Eddoe

Hi guys,

Im looking at changing the scoob for somthing cheaper to run/insure/repair etc and was looking at one of these two cars. Has anyone had one of these or have any views on the above or any others that i may have overlooked???

I am looking for a car between 4-6K value that is sporty, reliable and a fair bit cheaper to run than the scoob. I still want some performance though so i can have a bit of fun in it.

Any suggestions and info(mpg/0-60/handling etc) would be much appreciated.

Cheers.

Gutmann pug

GTi 6 for sure ...... always a very very highly rated car in the mags etc .......There was a rallye for sale on here last week as well, which would be even better IMHO.

NACRO

The 306GTI-6 shouldn't even be mentioned in the same breath as the c(p)unto. It's a far better car in every respect.

The running costs on the 306 aren't exactly cheap however- insurance wasn't much lower than an Impreza (£200 or thereabouts) although fuel economy is in the low 30's mpg. My friend has one of the later models and it's a great car although it seems to eat consumables like any performace vehicle.

Chris J

I've got a rallye, which is just a gti-6 without the toys. Over teh 3 years I've had it I haven't had any amjor problems really. The lambda sensor went but was fixed under warranty, and I have just had to change the radiator. Any parts you need should be pretty cheap from places like gsf and eurocarparts, and the servicing is cheap if you use the 3+ scheme (max £180). Make sure the cambelt, tensioners, and water pump have ben changed as they quite often fail. The other major thing is the aircon, where the pipes corrode and start leaking. If they have goen then it will be about £300 from pug to fix.

0-60: 7.2
0-100: 20.2

The fuel economy isn't great, but it depends on how it is driven. The handling is ace though.

Any questions etc try www.306gti.com

Jamo

iTrader: (23)

the puntos are quite quick. a mate has one, its good fun.

jamo

redevo

Definitely the Pug GTI 6 or Rallye a mate of mine has one and swears by it and he's had a few high performance cars including 4WD Turbo cars its not just the cracking engine more the chassis it's suppose to be a corker

igratton

My Wife had a mint punto GT turbo - great little cars - my brother now owns as his daily driver.

BUT.

The GTI 6 is a much much more involving drive - in rallye form they are even better.

Build quality on both is 'ok' I guess.

I think my money would be on the pug.

LG John

I'd say the pug. For a start you won't be as likely to find yourself in the modding trap spending more money because there isn't much to be gained. With the punto turbo you'd be tempted to mod owing to the potential gains of a turbo car. As standard the 306 is the better car I'd imagine

Gutmann pug

Chris J .......I thought the 306 rallye was 0-60 in 6.9 or something??? maybe wrong though ...not that 0-60 means anything of course

ScoobyJawa

306 No question.

Eddoe

cheers guys, the 306 is definatly looking odss on favourite!!

Any other motors i should look at???

Eder22b

I had a punto GT Turbo a couple of years ago, quite fun to drive **** reliability though.After all it's a FIAT so don't expect much...

Dream Weaver

In this case GTi-6 wins hands down - looks, handling, reliability.

But....have you considered a Mk2 MR2? 6k will get you a nice N/P reg Rev 3 model with the revised lights spoiler.

174bhp out the bag, great to drive, 45mpg on the motorway, never break!!

Eder22b

U considered a clio cup at all?

Nevetas

The 306 gets my vote, I had an XSi

Slow but fun

Chris J

Gutman pug, the rallye was 6.9 0-60 as tested by evo magazine, and the 0-100 was 19.2. The figures I put up before were for the gti-6, also as tested by evo. We have tested various rallyes and gti-6s on the 1/4 mile at york, and generally speaking there is no real difference between the two models. The fastest rallye 1/4 time that I know of is 14.8 IIRC.

Tim-Grove

i'd say 306 no question, and i own a punto

Recaro

i looked at buying a Punto GT as I was really determined to get a turbo vehicle, and as I was 21 at the time thought a Punto would be brill. Found one I liked and put a deposit down. After 2 months of being mucked around, the deal went sour.

My mate then got a GTi-6 and after going out in this, I wanted one. So i bought one, for less then the price of the punto. Was a year older though.

There is no comparision. There are so many extras that you get in a 6 then a GT. half leather seats, auto wipers, etc.

Get a 6. Just make sure it has had the cambelt done.

mozzaITA

They are completly different cars, ones a small engine turbo hot hatch the other is a large engined medium sized hatch.... My brother has got a Gt and ive owned a 2.0 16v engined car, tottally different driving styles. If your looking for reliability, motorway milages and back road fun get the 306.... but if your into modding get the GT...

