General It’s nearly time.. Panda or not?

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General It’s nearly time.. Panda or not?

we recently bought a 14 plate trekking twin air 22k miles for £6500 mint condition been well looked after been very good so far tbh we`ve had 2 500s 3 595 abarths and 2 500x over the years and I haven't seen a fiat yet that dosnt have teething problems or annoying faults..that said all of them have made me smaile and have been a pleasure to drive apart from the 500x frankly at best there crap the two we had were anyway.the thought of a yaris would make me rather walk,:slayer::slayer:
 
I’m leaning towards the Toyota for the sheer concept of their legendary reliability. I’m not into looks, speed or anything like that. I actually prefer the Panda but I’m scared after just a few years it’ll be like my current one or worse commanding hundreds regularly and unexpectedly.

The Toyota Yaris seems the logical choice. I suppose if it doesn’t live up to my expectations above I’ll always be able to trade it in for a newish Panda either way?
 
You can't really compare a relatively new, low mileage car to 1 that's 13 years old with 130,000 miles on the clock. If it's looked after, then a Panda 319 should be a good car for you, plus you'll get far more for your money than you will with a yaris. The other car I would consider if I were you is in fact a Sandero: the 1.2 16v engine is a good, reliable engine, and if it's looked after, it should be durable.
 
You can't really compare a relatively new, low mileage car to 1 that's 13 years old with 130,000 miles on the clock. If it's looked after, then a Panda 319 should be a good car for you, plus you'll get far more for your money than you will with a yaris. The other car I would consider if I were you is in fact a Sandero: the 1.2 16v engine is a good, reliable engine, and if it's looked after, it should be durable.



That’s true. I can’t help but feel if my current Panda had been looked after according to my high standards it’d be in better shape than it remarkably is today. It’s had a lot of abuse! Probably never waxed until I got it!! Probably never washed for weeks after it was at the beach etc all chipping away at its bodywork. And of course butcher mechanics welding things that shouldn’t be welded and quick fixes featuring cable ties ... but yeah good point.

I always liked the Sandero but the whole Renault parts thing into old age put me off a bit. And their service here is appalling (they act the same way Mercedes Benz dealers do! You know, the ‘you can’t afford this’ look, even though they’re basically the Ford of European car makers lol). And I see the Access Sandero is now just under £7,000 :-/ sadly.

Most Sandero’s I see locally seem to have dented side panels ... at first I thought it was just people mistreating them or family use.. but I’m starting to think there’s something to it like extra thin metal? It could be in my head though

One thing putting me off the 319 is the whole they still don’t galvanise the rear axle, I just wish they’d have learnt or included it in the design budget being the next model on from my Panda. Many of which are based around the coast in England are now falling through and being wrote off as a result ;/


Though I do often think if I’d bought my Panda new for around £6k, how amazing 13 years / 130,000 miles would have been for the money!!!
 
My Grande had its first service at 18k, but ever since then, it's been serviced every single year, and it's a good car. The only issues it has tend to be age/wear and tear.

With regards to the Sandero, if you got 1 of those, I'd just take it to a normal mechanic that you trust for repairs and maintenance. If it makes you feel any better, my parents are on their 4th Renault...
 
My Grande had its first service at 18k, but ever since then, it's been serviced every single year, and it's a good car. The only issues it has tend to be age/wear and tear.

With regards to the Sandero, if you got 1 of those, I'd just take it to a normal mechanic that you trust for repairs and maintenance. If it makes you feel any better, my parents are on their 4th Renault...



I’m seeing some very nice Panda Pop / Easy models from Fiat themselves for around £5k. Meaning I’d be able to afford it in September if I get a summer job so it’s so so tempting to go Panda!


And 4th Renault?! ..how many months has it been? ;) (just joking, couldn’t resist making the joke). My parents had a Laguna estate about 15 years ago I have childhood memories of it! Renault’s confusing, you’ve got the bulletproof Clio from the 90s and then the disastrous Megane from the 2000s?!
 
My Grande had its first service at 18k, but ever since then, it's been serviced every single year, and it's a good car. The only issues it has tend to be age/wear and tear.

With regards to the Sandero, if you got 1 of those, I'd just take it to a normal mechanic that you trust for repairs and maintenance. If it makes you feel any better, my parents are on their 4th Renault...

The Sandero is a fair alternative and the 1.2 is cheaper used than the diesel or 0.9 turbo. A Yaris is another - most cars really. Plenty of 2004-2007 Panda still rolling around in our town - all looking sharp apart from the eyesight-failing scrape.

Whatever you buy used has little real guarantee other than it'll fall in value (though less than a new car and less than a more expensive car).

You've already demonstrated your a keenness, thoroughness and ability to undertake tasks you've never done before and that many your age would not. Embrace it, as it'll serve you in future when you do the wise thing and out your money in property.

At your age I wouldn't be spending anything like that on a car if I had the confidence to fix it.
 
