I bought a cheap Panda 4x4 in March. It was £1100, which was well under half the price of the next cheapest anywhere in the country.
Other than one small hole in the sill (jacked incorrectly) the body is fine, if a little shabby. The subframes are solid, but not particularly pretty, so they’ll probably get sprayed with ACF 50 every time it’s on a ramp.
however, I’ve already spent more on it than it cost - discs and pads all round, thermostat, aircon re-gas, clutch slave, front shocks, droplinks, new sump, full service and I’ve just fitted a new viscous coupling to fix the knackered old one.
I was working on the basis that even a £3,000 car could still need a grand’s worth of work, so I thought I might as well start with something really cheap.
I’ll probably be selling it soon, as the little Fiat has got under my skin and I rather fancy a later Cross TwinAir. Let me know if you’re interested…. You probably won’t find another that’s as mechanically sound and you’ll struggle to find a non-cross with aircon.