Panda 100hp Buying Guide

Why a Panda 100HP? Introduced in 2006 and very well received by the motoring press the Panda 100hp offers a usable dollop of power mated to a lightweight well balanced chassis, the tried and tested formula popularised during the golden age of the hot hatch in the 80’s and 90’s, before big boost , awd, dual clutch transmissions and big ‘premium’ price tags pushed hot hatches out of the reach of mere mortals.

It came with a good level of standard kit, Bluetooth hands free, electric windows, remote central locking, ABS, power steering, privacy glass, climate control, trip computer, sports seats, chunky alloys, purposeful body styling, front fog lamps etc. Also thanks to having 5 doors and a boxy shape you can fit a surprising amount of stuff in the back, all this for 10k OTR. Now with a good one coming in at between £2,500 and £3,000 there’s not much pound for pound that will put as big a smile on your face in terms of pure driving enjoyment and the bonus is they are surprisingly practical, cheap to own and don’t drink 99RON like it’s going out of style. Oh and you get a massive nod from your fellow petrol heads, guy who lives to my left has an RS3 and the guy to my right has an M135i, both are car nuts and both want my 100hp ?.

I won’t go into the full specification or try to write a review as that has already been covered off by actual real journalists. Check out what Evo had to say about it in issue 101.

Ok so now you’re thinking to yourselves these things sound pretty cool but how do I avoid buying a bag of woes? Well traditionally the 100hp has been bought by enthusiasts who keep them in pretty good shape, but there are a few thrashed examples knocking about and as with all cars there are a few things to watch for. As with any car purchase best advice is buy the latest, highest spec and lowest mile example you can find. Latest ones are on a 60 plate. Drive at least 3 before you buy.

Our Polish friends built the Panda pretty well so they are pretty solid. Therefore, there shouldn’t be any of the dreaded tin worm but it’s still worth having a poke around especially around the usual places, sills, arches, boot floor and chassis rails. You’ll be wanting to look in these areas for signs of accident damage too. Be suspicious of any unusually clean parts especially if the rest of the car isn’t showroom fresh, that could be a sign that it’s been repaired.

The panel gaps aren’t perfect but again any obvious deviations could be indicative of accident damage so it’s worth tracing a finger around the shuts. Also check the vin numbers all match up with the documentation and etching on the glass.

Check all of the body kit is present and firmly attached as replacements are tricky to find and ridiculously expensive. The rear bumpers are prone to bubbling flaking paint along the leading edge, especially on earlier cars.

The paint on Fiat cars in general is of inconsistent quality and the 100hp is no different, the paint is quite thin, especially on the bumpers so don’t be surprised to find a few stone chips on the front end.

The 1.4 16v 100ps F.I.R.E unit has been around in various guises for decades and is quite robust. However, it is worth completing some rudimentary checks for blue smoke on cold start up. Have an assistant hold a piece of tissue over the exhaust then start from cold, there shouldn’t be any oily residue on the tissue after and certainly not huge plumes of blue smoke. Also on cold start listen for a rattly valve gear, especially on higher mile cars.

Check the engine oil condition it should be a nice honey colour not black and there definitely shouldn’t be any mayonnaise under the oil filler cap, indicating a failed head gasket.

Check the belt has been changed, Fiat recommend this is done every 5 years irrespective of mileage, if it’s not been done budget about £200. The seller might try to play this down but believe me the 100hp is a car that loves to rev, the limiter is set to 6,500 and you definitely don’t want a belt snapping as that will set you back about £1000 for a half engine rebuild (I speak from painful experience).

Although the steering wheel is well sized the leather used to trim it is rather thin and tends to bunch up and peel. Therefore, it is not uncommon to find a rather tatty looking helm in an otherwise neat and tidy cabin. Budget around £150 for a retrim by a local trimmer, you can do yourself a favor and get a matching gear lever gaiter made up to match and replace the naff vinyl factory one.

Tatty gear knobs are easily smartened up, the top cap is plastic and pops off, it can then be repainted in satin titanium for a matter of pence. Other than that it’s your usual worn bolsters on the driver’s seat. Talking of the driver’s seat, the height adjustment doesn’t actually raise or lower the seat, it only raises and lowers the squab, which leaves a bit of the seat frame sticking into your lower back, this is normal and doesn’t mean the seat is broken.

Another feature of the Panda is there are no shock cords attached to the parcel shelf. You have to manually raise and lower it and it stays in the upright position thanks to some rubber grommets. The Panda is a strict 4 seater unless the original purchaser specified the optional central rear belt option.

This is an Italian car so make sure all the electrical systems work, including the electric windows, mirrors, trip computer, lights, wipers, washer jets etc. The tailgate should pop when you press and hold the bottom key on the remote, if it doesn’t the solenoid could need replacing.

The climate system can be problematic so make sure you go through every setting, ensure you get hot and cold air on the appropriate settings and listen for odd noises as you change through settings. They cost the earth to replace, literally.

