General Purchasing 100HP Panda, Need advice Please

[Hegnirst]

As per title, I am two weeks away at getting my Panda 100hp.
My question is, is there any areas i should be checking on it Particularly?
So far everything seems very good

Its a 2010 '10' plate with about 50 thou on the clock with one owner, full history, all Fiat stamped.

And is there any differences between the 2010 one and a 2007 one? as the 2007 is below my budget which is great and has 35K miles on it and the 2010 one has 50K and is slightly above my budget. what to do!

so excited to get it!

Thank you in advance.

 

[Gavv8]

As far as i'm aware the only differences between a 2007 and a 2010 model will be the badge colour and the wing mirrors which are smaller on the earlier version, as for things to look for there are no major issues with the 100HP..make sure the cambelt has been done as required..check that the gearbox is nice and quiet with no crunches on 3rd and 4th although they can do this a bit when cold so just be a bit sympathetic until its warmed up..check the climate control works properly and points warm air at your feet/face/windscreen properly as there have been some issues with some owners and make sure the coolant is the correct strength and quality as this is crucial to a long and happy engine life....other than that they are fantastic little cars.
If it was my choice i'd probably go for the lower mileage 2007 one and spend the difference on fresh suspension.

 

[ytareh]

I ran a red 100hp 2007 for under a year at 20kish miles and I couldnt recommend it for anything other than track day use or a brief hard core ownership period .The suspension especially rear is RIDICULOUSLY hard .A lowered MX5 was like a Citroen air suspension in comparison .Then again someone did once boast of passing a Ferrari at a track day in one !37-43mpg was my range and Im generally fairly economical.Id imagine lots of town or hard use could see this under 30mpg.They do feel EVEN better put together than a vanilla Panda -almost like a BMW Half/0.5 Series or a Golf!!!And I dont think much goes wrong with them .
In SOME restricted handling scenarios(40-50mpg moderate bends in the dry?) they may be mind boggling -never impressed me on wet roundabout or bends -engine not much to write home about either .The 'drive/fly by wire' /electronic accelerator/throttle was fancy but ate fuel ...
The pedals were almost impossible for me to 'heel and toe' brake in ( size 10s !!!)

 

[Dev100]

The suspension is as expected in a stiff hot hatch, it handles well stock but stick some koni's on and get the geometry set up and they handle extremely well, average commute for me see's me return 45mpg combined, give it some real stick to see it drop below 35, they are well built, look great and are fun to own.

Dry handling can be unreal, think classic mini good, wet handling depends on tyre choice and smoothness of inputs. The engine is expected for a buzzy 1400 four banger, don't expect it to be super rapid modern sports car and you'll not be let down. The brakes are far to grabby for heel and toe, so adjust your style accordingly.

If it was me I'd get the lower mileage one as I have a decent commute, but horses for courses.

 

[ytareh]

Naah Ive owned a lifetimes worth of hot hatches and 100hp is in a stiff ('n nasty?) league of its own .The good points dont come near outweighing the bad points. You will GRIMACE over speed ramps.And Id forgotten HOW grabby the brakes were .I doubt many people own 100hps for more than a year or two .(before spines give in?!)They would probably make an awesome class of racing car though!They loose tracking at the sight of a pebble.Hitting a pothole in one has got to feel something like the landing after falling off a skyscrapper .Ive loved small Fiats but this one is too 'compromised' .The gearbox spacing is awful too.Why couldnt they make the sixth even a tiny bit higher to avoid cruising at 4000rpm + on MWays ?

 

[Hegnirst]

As far as i'm aware the only differences between a 2007 and a 2010 model will be the badge colour and the wing mirrors which are smaller on the earlier version, as for things to look for there are no major issues with the 100HP..make sure the cambelt has been done as required..check that the gearbox is nice and quiet with no crunches on 3rd and 4th although they can do this a bit when cold so just be a bit sympathetic until its warmed up..check the climate control works properly and points warm air at your feet/face/windscreen properly as there have been some issues with some owners and make sure the coolant is the correct strength and quality as this is crucial to a long and happy engine life....other than that they are fantastic little cars.
If it was my choice i'd probably go for the lower mileage 2007 one and spend the difference on fresh suspension.

