2000 Ford Puma Lux 1.7 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Car handles/goes well, but is very poor quality and dealer service is very poor

Faults:

It has the worst paint finish I have come across on a car, it has orange peel paint all across the bottom of all the wings.

Gear box needed replacing after 3000 miles, this is not a one off case, I know of five other Puma owners who have had to have their gearbox replaced/overhauled within 10,000 miles.

The dealer service is totally rubbish, once they have given you the car they don't want to know. Also the customer compliants department at Ford known as CAC (Customer Assistance Centre), is totally unprofessional, they only specialise in fobbing you off. CAC is a very good acronym for it.

One little fact Ford does not want you to know about, is that last year they recalled more cars than they sold. So if you are thinking about getting a Ford, forget about any chance of quality.

General Comments:

Don't buy one if you value your money.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 25th July, 2000

4th Jan 2001, 08:30

Interesting fact. Bear in mind the recalls of the Firestone tyres and cruise control problems.

11th Jul 2001, 08:10

I bought mine as an import from Germany, and the money I saved paid for an extended 4 year warranty with plenty left over (cost about 350 UKP). The warranty turns out to be better than the actual Ford warranty, which does not cover things such as catalyst/etc.

Worth bearing in mind for anyone considering an import vs. UK model.

(No difference in spec before you ask!)

16th Oct 2002, 18:44

Thanks to all the other reviewers, I thought that it was just me that was unimpressed with the paint work on the Puma. Stone chips are a nightmare, orange peel on lower sills (both sides).Very disappointed as I had saved for two years to buy my dream car. Also don't expect a lot of help from your dealer.

2000 Ford Puma 1.4 petrol from Portugal

Summary:

You see the face, not the heart

Faults:

This vehicle is very beautiful but the quality of most components is very bad, it has a great engine (made in a joint venture with Yamaha), good metal parts and great head lights but the rest it sucks. My brand new car with full extras has plastic pedals who make a lot of noise, the carpet of the floor is not rigid, needs a new clutch and a new clutch pump. The precision of the steering wheel is nothing like my Toyota, the car starts shaking at 120km and I've tried everything, the brakes don't have a good response and the gearbox appears to be great but it is very loose although it shifts well. The seats aren't confortable at all. You can hear the wind very loud when the car is running. The general quality of the car is very poor, plastics make a lot of noise and are not pleasant to touch.

In my critical opinion, everyone who says that this car is very good doesn't have a valid opinion and they don't know the meaning of the word quality. Puma was my first Ford. I would never buy a Ford again. Toyota is without a shadow of a doubt a great quality car, try it and then you'll know the meaning of quality.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 15th July, 2000

12th Feb 2001, 13:24

In my opinion anyone who compares a Ford Puma to a Toyota ANYTHING has no opinion of any worth. Does this person work for Toyota? I wonder...

The Puma is quite possibly the perfect car. As an enthusiastic driver used to much faster cars I just was not prepared for the smile that this little cat put on my face. Cracking drive, just will not give up round corners, fantastic revving engine, neat interior and extremely reliable, I would recommend it to anyone who loves driving and has fun doing so.

5th Mar 2001, 06:17

You should have gone for the 1.7 ! Mine is gorgeous and I wouldnt change it for anything! Least of all a Toyota!

8th Jul 2001, 14:31

Yes, the 1.7's the one to go for. Besides, Toyota have an image about as flashy as pond weed.

Ford have a heritage of motorsport, where as the only thing that comes to mind with Toyota is a dodgy Japanese, Toupee clad chappy!

7th Aug 2001, 07:57

What is this guy talking about....

Toyota what??

Lets be honest with ourselves, for 13 grand they are brilliant!

With all those quibbles you quite clearly wouldn't be happy in an Aston Martin, never mind a crappy Toyota.

31st Aug 2001, 17:44

Toyota Celica GT4 anybody?

1st Nov 2001, 13:52

I've just traded my Toyota for a Puma. All I can say is that I now enjoy rather than tolerate the drive to and from work. The Toyota was well built but I'd rather have fun!