Faults:

Rear parcel shelf hanger popped out of the tailgate (broken).

Occassional stalling (unexplained; engine ECU fault?).

General Comments:

A lot of people rave on about the Puma being "incredibly fast", "a true sports car", "handles like it's on rails", etc.

Well, yes, it's a good car - and it IS a sports car - but I think it's important to be realistic and realise there's plenty of quicker things out there.

But the key point is this: for the money, it's a veritable bargain. It's nippy enough that it's not embarrassing. The handling is the perfect balance of poise, grip and comfort - it will slide around on the throttle quite happily.

But if outright performance and ultimate sport riding/handling is what you're after, there are other things out there that will float your boat (Lotus 7 replica, Citroen Saxo VTS) for less money.

What you get with the Puma is an overall balance - cheap, reliable, quality fittings (comparatively speaking), acceptable performance, wonderfully entertaining chassis, air con and other luxuries, etc.

...and seats that don't fold forward fully because they hit the roof!!! Top design feature, Ford - well done!

Paintwork does seem to chip easily on the bonnet.

The rear seats, it is fair to say, are a little cramped! Front occupants fair better, but the seats aren't the most comfy for me.

Air con, quick clear screen and CD changer are worth having - get the Lux pack.

Worth looking into importing (what I did).

Faults:

Rain water falls into the boot when the boot is opened.

There was a crack inside the headlight unit, which was replaced under warranty.

The plastic caps on the wiper arms fell off - both of them.

Tyres seem to be wearing quickly. The seat is too small for me (6ft), the headrest is about 6" away from my head, and it gives me back ache on a long journey. Ford really should have installed Recaros as standard.

The paint-work seems a bit brittle - stone chips everywhere.

General Comments:

Enjoyable handling and acceleration with a nice sporty engine noise, which is spoiled slightly by poor seating.

General Comments:

Previously had a Tigra which was a great car.

This Puma is a fantastic drive, very fast, and extremely responsive. Handles superbly.

More space than the Tigra, and the more sporty. Recaro leather seats are a dream.

Fantastic CD player too.

Faults:

Very few problems. Problem with the parcel shelf attachments, Ford fixed easily enough at the first time of asking.

Got stung by Ford who reduced the list price by £2,000 weeks after I bought!! Not happy with Ford there!

General Comments:

Engine goes like a dream, top quality handling/brakes/steering.

Would recommend to anyone looking to buy a seriously fun everyday car.

Back seats are compact, but it is a coupe, I sit in the front anyway, so who cares about that!

Buy one, you won't regret it.

Faults:

Absolutely nothing, except lost both wiper caps due to poor fit.

General Comments:

Looks stunning, handles like a dream and 3 years on still looks unique.

The best sports coupe for the money, but buy in Europe and save around £4000 on a fully loaded model.