General Thinking of getting a Punto Sporting...

[markoibook]

Hi guys...
I am currently an Uno owner and love it to bits - its a great little runabout, and suited my student budget well.
However, I hope soon to be starting a new job with a decent wage, and so am considering changing my wheels.
I am particularly interested in the Punto sporting - basically I want a nice hot hatch with good performance and economy, at a nice price.
However, I'm not sure about how it performs in the real world and so am looking for some advice from some Sporting owners.
My budget is about 4-5k, and I am considering either a 1.2 Sporting from about 4 years ago (or newer) or a 1.4 Sporting from the past few years. In reality, what should I be able to get for my money - and is there much performance difference between the 1.2 and the 1.4??
Cheers very much in advance punto peeps!

Marko

 

[Luke]

For your budget, you could pick up an 2000, 2001 Mk2 Sporting (1.2 16v). That has same power (near enough) as the 1.6 8v engine, but much better economy and lower tax etc.

Also alfanige @ angeltuning can remap the engine to get rid of the flatspots and make it a nippy car

I wouldnt personally bother with the 1.4 or the 1.6 considering the 1.2 16v is pretty much the same power

 

[wolfracepunto]

Or you could get a Punto JTD which can be remapped to Punto HGT standards thats more economical and the same to insure as a Sporting

 

[thefishdude]

i find my car quite nippy im not sure i would describe it as ahot hatch maybe very warm one lol

away from ligts its pretty good benefitting from its 6 speed box were gear 1 and 2 are slightly lower geared. also there is plenty of go for over taking and can cruise very happily on motorways in 6th returning good milage. i do a mix of city and open road driving and i get 48mpg summer 45 winter. obviously more you put foot down less you get. on a good run cruising at 60-70 i gets 55+ i have also had 60 out of it cruising tat 55 in 6th.

if you looking at hot hatch beat cars away from line all time im not sure this is ya car. but have hear many good things about the tunning mentioned above. on a side note im a big lad and carry junk in my car wich ways it down im sure. so must make it a bit slower.

 

[beau]

Or you could get a Punto JTD which can be remapped to Punto HGT standards thats more economical and the same to insure as a Sporting

can you do that! whats downside as diesel though? because everone seems to avoid them.

 

[The Negotiator]

Diesels used to be poor; slow, noisy and dirty. Now they're not, it will take a while for "joe bloggs" to pick up on that.

 

[gaz.d]

have you considered an '03/04 active sport 1.2 16v, same spec as sporting, could possibly pick one of these up within your budget

be careful not to buy the 8v version though

 

[markoibook]

have you considered an '03/04 active sport 1.2 16v, same spec as sporting, could possibly pick one of these up within your budget

be careful not to buy the 8v version though

Ah sounds interesting...
But how does this compare with the 1.4 Sporting of the same age?

 

[gaz.d]

Ah sounds interesting...
But how does this compare with the 1.4 Sporting of the same age?

from the handy punto mk 2.5 ('03>) brochure

1.2 16v
80 bhp
47 mpg

1.4 16v
95bhp
46mpg

with a few choice mods you could get the 1.2 16v upto the same performance figures as the 1.4 16v

angel tuning remap and bmc cda airfilter will get it somewhere near 90bhp, combine that with a full supersprint exhaust system and it would put it somewhere close, maybe even over

depends how friendly your insurance is, they may frown upon mods and bend you over backwards for them

i dont think your budget would stretch to a new sporting (1.4) , mk2 sporting or active sport is a compromise

 

[thefishdude]

does the active sport have the 6 speed box?

 

[gaz.d]

active sport has 5 speed box

mk2 and 2.5 sportings have 6 speed

 

[JTD Monkey]

I find Sportings tend to be stupid money in comparrison to the rest of the range. Like Gaz, I would suggest the Active Sport 16v (Mk2.5 only, so you have to put up with the minging face ), although they don't get the sunroof or 6 speed box they get most of the stuff you would want/ need.

Go for the JTD if you get the chance. I had one and it was brilliant. Mucho tuning potential too (allegedly). On the continent you could get a JTD Sporting but they never brought it to the UK. They threatened a JTD Active Sport for a while (it actually appeared on price lists) but that never arrived too!

 

[marky23]

ive got a good idea get a mk1 punto sporting a 1999 v reg for about £2000. better performance and looks than the mk2, and spend the other 2k on a abarth kit and some nice wheels and bobs your uncle

 

[markoibook]

Thanks very much guys - lots of helpful advice here.

I really like the look of the mk2 puntos - more so than the current model (not a fan of the new grille!), and the active sport 1.2 sounds pretty good.

Anyone know what the 0-62 is for the active sport, and the economy?

Also, is there much difference between it and the sporting, and what about approx price/insurance groups?

Cheers!

 

[wolfracepunto]

Not even tempted by the JTD then??!!

 

[markoibook]

Not even tempted by the JTD then??!!

Um , well maybe

I'm all for diesels - i like the fuel economy and the torque but I have a few questions about the JTD...

What is the performance like - how does it compare to the Sporting?
What is the fuel economy?
Is it as nippy around town as a petrol?
Is it noisy?

 

[beau]

Um , well maybe

I'm all for diesels - i like the fuel economy and the torque but I have a few questions about the JTD...

What is the performance like - how does it compare to the Sporting?

get it remaped by angel tuning to 135bhp and thats faster than the highest model punto and same insurance as 1.2 sporting because insurance cant detect a remap.

 

[wolfracepunto]

This is the spec for a JTD Dynamic:
Engine Size: 1910 cc
Cylinders: 4
0-60 mph: 11.8 s
Power Output: 85 bhp
Valves: 8
Torque: 196 Nm
Top Speed: 106 mph

Spec for Sporting:
Engine Size: 1242 cc
Cylinders: 4
0-60 mph: 10.6 s
Power Output: 80 bhp
Valves: 16
Torque: 114 Nm
Torque: 84 lb/ft
Top Speed: 107 mph

On paper the Sporting is quicker, but look at the difference in torque. I suppose it depends on the type of driving you do, if you only drive around town the Sporting will be the one to go for- its nippier and you dont really need torque. If you do more motorway/dual carriageway driving the JTD will be better- it wont be affected by hills as much as the Sporting and overtaking will be easier and more economical.

But, for around 300quid you could tune a JTD and make it into a seriously quick car. You'd be laughing at Sporting drivers and alot of other cars on the road with 0-60 time of what- below 8.5secs?? To make a Sporting anywhere near as fast as the tuned JTD, much more than 300quid would be needed!

You decide

 

[beau]

your so nasty! i want a mk1 punto but looking at insurance figures for a jtd is very good, and then seeing angel tuning can tune it to 135bhp is so good and low insurance! your swaying me away from the mk1 punto, damn lol

ps. sory for hi-jacking the the thread with this post

 

[wolfracepunto]

your so nasty! i want a mk1 punto but looking at insurance figures for a jtd is very good, and then seeing angel tuning can tune it to 135bhp is so good and low insurance! your swaying me away from the mk1 punto, damn lol

Good Remember though dont tell everyone; its a secret lol

Forgot to mention one thing- the Sporting comes with the alloys/spoiler sideskirts etc. but the JTD Dynamic doesnt It would be easy and not too expensive to get it looking sporty to your exact taste