Panda 100hp time
Discussion
Story Time
10 years ago I wanted to replace my VW Bora with something more fun, and top of my list was a 100hp, so I went to look at getting a 2 year old one from the main dealer. My main recollection of the test drive was the salesman telling me there's lots of speed cameras about (I wasn't speeding!) and immediately lighting a Lambert and Butler as we returned to the dealership. Obviously he wasn't a fan of the Panda's ability to make 45mph feel like 75mph but I was. That said it wasn't enough for me to get over my aversion to finance, and I ended up with a Ford Puma.
Ever since then, every time I see one on the road they bring a smile to my face, but the prices seem to be going one way as the dodgy ones fall out of circulation, I suspected I'd missed the boat.
I knew a guy who was driving one and was talking to him about this and turns out he wanted to sell as it as had a couple of problems and he'd lost patience with it. Not only that but he would be happy to straight swap with my MX-5.
If you look at my car history it's very front wheel drive so I was excited to get that MX-5 and restore it back to stock, then learn the joys of rear wheel drive. I did have some fun in the summer with it, but the problem was I was only ever compelled to drive it for driving's sake and I just don't get much time to do that. So I never gelled with it fully, and it ended up untaxed and developing a leaky hood and a misfire.
TLDR tell us about the car
So it's no minter, the swap with the MX-5 was described as the first swap where both parties come off worse.
That said externally it's one of the most clean cars I've ever owned, the paint and body appear very straight, which is ironic as this car is the first insurance write off I've owned; not just Cat D but also Cat N.
It had a prang in 2015 and from what I've seen so far it's been repaired to a good standard, and then it had another front end in 2021, I believe it's standard practice to immediately write off a previous write off? I have the pictures of it from the salvage auction and there's no visible damage whatsoever.
Just like the one I test drove it's a late car (2009) so gets the larger wing mirrors which I like.
The other problems were an intermittent loss of clutch hydraulics, a heater that doesn't work, one missing arch trim and it wants an MOT.
The guy who I swapped it with spent a bit of money on it; removing the previous aftermarket suspension which was too firm in favour of OEM (which as everyone knows is very firm!) and renewing a lot of the front end. He also had the wheels refurbed so I've got to look after them now!
It did come with a tank of petrol which is an appreciating asset at least.
The clutch performed for a quick test drive down a farm track and I was laughing almost immediately, it's actually better than I remembered, but that might be to do with the lack of a salesman on the verge of a panic attack sitting next to me.
So first step was to fix the clutch, previous owner had already sourced a slave cylinder, and stick it through MOT and see what the tester thought...
10 years ago I wanted to replace my VW Bora with something more fun, and top of my list was a 100hp, so I went to look at getting a 2 year old one from the main dealer. My main recollection of the test drive was the salesman telling me there's lots of speed cameras about (I wasn't speeding!) and immediately lighting a Lambert and Butler as we returned to the dealership. Obviously he wasn't a fan of the Panda's ability to make 45mph feel like 75mph but I was. That said it wasn't enough for me to get over my aversion to finance, and I ended up with a Ford Puma.
Ever since then, every time I see one on the road they bring a smile to my face, but the prices seem to be going one way as the dodgy ones fall out of circulation, I suspected I'd missed the boat.
I knew a guy who was driving one and was talking to him about this and turns out he wanted to sell as it as had a couple of problems and he'd lost patience with it. Not only that but he would be happy to straight swap with my MX-5.
If you look at my car history it's very front wheel drive so I was excited to get that MX-5 and restore it back to stock, then learn the joys of rear wheel drive. I did have some fun in the summer with it, but the problem was I was only ever compelled to drive it for driving's sake and I just don't get much time to do that. So I never gelled with it fully, and it ended up untaxed and developing a leaky hood and a misfire.
TLDR tell us about the car
So it's no minter, the swap with the MX-5 was described as the first swap where both parties come off worse.
That said externally it's one of the most clean cars I've ever owned, the paint and body appear very straight, which is ironic as this car is the first insurance write off I've owned; not just Cat D but also Cat N.
