Phiz, i do understand your concerns about motorway driving, and there are times when i wish the car had a little more oomph, usually when joining the motorway and trying to get up to speed on the slip roads. i've mentioned before that i use the car for work which is a 25mile commute on 95% motorway. it's surprising even then how often you spend in the fast lane to overtake. i wouldn't worry however about being a bit slower on motorways, i regularly drive to italy (at least once a year) but haven't done it in the panda. in fact, on my return journey from italy last year, i left earlier than usual for the ferry at rotterdam. i wanted to ensure i would arrive early enough without having to rush if i got delayed (which can be normal in the alps). turns out i drove the full 900miles at 55-60mph. it the most enjoyable trip i have had so far, not everyone on the autobahn is flat out. i was happy to mix it with the lorries.

I think for the trip you are undertaking you need to have confidence in whichever car you buy. i hope you do buy a panda for this trip, and your right about getting it early enough to get to know it. there are times when i regularly check temperature and any weird smells freak me out, sometimes its other cars, sometimes its when arriving at work (at a refinery) and think i've developed a fuel leak..


Anyway, i hoping you get a panda for this trip, are you intending on blogging it? it would be interesting to follow. buon viaggio
i off to Italy on Sunday, Garfagnana in fact, near to where the panda raduno in barga was last year. this time i'm doing it over four days, a motorbike is less forgiving.

Cheers Rendo,


I'm hopefully going to get over to see Panda Panda this weekend, then go from there. There is another Panda in Stoke for sale too so it's looking good for finding a car. Yours was the first one I found that looked in budget and certainly set me on a search exclusively for Panda's (I did previously have a number of suitable retro classics I fancied a go in).


Enjoy your ride to Italy, 4 days is a bit of a slog, bikes are less forgiving but so rewarding!


I definitely plan to make a thread on here about preparing the car and the trip itself, it'd be rude not to, getting so much from this forum, hope I can contribute something entertaining if not educational!


Phiz

So good bit of progress this weekend!


We went over the hills to visit John (Panda Panda) and check out his collection of Panda's, more specifically the Black CLX that he has for sale. I am beginning to wonder if there are generally less Panda's around these days or just less people who own them, who have a few! Quite a collection there. It was great to get out in the car (thank again John) including a blast down the motorway, certainly reassuring as to the Panda's capability on the trip, very little noise from the road, transmission or engine, just wind noise at higher speeds but no more than I'd have expected given the shape of the car.


There are a number of things I spotted while looking round the car which require further investigation:


- Rear wheel bearings, on both sides made a knocking noise when the wheel was shaken. No noises were evident during the test drive so I've been advised this may or may not cause an issue on the test, MOT tester dependent. Either way if I go ahead and get this car I'd want to get them sorted so could do with factoring in the cost of 2 new bearing assemblies.


-The rear seatbelt mounting on the right hand side was heavily corroded, looks to be a very easy repair but originally we were talking about John selling the car with a years MOT, which looks unlikely. Any thoughts on getting this through by removing the rear seats and belts? Once I've got it I can put things right quickly enough, plus there will only be 2 of us in the car most of the time!


-The bottoms of both doors had quite a bit of rust but specifically the drivers door, the skin was a little rotten but the actual door frame itself was well gone all the way along the bottom and up to the lower hinge. All pretty well internal and nothing which would obviously maim a pedestrian though so hopefully nothing the MOT tester will worry about, I'll just need to factor in welding time/materials and paints etc.


-The central part in the rear spring cup on the right hand side had rotten and looked to have come out of position a little (possibly only the spring holding it on). Again an issue more for the MOT but does mean at some point I need to get the axle off so bit more work to do.


-There was a rattle when the car was at idle and the clutch was released though I'm reliably informed this is a common Panda trait and shouldn't be anything to be overly worried about.


-The Heater is not working, John has swapped the heater from Fizzle on to this car and it was working prior so possibly just caused by an airlock? The radiator was weeping slightly so maybe that has caused the coolant level to drop to the point where this issue has occurred?