I’m seeing some very nice Panda Pop / Easy models from Fiat themselves for around £5k. Meaning I’d be able to afford it in September if I get a summer job so it’s so so tempting to go Panda!


And 4th Renault?! ..how many months has it been? ;) (just joking, couldn’t resist making the joke). My parents had a Laguna estate about 15 years ago I have childhood memories of it! Renault’s confusing, you’ve got the bulletproof Clio from the 90s and then the disastrous Megane from the 2000s?!
Just get the Panda. You've always said you wanted 1, and if you don't, I know how much you'll regret it.

Back in the early 90s, my parents had a Renault 11 for about 5 years, which my dad instantly regretted parting with. They soon got a Renault 19, which they had for about 5 years. Whilst they had their beautiful Punto, they bought a 2001 Clio, then when the time came to part with that, they traded it in for the 2009 Clio they've got now.
 
How does the Yaris drive? Is it as fun as a Panda or is it a bit "dead inside"?

I assume you are favouring a 1.2 Pop. It's the basic Panda and that means nothing majorly complicated to go wrong. It is exactly what makes the Panda great. That's not to say it won't go wrong, but if it does it will probably be cheap and easy to fix. If it was a true money drainer then this forum would be full of threads starting "OMG! This Panda is a nightmare" or "Panda broken AGAIN" or "Food bank or repairing the Panda?"

At the end of the day it's your money, but you seem borderline obsessed :)):D) about getting a Panda, so I would just get the Panda IMO! Be done with it and move on with your life!(y):D:D:D
 
It's weird = over a period of just over fifty years I've had over 30 Fiats and the only reliability problems I've had have been a blown head gasket and a stripped timing belt (no further damage) on a Cinquecento Sporting that I bought used from a Fiat dealer, and a gearbox problem, fixed under warranty, on a used Tipo Tds, also bought used from a (different) Fiat dealer. I have been meticulous about maintenance over the years - either doing it myself or going to a really conscientious indie garage more recently, which I suppose has cost me a fair bit all in but I think the so-called reputation of unreliable Fiats is a myth, supported by the motoring press and, of course, the other manufacturers.
 
I’m seeing some very nice Panda Pop / Easy models from Fiat themselves for around £5k. Meaning I’d be able to afford it in September if I get a summer job so it’s so so tempting to go Panda!

Don’t let people railroad you one way or another, the biggest mistake you can sometimes make when trying to buy a car is asking someone’s opinion. For example I wouldn’t buy either car, but I can be objective in weighing up the pros and cons of each.
Other people will impose their own situation on you and expect you to share their needs, wants or desires.
I have a relative who things they are God’s gift to buying cars, if you ask them what they thing you will never be right, when my wife got her 2012 mini, all this relative could say about it was the gearbox would go wrong, that it wasn’t a proper mini and “why would you buy that” then I leant it to him for a week while we where away on holiday. He know owns the same model mini, but of course his is better for whatever reason (despite being a lower spec)
So decide what you want not try and pick the best of what everyone else’s opinion is.
I didn’t buy my bright purple golf cabriolet diesel because it was the fastest car or the biggest car, it’s certainly not the best car money can buy and it’s not the cheapest to run or the most practical, it is however exactly what I wanted, so you need to buy what you want, not what everyone else wants.

And 4th Renault?! ..how many months has it been? ;)

I had exactly the same thought.;)

I wouldn’t own a Dacia if you paid me to have (well if you paid me I’d take the money but not drive the car ever)
Dacia build cars to be very cheap, they do this by cutting every conceivable corner. I know James May liked to romanticise about the simplicity of the Dacia and it being the essence of a car without frills, but for those paying attention that was before Renault took over, now the cars are cheap for the very basic car but everything else is an optional extra, and for what come standard on any normal car ends up adding up to a lot on a Dacia, on top of which, you still have to contend with a budget paint job and the cheapest steal going, cheap seats that bugger up your back and cheap carpets that wear through in 2years.
 
On a separate note, have you driven both cars yet.

You definitely need to drive them before making any sort of decision.

Agree with you 100%. Worst thing you can do is buy a car without knowing if you actually like sitting behind the wheel or not.

I made this mistake with our Panda when we bought it six years ago. If I could go back again I would switch from an Easy to Lounge and have the blue/grey interior and not the beige interior. I never actually had the chance to test drive one with a beige interior before I ordered it because it had only just been launched here in the UK. It was only once I had the car that I realised it wasn't for me but it was too late then!
 
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Before I bought my Panda last year the Sandero was on the short list.
I'd advise anyone thinking of a Sandero to look very very carefully.
Two 63 plate and a 14 were showing many areas of rust. The inner of the bonnet, seams around the front struts, under the doors and the boot floor.
They feel cheap and not well put together.
Certainly not a car to keep for a good number of years in my opinion.
Our Scottish weather sorts out the good from the bad rust wise.
 
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