306 is faster to 60 and has a better top end, punto can be summed up as turbo fun i guess.

moz

www.rapidcarsltd.co.uk

Rich D

iTrader: (12)

The 306 for sure!

I had a Rallye and it was a great car...

Daz34

My mate has just bought a 306 GTI-6 & I have driven it & it is a different league handling wise compared to a Punto GT, which I have also driven.
I dispute evo's performance figures though. Most sites & mags quote 7.9secs for the 0-60 which seems more realistic to me after driving one & spanking it with my Clio 172

Darren

IwantAscoob

having only driven the punto gt turbo, i can only really comment on the one car, and i havent even heard of a gti-6 alltho im sure from what i read they must be good cars.

so here is my punto gt review, brother used to work at fiats, driving all of there cars 20v turbo's, gt's all of them, one afternoon he brings back a gt turbo punto, and this was when they were fairly new, i said right, lets see what they are made of.

jumped in started it up and all was as usaul in a little boring punto, he said to me take it easy as it's quite quick, to which i ignored and then found myself grabbing the steering wheel a bit tight, and i started to grin a bit (i have a thing for turbo's), it was totally gutless and then pow went like goose**** through a tin horn.

and this one was totally standard, so with a few mods they must be great.

im geussing the pug aint a turbo which means it dont have the wait and grin factor which i love , so id say if you were to go with a punto gtt i think youd enjoy it, even if you just get to beat rs turbo's up the a127 to southend that has to be worth it.

evoviifan

Having owned the Punto GT for a year and had a lot of drives in a 306 GTi including on the track, I have to disagree.

I love turbos and the punto is quick in a straight line which I like. I know it can't hold a candle to the 306 in the handling stakes.

The punto is roomy, quick, well equipped, and IMHO rarer and therefore more interesting to me.

I would have a punto GT as an everyday car...tune them up a bit and sort out the handling and I think you could have a very nice car.

The turbo could be fragile, but if you get a well looked after example I am sure you would be fine.

I know I am out numbered, but the 306 GTi just felt dull and flat last time I drove it (and that was on a track day at silverstone)

Not trying to start a flame war...just my opinion, both good cars

evoviifan

I have a top gear mag from a few years ago that quotes the 0-60 on a punto GT to be 7.6. I tried it in mine, without going mental and got quite close.

That made the punto GT one of (if not the) fastest accelerating GTi (GT turbo) car you could buy in 1998 when I bought my Punto GT.

Great cars, and often slagged off by people that have never even sat in one, never mind driven one!

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

If you can fit into a Punto, you should be able to live with a 106.

If cheap running is important, then the 106 GTI or Rallye could be a better option.

Either way I'd go Pug

Ayde

iTrader: (6)

Dont forget that the 0-60 time was crap on the GT because you really had to change into third to hit 60, apparantly putting 16's on sorts that (slightly larger rolling radius). I had 15's on mine with 195/50 15's on and could get 60 in second just as I hit the redline! Mine was a GT3 with K&N, full scorpion decat, Collins DV, Avo suspension, Vented and grooved disks all round with fast road pads and other bits and pieces was always to scared to fit a bleed valve but wish I had done now as it is supposed to transform the car.
Fuel consumption is not to good though IIRC I used to get around 160-220 miles from £30 of Optimax
I think people tend to still stereotype Fiats as unreliable rust buckets - that is not so anymore, I had the GT for a couple of years and it never let me down once and none of the other Fiats I have owned have never let me down.
I cannot comment on how it compares to the 306GTi-6 as I have only ever driven the XSI and found it less fun than my 1.6 Sporting and imagine the GTi-6 is a totally different car to drive than the lower spec 306's just as the GT is compared to lower spec Punto's.
Think you would have trouble finding a never modded GT as it was hard enough to find a good one when they where still in production. So I think I would probably try and find a GTi-6 if it was me

jaf01uk

Think you'll probably be able to work out which one I'd go for

hoyleyboyley

iTrader: (3)

i've been watching this thread with amusement, where everyone slags off the punto's handling

no, they don't handle great, but the're certainly not going to punt you through the first hedge you come acros - it has to be taken into perspective, its a FWD small capacity , high pressure turbo. so as soon as you come on boost, all hell will break loose, as such, driving one quickly os different to driving a larger cube n/a engine. common sense really.

as for speed, i've been up against a few decent cars in mine and can safely say that they punch well above they're weight
(as mn will vouch )

a GT can be turned to IRO 170bhp and about the same torque for 500 quid,

here's mine: