hello all,

i have almost decided on buying a 100hp, but am not quite there yet. can anyone advise me on a few oustanding issues.

firstly after 2 test drives it really is a cracking little car. (i have to thank piccadilly fiat in wakefield for there patience with me. they have let me have 2 solo test drives and have put no pressure on me at all.)

the car has great character and a cracking little engine. it was miles better than the swift i tried. it reminds me of the lighweight hatches of the past.

anyway - the ride!

the roads around me are truly dismal and it's the stiff ride which is probably the main reason for my reluctance to sign on the line. i have contacted cobra suspension about their upgrade (re: evo magazine) and they are trying their best to get me some more information, and hopefully a mule car from fiat to test the springs. so, has anyone tried them?

apparently they are 'progressively wound' so they are a bit softer under low load, but stiffer under high load. sounds perfect.

the other questions are less important. the test car i drove had very grabby brakes at the top of the pedal. is this a characteristic of the car, and do they ease off? it may just be the car i drove - 500 miles on the clock.

finally, the stereo. its great that's it mp3 compatible, but i find they only come into there own when they can 'shuffle' a cd(r) and play them randomly. can the panda's stereo do this? i had a fumble around with the test car's unit but got nowhere.

thanks in advance for any questions answered,

richie

I test drove one at the weekend and I thought the brakes were fine. It does seem to be a recurring theme thought if you look throught the threads. Its probably down to individual perception and if its different to what you normally drive then it might seem worse. i suspect its one of those things you get used to.

Like at the moment I drive a car that has a sunroof. I would quite like to drive a 100hp with a sunroof (to see if I can fit in it) to see if I really wanted it with a Skydome. If I decided I wont get a sunroof I can imagine me getting used to not having one. it looks like at the moment I will either have to order the Panda with a sunroof and take a leap of faith (as even the dealer cannot locate one with a sunroof for me to try) or decide against it.

I think its the same for the ride. I am used to pretty stiff suspension so getting in the Panda I found it just right, was a bit soft even! however if I got out of something like a Citroen which generally ride quite soft I would probably think the Panda is a bit hard(er).

I would not want the Panda to be any softer than it is. That would dissuade me in equal measure as what you are finding. I think if you enjoy the overall driving experience then get it and look to sort the suspension out when you have a few miles under your belt. 6 months from now you might have changed your mind entirely!

I think it's a cracking little car and cannot wait to get mine. What with petrol being so expensive and car tax etc etc I cant see how you anyone can spend this kind of money and get a more fun car.

richie131 said:

hello all,

i have almost decided on buying a 100hp, but am not quite there yet. can anyone advise me on a few oustanding issues.

firstly after 2 test drives it really is a cracking little car. (i have to thank piccadilly fiat in wakefield for there patience with me. they have let me have 2 solo test drives and have put no pressure on me at all.)

the car has great character and a cracking little engine. it was miles better than the swift i tried. it reminds me of the lighweight hatches of the past.

anyway - the ride!

the roads around me are truly dismal and it's the stiff ride which is probably the main reason for my reluctance to sign on the line. i have contacted cobra suspension about their upgrade (re: evo magazine) and they are trying their best to get me some more information, and hopefully a mule car from fiat to test the springs. so, has anyone tried them?

apparently they are 'progressively wound' so they are a bit softer under low load, but stiffer under high load. sounds perfect.

the other questions are less important. the test car i drove had very grabby brakes at the top of the pedal. is this a characteristic of the car, and do they ease off? it may just be the car i drove - 500 miles on the clock.

finally, the stereo. its great that's it mp3 compatible, but i find they only come into there own when they can 'shuffle' a cd(r) and play them randomly. can the panda's stereo do this? i had a fumble around with the test car's unit but got nowhere.

thanks in advance for any questions answered,

richie

Click to expand...

Sounds like your 99% nearly there in buying it.

What I would do is just go for it and live with the 1% quirks you mentioned, I have.

My brakes are fine, just the normal whine from the rear ones in reverse.

