Looking for a first car and because of my budget and insurance costs i've been recommended the Fiat Grante Punto 1.4 petrol and 1.9 diesel versions and can get one for a good price.. I was wondering if anyone has owned these and if so can share their thoughts, particularly on reliability,
F.I.A.T - fix it again tomorrow
allegedly.
Worst depreciating cars in the UK, so if it’s already done its depreciating, you might be on to a winner
Cheap, knocky ride experience.
Fuse boxes that get damp and cause all manner of electrical gremlins.
Faulty indicator stalk.
Underpowered and overworked crap 1.4 and 1.6 petrol engines
A blower motor you have to smack to get it working
Heaps of shit
Its the same as the Alfa MiTo and shares many of its faults, steering columns are popular and also the M32 six speed gearbox.
Conversely my Daughter's just got a 1.4 for her first car and she likes it, cheap to buy and cheap to insure. I can kinda see where Muzz is coming from but it's all about expectations. I've a Doblo which has served me well for the last couple of years. They're not the fanciest of cars but they do what we want them to and have been reliable so far
I've had a 57 plate Fiat Bravo for the last 2 years. 1.9 16v diesel. Engine was faultless, only bills were for wear and tear items plus a leaky radiator replacement.
However, last week the turbo ate its own insides! Repair bill was more than the car was worth so I sold it to an Italian car hobbyist and got myself a new (to me) car instead (I even managed to buy it myself without having to ask eveyone on here to make a decision for me 😉 ).
From going on user forums the M32 gearbox with the 1.4 petrol engines were prone to a lot of expensive problems. The diesels have a different box in.
It's worth looking at the Bravo. Insurance may be cheaper as they're not classic boy racer cars like the Punto and they're pretty cheap. As john_drummer says, all the depriciating is already done.
Brilliant little car.
Mrs has the 1.2, a few electrical gremlins (heater, rear window) otherwise fine.
And the best looking supermini of all time.
Handling is surprisingly good but a bit noisy on the motorway.
Get a blue one.
☺
We've had 3 Fiats - apart from normal wear and tear nothing went wrong with them.
I had a prev gen punto, 1.3 diesel.
Had it from new, no faults in 70k miles.
2004 model.
i liked it, same engine can be found in,
panda
500
corsa
astra
second hand, or bangernomics, you buy on condition.
I could be wrong but don’t they have utterly appalling Euro NCAP ratings?
My brother bought one new in 2009, not had any problems with it since.
The Euro NCAP thing - it was a 5 star car when it launched in 2005. It got re-tested recently as it's somehow still on sale and got zero stars, which seemed to be entirely down to optional (not standard) side airbags and no extra safety stuff that more recent cars have like autonomous emergency braking.
For someone buying an older one it's very good for the standards of the time, and compares very well with similarly aged/priced cars in the class.
We had a 1.3 diesel. Great little car. It went through 3 or 4 MOT's with only a broken coil spring to it's name. Eventually got rid as mostly sort journeys weren't doing the engine any favours, (the 1.3 at the time was a sight more sophisticated than the 1.9 with moar DMF's and stuff) but that was our fault, not the cars.
The MkII we had before it was similarly ace.
I hired a Fiat Tipo over the summer for 4 weeks.
Incredibly impressed by it. If I were in the market for a hatch I'd seriously consider it. Drives well, looks good, far more spacious than it looks, and crucially, didn't annoy me in any way!