My friend bought a Punto GT (model 95, 137bhp). This evening we raced against each other on the road(!!!!!yes I know, better race on track.....!).
I really must say that I wasn't able to leave him far behind. Maybe I cannot drive but in straight line from 20km/h to about 180km/h I only managed to get about 20m before him. (He was driving behind me and was maybe helped by me pushing the air away).
I have a MY98 with downpipe and back box mods.
I have to say this really p***** me off!!!
So what could I do to leave him far behind.....???????

greetings
ric

 

go around some bends

 

Yup, a friend of mine has got one too...With some simple and cheap mods it's a really rapid car - Apart from the fact he gets wheelspin in the first FOUR gears in the wet, and the first TWO when it's dry!!!!

One of his acquaintances had a Renault 5 Turbo, which had lots of GroupA parts. Not very clever off the line, but I reckon would give any scoob stick (Even on the twisties!) between 50mph-110mph.

Scary stuff indeed. Ooh, the shame!

 

thing is they might be quick but they
are mongrels compared to pedigree scoobies...

 

Punto GT was the first TC car I ever had! what a car!!! So quick but with dodgy handling, When moving they are unbeleivable!

 

Yea they are quick. Got overtaken by one this morning. Only problem was that the van in front of me and myself were both doing about 60 in national speed limit zone and Mr Punto GT thinks it's a great idea to overtake both van and myself with about 200 yards to go before we reach a blind right hand bend... not too mention the central island in the road and the on-coming traffic.

And I bet the bloke was boasting to his mates all day about how he 'took' an Impreza What an ar5ehole.

Sorry Ric - not having a go at your mate - this just really wound me up this morning as it was so dangerous and it just happened to be a Punto GT.

 

JoeyDeacon,

Depends what your looking for in a car. If you just want something that looks crap, falls apart but goes fast in a straight line, buy and Uno turbo. if you want a car that looks good, handles like a dream and has enough poke for normal roads then buy a 205 GTI. I was lucky enough to own a 205 1.6 GTi (no PAS) when I was 18 and I still miss it. Straight line speed gets boring very quickly,(and difficult to use legally) but top notch handling is always a joy.

Just in case you wondered I drove an Uno turbo at the time I bought the 205. No comparison.

Punto GT - Quick, sloppy and unreliable (a friend of mines getting rid of his after 6 months of ownership)

 

>>> This evening we raced against each other on the road <<<

There was a time when this sort of crap wouldn't be tolerated on this board. What's happening?

 

Hi Ric, buy a PPP?!

When I first got a Scooby I met up with a battered Uno which *looked* like it just had a dustbin exhaust, boy-racer add-on. I noticed the perspex windows a little late, but heard his turbo spooling up as I tried to pass him! After that he disappeared into the distance.....leaving me on the wrong side of the road like a prune.

 

Mate, give your license back

Mike

 

i used to own a mk1 uno turbo that had a lot of mods. The needle on the boost guage used to go twice as far round the guage as a standard car due to an adjustable bleed valve. I dont know what boost it was running as there are no figures on the guage but if the standard car was running 9psi my car must have been running 18-20!!!! Whats more is that the car was owned by a friend of mine before me and another 'aquaintance' before him and all three of us abused and used it for over a year each. I then sold the car to another friend of mine and its since suffered another 18 months of abuse and yet the engines still as sweet as a nut!!! Amazing engine, wish my cossy was as tough.

Anyway, when i owned the uno i thought it was the dogs danglies in straight line performance (itd leave any hot hatch for dead from a standing start) until my mate bought a cossy. We never actually raced but the cossy felt phenominally fast and i had to get one. When my mate announced he was selling his i snapped it up and sold my uno to the above mentioned mate.

My uno owning friend and i went for a bit of a blast (me in the cossy, running stage 1 chip, air filter and exhaust with 15psi of boost and about 260bhp). We stopped side by side at the beginning of a duel carrageway and floored it. I was fully expecting to leave the uno for dead but to my immense irritation it stayed up my **** until 70mph when the cossys extra horses came into play and we pulled away. I was not impressed, as you can imagine!!!!!! Very very immpressive little cars and if i were you id think twice about "putting boy racer uno owner" in his place!!!!

bren

ps, I timed the uno to 60mph when i had it and found that it consistantly turned in 6.6 second times.

