Well being a proper grown up now and buying a house with parking for only 3/4 cars a tough decision had to be made.

You might have seen this picture:



of the mk3 fleet - 100hp, Alessi and 4x4.

So I'm hoping this car:



Can replace them all!

My first ever genuinely new I'm the first owner and not the garage car

I'm hoping the 8-12 week wait for delivery won't kill me.

The 100hp will be in classifieds soon, Lucy loo1 has her eye on the Alessi and hopefully I can find a spot in North Yorkshire to keep the 4x4.

These two:


will be fighting it out with these two:


for the remaining spaces!

Mmmm, you know when you've been Tangoed.

I hope that you'll be happy with your new purchase.

I would keep the Lancia.

Fantastic collection love the Y10.

Coor John, I didn't realise you'd amassed such a large collection!!

Very impressive

I cheated, I bought 2 mk3s in a month too cheap to pass up really, a month after I'd bought the 100hp which I paid book for. Shame I cant keep them all but it's been fun having 5 cars at my disposal!

I wanted to try and find the car that suited me best, Its comfort not outright speed that I want, the Alessi is the best of the bunch for that, I really love that car but it won't last forever, big hints from Lucyloo1 on the future of that one! @AstonMartin - make me an offer I can't refuse!

The Trekking is no slouch and promises some good winter performance with the S&M tyres so I think it covers all the bases, the 5 speed box is much more forgiving of urban driving than the crosses 6 speed.
So I won't be going down hills with my foot off the brake or pulling Landys out of ditches in it though it might get up to some green laning next year

Did I hear my name mentioned Panda Panda. By the way my driving style has improved since your last comments!

John, You've gone crazy with the car buying since I last spoke to you!

I think the Trekking and the Y10 will cover all your needs very nicely.
Of course I do have a vested interest in the Y10, which is nearly finished by the way! I will update its thread after the NEC.

VmanC said:

John, You've gone crazy with the car buying since I last spoke to you!

I think the Trekking and the Y10 will cover all your needs very nicely.
Of course I do have a vested interest in the Y10, which is nearly finished by the way! I will update its thread after the NEC.

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Fantastic! I wanted to get down to you before the dark nights - I may have to bring sky and have the seats put in him for now as Fizzles leaky fuel pump still isn't sorted.

Yes mad with the buying and now the great Panda sale/giveaway/stash-it-out-of-the-way-for-now begins

I can't wait to see/drive the y10 definately a keeper!

Catch you at the NEC hopefully

Lucyloo1 said:

Did I hear my name mentioned Panda Panda. By the way my driving style has improved since your last comments!

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You have Eklipze3k to thank for adjusting the clutch too

Looks really nice in Orange, but thats one of my favourite colours

Dissapointing news from the dealers - my car is in the country but built without the sat nav port :bang:

Another is being built now as I ordered a sat nav unit with the car and no way would I accept one without it.

I'm really hoping it's not going to be another 8 week wait.

To be honest if I find a used car with a decent spec in the mean time - I couldn't find one before ordering - I may have to rethink the whole deal

I love the Y10 as well

Not so many moons ago when I used to run Lancias as daily drivers, I was offered a 7500 mile Y10 turbo. It had had one lady owner from new, purple (iirc) and all it needed was a dent pulling out of the door. It was lovely - but I had no money, so stuck with my trusty Delta Turbo.

I'd love a fleet of small FIAT group cars, though if I went for another Lancia, i'd probably try and find a pre-FIAT era car.

Also, surely you are not selling the Alesi??? I'd love one of them as well!!

panda panda said:

I'm really hoping it's not going to be another 8 week wait.
(

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I suspect it will be, TBH I'd bite their hand off without it if they'll compensate you the £250 for a dencent aftermarket satnav. The pot IMO isn't very future proof, and actually puts me off the car, as removed the freedom of satnav choice so to speak (yes I'm a funny buggar as you know )

Most Easterly Pandas said:

I suspect it will be, TBH I'd bite their hand off without it if they'll compensate you the £250 for a dencent aftermarket satnav. The pot IMO isn't very future proof, and actually puts me off the car, as removed the freedom of satnav choice so to speak (yes I'm a funny buggar as you know )

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It's more for the mp3 control through the touch screen I'm getting it for, plus the lack of wires and no more rings on the windscreen and joy of joys no wobbly smartphone cradles either!

My obstinent streak really makes me want the option more not less and they didn't even dare offer me the car with compensation for the missing option.

Right time for an update - car is stuck at status 16 and has been for a week
Dealer thinks the production has gone over to all 4x4's so little chance of getting it before march!
As an alternative I've been offered a 4x4 with winter pack and tomtom for an extra £700 that is available now.

Only downside is that it's white with a green dash :yuk:I know some like it but it's like driving around inside a wellie...

I've left it with the dealer that if he can put a less offensive coloured dash in I'll seriously consider it.

I'm not keen on the 6 speed box though I suppose a 4x4 will hold it's value better than a trekking?

As an aside there is an orange 4x4 locally so my unique car isn't anymore, plus it looks very dull and not zingy like the Alessi orange I'm used to.

Part of me wants to give them notice to supply my car or evoke the cancellation clause. They have four weeks or I can have my deposit back.

I may just have to go hunt out a white 4x4 for closer inspection first though!

panda panda said:

..
I'm not keen on the 6 speed box though I suppose a 4x4 will hold it's value better than a trekking?

..

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Don't understand why you're anti the six speeder - worked fine for me in 20k+ miles. And I did 50k+ in my 100HP with no issues.

My wife does get a bit fed up with the six speed box in that you need to switch from first to second almost immediately from pulling away, and that setting off in second is pushing it a bit.

I like the suggestion that having a green dash is a bit like driving around in a wellie!

Probably because I've never got used to the 100HP and its box that I baulk at having another, I also got fed up of never getting quite the right gear in the cross I had on test.

I went to Leeds to pick up some panda alloys and popped into Arnold Clark's there, first thing I see is a white 4x4 with olive and sand interior. The white I could live with (with a little strategic application of some sticky back plastic) the seats you don't look at when driving but the dash....

Anyway, Clark's had 10 4x4's and one Trekking on their books - not one had the sat nav port :bang: besides that I am very keen on the winter pack which was also absent.

Forgot how different the view out the letter box - I mean windscreen is from the mk4 - doubt I'll ever use the sun visors!
img]https://www.fiatforum.com/gallery/data/500/thumbs/newpandaalloys.JPG[/img][/url]

The alloys I just bought for my non existent car!