I've not even bought one yet but am trying to find a good one and if I put a shed on the drive my wife will not be happy.

I've had a few Fiats in the past including a 124 Spider and x2 Barchettas, I currently have a BMW E30 and a T25 Westfalia. I like running modern classics as daily drivers but the BMW sucks fuel. I wanted a Renault4 but they are too old now and my Mum had a panda and I though it was great fun.

So here I am looking for a cheap to run utilitarian car and can see no better alternative than the humble Panda.

Some advice though please, it will be mostly a town car but may wish to do the odd motorway trip at around 80mph if poss. I may also look to modify the car slightly as I've previously had good results from polished head/intake filters on other cars.

Should I hang out for a good 1000 or is there not much difference to the 750. Did the 1000 come with better brakes etc. Is the 1000 better on long runs for comfort etc. Are there any handling kits the don't compromise ride (cheap springs are a no no).

Thanks in advance

Hi, welcome to the Panda section of the Forum.

We're all biased here but Pandas are a great choice for what you're after.

Spax do uprated springs, along with good shocks you'll find the ride is not compromised while giving much better handling. Later Pandas had better brakes with servo assistance, this is good enough for up to 80bhp ish.

80mph in a 750 Panda is pretty much flat out, although they will keep going for hours flat out. 750's struggle with hills and passengers so you are probably better off with a 1000 engine. You can modify them for a little more power, or go even larger by transplanting a 1242cc unit from another Fiat.

Good luck with your search, if you're still looking a months time I may have something to interest you.

The 1000S comes with a 5th gear, which helps a lot on the motorway, as Vman says, the 4 speed 750 is flat out at 80, even 70 gets wearing quite quickly (both on you & the engine!).

You can always get a 750 & put a FIRE 5-speed box on though (subject to availability!).

Mine @ 70: http://youtu.be/rUi2fyNTuWE

Thanks for the info good to know the Spax don't alter ride quality I put PI springs on a 306 and regretted it ever since and my BMW came with lowered springs and I changed them back to BMW as soon as I could

VmanC said:

Good luck with your search, if you're still looking a months time I may have something to interest you.

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You can't put that and not give me a clue as to what you're hiding....

I've got a 750 and a bay window T2 with a 1600 engine and they have similar aversion to going uphill :-( I've wound the Panda upto 70 mph once or twice but really it's happier around 60. This is with a 4 speed gearbox.

Having said that, it's a hoot to drive, handles acceptably on 135 section tyres and will easily get 40+ mpg. Win!

More 999cc Pandas about than 769's so you'll probably end up getting one easier

NO steer well clear.

magicmark said:

You can't put that and not give me a clue as to what you're hiding....

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Ok. I have a Panda Mania (769cc, 5spd gearbox) that was a project car for my Daughter to use, it was finished a while ago then came back to me last year. I plan to fit a 1242cc mpi engine along with uprated brakes during the next month. Once it's done I will be selling it, but may also consider selling it before the conversion if you were interested in doing your own mods.

Here's a link to the thread that charts what's been done so far........

https://www.fiatforum.com/members-motors/235992-charmania.html

Austin Mini said:

NO steer well clear.

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VmanC said:

Ok. I have a Panda Mania (769cc, 5spd gearbox) that was a project car for my Daughter to use, it was finished a while ago then came back to me last year. I plan to fit a 1242cc mpi engine along with uprated brakes during the next month. Once it's done I will be selling it, but may also consider selling it before the conversion if you were interested in doing your own mods.

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Nice litte car! I'll keep an eye on the forums over the next few weeks, definitely interested in a car with the engine mod already done.

Austin Mini said:

NO steer well clear.

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And get an Austin Mini!...:yuck:

Austin Mini said:

NO steer well clear.

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Why so? At least give us a reason for you to say that..

Can think of a few for mini's..

magicmark said:

Nice litte car! I'll keep an eye on the forums over the next few weeks, definitely interested in a car with the engine mod already done.

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I'll be posting on the thread as I go with the engine swap so you can see progress.

80MPH in a Panda is very fast with either engine option. The speedos under-read a lot. Without getting into a debate about how fast poelpe can make a Panda go with a prevailing wind and 10 mins of full throttle, 80MPH is quite near the top speed of even a 5 speed Panda and inappropriate for a prolonged period.

lewey said:

80MPH in a Panda is very fast with either engine option. The speedos under-read a lot. Without getting into a debate about how fast poelpe can make a Panda go with a prevailing wind and 10 mins of full throttle, 80MPH is quite near the top speed of even a 5 speed Panda and inappropriate for a prolonged period.

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Spot on Lewey, I wouldn't want to subject any car to a prolonged 80 mph...isn't that illegal too?!!!

