Fiat Panda 100hp - Dream Car?
Discussion
Last Summer, I came to the realisation that my Audi A3 was a bit dull. Not slow, not bad, not dangerous, but not interesting. So I bought a Mazda MX-5 ( HERE) and enjoyed it immensely. I would definitely recommend to anyone thinking about it to give it a go. Great fun, no problems with it, ended up keeping it a lot longer than I had planned. Come winter, I should have sold it on, but I had difficulties letting it go.
Then I bashed the front bumper, front wing and (worse) damaged the front driver's side suspension and wheel in a low-speed incident. Fixing it was uneconomical. Bye-bye Mazda! Dang.
So I needed a car. I knew it had to have a roof, for roof-bars, as I had been scabbing lifts from friends to go biking, kayaking and climbing for too long. There was literally only one car I wanted. A Panda 100hp!
I had never driven one. I had never even sat in one. But I wanted one. Back when PH ran their Dream Car competition, I sent in an entry (only slightly tongue-in-cheek) extolling the virtues of the Panda, and begging them to finance my acquisition of one. No such look. A Delta and a Capri?! Come on...
At the time they were about £5k, but prices have finally fallen. The range of prices for very similar cars is wide (anything from £2k-3.5k for 07/08 with 50-80k miles and FSH). So I started the hunt. I'm in Birmingham and carless, so I had to wait for a local-ish option. I tried a normal 1.3 to make sure I fitted, I'm 6'3". It was fine, more than fine. Comfortable, and even the little 1.2 was fun, leaving me more sure of what I wanted. This was early January.
Nothing. Nothing in the West Midlands. For a month. A nice one in Reading, £2400. Could I come have a look at the weekend? Sure. Oh no, it's sold. None of them were hanging around, still a popular little car!
And then finally, 2 within 40 miles of me. An Electroclash Grey in Derby, and a Crossover Black in Telford. Rang both, set up a visit. Black first, then grey. Went and saw the black one the same day. 60k miles, full S/H, mostly Fiat. No bangs or bumps. To be put through the MOT 2 days later. Excellent owner, thorough test-drive. Loved it. A below-the-market price.
"If it passes the MOT, I'll buy it."
It did. I did.
It shines up really well. I removed a couple of Decals. There are some paint-chips, and slightly kerbed alloys, with Abarth scorpion centre badges. It has Abarth badges front and back too, which right now I think I will return to normal Fiat ones, but will leave them a week or so before I decide. Painted (slightly roughly) red calipers, which I suppose I'll have to touch up because I can't be bothered removing the paint.
Oh, and it drives like a Go-Kart. Nimble, good response, high-revving. Not as engaging as the MX-5, but still a lot of fun to punt around in.
Overall, I am delighted.
Then I bashed the front bumper, front wing and (worse) damaged the front driver's side suspension and wheel in a low-speed incident. Fixing it was uneconomical. Bye-bye Mazda! Dang.
So I needed a car. I knew it had to have a roof, for roof-bars, as I had been scabbing lifts from friends to go biking, kayaking and climbing for too long. There was literally only one car I wanted. A Panda 100hp!
I had never driven one. I had never even sat in one. But I wanted one. Back when PH ran their Dream Car competition, I sent in an entry (only slightly tongue-in-cheek) extolling the virtues of the Panda, and begging them to finance my acquisition of one. No such look. A Delta and a Capri?! Come on...
At the time they were about £5k, but prices have finally fallen. The range of prices for very similar cars is wide (anything from £2k-3.5k for 07/08 with 50-80k miles and FSH). So I started the hunt. I'm in Birmingham and carless, so I had to wait for a local-ish option. I tried a normal 1.3 to make sure I fitted, I'm 6'3". It was fine, more than fine. Comfortable, and even the little 1.2 was fun, leaving me more sure of what I wanted. This was early January.
Nothing. Nothing in the West Midlands. For a month. A nice one in Reading, £2400. Could I come have a look at the weekend? Sure. Oh no, it's sold. None of them were hanging around, still a popular little car!
And then finally, 2 within 40 miles of me. An Electroclash Grey in Derby, and a Crossover Black in Telford. Rang both, set up a visit. Black first, then grey. Went and saw the black one the same day. 60k miles, full S/H, mostly Fiat. No bangs or bumps. To be put through the MOT 2 days later. Excellent owner, thorough test-drive. Loved it. A below-the-market price.
"If it passes the MOT, I'll buy it."
It did. I did.
It shines up really well. I removed a couple of Decals. There are some paint-chips, and slightly kerbed alloys, with Abarth scorpion centre badges. It has Abarth badges front and back too, which right now I think I will return to normal Fiat ones, but will leave them a week or so before I decide. Painted (slightly roughly) red calipers, which I suppose I'll have to touch up because I can't be bothered removing the paint.
Oh, and it drives like a Go-Kart. Nimble, good response, high-revving. Not as engaging as the MX-5, but still a lot of fun to punt around in.
Overall, I am delighted.