Ive had no problems with my CD player with home made CDs

BTW I bought mine from Piccadilly in Wakefield, told me they have sold very few if any of them when I bought mine in January just gone

Was it a black one you test drove?

The ride is something you get used too,it's not that bad just avoid speed bumps.
The brakes can be a bit grabby but you also get used to this the more you drive it
Sorry can't help with the stereo I seldom use the CD.

Going from my Coop to hire cars every few days at work I feel all modern cars have massively over-servoed brakes. With time, you'll get used to it; surprisingly little time, in fact.

Don't think the panda cd player can shuffle tracks, but that shouldn't put you off the car, the brakes are grabby, but thats not a bad thing, and you get used to them, the suspension is a bit of a contraversial subject on here, but its down to whether you like it or not at the end of the day, hope this helps, james

cheers for the replies, and dave (wakefield) i think i may have driven past you whilst on my first test drive. i passed a new orleans blue 100hp not far from piccadilly - near some speed bumps - i got a bit lost so i can't be more specific.

i would use picadilly if i decide to get one as they have been great so far. however, they wanted 9K for the black pandamonium demo car i tested and even more for a factory order. its a pity but there are much better deals out there, i feel.

i agree all of the car's quirks are probably forgivable considering the overall package.

however, if the cobra suspension upgrade tweaked the ride just a touch, i wouldn't hesitate. hopefully they will provide some useful feedback for me to help me decide.

they offered me the springs for free, but i didn't have a car to put them on!

richie

BTW dave (wakefield) how much did you pay for yours at picadilly?

you don't mind me asking do you??

richie

For what its worth I think you'll love the car. Ok, if you see a huge pothole in the road ahead of you, with the sharp steering you'll be doing a lot of split-second dodging - its either that or bouncing up into the roof lining!

It struck me this morning that the 100HP is like a MINI Cooper that's been to the gym for six months. Its lost 3 stone and got its BMI down to 25.1!

There are a few foibles (nothing like as many as the early MINI's), this morning I noticed that AGAIN the left windscreen water-sprayer had turned itself down and was skooshing all over the place, instead of the screen. Annoying, but not the end of the world.

Like a few people on here when I was buying I looked at the options for around the same budget:
- a 5/6 year old MINI Cooper with 40/50k miles was around £7,500/£8,000
- a 1/2 year old SWIFT Sport with 10k was around £9,000 (much rarer though)
- a 3/4 year old Fabia VRS with 40/50k miles was also £7,500/£8,000 (again, not that easy to find).

Each have pro's and con's - but I think the 100HP is the best all-rounder (I wouldn't say compromise).

I just missed out on a year old 100HP with only 500 miles on it that my local Subaru dealer wanted £7.5k. Then I found my six month old 100HP for £7k, 2k on the clock - everyones a winner!

In addition to the cars above (don't get me started on my ownership experiences with the Fabia ) I looked at:

- Fiesta - lots of money for the ST and the other sporty models didn't really live up to it
- Micra 160SR - my brother has one of these and loves it, but it's let down by the interior and also by the fact no dealers in the UK seem to have them in stock so I'd have to buy one before driving it.
- Citroen C2 VTS - Nice enough car, but finding one to drive was difficult and I'm not sure I could live with the interior or the depreciation.

I've now covered almost 300 miles in my 100! Only picked it up on Tuesday, which must tell you how addictive it is! I also found myself going out for a drive for the sake of it yesterday, which is something I've not done since my Scooby days. Yes, the ride is hard, but forward planning and scanning the road surface should mean you can keep it as smooth as possible. I also don't find the brakes grabby but as mentioned earlier it depends what you're used to. If you think the Panda brakes are grabby, drive a VAG group car!

Will be interesting to hear any reviews of the Cobra kit though as I have to avoid routes with speed bumps now and that is a tad annoying. Koni FSD dampers are also meant to be good at increasing comfort levels while retaining control when pushing on but they are expensive and not sure if they're available for the Panda.

Chris

ScoobyChris said:

If you think the Panda brakes are grabby, drive a VAG group car!