awesome thankyou
really thinking about going for the 2007 one over 4 years that has 35K on it rather than 5 years on the 10 which has 55K on it i think. what baffles me is how its managed to do 12K miles in 3 months time according to servicing records! 4 months in a row, madness! thank you for the input

 

[Hegnirst]

I ran a red 100hp 2007 for under a year at 20kish miles and I couldnt recommend it for anything other than track day use or a brief hard core ownership period .The suspension especially rear is RIDICULOUSLY hard .A lowered MX5 was like a Citroen air suspension in comparison .Then again someone did once boast of passing a Ferrari at a track day in one !37-43mpg was my range and Im generally fairly economical.Id imagine lots of town or hard use could see this under 30mpg.They do feel EVEN better put together than a vanilla Panda -almost like a BMW Half/0.5 Series or a Golf!!!And I dont think much goes wrong with them .
In SOME restricted handling scenarios(40-50mpg moderate bends in the dry?) they may be mind boggling -never impressed me on wet roundabout or bends -engine not much to write home about either .The 'drive/fly by wire' /electronic accelerator/throttle was fancy but ate fuel ...
The pedals were almost impossible for me to 'heel and toe' brake in ( size 10s !!!)

The suspension is as expected in a stiff hot hatch, it handles well stock but stick some koni's on and get the geometry set up and they handle extremely well, average commute for me see's me return 45mpg combined, give it some real stick to see it drop below 35, they are well built, look great and are fun to own.

Dry handling can be unreal, think classic mini good, wet handling depends on tyre choice and smoothness of inputs. The engine is expected for a buzzy 1400 four banger, don't expect it to be super rapid modern sports car and you'll not be let down. The brakes are far to grabby for heel and toe, so adjust your style accordingly.

If it was me I'd get the lower mileage one as I have a decent commute, but horses for courses.

Naah Ive owned a lifetimes worth of hot hatches and 100hp is in a stiff ('n nasty?) league of its own .The good points dont come near outweighing the bad points. You will GRIMACE over speed ramps.And Id forgotten HOW grabby the brakes were .I doubt many people own 100hps for more than a year or two .(before spines give in?!)They would probably make an awesome class of racing car though!They loose tracking at the sight of a pebble.Hitting a pothole in one has got to feel something like the landing after falling off a skyscrapper .Ive loved small Fiats but this one is too 'compromised' .The gearbox spacing is awful too.Why couldnt they make the sixth even a tiny bit higher to avoid cruising at 4000rpm + on MWays ?

thank for the input guys! a lot of people have said that the ride is the down fall as its 'harsh' i dont think it is IMO. the newest car ive owned personally is 1989 so im used to that. not bothered about the rpm because both of my other cars sit around 3-4 K at 70 mph on the motorway. im not looking for speed as i have a 72' clubman with a B18 engine in it. MPG wise even 35-40 is very good for me as both cars are under 25 if booting it.
Talking about heal to toe, its completely the wrong kind of set up to be doing that on. But its not a problem, as i naturally do it as i've been brought up with older cars so its a must when driving them.
I couldnt fault the car at all i thought it was wonderful and i seriously cant wait

just need advise on which to get. :/

aswel as the cars age etc its the price of the two compared as well for example for me.

Black 2010 model with brand new 15" Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2 Gloss Black Alloys & Nexen Tyres all round
50K miles on it
with
£500 deposit
is
90-95 A MONTH
over 60 months

and £517.97 insurance

OR

Black standard 2007 model
37K miles on it
with
£500 deposit
is
68.81 A MONTH
over 60 months


and £589.70 insurance


It weighs up to be around the same each month insurance + car a month but do i get a 10 plate with 55K or 2007 with 35K on it? ultimately thats what its coming down to. would love some feedback! cheers chaps! and of course these figures are only worked out on a similar APR/flat rate as i used to be in sales.

thankyou

 

[Dev100]

It's simple, it's your choice, we can only give you our experiences.

Personally I found this car a little soft, compared to previous minis, and even a 500, which we own doesn't have much difference in terms of firmness.

Maybe the previous two lads got bad ones? But I have experienced none of the issues they have had in over a year and 18k of trouble free motoring. If you take the HP for what it is, a warm hatch, with a firm ride, revvy/buzzy engine, rifle bolt 'box and treat it with respect/love then you will enjoy it. If you expect a refined sports car, like a golf R32 or BMW 1M then you will be disappointed.

