98 Puma followed me home

[Nomad]

I was looking for a nice sensible replacement for my daily (or a classy Cougar) and this came up locally.
My family had a Puma in the past and liked it a lot so I went for a look out of curiosity

Photo from the sales advert, it's about the only angle that doesn't show a dented or creased panel


The good news:
It drives nice, handles great, no nasty noises from the 1.4 Zetec motor, pulls very well from low revs (ideal for my driving style and something my current car is sadly lacking).
Recent tyres, battery, exhaust.
6+ months inspection (mot) and tax.
No rust and change out of £400 as the seller had bought a tidy new car and just wanted this "demolition derby survivor" gone
Old style logbook so seller has owned it for many years, always a good sign
No dents or damage on the roof, tailgate spoiler, the rear 1/4 in the photo or this door (the other door has been grazed but hopefully it's just paint damage)

To do list:
Full service.
Ask t'internet to educate me about Pumas.
Binge watch "DIY panelbeating" on YooToob and make frequent calls to my panelbeating relative.
Fix damage on all other panels (possibly also repaint as lacquer is missing in large chunks on the other side of the car, roof is satin green as all lacquer has fallen off)
Buy a joblot of interior trim pieces to replace the cracked / snapped / missing bits (air vents, door trims, courtesy light unit, even the red top is missing from the hazzard switch - how is that possible?)
Look for a set of wheel center caps.

I see interesting times ahead.

 

[Craig-SM]

I tried to convince my wife to buy the limited Puma Sport (Racing) but wasn’t interested and got the Sport Ka instead. Seeing the prices for them now I’ll never forgive her.

 

[Bornfree]

I would just park it in the exact position as this photo.
It looks great and forget the rest.

 

[ajlelectronics]

Ask t'internet to educate me about Pumas.

Wheel arches are a well known issue on Pumas.

 

[Kayos]

Always liked them when I was younger, one of the few fords I did like

Sub £400 running/driving/MOT must be rare now?

 

[indykid]

I tried to convince my wife to buy the limited Puma Sport (Racing) but wasn’t interested and got the Sport Ka instead. Seeing the prices for them now I’ll never forgive her.

A bit like Mk1 Escorts, they're uncommon because most of them rotted to bits. Unless it was a garage queen, the chances of having a Racing Puma now worth saving would be pretty slim.

I'd sooner have a Dimma kitted 205...

 

[Cobbler]

If it’s smokey on starting, showing the valve guide seals are gone, I have the tool for changing them in-situ. We had a low mileage Fiesta with a 1.4 Zetac in it, had to do the guide seals, easy job, took about hour & a half from what I recall.

 

[Craig-SM]

A bit like Mk1 Escorts, they're uncommon because most of them rotted to bits. Unless it was a garage queen, the chances of having a Racing Puma now worth saving would be pretty slim.

I'd sooner have a Dimma kitted 205...

Probably wouldn’t have kept as you said. The Sport Ka was actually great fun to drive around the streets, probably better than the Mini Cooper R that replaced it. Downside on motorways it was horrendous as short geared so engine racing at 70mph got very tiring quick.

 

[Haz87]

When you get bored of 1.4 power, the 1.7 upgrade is a doddle and parts were never expensive

 

[Wallace]

Did you manage to login to Autos*ite? The Puma is a perfect candidate for that site.

 

[marlinspike]

My friend had one, earlier than yours, definitely the same colour. She liked it a lot and it was pretty reliable.

 

[Nomad]

Did you manage to login to Autos*ite? The Puma is a perfect candidate for that site.

Never managed it, they need me to reply to the email they send at registration but I've never received any emails from them (or in spam etc..)

The car looks tidy in the photo above, a shame it looks a mess from all other angles