I am considering buying a new Panda as a second car. It would be either a 1.2 a/c or a 1.3 multijet with a/c. It would only do about 5000 to 7000 miles each year. I tend to keep my cars for a long time (at least 5 years). Has anyone owned a new model Panda for a good length of time and can give me an idea of bodywork condition etc after a few years. The one thing that holds me back is my last experience with a Fiat. I bought a new Strada in 1982 and it only lasted 5 years and 40,000 miles before it rotted just about everywhere and had to be scrapped...it was literally a death trap (floor fell out etc). I need some feedback, either good or bad, as I would not wish to make a mistake again. My wife has a VW polo that is now 7 years old (first of the new shape) and replacements over this time have been 2 tyres and NOTHING else. Would a Panda last as well as this?
Thanks...Chris

If you are only doing that amount of mileage it makes more sense to buy the petrol rather than pay the extra for a diesel which you are unlikely to recoup the extra cost for.

I think things have considerably improved in terms of stopping the body rot. Obviously the car is built to a price so this does show to some extent in the form of annoying rattles etc, but the build quality has certainly improved considerably in recent years, I mean lets face it, it really did need to.

Well I ordered a Panda without worrying about it.
I haven't had a Panda before, but previously we've had a Seicento for three years without incident. Currently we have a 2001 Punto JTD which after almost eight years and 80K miles is in fine fettle. It needed a new ECU under warranty when it was new but other than that it's just had tyres and brake pads.

My step mother had a 1987 Panda which she kept for ten years. In that time it never broke down once, although it was pretty rusty by the end. They give you an 8 year perforation warranty now IIRC.

Fiat have come a long way since your Strada. The only worry is whether the dealer is going to be any use if you have problems but there's nowt wrong with the cars.

My 1.2 Panda Dynamic is 5 years old in a few months and I have to say my paintwork and bodywork is immaculate. I've even had a good look under the car when its been on the ramps and cant see any problems anywhere.

For the amount of mileage you are doing I would seriously consider a petrol as you wont really get the extra money you would be getting back in better fuel economy if that makes sense.

I have had one major problem with my panda and that is it and that was electrical by the way. Yes there are some common problems that quite a few people have had on here. The panda has come along way since the last models in the 80's and 90's.

I think the oldest Pandas are now 5 years old and even those have no evidence of corrosion. Looking at the build of the 3 Pandas in our family, there are no dirt traps to encourage rust and the vulnerable panels are very well-protected. The build quality is not far short of VW nowadays. In addition, you get much more for your money than with a Polo and performance is better.
You should drive both the 1.2 petrol and 1.3 diesel versions. You may not see any savings in driving the diesel but you may find it more relaxing to drive.

Hi,

I've got a 1.2 dynamic 2005 Panda, it's happily collecting the miles having got over the shock of leaving a 4,000 mile life for a 18,000 mile motorway residency

Yes, it creaks a bit, but let's be honest we are not talking of 30,000 mile luxury beast. I used to have the Regata (strada with a boot) and this is leagues ahead of it in build quality etc

I have brought this car to last me at least 5 years, and hopefully a fair few after that.


Trev

EmmaM88 said:

My 1.2 Panda Dynamic is 5 years old in a few months and I have to say my paintwork and bodywork is immaculate.

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Emma I'm glad your bodywork is immaculate!

doctorchris said:

Emma I'm glad your bodywork is immaculate!

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Are you being cheeky? :devil:

Emma, at 51 I think that I am an older man!!
Yes, I'm being cheeky, the only way I know how to behave.

doctorchris said:

You should drive both the 1.2 petrol and 1.3 diesel versions. You may not see any savings in driving the diesel but you may find it more relaxing to drive.

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Seconded. For me, the petrol was fine for around town etc. but with the amount of motorway driving I do, the diesel and the 100HP were the only acceptable options. The 100HP is stupidly expensive here in Denmark, so diesel it was

I would recomend having a good long test drive and thinking carefully if changing from a Polo. I changed from a Fabia diesel to a Panda Diesel and that general cheapness of it's interior and lack of solidity have come as abit of a shock. In term of bodywork, paint and mechanical reliability it is a least the measure of a Polo/Fabia, but for electrical malfunctions and rattly ugly interior it's miles off IMHO. You have to remember that you are buying a smaller cheaper vehicle and the difference in price will show somewhere along the line.

Mine is a 2005 (55) car and newer models have different colour plastics which may improve the perceived quality.