It has received a good shine and its first weekend run-out, up through Cannock. It is a tight-turning little thing, very lively. Different from the MX-5 in so many ways, but I found myself enjoying it a lot.
I'll miss the ability to take down the roof and wiggle a bit coming out of a roundabout, but being able to jam all my stuff in the back or on the roof and escape from Birmingham will more than make up for that.
No plans beyond driving it and maybe returning to Fiat Badges, but so far so good!
I'll miss the ability to take down the roof and wiggle a bit coming out of a roundabout, but being able to jam all my stuff in the back or on the roof and escape from Birmingham will more than make up for that.
No plans beyond driving it and maybe returning to Fiat Badges, but so far so good!
S10GTA said:
I really like these, but hear the ride is poor. Is it?
I'll let you know after I get it out and about properly, but it is certainly not the most settled little thing in the world. I'm not sure I'd go as far as 57ford, but mostly because I don;t want to shell out for a set of adjustables!Not really too bothered about the Ignis Sport, I'm sure it's fun. Swift is a nice little thing, I'd be tempted in future.
I've only ever been a passenger in a Clio 182, but the Panda does not have the same feeling of acceleration or pace through the corners. It is definitely a more junior proposition. Also you feel like you're sitting higher. If your wife is a big car fan, I think the 182 is a better car, but it's a more burly piece of kit all round, not as friendly.
So, a month into ownership and what have I learned about the little Panda?
Well, for one, rumours of its iron-bar suspension are a bit exaggerated. It's no sofa, and can certainly bunny-hop or pogo on a bad surface, but it's planted and relatively compliant most of the time. It is a more competent motorway cruiser than I expected, 6th gear is a necessity, it is very short-geared! 80mph means about 3800rpm in 6th, so it's not quiet, but it is very liveable with.
It is amazingly spacious for such a small footprint. I can get my road-bike in the back with the front wheel off, and still have a tall passenger. I did a 120 mile round trip 4-up in it, including my brother who is 6'6", with no complaints from the back seats. Well, no loud ones anyway.
And it is fun! It revs keenly, it turns sharp and flat and is generally exactly the hyperactive puppy of a car I expected it to be.
I haven't done anything with it so far apart from order roof bars and try to figure out what fiat badges I need to buy to replace the Abarth ones currently on it. It needs a good wash and polish too...
Well, for one, rumours of its iron-bar suspension are a bit exaggerated. It's no sofa, and can certainly bunny-hop or pogo on a bad surface, but it's planted and relatively compliant most of the time. It is a more competent motorway cruiser than I expected, 6th gear is a necessity, it is very short-geared! 80mph means about 3800rpm in 6th, so it's not quiet, but it is very liveable with.
It is amazingly spacious for such a small footprint. I can get my road-bike in the back with the front wheel off, and still have a tall passenger. I did a 120 mile round trip 4-up in it, including my brother who is 6'6", with no complaints from the back seats. Well, no loud ones anyway.
And it is fun! It revs keenly, it turns sharp and flat and is generally exactly the hyperactive puppy of a car I expected it to be.
I haven't done anything with it so far apart from order roof bars and try to figure out what fiat badges I need to buy to replace the Abarth ones currently on it. It needs a good wash and polish too...
Thanks Vitorio!
I had planned to wash it and scrub it this weekend, but instead I ragged it from Birmingham to the Peak District, on to Pontyfract, and back to Brum. It settled well on the motorway and loved the little twisty roads through the peaks. Great fun had by all! Well...by me!
Ok, so it really needs a good scrub now.
I had planned to wash it and scrub it this weekend, but instead I ragged it from Birmingham to the Peak District, on to Pontyfract, and back to Brum. It settled well on the motorway and loved the little twisty roads through the peaks. Great fun had by all! Well...by me!
Ok, so it really needs a good scrub now.
First job done, back to original badges, courtesy of an extremely helpful FiatForum member who offered a swap for my Abarth badges.Such an easy job, although with a slightly narrow space behind the front grille even after removing the 4 bolts for my meaty Irish paws to unscrew and replace the badge. Minimal fuss, very happy with it. I may return to Abarth badges if I do any work on the car but as long as it is stock, it will stay on stock badges.
samj2014 said:
Cool little car that, i rather fancy one! What's the fuel consumption like, out of interest?
My average since buying it is around 37mpg. The tank is small so it feels like it's drinking juice quite fast, but a fill only costs £35 so it's pretty good really. I have a heavy right foot and the Sports Button is on a lot. The Swift Sport is a logical step, I looked at them when buying this but they are still hanging in around the £3500 bracket and above for a good one. It'll be on the list when I change too!
Surprisingly good. I've done a couple of 2hr drives, mixed motorway and back roads, and it has stood up to it well. It's not the most refined but certainly livable with for a few hours.
I'm off to the west coast of Wales and back this weekend, so I'll report back with a more thorough "long trip" report after!
I'm off to the west coast of Wales and back this weekend, so I'll report back with a more thorough "long trip" report after!
