Hi, i'm looking to buy an 04 reg 1.2 dynamic panda tomorrow. Its cheap at £700 it has 95k on the clock, limited service history but just flown through its mot no issues and runs fine.
I just have a few questions i hope you can help with:
After running the car for approx 5 mins, gave it a quick spin, the heaters didnt seem to warm up much. Apparently the car has been sat for a couple of months. Do the heaters generally take a while to kick in or is this showing a deeper issue perhaps?

With limited history i would look to service the car myself - is the engine easy enough to work on? And what are the normal service intervals? When should i expect to be replacing the timing belt and what sort of cost is that going to entail?

If theres any other issues i should be looking for on a panda of this age/mileage please let me know. Cheers and hope to be a making a more regular appearance on here soon

Hi :wave: and welcome.

Did it warm up at all?
Service interval is 12K miles. The car being 2004 should be a non-interference engine so even if the belt snaps, it should be fine. Many recommend that if you change the belt, you should change the water pump at the same time.
You shouldn't need to worry about rust as that's one thing you rarely see on this version of the Panda.
They're a great wee car. Enjoy!

The heater should start blowing warm within a few minutes of starting. If driven away immediately, warm air should be available after 500yds.
Likely suspect is thermostat stuck open. Hose from stat to top of rad should stay cold, then suddenly get warm as stat opens. If it gets warm gradually as engine warms, stat is stuck open or removed.
Needs to be diagnosed. If stat has been removed, it is to mask an overheating problem, with possible head gasket failure. Whilst not difficult or expensive to fix, it is not something you want on a 'new' purchase.
It generally seems unloved. If stat has been removed, there are likely to be other issues, so walk away.

Hi guys, thank you for the advice.
Out of curiosity, what is a HGF going to set me back repair wise? Is it hard to do? for the price of the car, and with it being my 'intro' to panda's I don't mind a little bit of hands on maintenance if it really needs it, I'm a funny onion and these things help me learn my way around the engine, I did the same with a Rover 25 a few years ago and that had HGF but that was a bloody nightmare.
I'll go and take a second look at the car and see if those pipes are getting warm, I suspect there is a bigger issue as there was K Seal introduced to the engine in winter 2014, and a new fan for the rad - so this does suggest some sort of overheating issue.

Head gasket is not difficult.
If K-seal has been used, there has been a leak that they either couldn't diagnose, couldn't repair, or couldn't be bothered. Once that stuff is in there, you'll never get rid of it completely, and it can gum up waterways. This could be a never-ending problem with overheating.
There are loads of used Pandas around, most of them brilliant. Why choose a money-pit?

I've decided to steer clear and increase the budget to find a better example, going looking at 57 reg 100HP 1.4 beauty and a 2010 reg 1.1 eco active tomorrow - 2 opposite ends of spectrum i can't decide on whether i want lots of fun, or save money on running costs.

Any input? Always go for the fun or will the 1.1 still be nippy enough?

As I say to everyone who thinks about getting a 100hp...have a good long test drive and preferably around the area you live in to see if you can live with the hard ride, they are fantastic little cars but the ride is something you either love or hate.

I personally prefer bounce to bump. Don't think I could put up with the hard ride!

Mrarteest said:

I've decided to steer clear and increase the budget to find a better example, going looking at 57 reg 100HP 1.4 beauty and a 2010 reg 1.1 eco active tomorrow - 2 opposite ends of spectrum i can't decide on whether i want lots of fun, or save money on running costs.

Any input? Always go for the fun or will the 1.1 still be nippy enough?

Click to expand...

Hi,
a good running 1.1 is "adequate",
100hp more fucussed,
hard to live with if your local roads aren't SMOOOOTH

we've 2 x 1.1's - if your anywhere near Oxford / Newbury, PM me,

Charlie - Didcot

Hmm well i used to run an MG Zr and the ride in that is pretty hard but i guess you get used to it. I never realised how hard it was until i replaced it with a pug 307 which was nice and smooth haha.
Roads aren't too bad around here, quite a few speed bumps though. And i also cycle alot - completely different but trust me the road 'bumps' you feel on a bike make any car feel luxuriously smooth.
Guess i'll find out later hopefully when I try a couple out. Cheers for the advice.

I've just bought the black panda 100hp. Unfortunately can't collect until next weekend so photos will have to wait until then

Mrarteest said:

Hmm well i used to run an MG Zr and the ride in that is pretty hard but i guess you get used to it. I never realised how hard it was until i replaced it with a pug 307 which was nice and smooth haha.
Roads aren't too bad around here, quite a few speed bumps though. And i also cycle alot - completely different but trust me the road 'bumps' you feel on a bike make any car feel luxuriously smooth.
Guess i'll find out later hopefully when I try a couple out. Cheers for the advice.

Click to expand...

Panda 100hp 'hard' is in a league of its own -you never get used to it you just slow down more and more over speed ramps .A carbon fibre racing bicycle frame over country back roads is like a leather sofa compared with it .

If you live near lots of speed ramps do not buy a 100hp .1.1 is revable / chuck able fun .1.2 must be ideal .I had a 1.1 while 1.4 was in Fiat garage getting sump split on rock the size of a grapefruit done and I almost didn't want to swap back .Id swear it was faster round tight roundabouts .Tracking in 100hp is forever going out of kilter .

Well I picked up my little black beauty early, and my god it puts a smile on my face. I have to say I am a little bit baffled by all the 'its stiff as a board comments' unless my one has some soft aftermarket suspension on it, it really isn't half as bad as my ZR I used to have. I guess it depends what you compare it to, I drive my bosses Merc E class around for work and granted that is much softer and 'comfortable' but that's just boring in my opinion.

The speed bumps near my house are like curbs and it was really quite fine going over them. Even in my previous car - a boring Peugeot 307 with quite comfortable suspension I would have to slow down to get over them so it's not hugely different. Maybe I'm just used to it having had a sporty kind of car before, I'm not sure but for me the ride is really not a problem. I did test drive a 1.2 before making a decision on the 100hp and it wasn't half as much fun.

Maybe the real test will be when I take the kids out in it and they come back with a sore spine from the vibrations and harshness. haha. I think it might well be a case of the marmite effect, love it or hate it, at the moment I love it but I might only be able to give true feedback after living with it for a longer time, at the moment i'm still in the 'romance - wow this is f-ing awesome fun' period with a big smile on my face.

Best of luck with it ,black is rare colour in them .

Congrats on the Panda! I was meant to get a 307 but costly repairs sent it to the scrap yard.. But here I am, a month away from getting my own Panda so I enjoyed reading about your search and purchase! I wish you many miles of fun with it!