When are people going to take Pandas more seriously?


There's still a stigma attached to the name (and the Fiat brand, of course)


It doesn't affect me at all...I'm happy with my choice of car.


But everyone (who doesn't know!) still associates any Panda with the MK1 which was...well...very basic and cheap and cheerful (and nasty?) (although I like them!)


Cue jokes from all sided..'you've got a what?!!' kind of thing.


I've had 21 cars from the following brands: Fords, Renaults, Citroens, Peugeots, Toyota, Nissan, Saab, VW, Merc and BMW.......and the Panda is probably better 'built' than any of them.


This is a 8 year old car with 104k on the clock...it has lovely 'thunk' doors, no 'tinnyness' anywhere, solid and satisfying controls inside, very little wear inside or out, considering. Absolutely zero rust. It's a bloomin solid car. And overall...lets be honest...you don't get many problems at all with them do you?!


Compare with a similar age / mileage..i dunno..corsa, golf, clio, anything (I do regularly as I work for a garage) and it's right up there!


People who scoff with their MK4 / MK5 Golfs...which by the way, have you not noticed all of your rusty wings bubbling up and the broken bits / wear on your interior?


It's not plush, no...but there is a solidity there with the build, especially considering this is a 100HP and it's banged and crashed it's way around all it's life!


I think it's tremendous.

Punto MC said:

When are people going to take Pandas more seriously?


There's still a stigma attached to the name (and the Fiat brand, of course)


It doesn't affect me at all...I'm happy with my choice of car.


But everyone (who doesn't know!) still associates any Panda with the MK1 which was...well...very basic and cheap and cheerful (and nasty?) (although I like them!)


Cue jokes from all sided..'you've got a what?!!' kind of thing.


I've had 21 cars from the following brands: Fords, Renaults, Citroens, Peugeots, Toyota, Nissan, Saab, VW, Merc and BMW.......and the Panda is probably better 'built' than any of them.


This is a 8 year old car with 104k on the clock...it has lovely 'thunk' doors, no 'tinnyness' anywhere, solid and satisfying controls inside, very little wear inside or out, considering. Absolutely zero rust. It's a bloomin solid car. And overall...lets be honest...you don't get many problems at all with them do you?!


Compare with a similar age / mileage..i dunno..corsa, golf, clio, anything (I do regularly as I work for a garage) and it's right up there!


People who scoff with their MK4 / MK5 Golfs...which by the way, have you not noticed all of your rusty wings bubbling up and the broken bits / wear on your interior?


It's not plush, no...but there is a solidity there with the build, especially considering this is a 100HP and it's banged and crashed it's way around all it's life!


I think it's tremendous.

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Preaching to the converted of course.


The Mk1 was surely the best car Giugaro ever designed.


Do I care what people think about us having 2 Pandas? Nope. I'd buy a newer one but they're dull on the outside and awful on the inside. Maybe if they brought out a 105bhp Viper green model. Til then the miles will keep piling on. The Dynamic is just coming up to 9800 miles.......

What I like is that the my Petrolhead friends all know what I have. Many have commented that they considered one at some point, then the non petrolhead friends are as you describe.

I like it that way.

When people slag Fiats off it's usually because they are jealous.

GeorgeDamper said:

When people slag things off it's usually because they are jealous.

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Let me check:


All modern music is awful. Not like the 1970s.


Nope. Not jealous in this case. Am sure there are other examples.

I don't think the Panda is ever going get the recognition on the scale it deserves. The 500 casts too large a shadow.

In my opinion that's a good thing for us Panda owners! If there were Panda's all over the place then it'd take part of the fun out of it.

I like being part of a group of enthusiasts as it makes it all the more special when you see another one on the road. A flash of the headlights & a thumbs up in mutual respect is a good feeling.

So what if the plebs don't get it pity them and drive onto the next B-Road :slayer::slayer::slayer:

I prefer to do my own thing and not follow the herd.


I enjoy my Panda, it`s the best car I`ve had for comfort and just easy driving.


But then, I still use an Amiga computer daily lol (look it up!)

No need, I vaguely remember the Amiga!

As long as it puts a smile on my face every time I drive it, I couldn't care less what anyone else in their boring Polo/Corsa/500 thinks!

Could be worse, you could own a 500.

We've two newer model Pandas and they ain't dull, either on the inside or out.
Both took a bit of getting used too, they are somewhat "posher" than our old 57 plate Active, which for me was perfect for a city hack.
Everything you needed and nothing else!
So moving up and paying a little more for what is in my eyes a budget car didn't sit well with me for a while, but that didn't last too long.

Both ride a little better and fit and finish is slightly better, some nice touches here and there, like lots of little raised "Panda"s stamped in the dashboard top and door cappings and the black polished face of the radio and switches below look very slick.

