i'm getting this car very soon and this might sound strange, but i'd like to know if it's any good. i've been ill recently so have been unable to be part of the buying process (left it to my brother and dad). i trust their judgement in terms of quality of the car, i have serious reservations over style of the car

I would say think carefully about what you want from it.

My other half has a Punto. Its 3 years old, bought from new. Whilst its OK now, it had many problems when she first got it, mainly due to electrical problems (eg random warning lights flashing on the dashboard). It was fixed each time under warranty. I know of others owning the same car that have had electrical issues (including airbag problems, which can never be good).

But that said, since the problems have been ironed out, its an OK budget car - its cheap, relatively nippy, the 'girly button' is great (I use it permanently and I'm a guy, she never uses it...), the boot size is adequate, enough room in the back for 3 average people, etc.

All in all, average car. If you don't expect much, you'll be happy.

i'm slightly disconerted by the 'girlie button' - what on earth is that?

I don't expect too much from it really. i'm not really a big car person and have only ever driven a ford ka before...please tell me this isn't another girlie car........pleaseeeeeeeeeee

Its a girly car, sorry. The girly button makes the steering even lighter than normal. I think the proper name is the 'city button'. Meant for parking and low speeds. Switches off automatically over about 30mph.

Mr Honeyplanet and myself have owned a punto for just over a year , we have had no problems apart from the battery going flat. Although our car is diesel its run very effectivly.
I dont think we have ever used the city button,at the end of the day I think the quality of car you get depends on the circumstances its being run in. if its brand new then you just wont know untill you have bedded it in a little

I had a Fiat and found it most reliable. But then all my cars cept the Ford Fiesta have been pretty great.
I considered a Punto myself this year but rejected it based on space requirements.
What's the year?

My wife and I have had 4 Puntos between us. Including the two bottom of the range we have now bought brand new. We've never had a problem, apart from a fault on a petrol cap.

I had a head-on collision with an impact speed of 100mph in my previous Punto and I walked away from the accident. The car was a write-off, but the passenger cell was intact.

We are both really pleased, and our next cars will be Puntos too.

A mate of mine used to work at a FIAT dealership (7-8 years ago)where he worked as an autoelectrician. He doesn't think much of the fiat wiring at all.

Apparently FIAT stands for "Fix It Again Tommorrow", because they would always be fixing a wiring fault, only for the same fault to reoccur the next day.