2nd time Puma owner - one to cherish

Hi all

Great forum. Ive just bought my second 1.7 Puma (a '99 T in Moondust Silver). Last owned one 10 yrs ago (a black S reg) before family cars intervened. After years of yearning I have bitten the bullet and bought another to cherish as a 'hobby' 2nd car.

It dawned on me that if I was to do it, now was the time since so many seem to be at that sad tipping point and they are so cheap. I cant believe such a beautiful car costs so little. Reckon Pumas can only become more sought after as they become scarce. I'm lucky enough to have a garage so this one will live out of the rain and will be looked after, coming out on sunny days.

I took a bit of time to find a low mileage one in original condition but really pleased with this; just 46k miles all backed up by history and receipts - it even came with the original sales brochure! Drives perfectly - no issues just a couple of rattles from a 15 year old car!





Getting a 'to do' list sorted - will do it gradually as time/funds allow!
*Annual service / oil change asap
*New front tyres
*Cam belt? Last done 6 years ago (but only 15k miles ago - is it worth the risk delaying??)
*Wing mirror paint - seems to have a badly painted replacement from a blue puma.
*Paintwork peeling in area under door handle - a softer (rubber?) section. Is that normal?
*Rear arches. One looks clear, the other is showing initial signs of rust. New wing in next couple years I think.
*A couple of dents
*Mats/sill protectors

Anybody else on here from West Sussex? Are there any meets in the south? Looking forward to enjoying the car and this forum,
Will

Hi and welcome! :thumbs: Looks lovely.

I'm originally from West Sussex - lived in Goring, Worthing, and Pulborough. I live in Berkshire now, though.

Cam belt (and tensioner) should be done every 5 years or 80,000 miles - whichever comes sooner. The tensioner is just as likely to fail as the belt itself. You should also ask your mechanic to replace the rocker cover gasket or it will leak if you try to reuse the old one. Some people like to change the water pump and auxiliary belt at the same time to save on labour. (The aux belt needs to come off anyway, so no additional labour there, and if the water pump fails in the future, the cam belt needs to come off to get to it so you're potentially saving yourself a bunch of labour having it done at the same time).

Choose a garage that's done one before as the timing can be tricky for those not well versed in the art of Puma. Personally, I'd recommend a trip over to Southampton to see Richard at Tremona Garage; probably the finest independent Ford garage on the South Coast.

Thanks very much evilrob!

Sound advice re: the cam belt and i'll look up Tremona garage - i'm near Worthing so probably do-able, and I want to do the right thing to keep my baby on the road Your Thunder looks great too.

Rob's absolutely right about the cambelt. Have a good look around for rust underneath and on the sills and wheel arches that's what's killing Pumas now. Good luck with it
Barry

Hello Fanwheel, welcome to the forum.

Hello and welcome!

You have got a lovely looking Puma there

Mike

Snap! Just done the same thing, had a new 1.7 standard car (non lux pack) in Colorado red in 2002. Just brought a silver 1.7 lux with 53,000 miles on a X plate. Love these little cars, paid less than six hundred quid for my current one!

Snap! Just done the same thing, had a new 1.7 standard car (non lux pack) in Colorado red in 2002. Just brought a silver 1.7 lux with 53,000 miles on a X plate. Love these little cars, paid less than six hundred quid for my current one!

Hi Wadders - welcome enjoy your red Puma! After a 10 year gap a drive in my new one gives me a huge smile. Mine is low mileage too - just 46k miles; got a few minor niggles to sort out but then it is a 15 years old cat - not that it feels like it! Enjoy

Yes its even better second time around! I think my first one was over ten grand new, where's this time I paid less than six hundred quid! Happy days...

Fanwheel, hope you get yours sorted out ok, got minor issue with mine - but doesn't detract from fun motoring...