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

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

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I’m one job opportunity away from having the money to buy a new car.

For the past three years I’ve wanted nothing more than the new Panda shape. But everybody I know with one is quite frank about how they’re ‘tinny’, ‘dead slow’ and ‘not as good as the older model’

I haven’t driven one myself beyond a quick test drive but when I’ve been in one I notice it’s more refined than my 05 model, rolls smoother and leans less. It still seems like a better car to me. And I find it hard to believe after throwing millions at it Fiat ended up with a worse product.

I’ll either be buying a Panda or a Yaris. The Yaris being much more reliable than any other car choice I have to be honest! Though They are more expensive and I don’t love the design of them as much.

Another relation has a 2013 Yaris. He’s quick to point out in five years, 100,000 miles, it’s needed no replacement parts whereas his VW needed rear bushings at just two years old.. he reckons if I buy one it’d virtually last twice as long with less money needed spent on it..

Only thing putting me off the Panda;

If they’re as bad as people say
If after a few years it’ll be the same story as my current Panda: hundreds a year to keep it right


My granny has a 2015 Pop model coming up to 3 years old in September. Ideally I’ll buy this from her as it’s been in the family since new with just 16,000 miles. She formerly owned my current Panda but it was much older when handed over.

As owners, what do you guys think? My budget is £5,000 but if I find a good deal £6,000 at a stretch

So... Panda or Yaris?
 
Can get 2 year old Panda Easy for just under £6k. Can get 18 month old Pop for about the same. Above average miles not a bad thing if looked after. (y)
 
The brain should say Fiat too: keep it maintained and your new Panda should be good and reliable. I'd imagine most of the problems you've had with your current Panda have been due to age and mileage, so a much newer model shouldn't have those issues.
 
The brain should say Fiat too: keep it maintained and your new Panda should be good and reliable. I'd imagine most of the problems you've had with your current Panda have been due to age and mileage, so a much newer model shouldn't have those issues.

On one hand I feel:

- Well, if I had my car from day one it'd have been serviced like clockwork
- It'd have been washed weekly and waxed every 3 months (hopefully preventing some of the rusting)
- It'd never have been at the mercy of butchering mechanics! Lol (e.g. welded exhaust issues and brake workarounds)
- It'd have had Fiat only or OEM quality branded parts only (e.g. Bosch)

On the other hand I feel:

- Maybe as it's identical parts to my Panda I'm just asking for the same trouble, (non galvanised rear axle, rust prone sumps)
- I'm throwing away the chance to have a ""reliable"" car

But in support of the Panda, 'better the devil I know', in that:

- I know how to work with and fix it myself
- I know what's likely to fail now and can keep an eye on and anticipate it
- It's a damn simple car as far as a 2018 buy new one goes
- It's made of bog standard, no messing around proven simple mechanisms that are easy to fix vs. some certain French cars these days lol
 
It's a no-brainer: get the Panda.

Put it like this: I've been a Fiat owner for nearly 8 years, and I fully intend on getting another Fiat for my next car.

With regards to reliability, I met my girlfriends parents for the first time yesterday, and it turns out that her dad drives a 2008 Bravo multijet for getting to and from work. It's covered nearly 190,000 miles, and so far, the only fault has been the climate control.
 
There are other ways into car ownership that might be of interest.

I had a horrid time with a use Jag a few years ago and decided enough was enough with used.
I wanted a way into a new car that I could punt for another new car once the warranty expired. So no worries about MOT's, repairs and faults, tyres, exhaust and the likes.

So I looked into PCP deals.
I know a lot of people don't like them, but bare with me a minute.

First off, I could trade in the Jag without worry or come back.

They nearly always include a hefty deposit (or routes to achieve a hefty deposit), so I could put the money I would have used into an interest paying account (yes, there are a few around still that pay 5%, like Nationwide Flexdirect, each year what I had in there made me a free payment on the car) and make the payments from that.

