Ill say up front - I like Fiats. Ive had six of them over the years. I like their style and they generally are fun to drive However, this Punto will be the last. Having had three trouble-free years on an old-shape Punto 60’s, bought new in 98 as a shopping trolley for the wife, we decided to replace it with a new-shape Punto Mia. Big mistake. This has got to be the worst new car Ive ever owned. The build quality is appalling: Lets see, its now a little over two years old and 19,000 miles on the clock in that time its had 1 Passengers door seal replaced due to water ingress 2 Drivers seat runners replaced due to constant jamming 3 Incurable judder from front brakes (been like that since new - nothing wrong says dealer) 4 Judder from clutch when moving off (been like that since new, nothing wrong say garage) 5 All the warning lights come on occasionally for a few seconds when driving (nothing wrong there, guv) 6 Juddering windscreen wipers due to dodgy relay (replaced under warranty) 7 Persistent vibration from behind the dashboard and numerous other creaking trim problems 8 In cold weather, the rear seat clunks - cant find any reason for it 9 Passengers door lock inoperative and drivers door takes a bit of patience, so another set is required 10 Condensation in offside headlight unit (minor as yet) 11 Stiff gear change (theyre all like that, mate) Thank God for a three year warranty On the plus side, its never broken down, has excellent fuel consumption, will cruise quite happily on the motorway and the City button on the power steering is brilliant for multi-storey car parks However, these positive attributes fail to swing it for me, so very shortly its going to be goodbye Fiat, hello Toyota Yaris. |