It had a prang in 2015 and from what I've seen so far it's been repaired to a good standard, and then it had another front end in 2021, I believe it's standard practice to immediately write off a previous write off? I have the pictures of it from the salvage auction and there's no visible damage whatsoever.
Just like the one I test drove it's a late car (2009) so gets the larger wing mirrors which I like.
The other problems were an intermittent loss of clutch hydraulics, a heater that doesn't work, one missing arch trim and it wants an MOT.
The guy who I swapped it with spent a bit of money on it; removing the previous aftermarket suspension which was too firm in favour of OEM (which as everyone knows is very firm!) and renewing a lot of the front end. He also had the wheels refurbed so I've got to look after them now!
It did come with a tank of petrol which is an appreciating asset at least.
The clutch performed for a quick test drive down a farm track and I was laughing almost immediately, it's actually better than I remembered, but that might be to do with the lack of a salesman on the verge of a panic attack sitting next to me.
So first step was to fix the clutch, previous owner had already sourced a slave cylinder, and stick it through MOT and see what the tester thought...
My sister in law has had a black one for the last 5 years or so. My brother looks after it well mechanically but I don’t think it had been cleaned in several years, so last time I visited I brought a bucket and gave a good wash and polish, it was very satisfying!
Don’t think it’s been washed since and I’ve still not had a go in yet.
Don’t think it’s been washed since and I’ve still not had a go in yet.
Cambs_Stuart said:
Love the idea of both parties in the deal driving off sniggering "Sucker".
But that panda looks a really solid base. Is the plan to use it as a fun runabout?
The Mazda has already had a full respray which is slightly annoying because I spent about 10 hours polishing it!But that panda looks a really solid base. Is the plan to use it as a fun runabout?
Yes but also use it for commuting and allow my wife to use the Mercedes when she needs it. Although the way fuel prices are going I might end up using the Panda more often than not!
molineux1980 said:
I pondered one when my Fiesta Zetec S was becoming too expensive to fix 4 years ago.
I ended up with a ZC31 Swift Sport which I love and still own, but I do have a fondess for these and wonder how they compare to the Swift.
Enjoy!
I remember going in one of those when a colleague had them new, and it felt very revvy as you'd expect, I did consider them myself when I was looking at the Pandas all those years ago but they seemed a bit more expensive then.I ended up with a ZC31 Swift Sport which I love and still own, but I do have a fondess for these and wonder how they compare to the Swift.
Enjoy!
Maybe these will both work simultaneously one day
So to bring the story up to date I ordered one of these and was that fitted by mechanic along with the slave supplied at a cost of £84.
Then it was off for MOT, I wanted to make sure there were no hidden nightmares from it's accidents that could render the project a dead end.
This gave me the opportunity to drive it to the test centre; 'go kart feel' is incredibly overused but I will use it here to describe the lack of suspension more than anything else, it really feels completely stuck to the road surface and it's hilarious! It might get wearing after a while but at the moment I love it.
I was pleased to see the heater was in fact working on the way there, but also seemed the temp gauge was sitting low, only hitting the middle when stationary, stuck thermostat? Sounded better than having to take the dash out to me!
I still went on and dropped it off for MOT and...
No less than four majors, all related to the front suspension, not the best parts / installation by the previous owner then!
That said it's at least pleasing no expensive issues were flagged up, two new ball joints and a bit of fettling again by the mechanic (£57) and it ought to pass now.
Having driven the car back to the garage I found that initially the temp gauge / heater both behaved as before, so I thought, right I'll stick my diagnostic gear on it.
Suddenly the car sat happily around 90 degrees no matter what and the heater stopped working! What's with all these intermittent faults on my cars at the minute... any thoughts welcome, should I just go ahead and get the thermostat done?
After that initial wobbler the temp gauge continues to behave relatively normally, it did drop a tiny bit in traffic which is pretty weird, the stat probably is on the way out?
I didn't actually do a full diagnostic scan, only looked at the water temp - my time with the car has been limited so far, but the good news is it's passed it's MOT
Tonight I'll have a proper poke around. Even if the stat is failing the car is still getting to temp and I have had no hot air through the heating since driving to the MOT, I suspect it's going to be an actuator failure in the heating box, which means taking the dash out.
