Actually IMO if they rubbish the punto they are good decent hard working kiwi's and to be trusted immediately
thejazzpianoma,
Dec 10, 5:39am
Speaking of those not to trust. there are a bunch of dodgy dealers around who fill their yards with dreadfull under-powered used imports with questionable history. They will say anything bad about the likes of the Punto in an effort to talk up their over priced rubbish.
Your turn.
gooddealz2,
Dec 10, 6:47am
I can't add anything to this conversation.Buying a car involves so many different factors that it's hard to give advice but I can say there are some very nice European cars at good prices as some people feel they are expensive to fix without ever actually having owned one.
What I think would be a great meeting is to see the likes of jazzpianoman,kazbanz and many others on the motoring boards getting together for a coffee one day.It would make for an entertaining session.
Enjoy your car hunting.
mzthang1,
Dec 10, 7:25am
Cheers all.
Yes car would be used daily for Uni and day care. And the odd weekend away every other month.
thejazzpianoma,
Dec 10, 7:40am
Thats a help. The Punto is going to be by far the best in terms of economy and practicality for the day to day running. It is also very capable on the open road however it does have a bit of road noise at 100km/h on our course chip roads(although this can helped with careful selection of tyres).
If you wanted something a bit quieter and super refined on the open road for your trips away something like a VW Golf (new shape from 99) would be better. However as with any car that will be better than the Punto on the open road you will pay a bit more in fuel to run it. So, it comes down to whats more important.
I have done many a long trip in a Punto and personally don't mind the road noise and really like how they drive at speed. However in fairness their are more refined open road cars in the budget.
wasser61,
Dec 10, 9:56am
Toyota Echo/Vitz. Cheap to run, great for 1 adult and 2 kids, cheap as chips to service and goes as well as can be expected for a car worth 6 to 7k. Lot of them on the road, and spare parts are very cheap. Also they are very reliable.
thejazzpianoma,
Dec 10, 10:17am
Dosn't get my vote. Underpowered, under spec'd, over priced, over-hyped, not particularlly economical for their size in auto, not very pleasant for a long journey, they struggle on big hills. The 1.0 is the worst of the bunch and the larger one not much better. Horrible weekend away car and only really functions properly as a city car. You can get a LOT better car for the budget.
Best thing is to take the Echo/Vitz for a drive and then the Punto, go for some hills and try passing and some open road stuff, the difference will be clear.
vtecintegra,
Dec 10, 10:24am
The 1l Vitz slots in between the 8 and 16v 1.2 Puntos.
The 1.3 Vitz is a bit more powerful than the 16v 1.2 Punto and the 1.5 Vitz is much better - even with the 4 speed auto
thejazzpianoma,
Dec 10, 10:28am
The poster needs automatic so 8V Punto is irrelevant as all will be 16V with the CVT. You clearly have not driven them, the only Vitz that gets a look in with performance against the Punto is the 1.5 and thats only on the flat, the 1.5 Vitz has to make a big noisy fuss of any larger hills to keep up.
Well we;ll have to agree to disagree there - suggest OP goes and drives one of each.
thejazzpianoma,
Dec 10, 10:34am
Exactly, and with respect I suggest you drive them too before making assertions.
vtecintegra,
Dec 10, 10:35am
I have and am at a loss to explain why you came to such different conclusions.
thejazzpianoma,
Dec 10, 10:36am
Previous shape is not really an option as we have almost no CVT versions of those in NZ really only manual. I totally agree the previous version Punto is no where near the car the MK2 is. The 2000 and newer Punto with CVT is usually an NCAP 4 1/2 star car (try comparing that in the budget!) as most will have the side airbags as well as front, along with pre-tensioners and ABS.
thejazzpianoma,
Dec 10, 10:39am
You must have driven an 8 Valve or a crook one. If you have a look at the 0-100 figures you will even see the difference. I do agree the 1.5 is on a par but the other two are well behind. My only other thought is possibly the sensation of speed might be whats confusing you, the CVT makes it very hard to judge the speed comparatively. Even 100 MPH is remarkably unfussed for such a little car with the Punto.
morrisman1,
Dec 10, 10:55am
mzthang1, in case you were wondering you are NOT obligated to buy a punto, nor is the punto the only suitable car for you.
thejazzpianoma,
Dec 10, 11:04am
Of course they are not obligated. I even said myself and I quote:
"That said there are plenty of other good buys in your price range but the Fiat will always win on economy especially if buying an automatic."