-As above, slight leak on the radiator, not a biggie really given the radiators seem to be available for £30 but still another £30 to factor in to the overall cost.


In addition to the above the last MOT advisories indicate the following:


-Offside Front Shock absorber has a light misting of oil. So again I know not expensive parts but all adds up.


Also as per Freddy (panda1408) who has worked on the car:


-Hole in the nearside front jacking point. Missed this one, again welding work, all good with that. He did also report that structurally its in good nick, bit of welding on the sill but to a good standard.


So it is out of MOT and may struggle to get another one based on a few issues spotted (and quite possibly a few more missed out). John is putting it back in for an MOT soon (hopefully Thursday) so we'll have a better idea by then but I've then got to factor in parts required and how I should transport it back should I choose to buy it. What are peoples thoughts on booking an MOT near home (or half way) and driving it back based on taking it to an MOT? The car is only 30 miles away, alternatively any thoughts on paying for transportation, ok there are some hills in between but it's really not far.


John will be breaking Fizzle for parts in the near future and has kindly said if I come and help him break it then if some of the above can be solved by swapping parts over then I'm welcome to them With that in mind it's just a matter of what bits will be good to swap over and what would be better knew.


Other than John's CLX there is an older CL for sale on the forum from Fordy13, this is MOT'd and has had welding done which should see it good for several years MOTs. In many ways this car would be cooler to take, it's carb. not injection and it's nearly as old as I am The fact it's MOT'd and ready to drive home is also a great plus. I need to contact Fordy13 again about this one! Negatives for it are, it's only a 4 speed (which has come up before and is only a minor negative) and it's quite a bit more expensive. Don't mind paying a bit extra for things being sorted like the bearings/shocks/radiator (in comparison to Johns) but I'd rather not be paying for welding already done, in part cos I want to do it, and in part cos if I've welded it myself I'll know the car better, save money and be confident in the welds!


Again I'll throw this out to the group to chew over for me (if you'd be so kind) as I'm still VERY new to Panda's!

To be fair I think that list pretty much covers every Panda that is out there at present for the price bracket. Obviously there are examples which have had work done to them, but you are paying that bit more and I'm sure it would be good to have some prep work to do in order to get used to the car, plus (and no disrespect intended) can you guarantee that work has been done to a good standard? I am sure Fordy13's car has been done well, but certainly if you are buying outside the forum make sure they have been mended properly as a few of us recently have come across top quality silicone repair work(!) Are you planning on keeping it after the trip or selling it on?

If you go for John's black Panda I am happy to pass on a used (non-leaky) radiator free of charge towards the project :thumbup:

Good to meet you Phiz and your partner the other day.
LULO is unique in my collection as it's a donor that outlived the recipient! To be honest I don't like donor cars as I'd rather have them all capable of driving and she's plenty of life lift in her for more adventures.
It'll be sad to strip old Fizzle but good to keep other cars going beyond what it thought of as "economic repairs".
For comparison it's always good to have a look at other cars, personally I think 5 speed, servo'd brakes and fuel injection are a winning combination though others opinions may vary!

I think the planned trip is nothing short of awesome and will follow the preparation and trip with great interest.

All the best.

Hi Andy, really appreciate the offer, good chance to stock up on some old Peculiar while over that way too .

I take your point about buying cars outside the forum so to speak, I guess it's generally the risk buying cars of this age but it's all a matter of taking care. Heading over to Johns was a great help generally too as he showed me some of the points to look out for (care of poor old Fizzle unfortunately). Other than the fact that clearly looking at a couple of cars is always a good move, as john says, the other appeal for me re the other Panda is it being that bit older and mechanically simple, the challenge and adventure factor! Still 5th gear and buying from John, so a car where I know what I'm getting and have a good idea what work I need to do. Plus the work required will be part of the challenge.
We've not really thought about after the trip, I guess it'll depend on how the trip goes, might well be by the end car and drivers are inseparable, or very much not! On the one hand Jenny has never had her own car or insurance so might well make the Panda her trusty steed, given we'll hopefully go over the car setting everything straight might be a shame to sell on. Other adventures in the future could be great, see how well travelled one little Panda can be (seen some competition on here though!), on the other hand, it might well be another project car for another trip.