I didn't actually do a full diagnostic scan, only looked at the water temp - my time with the car has been limited so far, but the good news is it's passed it's MOT
Tonight I'll have a proper poke around. Even if the stat is failing the car is still getting to temp and I have had no hot air through the heating since driving to the MOT, I suspect it's going to be an actuator failure in the heating box, which means taking the dash out.
I have a Panda 100hp as a runabout, its great fun as you can drive at 10/10ths and still be under the limit 
There is a great owners resource on FB which is worth checking out, I suggest you look at the rear suspension early on...if its salvageable get it removed, blasted and powder coated so it can last a few years more.
There is a great owners resource on FB which is worth checking out, I suggest you look at the rear suspension early on...if its salvageable get it removed, blasted and powder coated so it can last a few years more.
Cleaning this back to back with the Mercedes was quite a contrast in effort, it's amazing both will fit 5 people.
The keen eyed among you will notice that I have changed something;
The roof rails are gone, I actually didn't mind the way they looked but the noise! How you could tolerate them on the motorway is beyond me.
Took it out for a drive as pictured above and again the temp gauge sits quite low when driving at speed, plugged OBD reader in (no codes btw) and temp was reading around 74-76 degrees on the move with the gauge sitting below the centre. From what I've read this isn't right and the needle should stick reassuringly in the middle.
Also I've found the heater actuator can be bodged without taking the dash out which is nice, but what is nicer is the heater was working lovely today!
I'll get a thermostat and a cam belt put on and go from there, it continues to be highly entertaining to drive, and such a contrast to my other car!
Mine was the same and I changed the thermostat which comes complete with housing, sensor etc for about £36 and half an hour to fit. This made the temp sit bang central once warmed and not move. Give an extra 3mpg too!
You can buy an all metal thermostat housing, the original is plastic.
https://www.shop4parts.co.uk/?name=store&op=Pr...
You want the Original Birth one
You can buy an all metal thermostat housing, the original is plastic.
https://www.shop4parts.co.uk/?name=store&op=Pr...
You want the Original Birth one
300sl-24 said:
Mine was the same and I changed the thermostat which comes complete with housing, sensor etc for about £36 and half an hour to fit. This made the temp sit bang central once warmed and not move. Give an extra 3mpg too!
You can buy an all metal thermostat housing, the original is plastic.
https://www.shop4parts.co.uk/?name=store&op=Pr...
You want the Original Birth one
Also worth it for the higher rev limit that sitting at the correct temp brings as well! 7000 from 6500 IIRCYou can buy an all metal thermostat housing, the original is plastic.
https://www.shop4parts.co.uk/?name=store&op=Pr...
You want the Original Birth one
lb3nson said:
300sl-24 said:
Mine was the same and I changed the thermostat which comes complete with housing, sensor etc for about £36 and half an hour to fit. This made the temp sit bang central once warmed and not move. Give an extra 3mpg too!
You can buy an all metal thermostat housing, the original is plastic.
https://www.shop4parts.co.uk/?name=store&op=Pr...
You want the Original Birth one
Also worth it for the higher rev limit that sitting at the correct temp brings as well! 7000 from 6500 IIRCYou can buy an all metal thermostat housing, the original is plastic.
https://www.shop4parts.co.uk/?name=store&op=Pr...
You want the Original Birth one
I’ve followed your advice and ordered that thermostat plus a cambelt and water pump kit to get free postage… they’ll be going on next week.
Electroclash Grey is the best colour for them in my opinion 
It's been a while since I've updated, but I've gone a bit mad with it to be honest, the cambelt and water pump are now fitted along with the thermostat, and a full service to boot.
Not content with that considerable expense I decided to address the other thing that was stopping me from really pushing the car, the tyres, there was Nankang NS-II one end Deflin DX-550 the other - a brand so obscure it doesn't seem to have any internet presence.
The car actually seemed fairly grippy on them but that's probably something to do with the fact they were the wrong size; 205/50 being both too wide and extra profile, no doubt why the tyres were fouling the drop links at the MOT.
