Fiat Punto 1.1 55SX

This was (and still is) my first carBeing a student its hard to accumilate alot of money, for the first few years im going to be paying more for my insurance than my car, My insurance is currently at £1800 for a year.This 1995 Punto 55sx is pretty amazing for a 15 year old car, Almost 0 major faults have gone wrong, Great on petrol which is a big plus when owning a car, also plenty of interior room for friends :) can easily fit 5 people but the 1.1 engine struggles alot.When cleaned with the right products (autoglym) It can look pretty attractive.Carrying on from performance, Its great for city driving, on the motorway it can keep up with the flow of traffic but don't expect to spend much time in the fast lane, If you are considering getting a mk1 punto go for at least a 70 model, more power :)

I would definately advise this punto to any new driver! A great car and very reliable! Will get you from A to B.

I have heard that you shouldnt drive through puddles too fast! Pretty obvious really as will temporarily damage electrics!

I bought this car on 9th January 05, on the way home it broke down, front suspension broke on passenger side, head gasket blew, exhaust fell off cost £900 to fix it all along with 4 week in a garage, got it back early February. It ran okay for a while then at the end of March the alternator went, back to the garage for a week and another £120 for repairs. I went to collect it, got to the corner & the electrics went, pushed back down to the garage for another week and a half to get the electrics replaced which cost £250. Got it back home mid April, was running okay, blew 2 tyres in the middle of Glen Coe on a Sunday and yip you guessed it more repairs this time. £200 for 2 new tyres, as I had to get a call out from a local (45miles away) garage to do a call out to replace them as I couldn't drive to it. Decided to cut my losses and traded it in on the 24th May 05. This car cost me a small fortune but I bet it was great for who ever bought it after me (seeing as id done all the repairs to it!) I liked the look feel and handling of the car and although I had a bad experience with this one it wouldn't put me off getting another punto in the future. But I think this time i'd pay more than £650 for it i.e buy new or relatively new and get a bigger engine size.

It's a nice little car that takes me from A to B, very good fuel economy (I can get around 400 miles out of a full tank) but when one thing goes wrong so does everything else. Timing belt needed too be replaced, rear lights create a 'disco' when indicating, fuses blew when I replaced the radio, heat shield for the exhaust fell off, exhaust got replaced, E.C.U locked me out of the electrics so that got replaced, now on my second set of brake pads. Second set of tyres, had to get the wheels realigned and a new wishbone due to several years of speed bumps. Boot cable snapped. Spent over £1200 just fixing the car. I'm beginning to wonder!

Had the Fiat Punto over 2 Years and found it surprising how much you can fit in the boot especially with the seats down.

Never really had a problem with power until driving through the peak district when I noticed it was slightly underpowered.

But then again having that smaller engine adds to the fuel economy. Never had any real major problems other that a cam belt snapping but due to the free wheeling engine design this did not cause any major damage and after a replacement belt, and adjustment thingy (the cause of it coming off) I have continued to motor on for another 18 months.

The Fiat Punto's are really perfect for first time or for a good price like £500-1000. It's realy worth it and on petrol is very good I get with 10 pounds. 65-80 miles in the city on the motorway I got with 17 pounds believe it or not I got 190 miles with it. I only have a SX55 1.1 5 door it's realy nice and sweet car that you can make it easily sporty with cheap parts.

The Fiat Punto 1.1 55SX has a low gear ratio, so it is not that quick through the gears. It has poor front wheel grip. What you tell the steering wheel to do doesn't happen to the wheels. Very light car, a gust of wind may put you into a ditch. I drove this car over the speed limit for a year solid on the motorway, and never got caught. I had my other car 2 months, and got caught at 120mph oops.

On that note I can refer back to an article reporting on a court case where a Punto 1.2 was clocked at 115mph on the M62 near Manchester. The guy challenged it in court, and they tested the car round a flat track to find it only did 105mph, and the guy got off!

Can I just point out that on the downhill section of the M62 it is possible to reach 110mph in a 1.1. So there you go British judicial system, your wrong, ha! apparently. I would not suggest trying it because tin foil isn't very strong. Plus most of the MK1 Punto's were recalled due to failures in the break pipes!!! Make sure yours got fixed, otherwise it will cost you £200 to repair on an M.O.T failure! Something to do with the salt used in grit for the roads eroding through the type of grease they used to coat and protect the break pipes, causing the brackets to fail. (You can see this on MK1's where there are two pieces of pipe hanging from the back). I got a letter direct from Fiat to inform me of this, and had it fixed free of charge by my local Fiat dealer.

