RE: Fiat Panda 100HP: Catch it while you can
Discussion
Road tax is £180 for the year.
I have a Panda 100HP, and I didn't mean to buy it.
My previous car was drowned in the flooding last Christmas and I needed to get something quickly.
I was picky and the car I was going to get needed to be a bit quirky, I refused to go for a Golf or a Focus etc. and had my eye on a decent and cheap MR2.
Drove over to the dealer after Uni and the MR2 had already been sold, so I was wandering around the forecourt and saw the Panda, which was actually owned by one of the sales guys and hadn't been put up on-line yet.
He convinced me to take a drive just for the fun of it, and I bought it there and then...
"Enzo" is a little different to the other ones I've seen on the road (always love giving the appreciative nod/salute to the other 100's) as he's got Abarth badges in place of the blue FIAT ones, and Ferrari wheel caps... I haven't the heart to change them
I've been driving it just shy of a year and I have loved every single minute of it, I get people turning their heads when I'm driving through town, and it can definitely hold it's own on the motorways, having driven it from Sussex to Berkshire and back every day for the last 6 months for work.
Admittedly, there are some flaws, the bricks that have been used instead of coils, I sometimes feel like my spine is trying to escape through my head, and the rare occasions when you have 4 people in the car it's as fast as a regular 1.1 Active... But it always puts a smile on your face, always.
I want another one, at least, and would love to take one over to the US one day.
99k on the clock and it's still going great. Long live the Panda!
I have a Panda 100HP, and I didn't mean to buy it.
My previous car was drowned in the flooding last Christmas and I needed to get something quickly.
I was picky and the car I was going to get needed to be a bit quirky, I refused to go for a Golf or a Focus etc. and had my eye on a decent and cheap MR2.
Drove over to the dealer after Uni and the MR2 had already been sold, so I was wandering around the forecourt and saw the Panda, which was actually owned by one of the sales guys and hadn't been put up on-line yet.
He convinced me to take a drive just for the fun of it, and I bought it there and then...
"Enzo" is a little different to the other ones I've seen on the road (always love giving the appreciative nod/salute to the other 100's) as he's got Abarth badges in place of the blue FIAT ones, and Ferrari wheel caps... I haven't the heart to change them
I've been driving it just shy of a year and I have loved every single minute of it, I get people turning their heads when I'm driving through town, and it can definitely hold it's own on the motorways, having driven it from Sussex to Berkshire and back every day for the last 6 months for work.
Admittedly, there are some flaws, the bricks that have been used instead of coils, I sometimes feel like my spine is trying to escape through my head, and the rare occasions when you have 4 people in the car it's as fast as a regular 1.1 Active... But it always puts a smile on your face, always.
I want another one, at least, and would love to take one over to the US one day.
99k on the clock and it's still going great. Long live the Panda!
I was in a similar position to the author a couple of years ago, (although I had a westfield as my only car). I was going to get a 100hp, but when I looked about, their cult status meant prices were higher than some of the alternatives.
I went for a 1.5 smart forfour - 108bhp, sub 1000kg, 46mpg, revy japanese engine, wheels right at each corner. The rear seats slide, flip forward and fold flat and the front seats fold flat too, so it's even more practical. It also has carpark-proof plastic panels and I love the funky looks. That prices were a good £1000 less than the panda sealed it for me. Mines debadged and most people don't even know what it is.
Ben
I went for a 1.5 smart forfour - 108bhp, sub 1000kg, 46mpg, revy japanese engine, wheels right at each corner. The rear seats slide, flip forward and fold flat and the front seats fold flat too, so it's even more practical. It also has carpark-proof plastic panels and I love the funky looks. That prices were a good £1000 less than the panda sealed it for me. Mines debadged and most people don't even know what it is.
Ben
I'm picking one up on Saturday and the timely arrival of this article has assured me I'm doing the right thing!
Wanted one ever since they came out, read every article, forum stuff etc etc, always out of reach, even when they were around £7300 new in 2008 on some sites!
Really looking forward to it!
Wanted one ever since they came out, read every article, forum stuff etc etc, always out of reach, even when they were around £7300 new in 2008 on some sites!
Really looking forward to it!
JD PH said:
I had a Panda 100hp when I started here at PH JD
The good ol' Racing Panda! Weirdly even I miss that car...Any car that a motoring journalist will go out and buy with their OWN money always appeals. I know no fewer than five motoring journo's / industry people that own 100HP's
Great little car for nipping around town and great on country roads too, it's also never let me down as you think a Fiat might do!
Mine had the interior fully retrimmed in BMW red leather with heated seats installed by the first owner. I do need to swap it for something a little more grown up soon though
Mine had the interior fully retrimmed in BMW red leather with heated seats installed by the first owner. I do need to swap it for something a little more grown up soon though
M1C said:
I'm picking one up on Saturday and the timely arrival of this article has assured me I'm doing the right thing!
Wanted one ever since they came out, read every article, forum stuff etc etc, always out of reach, even when they were around £7300 new in 2008 on some sites!
Really looking forward to it!
You're definitely doing the right thing! Although this is a timely reminder that I'm not...Wanted one ever since they came out, read every article, forum stuff etc etc, always out of reach, even when they were around £7300 new in 2008 on some sites!
Really looking forward to it!
It'll be very sad to see mine go after 5 years and 85k miles of entertainment. Fiat got this car right. Suspension - koni SRT.T dampers make a nice difference and aren't an expensive upgrade. It's recommended.
These are an absolute RIOT around roundabouts....so much grip! I really enjoyed a couple of passenger rides with a mate, so I found a really good one at a dealer and went for an extended test drive.
Unfortunately, I couldn't get on with the car, due to the pedal box.
They all seemed a bit too far from where you rest your heel (and I have size 12 feet). By the end of the test drive, I had aches in my lower legs from 'holding up' my feet.
Unfortunately, I couldn't get on with the car, due to the pedal box.
They all seemed a bit too far from where you rest your heel (and I have size 12 feet). By the end of the test drive, I had aches in my lower legs from 'holding up' my feet.
Still looking for a cheap replacement for the (Classic) mini clubman I used for the up to 1400cc class in hillclimbs last year. Are these actually 100HP, are they really as good as an old mini on the corners and are there any cheap mods to improve things further. Apart from tyres of course.
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