Still now I knew the bigger tyres would fit I looked at my options in various sizes, and when I saw I could have Michelin PS3s in 195/50 and at a reasonable price I just had to do it.
Overkill? Almost certainly. The tyre fitters noticed the lower arm bushes were NBG while they had it up so I added that to my ever increasing list of expenditure.
One other thing I'd ordered was a wheel arch trim which had been missing, £50 seems to be the going rate, I think they are NLA new.
Finally this morning I took it for a proper drive after all this money spent! I'm pleased to report it hasn't disappointed in the slightest, the grip is now hilarious, as is revving it right out.
The car was well ahead of my ability to push it which is kind of what I wanted, looking forward to getting to know it better.
As for problems I've ignored the heating still either blows hot or cold as it wants, so I assume the air mix paddle is just flapping around in there, that's fairly high up the list of things to look at, but it is getting warmer now so less of an issue for a few months.
Then there's the Arbarth badges, aesthetically they don't look bad I guess, but while I like the 595 it's actually the Panda which I've always wanted, I don't want to give the impression I'm some wannabe 595 owner.
Also will probably invest in a heat gun to try and restore the black plastic.
But right now, I'm just gonna use it for a bit and ban myself from further spending for a short while!
It's been a while since I've updated, but I've gone a bit mad with it to be honest, the cambelt and water pump are now fitted along with the thermostat, and a full service to boot.
Not content with that considerable expense I decided to address the other thing that was stopping me from really pushing the car, the tyres, there was Nankang NS-II one end Deflin DX-550 the other - a brand so obscure it doesn't seem to have any internet presence.
The car actually seemed fairly grippy on them but that's probably something to do with the fact they were the wrong size; 205/50 being both too wide and extra profile, no doubt why the tyres were fouling the drop links at the MOT.
Still now I knew the bigger tyres would fit I looked at my options in various sizes, and when I saw I could have Michelin PS3s in 195/50 and at a reasonable price I just had to do it.
Overkill? Almost certainly. The tyre fitters noticed the lower arm bushes were NBG while they had it up so I added that to my ever increasing list of expenditure.
One other thing I'd ordered was a wheel arch trim which had been missing, £50 seems to be the going rate, I think they are NLA new.
Finally this morning I took it for a proper drive after all this money spent! I'm pleased to report it hasn't disappointed in the slightest, the grip is now hilarious, as is revving it right out.
The car was well ahead of my ability to push it which is kind of what I wanted, looking forward to getting to know it better.
As for problems I've ignored the heating still either blows hot or cold as it wants, so I assume the air mix paddle is just flapping around in there, that's fairly high up the list of things to look at, but it is getting warmer now so less of an issue for a few months.
Then there's the Arbarth badges, aesthetically they don't look bad I guess, but while I like the 595 it's actually the Panda which I've always wanted, I don't want to give the impression I'm some wannabe 595 owner.
Also will probably invest in a heat gun to try and restore the black plastic.
But right now, I'm just gonna use it for a bit and ban myself from further spending for a short while!
I have been doing the commute in the Panda since the start of the month, and with 1000 miles on the trip computer this is the result;
Good enough to save me around £150 a month in fuel over the Mercedes at the moment. It's obviously not the best motorway cruiser in the world (keep having thoughts about getting a shed vectra or similar) but it's much better than I was expecting. It's impressively refined at speed for an old little car and the revs are tolerable below 80mph.
I did take it down some more exciting roads on my birthday and it remains awesome fun on a twisty road, I'd like to take it on a track day as I've never done one before, I imagine I'd be checking my mirrors an awful lot though!
Good enough to save me around £150 a month in fuel over the Mercedes at the moment. It's obviously not the best motorway cruiser in the world (keep having thoughts about getting a shed vectra or similar) but it's much better than I was expecting. It's impressively refined at speed for an old little car and the revs are tolerable below 80mph.
I did take it down some more exciting roads on my birthday and it remains awesome fun on a twisty road, I'd like to take it on a track day as I've never done one before, I imagine I'd be checking my mirrors an awful lot though!
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