Learn to love its quirks and drive round them and you will have a great time owning one.

Good luck and hope to see you and your HP on here soon

 

[Hegnirst]

It's simple, it's your choice, we can only give you our experiences.

Personally I found this car a little soft, compared to previous minis, and even a 500, which we own doesn't have much difference in terms of firmness.

Maybe the previous two lads got bad ones? But I have experienced none of the issues they have had in over a year and 18k of trouble free motoring. If you take the HP for what it is, a warm hatch, with a firm ride, revvy/buzzy engine, rifle bolt 'box and treat it with respect/love then you will enjoy it. If you expect a refined sports car, like a golf R32 or BMW 1M then you will be disappointed.

Learn to love its quirks and drive round them and you will have a great time owning one.

Good luck and hope to see you and your HP on here soon

Thanks for the input dude ? the car isn't in question as I want one full stop lol the question is which one put of the two above is the more sensible choice and better for money in your opinion, I thi k the panda is Better than cars worth 10k more imo

 

[Rmdinho]

Bang on the money Dev.

The suspension really isn't that harsh. What hot hatches have you had ytarah? I've had one other one (Clio R27) and that was more harsh than the Panda is.

 

[Dev100]

It's definitely firmer with the Konis on but then I'm used to race spec minis.

It's no harder/firmer than an abarth though.

With your choices I'd buy on history, condition, major items bought for it ie cambelt.

The 55k may have had any major issues fixed but also may need a new clutch soon, the opposite could be true of the 30k one. Swings and roundabouts.

I got one as I made a strong case to the wife for an A4 avant she said no, so I suggested this to take the **** and she went for it immediately. Job done.

I was going to get one back in 09 for work and a box trailer but ended up with an Octavia VRS estate instead.

 

[AB100]

We've had ours 3 years since new. It's a joy.


You do need to slow down for road bumps though, and potholes are to be avoided - certainly with 45 tyres (I changed ours to 50s).


2010 model will have big mirrors, which you can replace with the smaller/older ones and sell on ebay for over 100 quid probably.


2007 model will have Bluetooth (2010 won't).


I'd go for lower mileage personally, but hey.

 

[Demi]

Not correct AB100,

Mine is 2010 and it has small mirrors and bluetooth.

I'd go for 2010 model as it will have less things to fix over the years. 50k sounds a lot but it would be motorway miles, so suspension should be still good, on 2007 you prolly will be changing things sooner than you would want. If you know any mechanics you can take 2007 and get them to look at it in and out. Cam belt, gears feel, engine, and suspension would be your main focus.

 

[AB100]

Not correct AB100,

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2010-Fiat...6655726?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item3f2101096e


Big mirrors....though only the steering wheel would tell the true story of Bluetooth. Not that it'd be a dealbreaker.


It's Ok Demi..........no need to apologise!

 

[Demi]

Big mirrors on this particular model, yes. But as a whole "will have" statement is it not correct. Same goes for blue tooth. I dont think these two are limited to a certain year, as you will find either or on both early and late models

 

[boozyjay]

That particular black 100hp has been on the market for ages now. I saw it for sale at that dealer when I was after one last March. The dealer has had the alloys painted black. They were the original colour when it was put up for sale.

 

[boozyjay]

Sorry - changed the alloys.

 

[Gavv8]

Ignore the rubbish about it being a track day car and the engine being nothing special...I do over 300 miles a week in all weathers and on some shocking road surfaces and it feels sure footed and safe (use quality tyres), the engine is a peach...the gearbox is a joy to use and it reacts to potholes and speedbumps the same as any other focused small car, its worth spending a few quid on new shocks and springs as these make it even better but apart from that i'd have another one tomorrow and the next day.....and the next...

 

[boozyjay]

I couldn't agree more.

 

[Dan Friel]

It's true, the ride can be made "ok". My 100HP does 20k a year and over 4 years I've only had one problem (clutch slave cylinder).. it needs decent dampers, good tyres (it really does) and keep general servicing up to date. Cambelt should be done in advance of recommendation.

It's a great car, even if it's a cheap fiat...