Faults:

The water pump developed a fault and caused the temperature to rise high enough to blow the head gasket.

The drivers airbag warning light comes on sometimes, even though I had the airbag checked by a electronic diagnostics expert.

Small tear in one of the back seats, about one inch in length, but very hard to notice.

General Comments:

The particular one I drive is quite fresh as it has a 2003 engine.

These are actually very fast cars, I was extremely surprised by the performance, you can go almost 70mph without leaving 3rd gear for example.

The shape of the Mk1 that I drive is perfect for modifying with body kits & polyliptic lights etc.

The clutch and gearbox are very well built and feel really smooth and expensive when operating them.

Faults:

I have had the car for just over a year now and haven't had any real problems to date. The brake disks may need replacing soon, as they are stopping to judder when you brake hard. Local mechanic said this was just the disks out of line or may need new disks.

General Comments:

The Punto Sporting is a great car, lively performance and quite cheap to insure, it is a group 7. Handles very well, I have thrown it round a few corners and its really stuck to the road. Top speed I have reached is approx. 115 - 120 mph, that was foot to the floor. Interior is nice and seats are very comfortable.

Faults:

Nothing so far!

Only had the car for a week, after I crashed the last one.

Not given this one any marks, but our 55S (1995) we had for nearly 6 years was very good.

Head gasket has already been sorted out due to a product recall or something, like our old one had done.

Only thing bad is the windscreen gets frozen inside the car. I thought it was just the other car, but this one does it too!

And I can't get the tax disk holder to stay on.

General Comments:

Lovely metallic red colour!

Bought off ebay, passed MOT today, so was quite a bargain!

Has rev counter, temperature gauge and a sunroof!

Very roomy inside.

I'm short, so feel quite high up in this car, unlike the feeling of being low down in a Fiesta.

Faults:

The exhaust system needed to be replaced due to rust and falling off.

A steering ball joint needed to be replaced.

General Comments:

This is a good looking small cabriolet designed by Bertone and built in Turin, Italy in the same factory as the Opel/Vauxhall Astra Convertable.

It's small 1250cc petrol engine has a double over head camshaft and 16 valves, making the engine output 86 brake horse power.

The performance around town is not very quick, out on the open road it is a fast car, with speed up to 120mph.

The hood is powered by hydraulics using LHM fluid, and is quiet and smooth in operation. All the windows are electric making an impressive opening and closing sequence.

Faults:

Very little has gone wrong with this little car.

Standard wear and tear items have been replaced, i.e. Brake pads, Tire's etc.

I occasionally hear a whining noise coming from the front brakes, but the fault has never been isolated and rectified!

Wiper motors needed replacing when I first got the car due to serious wiper vibration. This was done free of charge by the dealer.

General Comments:

I love the racy little engine and stiff suspension. For a 1.2l engine this car is extremely fun to drive and great going around corners.

I have driven this car back and forth a couple of times to Austria. It cruises at 80mph for hours on end and is surprisingly comfortable.

This car has cost me little to maintain and has been a joy to own.