Bodywork
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.
