Puma

[BorniteIdentity]

Hey.

 

So, prompted by the "Grand Monday" article on HJ - what are these like? (Rust aside)

 

Specifically. Do they feel special enough to be a 2nd car? Are they genuinely fun in 1.7 flavour?

 

I'd like to try one before it's too late.

[beko1987]

I still miss mine alot. They do rust though, so don't spent top dollar on one, a shabby but well serviced cheap one needing tyres would be a more sensible bet than a mint (on the surface) one for mega coin. They are like sitting in a fiesta though

 

Still not beaten my marlow-stokenchurch at 2am time in any car. Xm came close but only because it could corner flat...

[The Moog]

Depends what you mean by special 

 

The Ex Mcoli one sitting out my front is nice enough. Got a bit of rust in the arches and door but it is just surface. 

 

They are brisk rather than fast but will certainly rev to limiter. 125bhp mean that 0-60 is about 9 seconds ish. Gearing means 70 is over 3300rpm. Gearchange is slick enough although not bullet fast. I reckon the power is about right for what the car can handle on the road, although would like the ford racing pumas extra 30 bhp on track. 

 

Handling is pretty good, especially with decent tyres up front. I am going to get a lower brace to improve turn in and could do with new shocks all round (but that is for the track) 

 

You sit on rather than in the seats and feel up a little high. My mate who is 6 2 and size 12 feet struggles a bit with the pedal positioning. 

 

I drove from Accrington to Crieff couple of weekends ago, sun blazing, music on, I really enjoyed the drive. Did a trackday then drove the 250 miles home without it missing a beat. 

 

Being ford parts are dirt cheap and everything is pretty accessible. I did the clutch on mine on the driveway so not that hard to work on.

 

I dont grab the keys like I did with the starlet, but every time I drive it I remember how well it handles. 

 

The survivors will definitely be a ford collectors item in future, especially the FRP's.  

 

Only shame was that they never got round to turboing them like planned. 

[AMC Rebel]

The ex Mcoli one is also ex me. I only roffled it because I thought it was a tad small for me (I am 6'4"). Ironically Mcoli who isn't as tall as me but differently proportioned seemed to have more trouble getting behind the wheel - and the column isn't adjustable for reach or rake.

 

+1 on seats being too high - I have heard tell of mods to lower them and this would have been a thing for me if I'd wanted to keep it.

 

Considering the Mondeo I got was supposed to be a sensible replacement, it's been a right pain in the arse at times, albeit a roomier one.

 

I know this particular car has had a load of work done on it since I had though so perhaps we're "even".

 

As for the drive, I really liked it. It isn't a scorching performer by modern turbo diesel standards, but as old school NA petrols go, it's a lot of fun - also it's much more about the manner of delivery in my book.

It doesn't need monster turbo tree-pulling torque constrained by loads of complex electronics cos it's a light, well designed chassis with enough power.

 

You can easily do highly illegal speeds on public roads at all times if that's your bag, it will put a smile on your face - but you won't win the traffic light GP with that twat in a nearly new BMW 320d (and he was a twat).

 

It's a nimble car that will corner much faster than I have the bottle for in my advancing years, and which doesn't suffer the boneshaking ride of many modern "suspension tuned at the 'ring" motors.

 

I got some bits off a contemporary Fiesta at the scrappies, but some bits (like the radiator fan resistor) are harder to find.

 

They don't seem marvellously well made, but are no worse than other contemporary Fords - and I do like Fords on the whole.

 

TL:DR Yes, do it

[twosmoke300]

Great great fun to drive - a proper little drivers car . The 1.7 is a fantastic lump .

The handle bloody well considering the fiesta underpinnings , not a fast car but loads of grunt and just fun .

 

Rust like buggery and anti roll bar links/ bushes are a consumable item .

 

Oh and you WILL bang your head on the A pillar at some point

[Sloth in a bowl]

Just buy one, they are a car that is enjoyable to drive at any speed and that speed is usually quicker than you intended to go.

