Toyota Echo vs Fiat Punto - Help decide!

Shelleigh, with regard to what you said about servicing. There is definitely something in what you said. More so though I think it is people don't service their cars at all and then wonder why things have gone wrong. Which has become a really common of the last few decades with our "appliance" type approach to vehicles.
That or they think servicing just means changing the engine oil.
That said often cars that should be run on synthetic oil (the VW/Audi 1.8T engine springs to mind) get run on cheap mineral oil and that does indeed cause problems like blown turbochargers and other issues from the engine sludging up. Which is exactly as you suggested.
Mostly though the "don't buy European it will cost you" sentiment is just heard so much that it becomes self perpetuating. People who don't know about cars hear some "advice" from a car dealer or friend and just repeat it without challenging it.
The way the brain works is people feel resistant to doing the opposite of the "word on the street" even if what is being said is completely wrong and can easily be proven so. If you do go against the grain your natural tendency is then to be hyper aware of anything that does need service/repair. Just like noticing blue cars! Wheras you could have had the same problem with a Toyota and not batted an eyelid.

Classic example of that is Toyota Diesel Drivers. Engines like Toyota's 3.0 Diesel 1KZ are absolutely notorious for cracking heads with is a very expensive job. Yet no one really gets too concerned about it because its a Toyota.

True or not once a sentiment takes hold in a society its very hard to change.

If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck.

Told you so!

Right, Checklist.
Now firstly, Don't be put off by whats on this list. I could give you one just as long for any other car and mostly with the Fiat these are easy cheap things to fix. but you should still price them and be aware if they crop up. There are a couple of "General" things on the list I would check with any car but a more comprehensive general list of things could certainly be made.

1. Check all electrics work including every window etc

2. Check power steering is smooth/light from lock to lock, the "city" button works and it just makes a nice quiet hum when you turn the wheel.

3. Look for fading on the rear lights (especially imports)

4. Look for any rust around the windscreen area of the car. This tends to be much more serious than it may appear and can be a reason to avoid a car. This is usually only a problem on 2000 year cars, newer ones are much less likely to have prblems.

4. Check that all dash warning lights light up when you turn the key on and then turn off when the car is running. Pay special attention to the engine, ABS and Airbag lights. If they don't light up at the beginning it may be a sign the bulb has been removed instead of fixing a fault.

5. Read the post about testing a CVT transmission and test all modes are working properly but most importantly that its smooth and dosnt make any funny noises. Remember it is a CVT so the revs should hold constant and not go up and down like a manual or automatic. This can seem like the transmission is "slipping" to the uninitiated.

6.See how many keys come with the car. Ideally it will have two and another special brown/red key which is used for cutting more. Not end of the world if it only has one or two but nice to have

7. Check the engine oil is nice and clean and likewise the transmission fluid.

8. Pay special attention and see that the seatbelt light stays out during test driving especially over bumps etc.

9. Listen for unusual bumping noises etc when driving

10. Be wary of any rust around the vehicle, these are galvanised cars and generally don't rust at all unless there has been a crash repair.

11. Look around the headlights etc at the front for signs of repairs.

12. Look at all the door gaps and make sure they are even, if not it can be a sign of a repair being done, likewise look for consistant paint. It is completely normal though for plastic items like bumpers to appear a slightly different colour to the rest of the car.

13. Some wear on the base of the drivers seat is common but if its excessive its a sign the car has done a lot of work

14. Check the air conditioning is working properly, you operate the air conditioning which WILL be fitted (unless a U.K import or something odd) by pushing the fan speed dial in. Yes thats right you push the whole dial in and a light will come on.

15. Look for signs of uneven tyre wear.

16. Drive it in a close circle in both directions at a fast walking pace with the window down and listen for "clicking sounds" same goes for any Front Wheel Drive car the clicking is the sound of a C.V needing changing.

17. Enquire about when the timing belt was last changed and look for evidence like writing on the timing belt cover on teh engine. You want to know if tensioners and waterpump were don

That's probably it, I may thing of more later, you might want to post your needs/requirements again as I have buried it in another wall of text sorry!

We were looking for a little run around like the two above, For the same money, brought a late nineties 4wd!
Give ya one more thing to boon about in the weekend -if it's too windy to take the boat out.
And there's always heaps of flash shiney 4wd stuff to buy, and keep ya tools busy.
Good times. - I keep reminding myself everyday how lucky I was not to buy a small run around life sapping shopping buggy.

Carry a tow rope in your 4wd.
Just incase a euro with dodgy electrics needs a tow.
(or a shredded rubber band in the cvt)

Good reason to buy a Punto, its CVT dosn't use any kind of rubber band or belt not even a steel one.

Lol depends coz we already have a big car, just need something small for weekdays.
Plus I'd guess a hatchback would be more economical than an SUV.

Ha, so do we, ours doesn't even tow the boat, The falcon does the boat towing and family moving. The 4wd is the second car.

Econmonical, Shenomical. It's a big wide country to get out and enjoy - When your on ya death bed, you won't be thinking, "well at least I saved some gas!"

I will be thinking that if I die in next 1 year.
:P I'm a student.

gadgit3 kool thanks for that how is this fixed a job i can do at home or is it best if if i just drop it to the machinics! also where is the vvti oil solinoid located! Cheers for the info great when people give out good info.

It's not a simple job and if you take it in to get repaired then you will want to find a mechanic that has done the job or it could cost a bit in labour while he learns the system lol. The vvt cam pulley is not meant to be disassembled BUT it can be if your careful and have a bit of time on your side. The solenoid is easy to find and remove for cleaning. It's located in the front of the engine drivers side just below the cam cover, bout 25mm dia 35mm long with a 2 pin plug.
If it was me I would flush the system with a good system flush and very thin oil 3 or 4 times with only a few hundred kms between oil and filter changes, pulling the vvt solenoid and cleaning at every oil change and see if that makes any difference at all. Check the solenoid is working also this can be checked on the bench with a 12v battery connected across the two pins of the solenoid and you should feel is click every time you connect and disconnect the battery.
If you pull the solenoid and find it very gummed up you may want to blow compressed air into the oil passage were the solenoid came from as no amount of changing the oil or flush will clear up a completely blocked passage of that size.
Hope all that is comprehendable lol

cheers gadgit will pop down to repco and grab some engine cleaner for the oil and change it in the weekend and repeat it whilst cleaning the solenoid (and make sure it works) cheers been a big help its been a bit of a head ache hopefully it clears lol.
Cheers ill keep you updated when its been changed 3 or 4 times.