JON

Perceptions are funny. I think the Panda interior is a brilliantly smart piece of design, and the VW one deadly dull. The Panda also has a more comfortable and commading seating position. I have spent many uncomfortable hours in a Polo and hated every one of them -and that was a s a passenger. My driver friend had perpetual backache - he is 6'4", but that is no excuse. All VW interiors are dreary, even the latest Golf, about which so much is spoken about in terms of quality. If the Polo is anything like the Golf and the Fox it will have horribly unclear plain red control colouring too, which makes identifying switches at night very hit and miss.

Fiats don't rust. All cars did once, and Mercedes' still do, but Fiat was one of the first makers to fully galvanize their cars. Don't buy the Diesel unless you intend to drive it hard regularly, or the DPF will clog up. This is the same for all makes. The worst being VW ironically with its Eco Polo.

Any car might break down.

I agree with Ulpian about the interior of the Panda v Polo. The Panda interior is well thought out and practical where many other modern cars have stylish but impractical interiors.
Motoring journalists rave on about the quality and feel of the plastics in a car's interior.
Firstly, I rarely run my hands, seductively over the interior of my car. I want the interior to be durable, lightweight and cheap to produce so that my car is cheap to buy, cheap to run but lasts me a long time.
Hard to the touch, light grey plastic suits me fine.

Gingosporting said:

In term of bodywork, paint and mechanical reliability it is a least the measure of a Polo/Fabia, but for electrical malfunctions and rattly ugly interior it's miles off IMHO.

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You're right there! The Fabia used to rattle and squeak constantly and in the year and a bit I owned mine, I had to replace 2 (common ) failed sensors, suffer poorly fitting and cheap-feeling beige trim and also the random left/right reversal of the window and mirror switches when it felt like it. Like you say though, the Panda is miles better

Chris

"Don't buy the Diesel unless you intend to drive it hard regularly, or the DPF will clog up. This is the same for all makes."

Is this correct? i thought that the MJ 70 did not have a filter - only when the 1.3 75bhp version engine is fitted to the other (larger) Fiats.

I don't know for sure, but I noticed in the paper the other day that somebody was complaining about their new 500 Diesel clogging up in a car only used for short town journeys, and I assume the Panda has the same engine mods. I may be wrong...but unless you give modern Diesel a good run regularly you are asking for trouble.

Same here - my DH who seldom drives my Panda thinks it is wonderful and although he has the bigger and more traditionaly comfortable drive (first Ford Galaxy, now Honda Civic with nice leather inside) he is always really pleased with the Panda when he drives it. Different story when we were away on holiday and he had a top of the range brand new VW Polo hire car - he hated it and so did we, bland uninspiring interior, really plasticky,no character, seemed v. slow, seating position low and really flat to drive, felt very slow. REally the Panda is much better. Mine is 4 now, paintwork looks like new, interior pristine, no major work required, just services, new wiper blades and new tyres in 30k miles.

Firstly, many thanks to you all for your prompt and helpful replies. I only used my wifes Polo as an example and it was not intended to be a comparison between Polo/Panda. As the Panda is much cheaper than a Polo my expectations would obviously be different! I have owned diesels and maintained diesels in the past and know that they need to work to be at their best. I would be doing some 150-200 mile trips several times a year. Also I get a small mileage allowance for some of my journeys and this is the same irrespective of car. i.e. I would get the same allowance for a diesel Panda as for ,for example, a Bentley Mulsanne. In some ways the 1.3 multijet would be a good choice. I now have lots of thinking to do so, once again, thanks to you all for your help.
Chris.
p.s. I once owned a Citroen Dyane 6 a comparison between that and a Panda would be interesting!!

I was about to ask the same questions on here, I've got a bit bored of the lack of power in my 1.2 500 recently and I know I can't afford the Abarth 500 so I've been looking at the Panda 100HP as an alternative.

Trouble is, I'd have to get a 2nd hand one if I didn't want my monthly payments to rise, and I'd lose out on my 3 years warranty, free AA assistance and obviously I'd lose a LOT of money on my 500 having bought it brand new.

Argh, decisions...

Lloyd, as a third person reading your post, the answer is obvious...stay with what you have got! However, when you have that itch, you've got to scratch it sometimes, whatever the consequences. I think the 500 has a considerably higher perceived quality than the Panda...not in the intrinsic structure, but the bits you see, smell and touch so think carefully before opting for the (much faster) 100hp.

Chris, go for the petrol Panda. Having just run a brand new MJ for seven months and swapped to a new 1.2 petrol Eleganza I think the petrol is an altogether nicer car. The diesel is good and some have said "relaxed"...true, until you rev it, at which point the noise is a soulless drone. This discourages you from revving so any small theoretical advantage the diesel has in terms of outright performance is negated by the fact you don't want to use it. At least this is my personal experience.

Good luck whichever way you go...the Panda is a fantastic car. Steve