Advice for non-MB car for Nephew

[Capra]

Hi all,

This is a none MB post!!

My Nephew has been asking me for advice on buying his first car. As a typical lad he wants something with 'sport' in the title.
Anyway, he has found a car, Fiat Punto - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2010-Fia...-Sporting-Petrol-Manual-Long-MOT/143323780149

The issues I can see is, no service record and only one key. It looks to have full MOT history, with one fail on brake pads. Doesn't sound like it's been looked after to me.

I can check things like brake pad where to some degree, obvious rust, engine oil. I suppose any steering, suspension issues will be obvious during a test drive.

If he was to buy it, my advice would be, get the timing belt and brake fluid changed, and we can do engine oil/filter and air filter, plugs. Or should we walk away? The car is 95 miles away.

Many thanks
Andy

 

[KennyN]

Some front panel alignment issues going on there , bonnet + wings.

Not worth the 190 mile round trip, IMHO.

Clio / Fiesta would be my choice for a first car , we have had both.

Just get a "Sport" badge from eBay and stick it on the bootlid and tell him it was a special edition, just like the AMG - S badges on a diesel or the M badges on a single piped 3 series.

Kenny

 

[Capra]

Some front panel alignment issues going on there , bonnet + wings.

Not worth the 190 mile round trip, IMHO.

Clio / Fiesta would be my choice for a first car , we have had both.

Just get a "Sport" badge from eBay and stick it on the bootlid and tell him it was a special edition, just like the AMG - S badges on a diesel or the M badges on a single piped 3 series.

Kenny

ok thanks Kenny.

 

[Frontstep]

The Fiat Punto is a disaster safety wise, avoid like the plague, young drivers mean higher possibility of an accident and who wants their nephew dead or injured ?

https://inews.co.uk/essentials/life...iat-punto-given-zero-star-rating-safety-body/

 

[thebiglad]

Hi all,

This is a none MB post!!

My Nephew has been asking me for advice on buying his first car. As a typical lad he wants something with 'sport' in the title.
Anyway, he has found a car, Fiat Punto - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2010-Fia...-Sporting-Petrol-Manual-Long-MOT/143323780149

The issues I can see is, no service record and only one key. It looks to have full MOT history, with one fail on brake pads. Doesn't sound like it's been looked after to me.

I can check things like brake pad where to some degree, obvious rust, engine oil. I suppose any steering, suspension issues will be obvious during a test drive.

If he was to buy it, my advice would be, get the timing belt and brake fluid changed, and we can do engine oil/filter and air filter, plugs. Or should we walk away? Thhttps://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_...10+Fiat+Punto+1.4+petrol+cambelt+kit&_sacat=0e car is 95 miles away.

Many thanks
Andy

Hi Andy, I've had a few Panda's over the last 6 yrs and found them all to be good reliable economical cars. This Punto needs a new remote key/fob and when I lost mine on the latest Panda my bank paid for a replacement. The cost was about 200€

Re the timing belt if I remember correctly this petrol engine is not an interference fit design (so not catastrophic if cambelt twangs) but is an easy cheap job to do yourself and the kit is about £65 https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_...10+Fiat+Punto+1.4+petrol+cambelt+kit&_sacat=0

I suspect if I were your sons age I would be delighted if I had this car.

Dave

 

[Blobcat]

I like Panda’s but I don’t think the yoof of today would want to be seen dead in one. Corsa is the other must have (well if you want to pick up young girls...)

 

[thebiglad]

I like Panda’s but I don’t think the yoof of today would want to be seen dead in one. Corsa is the other must have (well if you want to pick up young girls...)

But the OP is talking about a Punto ???? I think all Fiats are great little cars and good fun to drive.

 

[JBell]

Citroen C3 is the one, cheap insurance and cheap to run

 

[JBell]

But the OP is talking about a Punto ???? I think all Fiats are great little cars and good fun to drive.

With the structural integrity of a coke can

 

[thebiglad]

Helpful.

 

[Capra]

Thanks all, my Nephew is a nightmare, he wants something sporty with some power. I've told him to get something cheap to run and insure! That bonnet alignment looks odd, plus the lack of service records is strange. My niece just picked up a C1, great little car.

 

[Frontstep]

When looking for a car for the youth Insurance was the driver and some suprising cars are economical to insure including certain Alfa Romeo's, Volvo's S40 VW Jetta etc.

 

[KennyN]

My niece just picked up a C1, great little car.

My daughter ran a 107 for a few years , great wee car . It was passed to our boy when she moved to London and he tolerated it for a year until he get full time employment and bought himself a 2015 Fiesta.

It wasn`t really a young "petrolheads" motor.

K

 

[A.J.]

You definitely need the other key assuming it is the red key that is missing. They are hundreds of pounds to replace. Walk away !!

 

[JBell]

My daughter ran a 107 for a few years , great wee car . It was passed to our boy when she moved to London and he tolerated it for a year until he get full time employment and bought himself a 2015 Fiesta.

The 107 / C1 / Aygo are great for getting a couple of years NCB under the belt though as cheap to insure, ridiculously cheap to run as well

 

[Capra]

You definitely need the other key assuming it is the red key that is missing. They are hundreds of pounds to replace. Walk away !!

Is the red key the second backup one?

 

[A.J.]

Is the red key the second backup one?

The red key is the master key that you re-program any additional keys from. Dealers in those days would not touch a Fiat without that key. Some reported that it costs £1000 to replace that key. Back in my HMC fleet disposal days which was about 20 years ago the red key was about £300 to replace then ! We used to have to write to the hirer and present him with an invoice before we could release the car.

 

[Capra]

The red key is the master key that you re-program any additional keys from. Dealers in those days would not touch a Fiat without that key. Some reported that it costs £1000 to replace that key. Back in my HMC fleet disposal days which was about 20 years ago the red key was about £300 to replace then ! We used to have to write to the hirer and present him with an invoice before we could release the car.

He's only got about £1500-1700 in which to find a car, not very much these days. I will try and see if the fiesta or corsa is an option. He needs to forget about anything being fast right now.

 

[EmilysDad]

Emily's 52 plate Seicento didn't use a red key. She did only have the one key but as it was l dealer only & £200 she managed with just the one. All in all it wasn't a bad 1st car ..... went to the scrap yard in heaven when she finished with it.

 

[Flyinspanner]

Anything with “sport, sporting, gt, or Gti” on the boot is going to double the insurance costs.