It just comes down to what the OP values most i.e economy etc. The Punto wins hands down in the economy/safety/features department for the price simply because the opposition uses a much less efficient automatic.
If the OP values open road comfort over economy then the Punto has some competition.
This is all purely from a rational/technical point of view as well. Of course the OP could turn around and buy a Yaris 1.3 auto for whatever reason, but at least they do so knowing how it stands against the benchmark Punto.
thejazzpianoma,
Dec 10, 11:10am
Agreed those things are a hoot, they are unfortunately appalling in a crash though. They have the airbags etc but the car itself folds up badly from what I understand.
thejazzpianoma,
Dec 10, 11:26am
Not meaning to keep ranting but I should have pointed out the 1.5 Vitz/Echo in auto is generally priced way beyond the OP's budget and often people want simply absurd amounts for them. So while the 1.5 does go well its still not really a contender.
kazbanz,
Dec 10, 8:42pm
nzthang- Thinking overnight about your needs and my personal recomendation would be to look at the Nissan sunny 2000/2001 sedan My reasoning on this is 1)have a look at the current NZ rental fleet. The sunny is the backbone of the second teir operators fleets. 2) servicing is easy by any half competent mechanicand a BASIC service is inexpensiveand easy to do. 3) parts are readilly available no matter where in the country you are. 4) its big enough to carry four people in comfort. AND has a big boot for kids junk. 5) they have the small end of the "normal" size wheel wise--ie the tyres are the cheapest size to buy. 6)they are not a thief magnet which also means lower insurance 7) they fit into your budget 8) with BIG milage on the clock they just keep on running with no issues 9) they find a nice middle ground between commuter and covering a few miles in comfort. As they say --tis hard to find the perfect "car" matebut this is an option I'd recommend looking at
mugenb20b,
Dec 10, 9:04pm
Just looked at the head on crash test for a 2001 Mazda Premacy, looks much better than Puntos of the same year. However, the side on impact on a Premacy didn't look so flash.
snj11,
Dec 10, 9:33pm
+1, this is a well thought out opinion. Great little cars. Not everybody wants a fiat or VW Jazz, not saying euros are bad (ive had many) just that not everybody wants one! and for a lady who clearly has very little idea on cars and how they work something like the sunny is ideal, whether you admit it or not most euro stuff has more little quirks and servicing requirments that a sunny for example. Thing is you could neglet a sunny with poor servicing for years and it will most likely keep going, do that on a euro, especially with CVT and it will cause trouble. My point is in this instance where there is no car knowledge at all, chances are servicing may be a bit slack a basic jappa is the safe bet
kazbanz,
Dec 10, 10:08pm
SNJ--re abuse--yea I also thought that but diddn't want to out n out say it.
thejazzpianoma,
Dec 10, 10:54pm
I disagree, the 1200cc Fiat engine is as bombproof as anything and usually does not even require topping up with oil between 20'000km changes with 300'000km on the clock. The CVT used is one of the most reliable ever built and is also used in the Nissan Micra. There is no unusual servicing or quirks with that engine at all and the only "special tool" required is for a tming belt change which happens only once every 5 years. Scaring someone away from a Punto on the basis of it being oddball or bizarre to service is just folly. No one should be buying a car of that value that has been neglected in the servicing department regardless of brand. However for what it is worth those CVT's generally soldier on even when neglected and usually only fail when they are damaged and run out of fluid. Its usually the Japanese car that requires more frequent servicing than a Punto (20'000km service interval on the Punto). Why on earth someone would buy something that requires a 1/3rd more fuel to do the same job when there is no tangible advantage to the waste of fuel escapes me.
These "ideas" of Kaz's are just generalizations and incorrect assumptions he has come up with. He does not really even have any real experience with Punto's.
Its just such a shame that this country has bought into the silly nonsense used to sell used Japanese imports.
I still can't get over people trying to insinuate the drive train on the Fiat is somehow going to be unreliable when it has over 30 years of lineage and that engine is still produced today. Its one of the most reliable and popular small engines ever built.
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