All going to plan John it'll be pretty epic, plus heading into countries neither of us have ever been to before. On a budget and a tight timescale but not so much that it's not achievable, all adds to the challenge

Thanks again for the input, can't wait to get stuck in now!

Phiz

So, all going to plan I should become the proud new owner of a trusty (hopefully) little Panda, care of John (Panda Panda). VERY excited!

Yes, all being well LULO will be transversing the Pennines at the weekend!

I wasn't going to say anything as I didn't want to jinx it but the Pandas out of the bag now.


I'm thrilled that this little black car is going to be on a big adventure

I found a spare jack today for it too

Alright folks, any further thoughts on insurance companies welcome.

Adrian Flux say Lulo does not qualify for their classic policy so £1k plus policies, Peter James also a no go, I'm getting a call back tomorrow from RH classics, who seemed the most positive. When I've tried online quotes I'm getting crazy figures back there too (£1500 per Tesco). My car insurance for my Volvo is due up in a few months (I think) so maybe a multicar policy might be the way to go?

I'm sure I'll find a way around this but it is all obviously worrying!

Hopefully not jinxed John, fingers crossed for an uneventful day

Just checked and my main car insurance is not due for renewal until October :-(

Have a call to Aviva, they are fantastic. I got my deal with them on both my mk3 and mk2, excellent prices in my opinion. They offer good packages for insurance abroad as well, with repatriation included :thumbup:

I'm insured with Footman James - very cheap - plus anything >20 is regarded as a classic

Thanks Andy, I just did a quick online thing with Aviva with Jenny as main driver and got a quote of £440, realise I can probably getter a better price ringing when they are open.

Cheers for the heads up Thooms, I have dealt with them before for motorcycle insurance. Again not able to sort the insurance online, just says ring as no suitable policy available online. Is your Panda a later 2WD one? Just concerned that many on here might be eligible for classic insurance as older (carb, points,4 speed etc.) models, some may get 4WD insurance and others (Dragon Man for example) will be on modified policies, I know he is with Adrian Flux who told me that Lulo is not eligible for a classic policy there.

While looking in to this I also discovered my current insurance company don't seem to be using my 5 years no claims against the Volvo policy as they were earned on a van. If this is the case (they set their premium based on me previously being insured with them with the van) then in order to save my 5 years no claims I could do with using them, might help a bit with the Panda. Ideally though I'd like to keep the NCB on our main car (when renewal is up in October) and get a classic policy for the Panda. If we are really stuck though if I can find an insurance company who accept van NCB and also offer good multicar policies we could put the Panda and the Volvo together, but that would mean not getting the Panda on the road until October!

Sure I'll sort something out, just don't want to spend the next few months dealing with insurance companies!

Mine was insured as a completely stock 5 speed (black) 2wd CLX, not unlike yours!

It's a J-reg one. It was insured with Admiral at one point too, who were reasonably cheap as well

I found the V5!

I think when I had just a couple of cars I could get the NCB "mirrored" onto the new car by the NFU (who I still use for the modern). Peter James Classic policy for the rest, they all seem to be about the same price, just added the ex selecta for £60 though renewal is in December.

Cheaper insurance is the only advantage to getting older though - until you get too old and premiums start to go up again!

That's a good sign Thooms, how cheap is very cheap if you don't mind me asking? I think we initially ruled them out as the maximum mileage would not have been enough for the trip but the route has changed a little from the original plan so more miles covered by ferries (and Sweden/Finland get a visit) so might well work out!

In a way we've got plenty of time to work the insurance out, only issue is deciding who's name to put the car in, as if Jenny is going to be main insured driver then really she'd be best being registered keeper.

Good stuff on the V5 John, hope it wasn't too much of a bugger finding it, looking forward to getting the car tomorrow

I'm not sure what it is that's making the quotes so high for us. I have moved from south (less stabby) to north Manchester since I last had a classic policy so maybe Panda's are easy to nick? Plus last time I had a classic it was a lot older so maybe more classic policies available. Other than that there might also be the issue with storing the car at work rather than the home address, though my bike insurance works out really well that way round!