Over on the 2012- forum it's pretty obvious that the 4x4 and Cross sell well, far better than the Climbing did here in the UK, also the Trekking seems a popular choice too.

My 4x4 Antarctica has the TA engine and it's a peach.
I'm a big fan of the FIRE engine and have had many, but the TA is a big step forward, not perfect yet, but I'm sure it won't be long before it's improved further with perhaps electical assistance.

Sure the claimed MPG is impossible, without a cliff, to meet but it makes up for it in every other way.
It has more than enough shove to zip around town or lug it up the motorway, the torque the tiny turbo generates is addictive, as is the thrum it makes.
It can be noisy when pushed, but you don't need to drive it like that, it's happy to lug taller gears at really low rpm, so much so you can almost feel the pull of each cylinder as it fires.

The revised 69hp in our Lounge (like I wrote, posher!) is a lot smoother and quieter than the 54hp and 60hp I've driven in the past.

They've messed with the engine management a little and when compared to the others can feel a little odd at first.
They seem, like a lot of modern cars to have messed with the antistall, so the ECU takes over when you lift the clutch, raising the rpm for you.
It can bog a little if you input the throttle before it releases the fueling back to you, but it's not a complete disaster.

All considered, the future of Fiats Panda looks good even after all these years. Each previous model had their faults and I'm sure it will be true of any future ones.

"It's a Panda problem"

I'm a *cough* mid forties something who learnt to drive in white Mk1 Panda (with the hammock dashboard & flat metal grill.)

An due to fortuitous timing around having my car written off. An buying a white 100hp as an incentive for my girlfriend to pass her test. I'm driving one now.

An for me there's no problems what so ever!

Punto MC said:

When are people going to take Pandas more seriously?


There's still a stigma attached to the name (and the Fiat brand, of course)


It doesn't affect me at all...I'm happy with my choice of car.


But everyone (who doesn't know!) still associates any Panda with the MK1 which was...well...very basic and cheap and cheerful (and nasty?) (although I like them!)


Cue jokes from all sided..'you've got a what?!!' kind of thing.


I've had 21 cars from the following brands: Fords, Renaults, Citroens, Peugeots, Toyota, Nissan, Saab, VW, Merc and BMW.......and the Panda is probably better 'built' than any of them.


This is a 8 year old car with 104k on the clock...it has lovely 'thunk' doors, no 'tinnyness' anywhere, solid and satisfying controls inside, very little wear inside or out, considering. Absolutely zero rust. It's a bloomin solid car. And overall...lets be honest...you don't get many problems at all with them do you?!


Compare with a similar age / mileage..i dunno..corsa, golf, clio, anything (I do regularly as I work for a garage) and it's right up there!


People who scoff with their MK4 / MK5 Golfs...which by the way, have you not noticed all of your rusty wings bubbling up and the broken bits / wear on your interior?


It's not plush, no...but there is a solidity there with the build, especially considering this is a 100HP and it's banged and crashed it's way around all it's life!


I think it's tremendous.

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So do I.
And the MkI was fantastic - what a design, and a good little car.
MkII very solid, fun and characterful
MkIII so far so good.

I know what you mean about some people's preconceptions and opinions on them - but each to their own - if a VW or BMW or whatever makes them happy... fair enough. (be that on engineering/performance or badge appeal etc)
I know they are all "just cars" but little fiats have always been fab (IMO) - just some people don't get it... and TBH I probably like it that way.

Aston Martin said:

Could be worse, you could own a 500.

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Personally dont think there's anything wrong with the 500.
Had a 1.2 lounge but changed it few months ago for a TA85 which is a hoot and 'feels' quicker than my 100HP!

I've always bought cars that I like regardless of fashion/opinions/press reviews etc.. doesn't make me right or wrong just enjoying my freedom of choice.
My little panda 100hp is the first Fiat I've owned and so far I'm hugely impressed by its ability to cope with all that's thrown at it and still be great fun to own and drive, the only problem is that when it comes time to replace it the only other Fiat I like is the Abarth 500 so I'm hoping something else of interest comes down the line in the next few years.

Also its worth pointing out that most people who drive new/newish bmw/Volkswagen/audi don't own them.

Gavv8 said:

........I'm hoping something else of interest comes down the line in the next few years.

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You and me both. I like the 500 but hated the 2 doors. New Panda is bland looking but I could live with it if we got 105bhp and a decent colour palette.

AB100 said:

You and me both. I like the 500 but hated the 2 doors. New Panda is bland looking but I could live with it if we got 105bhp and a decent colour palette.

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Yep, if they did a 'HP' reboot on the new panda they'd get my business.

goudrons said:

my 4x4 antarctica has the ta engine and it's a peach.

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penguins?

No, they got evicted!