I knew I needed to pick a car that would have a decent chance of a reasonable GFV but a good chance if I looked after it that it would be worth more, (which my last Panda 4x4 did in fact do, by £1500).
This is important, you don't want a high depreciating car, your payments will take that into account as the difference between purchase price and GFV is larger.

At the end of the deal I wanted either a similar car for less monthly payments, or a better car (within the same criteria above) for the same.

So at the end of my Panda 4x4 deal I could have pumped in another £1500 deposit, saving nearly £40 a month on another Panda 4x4 for three years, or as it happened, get an Abarth Tursimo on virtually the same monthly payments with just a small addition to the deposit.

And all that cash I used to repair and keep the Jag running goes directly into regular savers account, that also pays 5%!

I've help work out this sort of thing on a colleagues last three cars so I thought I'd give it a go myself, she now in a Toyota Yaris Hybrid that's costing her peanuts to run and peanuts on payments.
 
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Not all of us that buy Pandas do so because of price. Size, reliability, cost (i.e. not price) and practicality.

Our 2017 1.2 is anything but tinny. Very quiet, smooth and relaxed. It's neither as economical nor as 'fun/thrashy' to drive as the 2011 1.2 but overall a much nicer owning experience.

On your money I'd look for a 1.2 Easy+ but spend as little as you can because whatever happens, the value drops. No question.

Then buy property.
 
I was the underbidder on this last week:

http://www.unique-auctions.com/archives/34023

It got £3800 + commission. It came from a deceased estate (old chap). I checked the paperwork and it had been serviced 3 times.

I don't need a car yet - my 53 reg Panda Dynamic 1.2 has only got 133k on the clock. I couldn't resist having a go for it.

A Panda of this age and mileage make more sense than a new one to me.
 
You'll get a younger Panda for your money than a Yaris, but with Toyota you get a longer warranty, and bullet-proof reliability. I suspect the Yaris will hold its value better, too.

*Stands back and waits for reponses from irate Panda owners saying how reliable theirs has been, and how their mate's wife's Toyota has been a heap of trouble, etc, etc*
 
You're a bright lad with a great future; whilst whatever you buy next will be a great leap forward from what you've currently got, I'm sure it will only be a stepping stone to even better things.

You've got to ask yourself; do I really want to spend the best years of my life pampering a cheaply built rustbucket, or do I want a no-hassle car that'll free up my time for all the better things that are now laid out at my feet.

Go buy the Yaris. You'll thank me later.
 
Panda. After the shock of losing my 100HP I have learned to like the new one. Yes its definitely not as solidly built, but its OK. The twin air is a funny thing but also OK once you have got used to it and it goes quite well. It does burn fuel like a 90BHP car not like an 875cc one though. Toyota don't build any bad cars and I know the Yaris to be a decent driver. I nearly went for one as a company car a few years back.

The biggest factor to be considered when buying a new car is depreciation. In the end new cars are a money pit and the depreciation is the king of money eaters. Look closely at Parkers guide to see how much you lose each year on the different models.

Get a car from the before 1 April 2017 and pay much less road tax. You might be able to find a 'nearly new' one in this bracket. Nearly new can be had at very decent discounts and when you throw in the controllable service costs makes sense of spending more money to avoid repairs and service costs. It worked for me many years ago and I found I was driving a new car and actually paying less each month.

Yaris D4D is a great car. Its not a Panda though!!!

My advice. As you would expect. Buy a Panda they are so much cooler and just make you smile. Just remember the new one is a big monster compared to the last version. It looks like a bus when you see themparked together!

Pandas ruleOK
 
...Buy a Panda they are so much cooler and just make you smile. Just remember the new one is a big monster compared to the last version. It looks like a bus when you see themparked together!

Pandas ruleOK
I agree that the current mode - which I have after a 100HP - is much more bulbous than the previous one - which my wife has - but the difference in size is actually minimal - both take up virtually identical amounts of room in the garage. (But the previous model is much more visually appealing.)
 