I've had both a 5-speed 750 and a 1000...I preferred the carb'd 750, although I did like the 'luxury' of the click and go autochoke I had on the 1000CLX

Where I live is quite rural and the 750 was superb for B road driving:devil:

I had a Panda when they first came out in 1982 'ish. When you went around a right hand corner there was a clicking noise from the front. Fiat says thats ok nothing to worry about. Being an aircraft engineer I took off the R/H wheel and found the disc brake catching the steel wheel, the steel wheel was flexing!
A rattling on start up another fob off from Fiat. Nothing to worry about. Fiat fitted a cheap oil filter which drained the oil in the filter overnight back to the sump. I bought one and fitted it myself.
When I first took delivery of the Panda there was tappet rattle. Turns out Fiat dealer didnt do a pre delivery on the car. All this has been the dealers fault (except the catching brake caliper) thats why I am biased about old Pandas. Sorry but old mini runs rings around 'em.

Austin Mini said:

I had a Panda when they first came out in 1982 'ish. When you went around a right hand corner there was a clicking noise from the front. Fiat says thats ok nothing to worry about. Being an aircraft engineer I took off the R/H wheel and found the disc brake catching the steel wheel, the steel wheel was flexing!
A rattling on start up another fob off from Fiat. Nothing to worry about. Fiat fitted a cheap oil filter which drained the oil in the filter overnight back to the sump. I bought one and fitted it myself.
When I first took delivery of the Panda there was tappet rattle. Turns out Fiat dealer didnt do a pre delivery on the car. All this has been the dealers fault (except the catching brake caliper) thats why I am biased about old Pandas. Sorry but old mini runs rings around 'em.

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30 years is a long time to hold a grudge!

But seriously, mini's are great but in a completely different way to pandas.

Panda:
-Great use of space - not much that won't fit inside
-You can reach all engine parts without ripping off your hand!
-Much more likely to get a rust free panda for under £500 than a mini
-4x4 has a turning circle tighter than a mini too I believe. Not sure about 2wd though.
-If your clever on ebay, parts are much cheaper than mini parts.
-Better value for money

Now mini:
-Much better handling
-possibly a bit quicker comparing 998 to 999 panda F.I.R.E. but probably not much in it over all.
-they look cool and other people don't think you're mad for driving one!
-You can pretty much get any part you want for them and information is readily available for tuning as everything that could ever be done has been done already!

There are probably many more points for both sides, but in my opinion if you want utilitarian simple fun then panda is the right choice. If you want good handling tunable fun but only want to carry yourself and a bean around with you then mini is a safe bet!

In summary Mini's and Panda's ROCK!! :slayer:

Austin Mini said:

.....My first Fiat was a 1982 Panda, brand new and fitted with a tow bar we took the children camping all over the south of England. Twas a great car.

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...make your mind up....
I never understood people that go to specific forums to slag off the actual subject of the forum.
If I was to browse a Mini forum, I would only be doing it it to gather information, perhaps to get some advice on buying a good example, get inspiration for modifications and improvements, or just out of curiosity. I would certainly admire the efforts their members put into their cars, just like most members on FF put efforts into their Pandas.
I certainly would't start posting on a Mini forum and rant about how much better my Panda is. It would be, of course, only my opinion , so what am I gonna achieve?

Back to the topic of the thread. I would choose the 1000. There are more of them about ( so you can get one cheaper) and they offer a bit of extra performance.
As mentioned before, 80mph is very optimistic as cruising speed. Sure, you can reach that speed, but I wouldn't wanna keep that speed for long. It is noisy, and rather stressful. At that speed, on standard springs, wheels and tyres, the panda likes to wander at the slightest bit of wind, and you soon start thinking about how close that windscreen is to your face, and how big every other car looks next to you....
A Panda would cruise all day, every day, all year, between 50 and 70. So if you have the choice, always pick the A road instead of the motorway

Austin Mini said:

.... Being an aircraft engineer I took off the R/H wheel ......

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I didn't realise you had to have that qualification to do that... That's where I've gone wrong

I'd also go for the 999cc engined Panda. I took a 1000CL on a 430 mile round trip this week and it's easily capable of that sort of journey - this one seems particularly quick but was quite happy at 70/75 all day with the odd burst to mix it with the really quick stuff in the outside lane rather than getting baulked. With 2 up it did 48mpg which amazed me as it was worked quite hard or sat in traffic - not much inbetween!

The 4x4's seem to be happier around 60/65 for some reason in my experience.

I've only had the one 999cc with a 4 speed box (the 1000CL) but it definitely feels much quicker than the 5 speed ones. It may be a little subjective but I like the extra urge & it doesn't seem unduly noisy either - we had a conversation at motorway speeds without shouting

A non injected 999cc Fire engined Panda is so simple that even if anything goes wrong mechanically, someone with fists of ham can fix it

BTW I wouldn't have fancied my chances of walking after unfolding myself from that journey in an old Mini, despite their other charms.........

Gavin.