‘Seems to drive better every year’
Because diesel became more and more expensive, Joost Aarts got rid of his Citroën Xsara 2.0 HDI in 2010. He found an ideal buddy at a universal car company: a five-year-old Fiat Punto 1.2 Active with just under 73,000 kilometers on the clock. Thirteen years later, the counter is at almost 350,000 kilometers. But there is no question of getting rid of it yet. Joost will remain faithful to his Fiat Punto with a petrol engine for the time being.
Joost started working with the Punto, first of all for work, with 130 kilometers of commuting every day. There was a positive feeling about the Punto after purchase. “I wanted to drive economically and not incur too many expenses, but make as few concessions as possible in terms of comfort, ease of operation and the size of the car,” he says. A pleasant return trip to Berlin in August of that year and the honeymoon to Luxembourg three months later confirmed the correctness of Joost’s choice for the compact Italian. In early 2011, however, he began to have doubts. Our son was born in February. Well, if you see what you have to take with you when you go out with the three of you…”
Then everything changed. Joost got a new job in 2012 as a quality assurance consultant in food safety – “Especially fruit and vegetables” – just five minutes from his home in Grubbenvorst in Limburg!
Joost has come to love Fiat because of the Punto
When the second sprout appeared at the beginning of 2014, the fate of the Punto seemed sealed. The mileage was now 172,500, so a ton in three and a half years. But behold, quite a few years later and with an impressive mileage of 344,500, the Punto is still in front of the house. “A bigger car means more costs, while the space is still sufficient in the end, even with children aged nine and eleven growing up. The Punto now functions as a full-fledged family car and we make a decent holiday trip at least twice a year. Still, I do look around every now and then, at a 500X or a Tipo, for example,” says Joost. So Fiat again? “Yes, so far I have had very positive experiences with my Punto and then the love for the brand grows. My wife now also drives a Fiat – a Panda – after previously owning a Hyundai Atos.”
Didn’t go completely smoothly with the Fiat Punto
It did not go completely smoothly with the Punto: a new drive shaft at the front right, four new ignition coils (“it shook”), a piece of exhaust pipe plus silencer, leaking rear shock absorbers and a broken radiator, in addition to regular maintenance, made for a best list after 150,000 kilometers. Around two tons the spring on the front left was broken. And at 314,000 kilometers Joost seemed to be stirring a bowl of soup. “That was a strange sensation,” he laughs. “The lever remained in neutral. When we arrived at the garage, one gearbox cable was broken, while the other was about to break.”
Since that problem has been solved, the Punto drives as usual again. Or actually even better. “It seems like he’s getting more and more into it over the years.”
As plus points, Joost praises the beautiful brown-grey paint, the good seat, the pleasant shifting and yet still the space on offer. As negatives, the Brabander, who lives in Limburg, notes the lack of cruise control, the lack of scratch resistance of the plastic materials and the stability on the highway, which could also be improved. “I had the audio system replaced, a USB connection was missing and a connection to the telephone was also not possible. Now it has a Pioneer system in it. In addition, the doors have been made extra soundproof with Zealium Base 4. Tire noise – also a downside – has decreased since then.”
All countries that the Punto has had under its wheels are honored by Joost with a flag sticker. The collection has grown particularly fast in the last five years: Austria (2017), Great Britain (2018) and a tour through
Slovenia, Czech Republic, Croatia and Italy (2019). This year it was Poland and Slovakia’s turn, followed by a major tour (approximately 4,000 kilometers) through Scandinavia. And that all went smoothly, with a satisfied Joost behind the leather-covered steering wheel. “I think the steering wheel is the most beautiful part of the car,” says Joost. In short, he will remain loyal to his Punto for a while.
The Fiat Punto is now fixed at a considerably higher position.
- Bought for €7,000 (minus Citroën Xsara trade-in)
- How long owned Thirteen years
- How many owner are you? The second
- Driven kilometers271,500
- Biggest plusIts reliability
- Biggest flawNo cruise control
- Largest expenseMainly maintenance. repairs went well.
- How long are you keeping him?He can stay a while longer.
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl