The new Punto looks fooking awesome! Going off looks it wins hands down comapared to the Fabia (IMO ) Parts of me wish id waited for it but then I remember all the rattles my old Punto mk2 had and how many clutches it went through.......

If Angel Tuning gets there hands on that JTD 130, it will be bloody quick.

this makes me

skoda owners being badge snobs, get over yourselves you lot will you.

you put down the punto because its a fiat yet you drive one of the late 20th centuries biggest jokes in the car world and think you drive prestige motors.

don't get me wrong i like my skoda am i'm glad i bought it, but if i had a load more money you think i'd be driving an octavia??

I remember all the rattles my old Punto mk2 had and how many clutches it went through.......

I recall from a review of the Croma mention that one of the VAG fellas was now on board at Fiat, in a bid to make sure that their cars come out of the factory bolted together properly.

Have to say, from poking around at the Stilo and Panda they seem to be doing the job.

That said, VAG were supposed to be sorting out Skoda too, but my Octavia's been the worst car I've owned for build quality and reliability...

Rob.

Have to say, from poking around at the Stilo and Panda they seem to be doing the job.

Yeah I think you're right about the build quality in the newer models. I think its just the dodgy Italian electrics that let them down now. I hope this new Punto is going to be top notch.

But skoda copied VW who copied peugot re hottish diesel hatches.

Take a bow the Peugot 306 D Turbo which I still reckon started all this quick diesel nonsense

Personally, I think it was the ZX Volcane TD... same engine, but lighter, faster, and it came out before the 306

I recall from a review of the Croma mention that one of the VAG fellas was now on board at Fiat' date=' in a bid to make sure that their cars come out of the factory bolted together properly.

Have to say, from poking around at the Stilo and Panda they seem to be doing the job.

That said, VAG were supposed to be sorting out Skoda too, but my Octavia's been the worst car I've owned for build quality and reliability...

Rob.[/quote']

Well obviously VAG are missing them then!!!!

Our loss, Fiat's gain!

Personally, I think it was the ZX Volcane TD... same engine, but lighter, faster, and it came out before the 306

And don't forget the Golf GTD from the 1980s....we could go on forever

Who cares who copied who, his point was about Fiat bringing out a warm hatch. And anyway, besides all of this, it's only a crappy badly made unreliable Fix It Again Tony.

His point was a bit more than that.He mentioned it looked like other manufacturers were cottoning on to the warm hatch thing .The point was made that fiat and also skoda were well behind others who have done it for ages

As for fiat being rubbish.I don't want a Punto but the new one looks really good (must find picture) and has been rated pretty well including how its put together.

Pbirkett...probably right re Volcane It was the peugot that just sticks in my mind

When I went through a phase of owning Fiats. I was in the garage service reception so much that I got invited to the Xmas bash !!! I didnt go

not at all. it was just the whole

thing that kinda confused me :ne_nau:

Yeah well sorry about that - the whole thing sort of spiralled out of control... The perils of trying to keep track of a load of threads at once as well as trying to do you day job!

Have to say, from poking around at the Stilo and Panda they seem to be doing the job.

Other half's parents have a 1 year old Panda and they're really pleased with it. They've not had any problems at all with it and regularly drive it instead of the 1.8T top-spec Passat they own! Panda seems very solid, well built and rattle free despite having a learner driver inflicted on it! Also very well equipped considering the bargain basement price!

Dash is still a bit too "futuristic" for me, but it's a far cry from the rattly Fiat's of old, although funnily enough, it replaced their trouble-free J-reg Uno with 130k miles on it

Chris

Other half's parents have a 1 year old Panda and they're really pleased with it. They've not had any problems at all with it and regularly drive it instead of the 1.8T top-spec Passat they own! Panda seems very solid' date=' well built and rattle free despite having a learner driver inflicted on it! Also very well equipped considering the bargain basement price!

Dash is still a bit too "futuristic" for me, but it's a far cry from the rattly Fiat's of old, although funnily enough, it replaced their trouble-free J-reg Uno with 130k miles on it

Chris[/quote']

Yep , everyone I know says that their modern Fiats are excellent and I certainly can't fault what I've seen.

We all know fiat made some dire cars in the past but you can't hold that against them forever. If you did then nobody would buy any skodas because of everything up to the favorit

I'm defo NOT a badge snob, how the hell could I be?? BUT I just hate Fiats........even the new ones dont do it for me, each to thier own.

Yep ' date=' everyone I know says that their modern Fiats are excellent and I certainly can't fault what I've seen.

We all know fiat made some dire cars in the past but you can't hold that against them forever. If you did then nobody would buy any skodas because of everything up to the favorit[/quote']

Anyone with a modern Fiat probably would say they were good. Who would admit to parting with 9 - 12k on a heap of sh!te??? Makes their judgement look rubbish.

BUT if thats what they say then great I am pleased, I just wouldn't have one.

Whatever the badge - I'm glad that there ARE cars that are at least slightly different both inside & out, as well as what it's powered by.

I really couldnt care about the badge. If a car has gained a good reputation (and rightly so) then it may still not be a car I'd buy. Everyone has different reasons for buying a particular car. Money, family, image, number of doors, colours, could be anything. Glad there is a choice

If you've been to the US, and you've had a hire car, you know what I mean. You can EASILY loose your car there, coz a lot of the cars have the same 'colours', be it variations of grayish etc. If you didnt have the remote to unlock the doors, you could really be looking for a while

Purely from a technical perspective the hybrids interest me, and also that new 1.4 VW engine with supercharger & turbo looks like an awesome bit of R&D work.

Just read that Mitsubishi and Chrysler have now bought the PD engine to use in thier new line ups.

Yeah, they have held their hands up "We can't make good Diesel Engines, can we borrow yours?"