Overall I loved it for my first car and miss it dearly. I always fancied a Punto GT, as the lack of torque and top end are quite poor.

The Fiat Punto 1.1 55SX looks stylish, and moody looking headlights with fairly wide front arches for a hatchback. Spacious inside with a nicely designed dashboard with lots of storage places. shame is rattles too much over battered roads. Fits two people in the back with plenty of space to spare but with even three people in the car you notice a big difference in performance as the 1.1i 55bhp engine lacks power if heavily loaded, also has a frail rear suspension with knocking sounds coming from the bushes and also shock absorbers are common problems.

Also the front end susension arms needed replacing on p/s. tyres wear quickly as they are only 155/75 standard. I upgraded to 195/45/16 with only a little gain in handling and with larger wheels on smaller engine fiats cause problems with acceleration. Bodywork can get scrached and dented very easily so I would suggest great care come with these models. I had the head gasket replaced twice (£400 a go) the second time was caused by a leaking water pump which was also replaced.

Standard cat-back was replaced (but I suppose that's normal for many cars) a bracket holding the exhaust up by the cat somewhere broke which caused my exhaust down pipe to hang and eventually broke causing the whole engine to be very very loud. Misfiring occurs every once in a while, mainly results in the ignition coils, sparks or HTs. Regular service would be recommended. Even tho the interior does look, I'd say OK, the plastics are very cheap and break easil. The electrics are a joke, first the headlights and sidelights, speedo lights, brake lights, dashboard lights. Use a higher calcium level battery for better electrical performance. The 1.1i FIRE engine is a remarkably good engine, with good potential to perform well, performs great against other 1.0 - 1.4 litre cars. However the clutch isn't so good, along with a loud noise from the gearbox when changing down gears from higher speeds. I could go on as there are constant problems with this car. I wouldn't buy another Punto, or any other Fiat, if you're looking for a Punto, I sugest the 1.2 16v sporting or the 1.4 GT TURBO.

The Punto replaced the Uno in 1993 and marked the dawn of a new era for city cars. Here was a small Fiat that was very stylish, with lights running up to the roofline and a streamlined, almost organic design to it's overall shape.

Punto was always intended to be very friendly to the environment, and it's engines, all built with precision by robots, are very econmical. For this model, the 1.1 litre 55, 44mpg is possible on the Euro combined cycle.

The entry level 55 develops just that - 55bhp. It's hardly a quick car but it always feels like it's going faster than it really is thanks to small wheels and a willing engine note. The pull from the engine is good given it's size. Moreover, this is an engaging little car to drive, you can throw it round bends with what the Italians refer to as 'brio' with confidence as the Punto has articulate road manners. Even if it understeers (quite possible given the body roll it sufferes from) it is predictable and soon recovers.

The interior is tasteful and bits do not fall off, as many Fiats have been accused of. The dashboard has a graceful ergonomic design that is functional and pleasing to the eye. The seats are comfortable and very supportive for taller drivers.

The SX model is worth the small premium over the S thanks to the extra equipment, including central locking, electric windows, a split/fold rear seat, trimmed headrests and fog lights amongst other minor trim upgrades. In five door mode 4 adults can sit quite comfortably as there is plenty of room. The boot is a generous size and when those rear seats are folded away the load space become truly cavernous (don't overload it though - the Punto has weak rear suspension).

This brings me on to the car's Persian flaw - it's ride quality. The suspension is rudimentary on the 55 - lacking roll-bars and decent shock absorbers. The car rides harshly over pot holes and lurches into bends with an alarming slice of body-roll. You should aim to change the shocks if they have done upwards of 50000 miles.

Other niggles include slightly temperamental electrics, especially on earlier cars, though these problems can usually be sorted. The main issues mechanically are dodgy ignition coils (cost about £100 to replace) and a noisy gearbox caused by worn bearings (ignore unless really terrible and causing problems - budget up to £400 for a reconditioned box). Other than that, Punto is very reliable, and responds well to being looked after. Change the oil and filter regularly, spray the leads with wd40, and you'll have yourself a reliable and cheap little stylish car.

Although the gear stick is a bit rubbery and the steering a little onorous without power assistance, the car is fun and easy to drive and responds surprisingly well to a driver able to unlock it's full potential. It may not live up to even the least of your wildest dreams but it'll put a smile on your face and it won't dent your wallet!

There are plenty about, and they are very cheap now, so get a decent one for as little as £1000. Check all the electrics work, and look for small dents along the door lines. If you look after your Punto it will provide you with all the things one looks for in a great small car.

Car of the Year 1995 and deservedly so. Enjoy.