I have just started to learn to drive (scary!) and am now looking at buying my first car. After some research I have decided I want either a Fiat Punto or a Ford Fiesta.
Has anyone here on CD got any experience with either of these cars? (Year 2000 and after registration) Any pearls of wisdom or warning would be much appreciated.
Cheers Emily x

I Loved my Fiesta!! :)  Never had Punto so can't comment.

I loved my fiesta, that was my first car that I had last year. It was great for me and was cheap for tax, insurance and petrol. The only thing is my dad said fords are a bit of a pain to do work on if they need repairs. I just got rid of mine because it was quite old and just failed it's mot but I loved it while I had it.
My brother has a fiat punto and he swears by that, also cheap insurance, tax and fuel, not sure what they are like for repairs. Think they are both good little cars but I would say you do get a little bit more boot space with the fiesta.

I've had a 2000 Fiesta and a 2001 Punto got to say the Fiesta was nice but i loved the Punto for reliability.  For some reason the battery wasn't that trustworthy on the Fiesta even a new replacement was the same, but it wouldn't put me off having another.
For me the Punto seemed nippier and just more fun to drive :-)

Loved my fiesta!  It was the greatest car ever!  I personally would go for the post 2002 one if you can, they changed the body shape then... and the boot became much more dog friendly :-)

I have a 2000 punto and I would not reccomend it. It has cost me over £3000 for repairs alone. Also silly things like changing the stereo costs extra because fiat have their own screw type things which you need a different screw-driver type thing to work (very technical, I know)
Have not owned a fiesta but they are nice to drive.
Good luck, once you pass you'll wonder how you lived without driving :)

> I have just started to learn to drive (scary!) and am now looking at buying my first car.

I returned to driving 2 years ago after going 20 years without, I found it very scary too!  I chose the fiesta and it has been a big confidence booster for me and never lets me down.  It also fits 2 chow chows in the back although not in the style they would like to be accustomed to :)

We have a 2004 Fiesta that was purchased new. I loved it that much that I couldn't bear to part with it when I got my new car, so we gave it my son for when he passes his test. As much as I love my landrover, I still love driving the little Fiesta. For a small car they are spacious inside, a comfortable ride and cheap to run.

Over the years we have had three Fiesta's and have loved every one of them, they have all been super reliable and cheap to run.

sorry any Punto fans out their but iv got 2 friends who have had them and were nothing but trouble and costly repairs on both,
i'd go for the Fiesta, or why not try a Vw Golf i have one and its been great so far (touch wood) and Golfs tend to hold their value ,
have a look here, http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/ see what others say,
and good luck with whatever you choose xx

Not owned either but i find on the cheaper models of fords the seats very uncomfortable, we have Fords for our work cars and sitting in them for any length of time is no fun.

I have to second with CG on the Golf, if you have the money for one i would opt for one of those or even a Polo.

Only problem with VW's are they are SO costly for parts.

I've personally not found that, we have a couple of mechanics on our land and they said that the parts for Ford have rocketed recently, to the point they feel most are more expensive than VW. Think its due to certain factories being closed down. As for the Fiat's i can't comment on them.

I'd definitely go for the Ford over the Fiat any day of the week.  Fiat aren't known for their reliability.

Happy motoring!

Also worth considering a small Peugeot and also the little Vauxhall.

I was just about to reply to this, saying how much I loved my first car, a ford fiesta.
Then I realised that it was a mark 1, 1977, S reg so not really relevant anymore. :-o
When did I get so old?

Fiat are VERY expensive for repairs! Another nice little car is the Kia

Also something worth bearing in mind is how safe are some of these small cars. I know that some are not very at all and in a bad collision will fold in on themselves, like the Ford KA, Peugeot 106, Citroen Saxo as a first off. I have been a passenger in all 3 of these cars and never felt very safe at all.
I always think about safety as well and get something which has bulk and won't completely cave in on impact.

Seen a few photos of some nasty collisions and have to say i am amazed at how good some vehicles have kept most of their body shape, the main one which came to notice for me was Volvo estates.

Fords are much eaiser and cheaper to get parts for, and you have a greater chance of getting bits at a scrappy, Oh and the sterio is quite easy to change most places would have all the relevent parts in store so wouldnt have to wait on deliveries.

I have a Fiesta, 2003, 5dr, finesse so its the basic one, i love it, its great to drive, i wouldnt want to sell it except i now have too many dogs! it's very reliable, has never let me down, and never had any big bills for servicing. first car i got when i passed my test was a corsa (old style) and i liked it, however the fiesta wins hands down imo!

I had a Fiat Punto for my first car: it was seven years old when I bought it, and I sold it a year later by which time I't spend more than I'd paid for the car (about £1700) on repairs.  There were also several things that went wrong with it that weren't safety issues so I didn't bother fixing them, and plus it had an oil leak when I sold it.  I then bought a Ford Focus which I've had for four years without anything going wrong.   I've heard it said that FIAT stands for Fix It Again Tomorrow...

I've heard it said that FIAT stands for Fix It Again Tomorrow...

Hahaha, someone on another forum said the same thing!
Thanks for the replies guys, will be on the look out for a Fiesta soon-ish I think :)

Its also been said that Ford stands for Fix Or Repair Daily....!!!
But having had a Fiesta, think they are good cars and had NO problems with it.

Several pewople I know have been very happy with the Vauxhall Corsa's

> Ford KA, Peugeot 106, Citroen Saxo

I agree with this, not so sure on the 106 as never heard much about peugeots, but the other 2 i do know are not good if you have a crash, just crumple ...

I have a 2006 Fiesta, the second to new model the Zetec and i think its a great little car, does everything i need, not high on milage or petrol, its good, although getting rid soon as want a faster car haha, but its a nippy little thing for a 1.4, just if you want fast, ford dont seem to put much into their BHP like vauxhall do, except for of course the RS and the ST LOL but for a car they are brillient and i would recommend a fiesta defaintly

All I can say about the new Ford Fiesta is it looks great and Jeremy Clarkson gave it a fantastic critique he put it through some tough challenges and it came out very good. I went with a friend of mine who was buying a new car and she took the Ford Fiesta for a test drive, of course I had a go too :-D I hated driving it, the power steering although is excellent the steering wheel felt like a piece of paper, I didn't feel safe driving it, very hard to explain I guess I like a good solid steering wheel, all my cars have power steering but this one was horrible (for me) the guy in the show room said it takes some getting used to, I really didn't like it. But my friend bought a Fiesta, and is very happy with it so I guess it is each to their own. :-)