 

I too owned a MK1 Uno Turbo and I can also vouch for the fact that the engines are very tough. The trouble is the rest of the car isn't and disintegrates around you as you drive it. I bought mine (a D reg) about 5 years ago for £1300 and in the 2.5 years we had it never failed to start first time (102K on the clock when we got rid of it, still I think on the original turbo (Even though my mum didn't understand about letting turbo engines idle before switching them off) although it was burning a little oil. Not as much rust as you might have thought although the interior looked as if edward scissorhands had been driving it!).

After I had owned it for about a year my Mum took it off my hands and she absolutely loved it until some idiot reversed into it in a petrol station causing damage to the front bumper and wing. Insurance company said it was a write off so my dad bought the car back and sold it. Still see it being driven around where I live occasionaly!!

After that I got a 205 1.6 GTi which in comparison felt like a gutless pile of crap!!

Best thing about the Uno was beating BMW drivers at the lights and engulfing them in a cloud of burnt oil (adding insult to injury really!!)

I think a slightly tweaked Punto GT would be an excellent car and must be very cheap now!

 

I had a Punto GT for 18 months - not a single problem, except it being broken into. Reliability is not a problem.

The only thing I didn't like was the handling in the wet, couldn't the power down and wheels would always spin.

I might get another, seeing as a good 95 model is only about 4k

 

swoll,

ive also owned 2 205 GITs (1 1.6, 1 1.9) and 3 309 GITs (better handling than the 205s if slighlty slower) and the Uno was loads more fun that any of them!!!! How the hell can you say that a 1.6l pug has enough poke for normal roads?????? A 1.6 N/A pug would have me falling asleep at the wheel!!! And how can you say that Unos fall to bits and then go on about a Pug?????

Oh, yes, I know standard Unos handle like pigs but mine had Leda adjustable suspension with lowered PI springs, racing mounts, strut brace and very low profile tyres and handled like a go kart.

And my Uno would tick over without the revs rising and falling continuosly.

And it didnt sound like a bag of nails.

And itd leave youre 1.6 pug like youd selected reverse.

And the gearbox still worked after 80k miles without crunching through 2nd and 3rd.

And it came with ABS, electric windows and central locking.

And it had rear discs.

And it was half the price of a similar year Pug.

And it had a proper breather system.

So stick that in your pipe and smoke it.

Bren

 

Yup I agree with 330sapp, the Uno was MUCH more fun (and reliable) than the 205 1.6 GTi!!

The engine in the 205 sounded horrible if you worked it hard and seemed to have no torque whatsoever.

It also had the problem of the revs rising and falling continuosly at idle and would stall if stationary at traffic lights (Most annoying thing about the car).

At least one engine/suspension part would need to be replaced every month.

So low geared that on the Motorway 80MPH was nearly 4000RPM!! The Uno would happily cruise at just over 100MPH.

Admittedly the Pug handled lovely but I absolutely hated that car and got rid of it after 10 months.

 

here here!!!

bren

 

Yep...we have a punto turbo along with the trusty scooby.

My girlfriend drives it most of the time. She destroyed the set of P7000s on the front in just over 5000 miles.

No traction (really bad in wet)
Great in a straight line
Soggy gearbox
Er...won't go round corners too well.

other than that...ace

Ian

 

I know the feeling, was going down the motorway slip road with a honda civic (new shape) vtec tried to race me, must admit it was pretty quick but i wasnt killing me scoob to start with, got him in the end thou, and whos P1 was that on the roundabout near Bredbury on Sat (i think)v nice! you were going 2wards stockport!
I know we shouldnt race, but we all do, if just to let the engine "breath" a little!!

 

Well I'll stick up for SWOLL then - ya boo sucks to the lot of ya!!

I used to own a Pug 205 GTi 1.6 (no PAS) and it is without doubt the sweetest handling FWD car I ever driven (incl a 306S16). Never driven the Fiats so can't comment on them. I would agree though that Pug owners should not be preaching to Fiat owners about build quality.

JD - if I'd known you a few years ago - I could have told you how to stop the Pug stalling. There was a small brass screw on the air intake pipe (just before the air / fuel was mixed). This used to get coated in carbon deposits. Take it out , clean it and bob's your uncle - no more stalling. Utterly useless now I know, but what the hell..

Cheers

Chris

 

Chris L,

Would that have also fixed the Kangarooing down the road as well??

The 205 GTi was the most disapointing car I have ever owned. A few years previously I had bought a one owner pristine 205XS which I absolutely loved... Until it got written off a mere two months later. I loved the XS so much that I thought I would get the model up, the 1.6 GTi..... BIG MISTAKE!! Compared to the XS it was a horrible car and I swear the XS, even though it only had 85BHP was a faster car and much, much nicer to drive.

