Faults:

Well my indicators only work when they want to.

My battery went flat the other day, so I left it on charge over night, and in the morning, the side lights were on?!? (This happened to my sister's Punto as well, but it was the headlights)

The car uses a lot more fuel than it's supposed to.

Someone who thinks they are funny decided to steal my number plates in the middle of the night.

The back seats have stains on them (but were there when I got it).

The car had had a crash before I bought it, and not all the dents were knocked out. And also only the headlights worked when I bought it.

General Comments:

Well it's quite a speedy little car really, and it has a nice growl (the engine is standard).

I have heard it's only meant to do 108 or 110mph, but I got 112mph LOL.

Going round corners when it's wet is fun cause it slides everywhere.

The seats are so so comfy, I am so glad I chose a Punto as my first car, my mate wants one too now she has been in mine. So I do recommend them to new drivers, even though they have their funny electrical moments, but hey it is Italian!!

Faults:

Gone through a great many brake pads.

Dismantled my gearbox around 5 times for different reasons,

Keep changing front, rear and brake lights.

Faulty electric windows.

Changed clutch kit a couple of times.

Changed radiator 3 times seems to heat up every summer for the past 4 years.

Seat adjustment broke.

General Comments:

A very very comfortable car.

Nippy and reasonably smooth.

Very comfy for parking, due to the power steering.

Good seating - seats beginning to tear though.

Nice cabin space.

Ride can be a little rolly, especially in a country full of winding and twisting roads.

Faults:

Nothing at all!

General Comments:

Spacious (especially for the front passenger), seriously nippy, stylish inside and out.

The lack of power steering causes a bit of a problem when parking, but you get used to it.

Very cheap to run, around 400 miles on a tank with a mix of urban and country driving, as well as long and short runs.

Faults:

Well where do I start???

1. Wiper blades.

2. Two punctured tyres.

3. New filters.

4. New driver's side window.

5. New brake pads.

6. New aerial.

Who knows what next??? :D.

General Comments:

Very very very fast little car... but really does live up to its name (FIAT - Fix It Again Tomorrow). I book it into my local mechanics every week for some minor problem.

The engine never goes wrong though, and it's great for city driving and long distances.

Would recommend, but make sure you have some spare cash for imminent repairs :p.

Faults:

New step-up motor £50 - 73500miles

New cam belt £20 - 73500miles

Left rear shock absorber £130 - 73500miles

7 bulbs blew in the car within the first 6 months

Rear bushes £200 - 76000miles

Heater matrix leaked £170 - 78000miles

Flex exhaust £70 - 78000miles

Right rear shock absorber £130 - 78000miles.

General Comments:

The car was costing more in running costs within the year than the actual car was worth! Its great on petrol, but on everything else, it soon mounts up.

Performance is decent, need to get the revs quite high to get decent power, though it does run out of grunt at 4500rpm. The car sounds great and sporty, and with a decent pair of thick tyres, it really grips, as long as it isn't raining or windy. As the car is quite tall, side winds make the car unstable. There is good feel through the wheel in the dry, but nothing in the wet.

The build quality is decent, but not of the standard of Ford or Vauxhall, and a million miles away from VW! For instance, the passenger e/window was painfully slow to close, often taking in excess of a minute to go from fully open to close. Heaters are good, and warm the cabin very quickly. Cabin is very roomy for a small car, and rear space is very good.

Reliability was poor, as bits kept failing, and the heater matrix was the worst, as it allowed the toxic fumes from the antifreeze to enter the cabin. The shocks kept going, even though I was doing motorway miles. I heard this was a common fault, and needs urgent attention, as the leak can cause the ECU to fail, which would be very costly.

Thought it would be a cheap car to run, but turned out to be the most expensive car I've ever ran! I feel sorry for the person who bought it off me!