 

100,000 mile cam belt FTW as well.

 

The only downside is that after a Puma, everything else seems a little bit duller. 

[Rod/b]

More desirable than the other sort of PUMA - i.e. Pants Up My Arse or Wedgy.

[pandamonium]

I've always fancied one, but hated the equivalent Fiesta, so not sure if I'd like it. 

 

Being a Vauxhall perv, I'd go for the Tigra instead....

[John F]

I've driven several - they're nippy, powerful enough in 1.7 flavour & lots of fun.

 

Good ones are almost certainly going to be worth £shitloads to some OSF pineapple fondler, eventually.

[BorniteIdentity]

This is all GR9.  I think, as a man who's dedicated his life to MODERATE thrills and finding enjoyment in the banal, I'd like to find either a Thunder or a Minnellium (as everyone in Suffolk says).

 

What is the proper repair for the wheel arches?  Can you get nice repair panels/rear quarters - or does it have to be a fudge?

[andy18s]

As above really,decent little car that's deceptively roomy

Friend of ours takes a pack of huskies in hers, with all the paraphernalia that entails.

Ford in there wisdom put sound absorption foam in the rear arches,which soaks any water and starts the rust

Avaliable in 1.4,1.7 and strangely enough a 1.6 at some times

Millennium edition in yellow are getting few and far between. These had a nice black leather interior with the front seats being proper Recaros

Puma Thunder edition out there as well,black leather again but just leather clad std seats on that 1

Ford Puma Racing is the daddy with its wide arch kit but starting to fetch serious money now

[beko1987]

Ford Puma Black - Had f1 style alloys (I've seen them on Mondeos too). Their shit, the plastic nuts fall off (mine had these). Full pleather inside too (worth a few hundred quid on its own too so if you get one with leather, even as a disposable toy, keep the interior spotless as that's your money with ease on projectpuma!)

[BorniteIdentity]

Ford Puma Racing is the daddy with its wide arch kit but starting to fetch serious money now

 

TWELVE FUCKING GRAND!

 

HA!

 

I have literally never spent that money on cars in my entire life.  And - hopefully never will!

[dollywobbler]

Driving experience makes up for the horrible interior plastics. On cold days, you'll need to put a sock on the gear lever for insulation. 

 

I didn't find seat nor suspension particularly comfortable, but the 1.7 is certainly a car that doesn't seem to want to go slowly. The throttle almost pushes itself to the floor. Honest officer.

[AMC Rebel]

This is all GR9.  I think, as a man who's dedicated his life to MODERATE thrills and finding enjoyment in the banal, I'd like to find either a Thunder or a Minnellium (as everyone in Suffolk says).

 

What is the proper repair for the wheel arches?  Can you get nice repair panels/rear quarters - or does it have to be a fudge?

Last I knew the best* repair was a section from a Peugeot 206 front wing as the size/shape is similar.   

[AMC Rebel]

 

I didn't find seat nor suspension particularly comfortable,

Have you ever driven an Audi A3?

[The Moog]

TWELVE FUCKING GRAND!

 

HA!

 

I have literally never spent that money on a car in my entire life.  And - hopefully never will!

 

Seriously !  You can buy one for £700 and get a 4 2 1 exhaust, FRP cams and do the airbox mod then spend £11k on hookers 

[PiperCub]

An ex-gf of mine some years ago had one - it was nice enough, bit cramped inside but drove pretty well which was surprising as Sarah was one of the most careless and mechanically unsympathetic drivers I've ever known (took her nearly three years and nine tests to get her licence!!) so it's not made too badly. It was reliable too (despite prev comment) and the underside wasn't rusty at the time though they do suffer here. I think the 1.7 engine was unique to the Puma, I don't know why, I thought it was better than the 1.8 Zetec.

 

Has definate possibilities for future value with the OSF brigade who will soon start to go mad for them, while they'd all want the Racing one, I don't think many were sold, so they'll have to settle for the standard 1.7. I did drive a 1.4 once, it felt pretty slow, think most Pumas were 1.7's. 

