Really struggled for a title for this one. 
This thread's got, as you can probably see, a lot of words in. I'd get a cup of tea if I was you.
Anyway in my usual style it's time for a wee write up of a somewhat noteworthy day featuring a Panda. It all kicked off at 10:50am on Friday morning when Rufus was waiting in the drive sitting pretty after a good ol' wash and hoover. The destination was work, just for a few hours to ensure the morning went smoothly. As usual, everything went fine and soon enough it was 2:30pm and time to tootle on home.
And then things get a lot more interesting than the dawdle back and from work. See, last week my mates decided it was time to visit Buxton, land of all that's happening socially for a get together. Suited and booted, few things are more intimidating than 6 suave youngsters plonking on through the middle of a town centre to get to a pub. The journey there was surprisingly easy and when I got out of the car at Glossop to pick some mates up I felt refreshed and really quite lively. I was also happy the car got a seriously good run, opening 'im right up on empty stretches of the M60.
The only noteworthy part of the journey, Fiat-wise, was two black Puntos having a play before going past making some quite odd noises. One of them didn't sound very healthy, I wonder if they're a member here. No FF stickers anyway.
Back to the story and when I pulled up in Glossop I didn't quite know the challenge which would be waiting for me. 5 grown men, two 6 foot seven or thereabouts (one of which has "come down" to just under 20 stone) all had to magically fit inside the tiny blue Panda parked outside. Uh oh! Despite this, everyone fitted. I don't quite know how this was, the concept seems more difficult than hiding a meerkat in a church, but we succeeded.
Of course, the Panda loaded with 5 people lost a good three inches off its ride height, meaning the drive from Glossop to Buxton would require a lot more concentration than was expected earlier on that morning. The merest hint of a suspension-perplexing bump, crest or dip saw the back wheels rub on something. Don't know what, think it might be the arch, but it sure wasn't a good thing and I was driving as smoothly as possible and avoiding as many road imperfections as possible.
There was another difficulty, however, as with 4 more people in the car than usual 45bhp changed from a little bit of poke to a serious muscle deficiency. Straight roads were fine, but any small incline was a struggle to say the least and on the way to Buxton, there's one hell of a lot of hills and other almost soul destroying sections of tarmac.
I really started to giggle when I had a lorry behind me becoming impatient to the point of nearly overtaking, only for the roads to flatten out a bit and the little blue monster zoom off into the distance. It really was a case of having almost completely the wrong car for the job, each hill becoming a seemingly greater struggle than the last.
So it goes without saying that when we arrived in Buxton, turning the key to the "off" position and hearing the 999cc lump breathe a sigh of relief was music to my ears. At last the hardship was over, the Panda was safe and still in one piece somehow and no engine explosions occured, despite sitting at 40mph in 3rd gear for far too long.
Funnily enough, we all subsequently piled into a Toyota Previa with our final accomplice, which promptly p!ssed all over the roads in a 7-seat fury. And then the night out ensued. I won't bore you with the details.
The final leg of the Panda's travels was going back to Glossop at 9am Saturday morning, yawning my head off (seriously, I'm never, ever going to drive tired or after a hard night's drinking again) but coping a lot better with the roads as there were just 3 people in the car this time. Managed to get back home at half 10 after another thorough engine workout, got changed, then back to work at 11am!
Gonna sleep well tonight!
This thread's got, as you can probably see, a lot of words in. I'd get a cup of tea if I was you. Anyway in my usual style it's time for a wee write up of a somewhat noteworthy day featuring a Panda. It all kicked off at 10:50am on Friday morning when Rufus was waiting in the drive sitting pretty after a good ol' wash and hoover. The destination was work, just for a few hours to ensure the morning went smoothly. As usual, everything went fine and soon enough it was 2:30pm and time to tootle on home.
And then things get a lot more interesting than the dawdle back and from work. See, last week my mates decided it was time to visit Buxton, land of all that's happening socially for a get together. Suited and booted, few things are more intimidating than 6 suave youngsters plonking on through the middle of a town centre to get to a pub. The journey there was surprisingly easy and when I got out of the car at Glossop to pick some mates up I felt refreshed and really quite lively. I was also happy the car got a seriously good run, opening 'im right up on empty stretches of the M60.
The only noteworthy part of the journey, Fiat-wise, was two black Puntos having a play before going past making some quite odd noises. One of them didn't sound very healthy, I wonder if they're a member here. No FF stickers anyway.
Back to the story and when I pulled up in Glossop I didn't quite know the challenge which would be waiting for me. 5 grown men, two 6 foot seven or thereabouts (one of which has "come down" to just under 20 stone) all had to magically fit inside the tiny blue Panda parked outside. Uh oh! Despite this, everyone fitted. I don't quite know how this was, the concept seems more difficult than hiding a meerkat in a church, but we succeeded.
Of course, the Panda loaded with 5 people lost a good three inches off its ride height, meaning the drive from Glossop to Buxton would require a lot more concentration than was expected earlier on that morning. The merest hint of a suspension-perplexing bump, crest or dip saw the back wheels rub on something. Don't know what, think it might be the arch, but it sure wasn't a good thing and I was driving as smoothly as possible and avoiding as many road imperfections as possible.
There was another difficulty, however, as with 4 more people in the car than usual 45bhp changed from a little bit of poke to a serious muscle deficiency. Straight roads were fine, but any small incline was a struggle to say the least and on the way to Buxton, there's one hell of a lot of hills and other almost soul destroying sections of tarmac.
I really started to giggle when I had a lorry behind me becoming impatient to the point of nearly overtaking, only for the roads to flatten out a bit and the little blue monster zoom off into the distance. It really was a case of having almost completely the wrong car for the job, each hill becoming a seemingly greater struggle than the last.
So it goes without saying that when we arrived in Buxton, turning the key to the "off" position and hearing the 999cc lump breathe a sigh of relief was music to my ears. At last the hardship was over, the Panda was safe and still in one piece somehow and no engine explosions occured, despite sitting at 40mph in 3rd gear for far too long.
Funnily enough, we all subsequently piled into a Toyota Previa with our final accomplice, which promptly p!ssed all over the roads in a 7-seat fury. And then the night out ensued. I won't bore you with the details.
The final leg of the Panda's travels was going back to Glossop at 9am Saturday morning, yawning my head off (seriously, I'm never, ever going to drive tired or after a hard night's drinking again) but coping a lot better with the roads as there were just 3 people in the car this time. Managed to get back home at half 10 after another thorough engine workout, got changed, then back to work at 11am!
Gonna sleep well tonight!