I was in the Panda for 6hrs today; 3hrs to Snowdonia, a climb up Snowdon, and 3hrs back.
The Panda was faultless. Nipped through Birmingham city at 9am this morning, cruised up the motorway through Shropshire. Sat in traffic for the Bike4Life festivities in Shrewsbury, which was great fun. Lots of energy, very friendly bikers, and got through before the roads closed! Then buzzed down the A5 through Wales, overtaking with ease when I had to, before a short blast through a twisty bit to the Watkin's Path carpark at Plas Gwynant.
You can see Snowdon, the mountain in the far background. 6.5km to the peak, with an elevation increase of 1085m. So a pretty hefty hike, and back down again, in 5hrs. Back in the car, a bit tired, and drove home with a minimum of fuss, the only downside being the 3500rpm cruising revs, but honestly it's easy to live with it. The average MPG even rose to 39.5!
A well-used back end back home.
The Panda was faultless. Nipped through Birmingham city at 9am this morning, cruised up the motorway through Shropshire. Sat in traffic for the Bike4Life festivities in Shrewsbury, which was great fun. Lots of energy, very friendly bikers, and got through before the roads closed! Then buzzed down the A5 through Wales, overtaking with ease when I had to, before a short blast through a twisty bit to the Watkin's Path carpark at Plas Gwynant.
You can see Snowdon, the mountain in the far background. 6.5km to the peak, with an elevation increase of 1085m. So a pretty hefty hike, and back down again, in 5hrs. Back in the car, a bit tired, and drove home with a minimum of fuss, the only downside being the 3500rpm cruising revs, but honestly it's easy to live with it. The average MPG even rose to 39.5!
A well-used back end back home.
I'm pretty sure there are some after-market towbars available for the Panda, although the little fake diffuser might get in the way. I have a set of roofbars with a bike carrier and no intention of fitting a towbar.
Of course, it'll fit a road bike in the back and still have space for a driver and passenger, so I usually don't even bother with the bars!
Of course, it'll fit a road bike in the back and still have space for a driver and passenger, so I usually don't even bother with the bars!
I've now had the Panda 9 Months. It has only done about 5000 miles, I bike or run to work so it is used mostly for weekend escapes. It has been to North Yorkshire, Dorset, Wales, the Peak District and around the midlands mostly.
Honestly, it's great. It fits in loads of stuff despite being little. I can get a mountain bike in the back, another on the roof and fill it with a weekend's worth of gear for me and a passenger. It isn't the fastest thing on 4 wheels, or even the 2nd fastest, but it is engaging and fun to bash around in.
I got it serviced last week including new bump-stops and was astounded by how cheap the costs are (Specialist, non main dealer!). Next up is 4x tyres and new brake pads. Suggestions?
Honestly, it's great. It fits in loads of stuff despite being little. I can get a mountain bike in the back, another on the roof and fill it with a weekend's worth of gear for me and a passenger. It isn't the fastest thing on 4 wheels, or even the 2nd fastest, but it is engaging and fun to bash around in.
I got it serviced last week including new bump-stops and was astounded by how cheap the costs are (Specialist, non main dealer!). Next up is 4x tyres and new brake pads. Suggestions?
df76 said:
If I was fitting tyres I'd probably go to size 195/50/15 and look at Vredestein Sportrac 5s. They've been great on the Barchetta. I had Sportrac 3s on the Panda, and they were surperb.
Brake pads. I used EBC Greenstuff. Seemed to suit the car well.
Thanks, that's helpful, I'll have a look at changing the tyre size as well!Brake pads. I used EBC Greenstuff. Seemed to suit the car well.
Rossmc88, I agree, great to throw the bike on top. Do you find the roofbars are actually quite far apart? Fiiting the bike-rack meant using the widest settings, meaning the front tyre barely fits on to be tied down. Weird for such a short car!
Christmas has come and past, and dull January is in full flow. The perfect time so splash out on a new set of boots for the little Panda. With thanks to df76 for pointing out that going up to 195/50/15 was possible, I went for a set of 4 Toyo Proxes T1-Rs. They seem like the best mix of value and performance and had a lot of great reviews on light cars. I have yet to try them in anger but am off to the Peak District this weekend for a bit of MTB so will report back.
Everything else is going well, bar a blowing from the exhaust that may be from the flexi, so that'll have to be looked at next.
The terrible picture has also reminded me that I promised myself refurbed alloys on day one of purchase. Still something to look forward to!
Everything else is going well, bar a blowing from the exhaust that may be from the flexi, so that'll have to be looked at next.
The terrible picture has also reminded me that I promised myself refurbed alloys on day one of purchase. Still something to look forward to!
The exhaust is still blowing away, but MOT is due very soon so that's the next job, as I'm pretty sure that'll be a fail!
The car is still serving well, I only really drive it on weekends as I bike to work, but it is a great little buggy to get out of Birmingham and into the countryside.
The car is still serving well, I only really drive it on weekends as I bike to work, but it is a great little buggy to get out of Birmingham and into the countryside.
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