 

The Puma is one of the very, very rare cars that I look at and think - 'That needs to be lowered', which is odd for me as generally I hate lowering things. The other thing to say is it's way, way, way better than a Tigra!

[BorniteIdentity]

An ex-gf of mine some years ago had one - it was nice enough, bit cramped inside but drove pretty well which was surprising as Sarah was one of the most careless and mechanically unsympathetic drivers I've ever known (took her nearly three years and nine tests to get her licence!!) so it's not made too badly. It was reliable too (despite prev comment) and the underside wasn't rusty at the time though they do suffer here. I think the 1.7 engine was unique to the Puma, I don't know why, I thought it was better than the 1.8 Zetec.

 

Has definate possibilities for future value with the OSF brigade who will soon start to go mad for them, while they'd all want the Racing one, I don't think many were sold, so they'll have to settle for the standard 1.7. I did drive a 1.4 once, it felt pretty slow, think most Pumas were 1.7's. 

 

The Puma is one of the very, very rare cars that I look at and think - 'That needs to be lowered', which is odd for me as generally I hate lowering things. The other thing to say is it's way, way, way better than a Tigra!

 

I get angry about lowering.  Whenever someone put some STANCEDYO pic up on Facebook with 1mm between the car and the ground, I always facetiously put "needs lowering".

 

However, the arch gap at the back of the puma is borderline comical.

[AlabamaShrimp]

You get angry about lowering? Surely you must know that every car must be lowered as much as possible as the original maker knew sod all about ride high??

 

(please not this is sarcasm, I agree with the post above)

 

 

Anyway my sister in law had one of these years ago while Mrs Shrimp had the same age Fiesta. Both were pretty much the same apart from the Puma was a bit cramped inside. I'd still have one though if I didn't already own far too many other cars.

 

Oh and is said above they'll definitely go up in lric to the stupid stage when you'll wish you got one for £50.

[sporty-shite]

I had a Puma Black and really likes it. Not particularly fast, but you didn't have to slow down much for corners. Main reason I got rid was rather it was ridiculously small in tbe back, so the kids had to sit with their legs crossed on the seat!!

[fatharris]

I had a 1.4 about six years ago. Loved driving it, hated owning it. Both rear brake pipes burst (they rust out really easily), the heated screen connected overheated and filled the cockpit with smoke, and the coil pack lead shorted out and caused more smoke.

 

But fuck me, it was immense to drive. It was the lady time I properly had snow where I used to live and I distinctly remember walking very slowly, slipping and sliding up a hill, to go get my car to go back down the hill, where an empty car park awaited me with about half a foot at least of snow, it was the most fun I've ever had in a car at that point, handbrake turns and slides everywhere.

 

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

[Tamworthbay]

Head room is the only issue to me, I am just short of six foot so hardly a giant but feel I have to duck to keep my head of the roof and cannot see the top of the speedo. Other than that I love mine and have only driven it around a car park so far!

[The Moog]

They were offered with 30mm drop as factory option.

 

Definitely needs it.

 

On my list to do. Tickman has got a video of my one being driven at Knockhill and you can see it is pretty capable (more than can be said of the driver)

[hairymel]

if you want one now is the time - they are throwaway money at the minute, so most of those left will be over the bridge within a couple of years.

 

then the few left will be expensive.

 

good fun and cheap to run.

[LostnotFound]

Surely we all know the only reason the 1.7 puma exists is to provide a beefier lump for a MK5 Zetec S fiesta? More or less the same car but looking a lot better.

 

This is the one that I may have inspected for rust underneath by rolling a couple of weeks after buying it....

 

 

Ignoring that.. I agree 1.7 Puma's sit in the, if you have a barn and a bit of spare cash, sticking half a dozen unrotten examples in there would get you far better returns over 10 years than your bank category. For those without the barn.

 

 

[John F]

^ Did you get TooSavvy to proof-read that??

[stuboy]

my friend had a 1.7 went and handle well until we looked rear chasis... rotten..boo