Panda n00b saying hello from Germany

Currently reading:
Panda n00b saying hello from Germany

Joined
Jun 5, 2021
Messages
19
Points
33
Location
Mainz
Ciao beautiful Fiat people,

Just bought my first...a bare-bones 2009 Panda 1.1 L.

I thought I'd break my ownership trend and follow-up my four Mercs -- a w126, two w123 estates, and a w124 estate -- with something just a tad bit smaller.

After extensive research the Panda was a no-brainer.

Thrilled! I'm excited to dive in and learn all there is to know in the land of Fiat.

Bye for now...pics to come!
 
You should see the welded steel frame that hides under the plastic dash to support the A posts and scuttle. It's not trivial stuff. The rear axle suffers from rust but you can now get a pattern replacement for £120. Using braided hoses to replace the mix of metal and rubber pipes between chassis and brakes gives a straightforward replacement.
 
Hi, and welcome:)

If you can, I'd recommend getting the car up in the air with wheels off and clean / treat these areas where rust can develop:

  • rear axle spring pans (great guide here)
  • rear brake drums
  • front brakes (another great guide here)
  • springs & shock absorbers
  • engine oil sump pan
  • coolant return pipe at the front of the engine (behind exhaust manifold)
  • mud trap behind front springs (don't tend to rust, just collect a surprising amount of mud)
That should future-proof your car quite well. The main body is galvanised so rust isn't too much of a concern and the FIRE engine is a tough little unit.
Keep a close eye on fluid levels (especially coolant) for the first few months.
Monitor brake temperatures to make sure nothing's binding (usually due to rusty build-up) and tyre wear (high/uneven wear isn't unknown...).
 
Hi everyone,
my beautiful bare-bones Panda has arrived and I had some newbie questions for you all.

1. Which trim level do I have? I don't understand if it's Active, or Actual, or what. I get conflicting information about standard equipment relative to these trim levels on the net.

My car is as follows:

-1.1 L
-first registration 03/2009 in Germany
-bumpers matching color of car (not black)
-all-black interior
-driver and passenger airbags
-radio antenna on roof, middle rear

-no roof rail bars
-no AC
-no electric windows
-no central locking
-no remote locking
-no floor mats
-no glove-box hatch, only open, non-closable compartment

2. Did my model come standard with floor mats, or was this an option?

3. Did my model come standard with a radio (with cd? with cassette?). there's an aftermarket one in there now, but am wondering what the original (correct) one is, if it existed?

4. How do I know if I have the 1.1, or 1.1 eco engine?

Thanks!
 
Last edited:
In Italy a base model has just one door mirror, black bumpers and rubber mats on the floor. UK was supplied with base models that by normal European standards are well equipped. Germany it seems is between the two.
 
In Italy a base model has just one door mirror, black bumpers and rubber mats on the floor. UK was supplied with base models that by normal European standards are well equipped. Germany it seems is between the two.

Interesting about the one mirror. And the standard of trim across regions. It's been interesting to learn how these standards vary between EU mainland and my home, the US.

My family back in the US would never even consider buying a car without air conditioning and power windows, for example. And my new Panda would be a tough sell over there, to put it modestly :).

I love it.
 
panda_42.jpg
panda_17.jpg
 
In Italy, Fiat sell their base cars with the legal minimum equipment. People can add additional parts or choose higher spec models but the basic is as basic as it gets.
 
What about the following items, specifically (would they be ordered after the fact, or would they come even with the "most basic" in Italy):

-floor mats
-rear parcel shelf for boot

I'm gonna go ahead and call my car an "Actual" with colored bumpers. Active seems like a stretch to me.
 
I think the model line up in Italy and some other European markets went like this.
Actual
Active
Active Plus
Dynamic
Emotion (Eleganza in the UK)

The UK didn't get the Actual and UK Actives was speced slightly differently. (Italian cars had air con)

The noticable differences between the Active and Actual were really just the Actuals lack of front electric windows, central locking and I think came with a hole instead of a head unit.

Under the skin I think early Actuals lacked ABS and passenger airbag, though I think this changed when the regs changed.

Only the Actuals and Actives got the 1.1 engine until late in production, when the last few Actives got the 1.2 engine.

I can't really tell, but the yellow car in the images looks like a later Active to me, these did come with colour codes bumper after around 2008, before that they were black plastic.
An Actual from around that time would have looked like this
https://www.automoto.it/catalogo/fiat/panda/11-actual-eco/17907
 
Last edited:
My family back in the US would never even consider buying a car without air conditioning and power windows, for example. And my new Panda would be a tough sell over there, to put it modestly

Welcome to Pandering!

Nor me which is why I have the automatic air con and power windows. You should insist on ordering Fiat Pandas in the US as they would be a splendid addition to US cars. I nag my son every week to import on. He currently drives an over sized Audi.... very very sad!
 
I think Fiat got these changes via the engine mapping, I am not sure there was any noticeable difference under the bonnet.

I personally suspect they are identical in every way. Much quicker cheaper and easier than engineering!

One can but hope.
 
Welcome to Pandering!

Nor me which is why I have the automatic air con and power windows. You should insist on ordering Fiat Pandas in the US as they would be a splendid addition to US cars. I nag my son every week to import on. He currently drives an over sized Audi.... very very sad!

over there "over sized car" is just called "car" :D
 
I think the model line up in Italy and some other European markets went like this.
Actual
Active
Active Plus
Dynamic
Emotion (Eleganza in the UK)

The UK didn't get the Actual and UK Actives was speced slightly differently. (Italian cars had air con)

The noticable differences between the Active and Actual were really just the Actuals lack of front electric windows, central locking and I think came with a hole instead of a head unit.

Under the skin I think early Actuals lacked ABS and passenger airbag, though I think this changed when the regs changed.

Only the Actuals and Actives got the 1.1 engine until late in production, when the last few Actives got the 1.2 engine.

I can't really tell, but the yellow car in the images looks like a later Active to me, these did come with colour codes bumper after around 2008, before that they were black plastic.
An Actual from around that time would have looked like this
https://www.automoto.it/catalogo/fiat/panda/11-actual-eco/17907

It seems like my car is an Actual in every single respect except for it having Active colored bumpers. Mine is as stripped down as possible inside. Just the way I like it.
 
The standard 1.1 produces 132g/km CO2
The Eco 1.1 produces 119g/km CO2.

Is this info on the Fahrzeugbrief?

I think Fiat got these changes via the engine mapping, I am not sure there was any noticable difference under the bonnet.

What is the difference in performance between the two? I'm thinking specifically about consumption.
 
Back
Top