Click to expand...

Too right!

As for scanning the road ahead, I think it's always a good idea no matter how cosseting the ride of your car. I guess it just the way I was taught by my dad. My boss drives his BMW over potholes, runs it quickly over the broke edge of country tarmac etc without a care. Perhaps that's why he gets through front tyres every couple of months...

the 'pot hole' should become part of the driving test, because they are an everyday hazard, i find. even in the soft and squidgy nissan i drive now, so i am used to quick avoidance technique. the panda is probably ideal for that.

as for the alternatives, i too think there aren't any for the money. i discounted all of the ones mentioned for similar reasons, and the panda still looks the best. the swift came close, but it didn't feel as good as the panda. surprisingly, for a japanese car, the build quality wasn't as good as the fiat.

my father runs an octavia and its brakes are evil, but after a 'run in' with the local skoda dealer, i wouldn't go down that route anyway.

cheers all,

richie

richie131 said:

BTW dave (wakefield) how much did you pay for yours at picadilly?

you don't mind me asking do you??

richie

Click to expand...

Today I think I passed you at the traffic light crossroads around dinner time then followed you down towards Piccadilly?

Piccadilly have had that Pandamonium a few weeks now, seen it there daily passing to work. (hope they remove the big yellow sticker off the tailgate carefully!)

I don't mind you asking, I had a trade in on mine and got a discount for it being a pre reg car (5 miles on clock), it was discounted to £8200 then the £4000 trade in (2002 Seat Leon TDI SE, 85k on clock and 2 weeks MOT left) so paid £4200 for the Panda.

Also it was end of the month and year so they needed to shift it, they said "If I had waited a few more day it would have been £9500" (probably salesman sale tactics that thou).

ScoobyChris said:

I also found myself going out for a drive for the sake of it yesterday, which is something I've not done since my Scooby days.

Click to expand...

I'm still doing that, it's great, use any excuse just to nip out for a blast in it.

I hope the addictiveness won't wear off for a long time

If you think the Panda brakes are grabby, drive a VAG group car!

Click to expand...

Agree on this!

Had a Seat Leon TDI SE and when braked hard I thought the discs would shatter with it grabbing so hard lol

hi all, i've had mine a whole 2 days now, and have to say i love it, yes my rear brakes whine sometimes in reverse, but who cares (turn the stereo up, lol) but i dont find the suspension bad at all, i've just come from a smart roadster that would crash over a pebble, so that could be why, but i find if you go over speed bumps slow enough it seems fine?!
go for it, you could buy worse cars, and few if any better cars for the price!!

(dave)

i'm not sure it was me you saw, as i test drove last monday morning.

anyway, by the sounds of things picadilly may have a bit of movement on price, if i time it right. they did say they would contact me as this month progresses. hopefully they have a slow month.

there is another dealer in cleckheaton, called clemo. has anyone any opinions on them?

cheers,

richie

richie131 said:

however, if the cobra suspension upgrade tweaked the ride just a touch, i wouldn't hesitate. hopefully they will provide some useful feedback for me to help me decide.

Click to expand...

This is now in hand, hopefully and I can't wait

Stu DemonD said:

This is now in hand, hopefully and I can't wait

Click to expand...

if you get the cobra springs, can you let me know your verdict.

richie

j6pkp said:

hi all, i've had mine a whole 2 days now, and have to say i love it, yes my rear brakes whine sometimes in reverse, but who cares (turn the stereo up, lol) but i dont find the suspension bad at all, i've just come from a smart roadster that would crash over a pebble, so that could be why, but i find if you go over speed bumps slow enough it seems fine?!
go for it, you could buy worse cars, and few if any better cars for the price!!

Click to expand...

I had a Smart Roadster immediately before the 100HP as well, but I felt the ride was better on that. Not that the ride on the Panda overly bothers me.

another fellow ex roadie driver eh? good to hear!! after writing that i went for a drive today which left me thinking my roadie didn't bang over that bit, but it did bang over everything else!! lol