Urgent: Buy Fiat Punto 1.4 EP in Festive Offer?

[rocka_fella]

Hey experts, mod's n everyone else out here. :

I am just planning to buy a petrol car - Fiat Punto 1.4 EP(emotion pack)
I had almost finalised its booking yesterday when told about the year end bonanza going on, but then i took today's time in order to think properly n calmly about my decision.
I read on many forums about the various problems encountered in punto till date like -

1. wheel alignment problem in which vehicle starts moving left which surprisingly couldn't be solved by any fiat service center throughout india.
2. csc(clutch slave cylinder) being made of plastic instead of usual metal/aluminium which is quite risky(breaks easily) n also makes gear-shifting quite tedious.
3. ac kit had problems and replacements of the same were officially acknowledged in feb 2011

the car offered to me had Vin no - MCA...........CMZ
i.e its model is dated March 2011

So, i am just a bit confused n worried if this car offered to me also has the same problems/defects
And also whats ur say on buying a March model in Dec ?

n btw i forgot to mention that i need to take this decision by today i.e 23/12/11.

 

[dharmesh]

Fiat Punto are not selling that much so it is quite normal you will get March manufactured model. I am not sure about the news, but I have read at many places that there were some changes to Punto in June 2011. Other TAI members can confirm this. But if you ask me. I would definitely go for it. But before buying and while doing PDI check for the H mark on MID to verify that the car is not driven more than 200 KM.

I have Punto MJD 1.3 EP. till now i am done with 1900 KM .
I have no problem with Wheel Alignment as yet. And I am having no problems with clutch and gear shifting. But other TAI Punto owners who have dirven car for more KM can give you better idea.

 

[Akash]

When you have got the budget of Punto Epack, why dont you look at other petrol hatchbacks which retail at more or less the same price.
A diesel Punto is definitely a great car to drive, but the Petrol one doesnt really feel great (personal opinion).

As for the manufacturing, i dont think a March manufactured FIAT is problematic since the company may have cars in stock due to low sales.

 

[raj_5004]

First of all, if you want a Punto, avoid such an old car. The car has been lying in the stockyard for 9 months, thats scary. It can have lots of issues.

Regarding the issues you mentioned, my car (90 hp) does not have any alignment issues. Secondly, the other two issues have been acknowledged by FIAT & they will eagerly replace the above when you take you car to the ASC.

 

[Thetraveller]

March 2011 is an old car. You would need to do a thorough PDI. IMO if you find the car in a good state you can go for the deal.

Regarding the issues:
1. This is mostly a wheel alignment issue which can be rectified from a proper alignment center
2. CSC has been updated to metal cylinder. You can get it checked from ASC
3. Again the AC kit was updated last year, your car should have new kit.

 

[shailinder]

Fiat's Mutlijet engine is the best as far as Fire is concerned. I have not heard anyone buying or bought it in past. I would suggest, explore more in the market and book some other petrol hatch. Because if it is Fiat it has to be MJD only.

All the best.

By the way, what is the on road price dealer is quoting ?

 

[THE XOVER]

@ rocka_fella

I don't think Fiat are selling too many petrol Puntos, so its not surprising that you are getting March manufactured car.If you are getting a good deal just go for it,only thing to check should be tyre tread---it will give you proper idea whether your car has been misused by the dealer or not.Happy purchase.

 

[350Z]

Unless the dealer is offering an extra ordinary deal, I would suggest waiting for Jan when New Punto is coming albeit with minor upgrades. Please remember to perform a thorough PDI if you happen to purchase this car (http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...pre-delivery-inspection-exhaustive-guide.html). May I ask which dealership it is? This is because recently I also came across a similar example (More than Year old) of Linea which was lying in stockyard in a terrible condition. Plus, the response of dealer was as much worse.

Drive Safe,
350Z

 

[rocka_fella]

Thanks alot all of you for such a quick n elaborate response.
TAI really rOcks as mentioned by my friends !!

Well, today was quite a hectic day for me as i went on to see n test-drive some other vehicles in the same range.
I went to do a TD on i20 today n loved it..interiors were really cool, specially the dashboard..handling was quite good as well..But at the price of 5.5L, i am not getting all those features n stuff as in that of Punto..i somehow feel that X-factor was missing in i20(personal opinion)

BTW, the offer being made to me by the dealer(Oberoi, Noida) is around 5.5L on-road.
When, the SP offered me this price, i was like "abhi booking amount lata hu n pay karta hu"
But when i got back home yesterday n researched thoroughly for one last time, i found all these manufacturing problems occuring in not just a handful of their cars but in quite a few throughout india like that wheel alignment problem which can easily damage n wear-off my alloy wheels . Also the fact that this problem hasn't been resolved/rectified by any SC by wheel alignment or balancing coz it just keeps on re-occuring after doing about another 1k-2k kms..

so late night i just posted this question here as i didnt want to rush up things n thought that i can wait for another day or two so as to get the feedback of other owners of FIAT GP EP 1.4 who have purchased it during months of FEB/MARCH/APRIL or somewhere around.

i dont know, since its my first car, m making myself more n more confused day by day..

I also did a TD on fabia, vista, polo.
Vista(2011): really liked the new trendy interiors n front look of the new vista..it has got everything in it, but its something about the TATA n INDICA lineage that just doesn't CUT it out.
Fabia: interiors aren't that trendy as others.
Polo: doesn't offer much features in my range.

 

[nithin_v]

Hi
I had bought a fiat punto 1.4 EP in december(model is of June 2011). Initially we had a wheel alignment problem which is rectified by ASS. There is a small drift towards left. After that we drive almost 500kms and i dont find the problem still persists. I think they had not done wheel alignment as a part of PDI.

 

[rocka_fella]

Hi
I had bought a fiat punto 1.4 EP in december(model is of June 2011). Initially we had a wheel alignment problem which is rectified by ASS. There is a small drift towards left. After that we drive almost 500kms and i dont find the problem still persists. I think they had not done wheel alignment as a part of PDI.

hey nitin,
many many congrats for ur new punto EP ..
i just love this italian beauty but going by the wheel alignment problem that everyyone is encountering, makes me somewhat doubtful of buying that car..

also the fact that i am getting a march 2011 model adds to my confusion..

i am in a dilemma b/w i20(magna)/punto(EP 1.4)/figo(zxi) !!!![thinking]

 

[rocka_fella]

by the way: reading some of the threads here on TAI and some others, i found that there's a rattling sound problem in i20's..so i was just wondering if that problem still persists in the latest models as well ?:

 

[rocka_fella]

First of all, if you want a Punto, avoid such an old car. The car has been lying in the stockyard for 9 months, thats scary. It can have lots of issues.

Regarding the issues you mentioned, my car (90 hp) does not have any alignment issues. Secondly, the other two issues have been acknowledged by FIAT & they will eagerly replace the above when you take you car to the ASC.

thanx for a prompt reply raj..i have read many of your threads including the "unknown features of PUNTO" which really stole my heart n made my decision to go for punto even more clear n bold than ever..

since you're a proud owner of punto, i want to contact you before finalising anything..
can you plz send me your contact number asap either here or mail me.

 

[raj_5004]

Done. Mailed you my contact number.