1994 Fiat Punto 55S 1.2 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Very Nice Although Weary of Comments

Faults:

I purchased the Fiat Punto 55s from eBay I live in London and went to Wrexham in North Wales to collect the car, Around 2hours into the journey the car cam belt went cost me £72, no problems as of since that was last month.

General Comments:

It's okay I like the handling of the car does the job for somebody of my age, I'm not looking for your Hondas or Toyota I'm just looking for a nice car to run around in.

I do have a question. What advice would you give to me.

Thank you.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 30th December, 2004

25th Mar 2006, 14:40

Good little car if looked after, ie check the oil regularly and check for overheating, don't forget it's only 1100cc. They're prone to head gasket failure, mostly caused by this, thus check the radiator fan is kicking in at the right temperature. If not, replace the radiator thermostat and when you top up the water, bleed the air from the system.

7th Jul 2010, 08:25

I paid £400 from ebay for my 1994 1100 Punto. What an excellent little car, cheap to run, spacious for its overall size, and a good cruiser at 70 MPH. I would echo the need for some regular servicing, sadly mine overheated on a long journey and cooked the head gasket. This was my fault entirely as I ignored a leaking water pump. I eventually scrapped it which was sad as it had given be three years of reliable motoring up to that point.

1994 Fiat Punto Sx60 Selecta 1.2 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Altogether, a Superb, fun little car

Faults:

Brake light switch was working intermittently, resulting in difficulty engaging drive options. Fixed by myself by just cleaning the copper contacts on the switch.

First stage throttle switch failing occasionally, giving the impression there was a fault with the gearbox, as if it was jumping out of gear at junctions, or grinding when engaging drive. Fixed with a squirt of WD-40!

General Comments:

Other than the two minor faults above, this car has been incredibly reliable, even getting me to work in heavy snow and floods.

The suspension is quite soft, which means it doesn't handle amazingly, but it is a really fun drive altogether, and handles back roads as well as A roads.

When I bought the car it had a full Fiat service history, and only one previous owner. I had it serviced by a local garage, for only £99.

I have had new brake pads and front tyres fitted, but I only consider these as wear and tear parts.

For a 1.2 CVT automatic it is very nippy around town, and accelerates well until about 75mph. It will then creep slowly up to about 85/90mph where it runs out of steam!

With power steering, central locking, electric windows and colour coded bumpers it is also quite well equipped.

I must say, I was a bit wary of Fiats until I bought one, but all in all it is a superb car which is cheap to run, fun to drive and so far has been very reliable.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 5th November, 2004

1994 Fiat Punto SX 75 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Reliable and cheap to run

Faults:

The bushes in the rear near side suspension arm needed replacing.

General Comments:

This car has been brilliant, I drive nearly 3000 miles a month and it has been ultra reliable.

The 1.2 multi point fuel injection engine is very frugal, and it has never returned less than 42mpg.

The performance is equal to most 1.4s.

The interior space inside is comparable to an Astra.

However the gearing is a little short and the road noise is quite audible.

The suspension is quite hard as well.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 30th April, 2003

1994 Fiat Punto 75 SX 1.2 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A small, but very spacious car, like-it

Faults:

My first fault with this car was from lack of maintenance by the previous owner, and it was that the tailgate lock was jammed. This was rectified by dismantling it, soaking in WD40, cleaning off the excess WD40 then lubricating with 3-in-1 oil.

My second fault was the Clutch. This was very stiff, which I did not realize as my previous car (Ford Sierra) had a very heavy clutch. The Clutch was replaced, and now I have a very light clutch. Gear change when cold, from 3 to 2, is very tight. This appears to be quite common with the Mk1 car, so I live with it.

My third fault was also from poor maintenance, in that the engine overheated, due to corrosion on the radiator fan switch, hence the fan never came on. This was temporarily rectified by repairing the wiring, only to find the switch was faulty. So until I could get the car to the garage, I fitted a 30A fuse electrically in place of the switch, and fitted a dash mounted switch in place of the 'fuse box' fuse (located on the under right side of the dash). The garage duly replaced the switch and the fault was gone. Unfortunately this problem led to my next fault.

My fourth fault was that the Cylinder-Head Gasket had to be replaced & the head skimmed. Since then the tappets have been noisy, but this has not been rectified yet.

My Fifth (and hopefully last) fault started as a Petrol leak around the Fuel-Filter. Unfortunately as my Mk1 car was a first registered in 1994, and was one of the early examples into the UK, it had metal fixings to the Fuel-Filter. Once the filter was replaced, the car then had a leak around the fuel-outlet port of the tank-mounted fuel pump/sender unit. This was repaired by my mechanic with combination of a short length of rigid a short length flexible hose. Now no leaks.

General Comments:

Although you may think from reading all of the above that I have had a lot of problems, I do rate the Mk1 75 SX as a very good car indeed. In 4 to 5 years time, hoping my car lasts the distance, I shall be purchasing a new Mk2 Automatic. Long live this great Fiat.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 14th April, 2003