I'd have thought being 31, licenced for 12 years, not being our main car, also having the bike, securely stored, we'd be very insurable, apparently not though!

Hi Phiz,
My policy is due in 3weeks, already 1 wek into looking around. So far Aviva kills them all. Try Dan at Adrian Flux much better understanding than lady at the phone.

Phiz said:

That's a good sign Thooms, how cheap is very cheap if you don't mind me asking? I think we initially ruled them out as the maximum mileage would not have been enough for the trip but the route has changed a little from the original plan so more miles covered by ferries (and Sweden/Finland get a visit) so might well work out!

In a way we've got plenty of time to work the insurance out, only issue is deciding who's name to put the car in, as if Jenny is going to be main insured driver then really she'd be best being registered keeper.

Good stuff on the V5 John, hope it wasn't too much of a bugger finding it, looking forward to getting the car tomorrow

I'm not sure what it is that's making the quotes so high for us. I have moved from south (less stabby) to north Manchester since I last had a classic policy so maybe Panda's are easy to nick? Plus last time I had a classic it was a lot older so maybe more classic policies available. Other than that there might also be the issue with storing the car at work rather than the home address, though my bike insurance works out really well that way round!

I'd have thought being 31, licenced for 12 years, not being our main car, also having the bike, securely stored, we'd be very insurable, apparently not though!

Click to expand...

It hasn't been on the road for a few months, but it was around 200 I think? I'm not sure about the maximum mileage though. I have two cars so share the mileage between them - although I've been smashing miles onto the Saab lately so I've almost up the whole allowance that I got for that for the year in 4 months. I hope I can increase it

Admiral were about the same price, but not agreed value.

I'll be getting mine back on the road this week so I'll phone FJ and see how much they charge - I'm hoping to add it onto the policy I have with them for the other car. I'll let you know how much it works out as - I've lowered mine a bit and it has different wheels on, so it might be a tad more now.

So the Panda has landed!

Incidentally the Russian for Panda is панда but not to worry it's pronounced 'Panda'.

So as already mentioned I've got a list of tasks to tackle now but I'm going to work towards the MOT first, then work towards reliability and any prep. required for the journey.

Task number one is going to be dealing with the rear axle and wheel bearings. There are a lot of different wheel bearings available on fleabay, starting at £18 up... any tips on those to avoid/go for? Or if there is a recommended source for these parts? There is a used complete Axle for sale in Bolton for £100 including the bearings and brakes etc but I guess they are likely to be as worn as those on the car so I'd probably be best just buying new bearings for the existing axle?

Kolza I did call Adrian Flux back after my initial call as I was wondering if it was the mileage that was blocking me from a classic policy with them. The guy I spoke to that time seemed pretty clued up and took various details and put me on hold to speak to the underwriter, came back still unable to do it, I asked if there was anything I could do (ie storing it at different address) but he said unfortunately they just would not cover me for that car. Now I've bought the car we've got a bit more time to sort the insurance, initially wanted to work out who's name to put the car in (mine or Jenny's) depending on who would be the main insured driver but I've put it in my name now, think we should still be ok having the insurance policy in Jenny's name if we need to, don't really want to add another registered keeper to the v5!

Thooms That sounds more like it price wise! I'd also be tempted to see about adding the Panda to my existing insurance but I don't really want to send any more business there way, was not best pleased when I went from van to car with them! Still it might well turn out I could potentially have 5 years no claims to use on this. I'd be interested to hear how you get on with Footman James. I've now got quite a list of insurers to harass, makes a change to be that way round. Did see pics of your Saab somewhere on here, I did have an 85 Saab 900, was a brilliant car, really regret selling that one.

Just one more question, should I start a new thread for this now that I've actually got a Panda and it goes from a thread asking about finding one to one about actually fixing the car and getting it ready for the journey!

Hi Phiz,

Check the hub nuts are done up tight before before you look into replacing the bearings, if they weren't noisy on the road test there can't be too much wrong with them.