It's electric and should firm up when the Sport Button is depressed. Also check for pulsing felt through the wheel. It is common for a dying battery to cause issues with the steering so rule this out first as replacing the power steering itself is costly and fiddly.

Unlike the left-hand drive cars, right hand drive ones are fitted with a hydraulic clutch. A very common fault is a squeaky pedal which occasionally gets stuck down. When you first get in the car operate the clutch pedal a few times and listen for the telltale squeak. This is most commonly caused by an iffy slave cylinder, which is a relatively cheap and easy fix.

Obviously, you should also check for a worn clutch by trying to pull away in a high gear, it should stall, and driving along at 30 in 3rd then flooring it, the revs should rise steadily. Gear change should be slick and notch free with no play.

Get down on your hands and knees and check the rear beam for rot. A bit of surface rust is to be expected but if the rot looks to be more advanced, especially around the spring cups then proceed with caution. Rotten spring cups are an MOT failure and replacement rear beams are notoriously tricky to find and quite pricy as they are specific to the 100hp.

While you’re down there check the condition of the rear shocks the oe ones are awful and last about 18 months tops. Fortunately they are cheap and easy to swap out. They are hard on suspension components and tyres so check for excessive wear / movement. Fortunately, it's all cheap to replace.

Binding rear brakes on early models, rusty exhausts, don't get too hung up this, they pretty much rolled off the production line like that so if it's not blowing you can just scrape off the loose rust, clean it up with a wire brush and slap on a couple of coats of exhaust paint.

The fog lamps have a plastic diffuser in them which discolours, it doesn’t affect operation it just looks a bit naff. Fortunately pattern lamps are about £15 and a synch to replace.

Give the wheels a once over for any obvious flats buckles and cracks, anything untoward here should also be apparent on the test drive.

A space saver spare was standard on the 100hp but depending on which way the wind was blowing in Tychy on the day the one you are looking at was built the tool kit will either reside in a plastic tray in the wheel well or a canvas bag in the boot. Either way check that this is present and correct. A can of foam and inflator were an option so if the original purchaser specified this option you will find the tools in the wheel well along with the aforementioned can of foam, which hopefully hasn’t been deployed, otherwise this is an MOT failure so you’ll need to procure a replacement.

All the service parts are cheap as chips, it's only the 100hp specific parts that can be pricy. Shop 4 Parts carry or can source most of the things you will ever need for substantially less than the main agent and in most cases the parts they sell are OE. If you subscribe to Fiat Forum you save an extra 10% at the checkout too.
Servicing wise it's about £80 for an interim or £150 for a major, tyres are about £70 a corner for a Goodyear Eagle F1, front brake pads are around £60. Insurance is relatively cheap too. The only fly in the ointment is the relatively lofty tax banding of G (£185 a year).
If the cam belt hasn't been done get it done asap, the 100hp loves to be revved so you don't want to take any chance. Every 5 years is the manufacturers recommended interval. Budget around £170 - £200.

The best things you can do is to refresh the suspension joints and bushes with oe spec replacements. The 100hp is pretty hard on suspension so they wear out quite readily. The oe shocks are pretty poor, Bilstein B6 are a firm favorite and really transform the ride quality.
The front suspension setup it already pretty tight so things like Polly bushes, strut braces and the like aren't cost effective upgrade. However, the DNA rear torsion bar is a relatively inexpensive upgrade which makes for a discernible improvement.
Tyres can make a big difference too but are very subjective, I love the oe Goodyear Eagle F1 myself but others have found positive results with other brands and models. F1's offer prodigious grip in the dry and good consistent predictable grip in the wet. IMHO I don't think you can beat them on a 100hp.
Fiat locked the ecu down pretty tight so remapping isn’t an option or at very least not an inexpensive and straightforward one.

• Pandemonium pack – This introduces dark alloys, satin titanium mirror covers, red brake calipers and contrasting pin stripe
• Hi-fi pack - Highly desirable 6 speaker system including under seat sub
• Uprated shocks -Bilstein or Koni are common
• Decent branded tyres - Such as the excellent standard fit Goodyear Eagle F1, which really suit the cars handling characteristics.
• Exhaust – With the cost of a replacement system from Fiat many owners tend to go for a quality stainless system instead, Ragazzon, SuperSprint or other quality aftermarket exhaust system
• Induction kit – BMC CDA induction kits are expensive but give the engine a nice throaty induction roar
• Brakes – Not that the 100hp is under braked but the 500 Abarth front brake upgrade is a relatively simple and inexpensive modification
• Colours - In a recent survey New Orleans blue was voted as the nation’s favorite hue?. Dark Wave Black, Rhumba red and Electroclash grey were available from launch with Bossa Nova white coming along in 2008 along with a switch to Passo Doble red. Electroclash grey is the only colour unique to the 100hp..
• Skydome pan roof – The optional opening panoramic glass roof is cool but adds weight and reduced headroom, worth considering if you're on the tall side.