I'm thinking of buying a puma, what should I look for?

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Cherie

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Thinking of buying a Puma? Good choice! :thumbs:

It's always a good idea to have a list of things to check and questions to ask, how many of us have bought a car with our hearts instead of our heads and ended up with a money pit? :(


Whatcar? do a handy little checklist >here<


A few Puma specific things to check:

Cambelt change. The intervals are:
1.7: 5 years or 80,000 miles (this was changed by Ford, don't let anyone tell you different)
1.6 & 1.4: 10 years or 100,000 miles
If it is overdue a cambelt change, make sure you haggle the price down to take that into consideration.

Oil and water levels. Low oil, particularly on the 1.7 is baaaaad. Low oil levels on a regular basis on the 1.7 have been known to kill the engine. Bearing in mind there are NO new 1.7 engines available, only used, this is not a good thing.
Low coolant and other fluids can indicate general lack of care. Avoid.

Rust
. Common on rear arches and bottom of front arches, bottoms of doors, bottom corner of door sill. Be realistic though, pumas are between 9 and and 13 years old now, so some rust is to be expected. (It is Ford too remember. ;))

Electric window motors. Check the windows close straight and fully.

Headlights. Check the headlight levelling motors work on both sides. (Park facing a wall and move the dial to the left of the centre console, you should be able to see the lights move).

Modified Pumas. Lowering, aftermarket alloys and exhausts etc.
Check for receipts for fitting and quality of fitting of modifications.
If on 17" wheels, check the inside edge of the tyres and wheel arch linings as some can rub, more so if it's lowered too.
If lowered, check whether shock absorbers have also been changed. Eibach springs were offered by Ford as a standard option, but these decrease the life of the shocks.

Special editions:
No substitute for doing your homework. Look >here< for details on the different special editions of Puma that were produced.

Insurance premiums. Get a few quotes before you even look. I've known many people who've fallen in love with a car, bought it, and had to sell it on as they can't afford the insurance. Especially if you buy a Puma with modifications.


Things you should have (in an ideal world).
Full service history. If there's no history, don't dismiss the car, just be extra cautious.
3 keys: 1 x remote, 1 x 'red' key, 1 x t-bar key. It's not the end of the world if you've only got the remote, you can get more made, but it's not cheap.
Original stereo with code. Given the age of the puma now, some stereos have no doubt died. If it's still got the original, make sure the radio guide and code are present.


As with any car, make sure you go in with your eyes open and your pedantic head on. Go in with the intention of picking fault. ;)
Be realistic. Yes, the puma is a nippy car with great handling, but it's not a supercar, don't go in expecting one.





If anyone can think of anything else specific to the puma that I've missed, and isn't included on the PDF that I've posted a link to, please feel free to let me know. :eek:k:
 
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