are in your 20's, but I find it a bit hard for everyday use.

Definitely worth a test drive, feels special inside.

Faults:

Front windscreen wipers failed.

Intermittent problem with engine failing to start. The Engine Control Unit was replaced in the hope that this would cure the problem, then the ignition keys, as it was thought that the engine immobiliser was the fault. None of these actually effected a cure, and the car still sometimes fails to start, though if left for 5 minutes, then tried again it will!

Engine misfire developed early on in ownership and the Lambda Probe (which I think controls the catalyst) was replaced. This cured the misfire, though the progress of the car in slow moving traffic with the throttle only lightly depressed is very jerky, as if the fuel cut-off device is too abrupt. It has to be said though that every other 8 valve Punto of the same age we've driven has been affected that way too, but it does sadly make them impossible to drive consistently smoothly.

Electric power steering system failed at 4 months. ECU replaced and has been fine since.

Badly vibrating brakes were reported to our dealer at the car's first service, but on collecting the car my wife was told there was nothing wrong with them, the service receptionist condescendingly suggesting she shouldn't be wasting their time! I took the car back the following week insisting the chief mechanic drive the car, and he agreed that there was indeed a quite obvious problem. The front discs (which were warped) were then replaced.

Less than 9 months later the brakes were again vibrating badly. As our Fiat dealer had by this time closed (having been open for less than 3 years), we took the Punto to a local mechanic who again replaced the front discs.

The clutch is now juddering and will shortly need to be replaced, and the engine is suddenly using masses of oil, both of which have been the catalyst in getting me to write this report.

General Comments:

This Punto has been one of 6 Fiats we've owned and has been by far the worst.

Like our used Marea Weekend 2.0 litre HLX and a new Alfa Romeo it was bought from Rowcliffe Continental in Taunton, who are now no longer in business. Their ability to fix faults was abysmal, though our subsequent experience with Olds of Dorchester has been little better, leading one to assume that Fiat's UK dealers are probably all mediocre at best.

The reliability of the Punto has certainly spoiled our enjoyment of it, though there are quite a number of inherent design faults that do this too.

The gearing is absurdly high, which is great for relaxed (and quiet) motorway cruising, but gives the car no traditional Fiat brio whatsoever. You might question our judgement in this, saying that we would feel that way coming from a 150bhp Marea; but the reality is that the little Cinquecento S that we also owned at the start of our time with the Punto always had so much more brio, despite being inherently slower.

Other criticisms are the lack of a clutch foot rest, an indicator warning system that you can't hear, soft interior plastics which have a propensity to get scratched, and awful rear three-quarter visibility due to fat 'C' pillars.

I want us to sell this car, but my wife still likes it, which would seem to indicate that the car actually has some redeeming qualities. Due to the problems though, I find them increasingly hard to find.

Fiat have lost their way. When they produced cars that were fun to drive it was much easier to forgive their faults. Now though, with cars as mundane as the Punto, it is less easy.