If you intend keeping the car long term, then depreciation can be your friend: you'll get a much newer car for your money.

Also, you have to ask yourself this: what do you want? Do you want a car that you can love and cherish, or a toyota?
 
Hi.
What I don't understand is the hype and the belief that Japanese and German cars are simply the best.
If you look at the recalls for Toyota you'll see that they are amongst the most recalled make on the planet. Some will argue they are to keep the cars up to date and very safe and sort out faults....... personally I don't believe it at all, I put it down to poor initial development and inadequate testing before release.
I worked for Sony as an engineer and I can say this without any bluff their products have had more modifications than any other electronics manufacturer that I have come across, but they have an uncanny following so again this Japanese hype.
Look at the Yaris engine and its puny manifold, tap its doors and them tap the Panda doors, to my mind the Yaris is flimsy and not as well made as our 2012+ Pandas. My son had a 2010 Kia Picanto for a few months, what a dreadful little car, tin box on wheels and yet another that gets the brilliant reputation.
So Panda for me and in the 15 months of ownership I have carefully looked at its construction and I have to say other than a creaky dashboard there is nothing so far I can moan about.


https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/10-most-recalled-car-brands-by-jason-unrau
 
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As much as I like the panda, the question of panda over Yaris can really only be answered by yourself.

If you're heart wants a panda and the running costs are not so much of a concern you'll love the car so much you'll put up with any faults or break downs, then thats fine, get yourself a panda. However its not an aspirational car like a Ferrari or a Lamborghini

If you want reliability and cheap running costs, you're not so worried about the appearance of the car and you want something that will keep going and going then get the Yaris. You don't have to look far to find reliability figures on these cars and Yaris is on paper half as likely to break down and cheaper to repair than the panda , spending less time off the road per repair. You won't have a car that people will lust after (though I wouldn't exactly say thats the case with the panda either) but you'll have a good car that will last.

When I bought my Punto it was because I wanted the cheapest car I could buy and run that would last about 5 years, I ended up having it for 8, it never failed an MOT and it I think only broke down once, at a time I could easily walk where I needed to go anyway. I did over 70k miles in it, including many long journeys up and down the country, it was a good little car and comparable to the panda you have at the moment, But sadly I don't think fiat make cars like this now.
The more money you save now the more money you'll have to spend on something in the future, something more aspirational if thats what you want.
The Yaris is still a cute little car and has its quirks.

If you buy the Panda will you be cursing yourself the first time it gets an expensive repair bill or breaks down. If you buy the Yaris will you look at it and think, I wish I had bought the Panda as the panda is better looking?

As you're young, my instinct says you should get the Yaris and have some fun with that, as you've got plenty of time to get something fancier or flasher in the future when money isn't so tightly constrained.
 
Being a Panda owner for the 1st time, on a 65 plate, to me the Panda has more going for it compared to the Yaris ( yes I considered a Yaris myself a few years ago, but bought a Nissan Pixo, as it had 4 doors,and space for Passengers with legs) anyway, the Panda has the most space in the rear, of any car I've owned especially when the rear seats are down, has a quality feel about it, hardly rolls at all, suspension that is very smooth and forgiving, is extremely quiet and has a funky, cool look, share as the Yaris is just "Functional, boring and has a cramped feel about it...imo the Panda is a very underated car...go buy the Panda ?
 
Have owned several marques over the years in no particular order Fiat Cinc, the previous Panda, Skoda, Renault, Deawoo, Toyota Corolla and Avensis.... Now have a Qubo with 75k and Ducato with nearly 150k. Can say with conviction that Toyota service and honesty with faults, at least till 2012, was outstanding and the recall rate reflects that, would beat any other dealer model hands down, Renault dealer service counters were shocking places to be 15 years ago.... . However I did not like where Toyota styling and interiors were going so they lost me, think the latest Yaris is much improved mind. You have a tough heart and mind conflict here but I would buy the Panda and enjoy it.
 
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