I hated it so much that I would buy it back if I could just so I could drive it into things and scrape it against walls to teach it a lesson......

 

Hey everybody!

Yo, it seems that in straight line these Puntos and also the Uno Turbos really are very fast. From my experience the Uno Turbo is even faster than the Punto GT! I thought about it today and I think the Scoobs very good times from 0-60mph come from the excellent traction they offer and of course the strong engine, but if a 2 wheel driven (Fiat Coupe 20V turbo) car once is in move and has around the same bhp as the Scoob, it isn't a lot faster in straight line.

Although I LOVE my Scooby!!!!!!!!!!!! ....and just to say, it WAS FASTER than the ****** Punto GT. But the grin on the face of my mate ....... Agrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.....................I HATE IT !!!!!

Richard: PPP not for me, only thing I would do is the Sportec remap. (no warranty on my car!). The Punto GT has a lot of turbo lag, for good cornering the following receipt: Full throttle when entering the corner and there you have the power when leaving..

scoobymike: I plan to go to some sports-driving courses ..... but I don't think I will be faster in straight line afterwards....
LET ME KNOW WHAT YOURE PLANNING WITH YOUR CAR!!!!!!! Gulp !!!!!!

bren: Aaaaaa, you know the feeling I had.........Unos are VERY VERY fast, but don't talk about safety.....? Here in Switzerland is a tuner that offers an modified engine for the Uno that puts out 250bhp!!!!!!! Did you have a older one or newer one, as I think the older form is much more beautiful.

Joey: Yeah, the Puntos are very cheap to buy, but don't ask about reliability, the boost gauge on my mates car showed 1.6 bar...........it goes well, but how long......?????

GCollier: I cannot tell me, that you never tried on the road how fast your car is???? I live in the country and the whole test drive Punto vs. Scooby whe didn't even met one car on the road!!!! But yes, you are right......

MattN: Save some money and buy a Scoob!!!!!

My first car was a 106GTI Pug and it was really very fast but I think in straight line the Punto is faster........

yo, know a friend that has a prepared Scoob......higher compression ratio, bigger turbo .... .......... =>around 300bhp! Maybe I should ask him if I could have his car for a blast and then GOODBYE PUNTO (I hate this car!)

ric

 

Hang on, isn't Switzerland the country that makes you turn your engine off at traffic lights in the city?

Can't you be hanged for exceeding the speed limit?

 

JD

Mate - you must of had a 'lemon' - they were fab little cars. I've always regretted selling mine (although it was a later model with the uprated 115bhp (no cat ) engine.

As regards the 'kangerooing' - that's just your dodgy clutch control

Chris

 

chiark: You are right........but it also racetracks are forbidden in Switzerland, so we have to do it on the road, but the risk is very high, do it twice and go to prison....... (not joking!)

ric

 

Chris L,

I am more than happy to accept that mine was a Lemon!! It had done 86K when I bought it and came with lots of receipts for work done. When I bought the car I thought the receipts were a good thing but it turned out it was just a taste of what was to come!!

I remember reading in Top Gear that you should avoid all cars with more than 70K on the clock and I think this is pretty good advice!!

Mine was a 115BHP model too although it felt more like 15BHP!!

 

ric,

I would save up and buy scoob......but then again I've already got one!

I just want my GT back aswell!!!!!!!!

MattN

 

Hey Matt!!!!

point taken!

I would also enjoy to have a GT to play with........really a lot of fun to drive

ric

 

I used to own a nicely tuned R5 GTT Raider, running 21 psi boost. Mods included full exhaust, air filter, high flow rejetted carb, GT tuning head gasket, flowed head, uprated clutch, in car boost control etc etc, plus other stuff.
My mate ran a 6.1 at Trax 97 in it (He was better at launching it than me) and to my knowledge we were the quickest 5 on the day.
I remember trying to get smart with a nice WRX who was 3 up, as was i and the scooby ate us...easily. I now own a MY96 STI and i can wholeheartedly say that these small highpower FWD cars, while good are no comparison for a good Scooby, Cossie, EVO.
Other hot hatches owned include, Fiesta RS turbo, Escort RS turbo, 205 GTi 1.6 and 1.9, uno turbo, i have owned the lot and they are not in the same league IMO (Unless silly money has been spent)

 

Isn't this thread 5yrs old..??.....kinda late reply, but hey....

 

let the ******* tyres down maybe