[josullivan]

how many people have bought their puma's as a second car
and only drive it at the weekends or occassionly during the
week, and when they do drive the car it's usually flat out up
and down their favourite bit of backroad.
the reason i'm asking is
a)are these cars more troublesome than their counterparts,
i.e. the cars that are used as daily drivers and are never left
in the driveway for more than a day or so,
b)are modern sportscars or sporty hatchbacks of the last ten
supposed to be troublesome and expensive to mantain.

are puma's just supposed to be driven all the time and flat out ,
and when they die just move on and buy something else or
another one , even though that could be only after five years,
will we ever see a twenty year old puma.

[Batman]

Interesting...

I think that if you drive a car hard most of the time it will take its toll unless you look after it - if you use the right oil and regularly change it theres no reason why the engine wont last as long as any other. Of course you will go through other parts a bit quicker (brakes, suspension, clutch, etc.) but that's unavoidable... overall the reason i have a puma is to drive it or i would get a fiesta and dont mind paying the higher running costs.

Dunno what i will get when the frp dies... :-((

[josullivan]

i agree with what your saying but i just get the feeling the puma isn't a car that likes sitting idle in the driveway.
whilst looking for something as a second car and after test driving other so called performance cars that were supposed to handle i settled for the puma.
reason is ford cars are easy to work on and i like taking things apart and i havn't found a car for the money that goes as well as the puma.
even though in my best estimate it wont last as long as my previous cars.
the puma's build quality is a bit crappy in places.

[Katwoman]

Just drive it hard then move on........

[Sex Kitten]

Just drive it hard then move on........

and the car????? :wink:

[aby666]

i use my puma as my everyday car as its all ive got and cant afford to run 2 cars.
its a perfectly good car to run daily if looked after properly which i do and to be honest i dont think i would want to drive a normal runaround and leave the puma on the drive till the weekends. i would miss it too much.

the only thing i find with the puma is you cant do practical stuff in it like take rubbish to the dump :? but then thats what my mothers peugeot estate is for

[kahless]

I use my Puma at weekends and never drive it hard? Its been my pride and joy for over 2 years and I never let it go above 3 1/2k if I can help it till its warmed up. If you are pushing your cars hard I would consider changeing the oil more frequently.

[deluded]

1st Puma bought from new.. In 5 years it needed countless sets of wheels and brake pads, but apart from that it only needed a new clutch and lower arms. Was used every day.

2nd Puma is a rebuilt FRP.. Again used every day and apart from a puncture hasn't had any real problems. Oh, and gets thrashed as soon as the temp gage reads normal!

So I'd say they can be used as an everyday car. However, I doubt there'll be a lot left in 20 years time..

[happy-kat]

2nd Puma is a rebuilt FRP.. Again used every day and apart from a puncture hasn't had any real problems. Oh, and gets thrashed as soon as the temp gage reads normal!

that is only a water temp guage, not oil. I wait at least over 10 minutes.

[Sex Kitten]

but who cares - live for now not what might be.....

[deluded]

2nd Puma is a rebuilt FRP.. Again used every day and apart from a puncture hasn't had any real problems. Oh, and gets thrashed as soon as the temp gage reads normal!

that is only a water temp guage, not oil. I wait at least over 10 minutes.

ooops

Well I usually get out of the 30 zone and onto the fun twistys after 3-4 mins.. so that's all it gets..

[josullivan]

i tend to agree with majority , drive the car hard now and maybe ford might design something in the future that goes and handles just as well as the puma.
and because i only drive it at the weekend , i do drive the daylights out of it , i can't help it , i get bored driving the van during the week and can't wait to drive the puma at the weekend.

[David]

Hmm, I granny drive 99% of the time, and on the odd occasion where I feel the need to abuse, the car really does get thrashed. I've only done this a couple of times though. Runs brilliant, people are always saying how only using the Puma a little is so bad for it etc, well, mine's been like that for 4 years and it hasn't exploded yet. I can't see how a high mileage one will be as good, yes, the engine may be just as good with the oil changed often, but the rest of it would be knackered. As for thrashing a car all the time, can't be good for it, surely.
I'm keeping the Puma to use a little, and will get a mk5 Fiesta for daily driving. It's special, so I'm keeping it.

[pumarv6]

I can't see how a high mileage one will be as good, yes, the engine may be just as good with the oil changed often, but the rest of it would be knackered.

Vas has done double your mileage, and his car is hardly knackered

Womble must be approaching 100,000 in his, and that looked and was running great at Dunton in July. A few bits replaced due to wear and tear, granted, but looking fine none the less. 8)

[vaspetrol]

I agree with Ed, I'm getting sick of hearing about engines that Might break :evil: How many have actually gone, and how were they looked after???
A lot of people seem to be trying to guess how long the engine will last, rather than talking from REAL experience :wink:

Only time will tell how long they will last, and Ford engines are generally very strong, so why would the 1.7 be any different.

[cool j]

but who cares - live for now not what might be.....

Totally agree with you as some famous geezer said " for tomorrow we die" :shock:

[deluded]

Anyway - if the engine goes, it just gives you an excuse to get something bigger put in there

[chris99]

Anyway - if the engine goes, it just gives you an excuse to get something bigger put in there

cunning

[BOK]

As far as engine longevity is concerned it's how the car is used that makes the difference. Sympathetic running (gentle warm up period and some use at full operating temp) is best for the car.

So basically short runs from cold, flooring it away with a cold engine and not allowing the temp of the engine to settle down after a hard drive help to shorten engine life.

Both my Pumas averaged about 20-25k a year, the engines never gave any trouble at all, nor did they use much oil.

[josullivan]

i do too agree with mothering the engine on start up and waiting until it's up to temp before going crazy, and servicing it at regular intervals.
do puma's like sitting idle from one weekend to the next and only being driven at the weekends ?
do you think that will lenghten or shorten it's life span ?