This is my first post on Fiat Forum for years! I had a barchetta in the past which has long gone but was a great car an I have managed to find my old log in details. So, I'm considering buying a Fiat once again and am looking for some advice.

I'm thinking of buying a panda as a car to commute in: work is 8 miles away on mixed roads. Also I do some driving in my job on country roads. I'm currently using my Aston Martin Vantage and while it's an awesome car, it's a little wasted in this role. And I fancy a panda! Specifically a 100hp or a Cross. I think they both look awesome.

Now I know that these cars are at opposite ends of the panda spectrum but I have always liked the look of them both. Does anyone have experience of both to compare? I am sure the 100hp will be more fun to drive but the ride may be tiring on a commute and the Cross will be useful to keep me mobile in winter.

Another issue is spec, I'm quite fussy! For a 100hp it would have to be ideally blue or red with a skydome. For a Cross it would have to be black or orange. Ideally low mileage. Neither seem to appear much for sale and I've been scouring the ads for a while.

Thanks all!

Personally I'd say Cross for two main reasons:-

1) If you're like me you'll enjoy off road and that little bit of 4x4 confidence in winter and country roads of the Cross. As opposed to the speed of the 100hp - also fun yes - but it'd be hard to enjoy it past 70mph on roads without breaking the law! And they're apparently intolerable on rough roads, but do listen to actual owners if they also post as they could prove me wrong with their real world experience!

2) I'm not sure on this one, but I'd imagine the 100hp are more rare / less are around as more are probably written off - due to the number of chavs who drive them due to their sporty nature! Therefore finding genuine 100hp parts like body panels and suspension and even interior fittings would be harder and probably much more expensive as a result. The Cross probably has rarer special parts too but I'm not sure if they're hard to source - again, more opinions from owners of both should hopefully see this and add their more useful experience to the thread

Best of luck!

For me, I'd go for the Cross. The 100HP doesn't sound like the right choice for the driving you need to do. The ride would probably be too harsh. They don't have wheels to cope with potholes and you'd end up with wheels resembling 50 pence pieces. And you'd be needing to fit it with winter tyres as there's not a lot of grip if it's on Eagles. There's probably not that many with skydomes. And many search for a very very long time and many cars till they find one that hasn't been abused.

The Cross is one which has held it's value quite well so they won't be cheap, but I'd grab one in orange if I could.

As for parts, we know that there were problems with getting replacement 100HP bumpers in the past, but then again none of us buy a car thinking 'I might crash this sometime'. If we did, we probably wouldn't be driving Pandas, we'd probably choose a tank of some description.

Good luck in your search.

I have a 100hp for the 10 mile commute using the back roads and a 996tt for sunny days and holidays. It is the size of the Fiat that is the best thing, you can chose your line just using half of the road. The 100hp is a hard ride though and I have not experienced one on standard suspension which is supposed to be worse. Fuel economy is not great either, you will double your economy with a Clio diesel - my 100hp has gpl/unleaded. Sorry it's the unhelpful answer of try them both.

Spent 5 years trying to find an Orange Cross in top condition. No luck. I've driven them and they're nice, though not keen on diesels and the noise/vibration is a shock after the 1.2 petrol.


We have one of the last 100HPs which is 5 years old in March. White. Best colour. Lovely thing. The ride is worse on roadbumps, but you forgive that for the cornering. Moving to 195/50 tyres helps keep the wheels rounder.


We also have a 1.2 Dynamic, which is a much more practical car. Softer suspension, cheaper to run/tax and still a gas to drive. There's only 2lb/ft of torque so you need to swap gear often, unlike the 100Hp which will lope along in 6th all day if you don't want to drive in the Grand Prix.

SB1500 said:

Personally I'd say Cross for two main reasons:-

1) If you're like me you'll enjoy off road and that little bit of 4x4 confidence in winter and country roads of the Cross. As opposed to the speed of the 100hp - also fun yes - but it'd be hard to enjoy it past 70mph on roads without breaking the law! And they're apparently intolerable on rough roads, but do listen to actual owners if they also post as they could prove me wrong with their real world experience!

2) I'm not sure on this one, but I'd imagine the 100hp are more rare / less are around as more are probably written off - due to the number of chavs who drive them due to their sporty nature! Therefore finding genuine 100hp parts like body panels and suspension and even interior fittings would be harder and probably much more expensive as a result. The Cross probably has rarer special parts too but I'm not sure if they're hard to source - again, more opinions from owners of both should hopefully see this and add their more useful experience to the thread

Best of luck!

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The 'chavs' don't know what a 100hp is so your unlikely to see one in one, most are owned by enthusiasts or were bought on a whim as second cars.

Thanks all for the opinions. Still some thinking to do but the cross may be the best option for me, if I can find one! I'll keep you posted...

yeah, I like the look of a Cross myself but they all seem to be Multijets & i'll never buy another diesel as long as I live. My son has a 100HP previously owned by his brother, the ride is that hard I won't go in it. My wife has a 1.2 Dynamic which rides fine and goes fast enough for me. Me? Volvo V70!