LOL @ y'all...
A friend of mine has had an X reg Punto, 53 reg Punto, 54 reg Stilo, 06 Reg Stilo and an 08 reg Grande Punto... all bought brand new, and has never had any problem with any of them apart from minor build quality issues, like glovebox lids that aren't that well fitting, or rear view mirrors that ocassionally fell off.
However, hes just bought a brand new Fiesta Titanium and says its the best car hes ever had.
I've driven all his cars, and the X reg 1.2 Punto Mia was probably the best... very nippy but they'll all be old by now. The new Grande Punto 1.2 and 1.4 petrols are very slow, but if you buy brand new, drive a hard bargain with a dealer - you want at least 15% off list price, if not 20%, and you go for a 1.4 16v or bigger, or one of the larger diesel engines you should be absolutely fine. Just dont pay over the odds, as you'll never get any of your money back when you try to come and sell it.
The other option, and I dont know how they do it so cheap ( see my own question ), is you could lease one. You'd get a Grande Punto1.4 16V T-Jet Sporting, great looking and high spec for just £218 a month if you shop around.
Remember too, a new car will be covered by 3 year warranty.