Does the appeal of a Ford Puma even need explaining in 2025? The latest version, sure - compact SUVs have proliferated like the proverbial bunny in the last ten years and you’d be forgiven for needing help choosing one (hint: don’t). But the old Puma, as slippery as a glass slipper and never to be repeated in your lifetime, surely sells itself - especially in box-fresh format and having only just notched up five figures on the odometer.
Granted, in this case, it’s the wrong engine. The 1.4-litre donkey came with 16 valves, but it was very much the entry-level option and therefore short on power versus the 1.7-litre VCT unit, which delivered up to 155hp in Ford Racing format. The 1.4 has maybe 90hp and needs the best part of 11 seconds to arrive at the national limit. We’re just guessing, but possibly it’s the identity of the engine that has caused the vendor to knock 500 quid off the asking price.
Even at £7,990, you might argue this Puma is on the steep side - this is a model with several Shed appearances already under its belt, after all. But comparative rarity (howmanyleft suggests that there are fewer than 100 examples of the 1.4-litre car still registered in the UK) has helped to solidify prices somewhat, especially if the car in question looks nowhere near its 30th birthday. Then they go back the other way, presumably trying to snare someone who was skint and irredeemably spotty when the Puma was new.
PH will admit to fitting this bill. At 18 in 1998, buying this Radial Red car would’ve been about as feasible as dating Denise van Outen. But contemporary knowledge of the Puma isn’t really necessary because surely all you really need in 2025 is a working set of eyes and ears. The first to admire the finesse of the New Edge-influenced design, which turned the dour Mk4 Fiesta into a genuinely pretty coupe; the second to appreciate the sound of petrol being turned into fun.
This returns us to the question of appeal and it being virtually undeniable. The back-to-basics thrill of affordable motoring used to be all around us, like cigarette smoke in a pub. Now, like cigarette smoke in any indoor setting, it’s virtually non-existent. Small cars today are put together with materials and tolerances that would doubtless seem remarkable to a Cologne line worker in the late ‘90s - but build quality and safety and refinement do not a thrilling car make.
Truthfully, the lowliest Puma was probably short on grown-up thrills, too - although when a car weighs little more than a tonne and features a well-sorted front-drive chassis, there’s plenty of adolescent fun to be had. On the basis that it’s only covered 14k in 27 years, we’re guessing this Puma’s previous owners didn’t go in for all that - but they did go in for main dealer servicing because apparently it’s got ten stamps and even the original brochure. It ought to make the perfect runaround for someone. Ideally, someone skint and spotty who would really appreciate it.
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