P reg? Repair or replace?

Question

I have a P reg Fiat Punto (1996) and it is a good wee car, however, I only paid £650 for it in November, and now it needs a repair that could cost me between £300-£400. I really like it though! The MOT is due in November, but I think it would pass (after having this work done).

However, I have also just seen an advert for a Mazda 323 TD which is a 1999 (T reg) and for sale for £750. It seems a reasonable buy. The mileage is quite high, but it has more or less a full Bickets service history. It also does 50 mpg. It will only cost me £500 to insure fully comp for the year, which is good in comparison to the Punto - I am on a 10-month bonus accelarator with it at the moment, and it cost me around £300 odd to insure it. Also, the Mazda is a 2L, and my Punto is only a 1L, so the insurance is really good considering.

Do you think it would be worth my while doing the repair work to my Punto? Or do you think it would benefit me more to spend a little extra, and upgrade slightly?

Please tell me your thoughts.

Answer 1

Personally I would go for the mazda 323 2Ltr it's three years newer  and Diesels go on for ever if they are serviced regularly I own a mazda 323 2Ltr Gxi and that gives me 50mpg and the engine doesn't have to work hard, and it has a very good and reliable engine, my mazda is on a "03" plate and I've not had any problems with it at all...Good luck and I hope you buy it OK..

Answer 2

get the mazda checked out by your mechanic. if its good sell your punto for 150 then the mazda has only cost you 500 the price of the repairs to your own. and u get better milage more comfort and a little extra prestige with a newer car, problem solved, if the mazda turns out to be a munter look for another one cos your punto is not worth the paper its printed on. no offence but i have seen quite a few of those broken down,  

Answer 3

it depends the car you want to buy may need more work than your aware of if you were me i would take it to a mechanic to look it over to make sure everything is ok then deside if you should fix your old car or purchase then other one then see were you would be saving also that car has lots of miles on it good luck

Answer 4

like everyone else has said get it checked by a mechanic that u can trust first. Fiat have a bad name, Fix It Again Tomorrow is what alot of people say in the trade but japanese motors can be very reliable but like with most cars if neglected will cause problems.

If it was me i would get rid of the fiat n go  for the mazda

Answer 5

He is clearly trying to get rid of the car for a reason.  If you have a friend or relative that is a good mechanic then have them check the car out.  Otherwise I think that it would be better to go with the Mazda, as it is a really good car.  The Fiat although nice will always have long term problems as they are not very well made and always prone to major failures like all Fiats.

Answer 6

upgrade if you can the fiat are trouble,mazda one of the lowest costing cars to maintain, hope this helps

Answer 7

So I expect the policemans sister is a nun also.

So WHY? £750

Answer 8

My advice would be to sell the Punto and get the Mazda, with your insurance you should be able to add the Mazda to your policy and keep your no claims bonus.

Ja.

Answer 9

I would go for Mazda over Fiat anytime - did you know fiat stands for

Fix It Again Tomorrow...

seriously though, japanese cars are much better quality than fiat and are much more reliable.