My 1.1 panda is pushing 100 000 miles, and in the past 3 years I've had to repair:

• Cam belt & water pump
• Rear brakes - overhauled including cylinders
• Spark plugs changed
• Clutch replaced

I've just had a service and been told that I need to replace my front shocks and top mounts. I'm starting to wonder if it's worth keeping the car. The repairs aren't too expensive, but there are a lot of them.

What else can fail? I've replaced a lot of major items - can I get another 3 years (40 000 miles) out of this car?

I don't know how old the car is but spark plugs are a regular (yearly) service item, and the others would've needed doing probably around the 70-100k mark anyway, even the suspension which gets tired around that kind of mileage.

panda4president said:

My 1.1 panda is pushing 100 000 miles, and in the past 3 years I've had to repair:

• Cam belt & water pump
• Rear brakes - overhauled including cylinders
• Spark plugs changed
• Clutch replaced

I've just had a service and been told that I need to replace my front shocks and top mounts. I'm starting to wonder if it's worth keeping the car. The repairs aren't too expensive, but there are a lot of them.

What else can fail? I've replaced a lot of major items - can I get another 3 years (40 000 miles) out of this car?

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Keep it. You could end up getting another car that needs similar work in a year or two. At least you know what has and hasn't been done to the Panda.

You have done the majority of things that will need doing and they are all fair wear and tear items still at risk are front suspension arms, starter and alternator but that is about it at risk from age and miles but that is about it. If you change your car you will possibly still have the same issues. If you think money, keeping the car makes sense every time if the condition is good and it serves your purpose. As a car-changing-nut in years gone by, I can tell you beyond doubt changing is a mugs game. I now change only when the annual depreciation cost has dropped to a level I can live with and £500- 1000 a year is where I am happy depending on which car is involved.

If you change take great care to check the deal variation from one car to another is huge even at the same age and miles.

Best of luck

A lot of good advice being given here. For me the big question is always bodywork condition. The things being talked about here are all normal wear and tear/service items which would be expected. As long as there are no indications of problems with major units - engine (oil smoke, knocking noises, head gasket, etc) gearbox (grinding or whining noises, etc) rear axle excess corrosion and no serious corrosion in structural body parts then I'd be keeping it.

Owning an older vehicle with a number of miles under its belt needs a certain frame of mind to be adopted and you should expect to budget for a certain level of expenditure on maintenance. Trying to guess when a wheel bearing, alternator, power steering pump (or electric motor), shock absorber, etc, etc, might fail is impossible and not worth the bother thinking about! I have found that if, like me, you have the knowledge, tools, facilities and experience/skills to maintain your own cars then owning older vehicles is a really good way to motor cheaply. If you can't do your own maintenance and have little technical knowledge of vehicles it's likely, although not a "given", that a relatively new vehicle will be a sensible choice.

Whatever you decide I hope it works out well for you.

Thanks guys,

It does make sense to stick with the devil you know in this case. Anyone with experience of well worn Pandas, what repairs could I possibly expect in the coming years? I know the question isn't straight forward, but I'm not expecting a technical assessment of my car

I'm not a Panda expert, but one thing no one has mentioned is the rear axle spring cups. I understand these have a tendancy to rust and the axle is expensive to replace. A bit of TLC with waxol or similar would be a good precaution.
I vote keep it. You could buy a 3 year old car with 6 months warranty and have a major mechanical failure at month 7.

It's already been mentioned, the rear axle can rust away around the lower spring seats and arms at the sides of these.

If it gets bad, it'll likely write the car off due to cost of replacement, though I believe there are now some pattern ones flowing around ebay, not sure of the quality??

There are a few other items underneath that tend to rust on all cars, shock bodies, springs, wishbones etc, though you are most likely to replace these parts at sometime in the cars life anyway, but generally the Panda's body is quite resistant to rust.

There are so few other things to worry about with them, the engine and gearbox are pretty hardy and well tested and even through it's no rocket ship, they aren't really under much strain.

The 1.1's do suffer from a wiring issue with part of the loom to the engines ECU that causes misfires, but I believe a fix can be bodged and can be found on the site somewhere.

Other than that, I would expect a few niggles here and there and normal servicing items, with a bit of cunning (and this forum), you should be able to keep on top of these very cheaply.

I guess it owes you very little, so just run it MOT to MOT and when the fail list outweighs your wallet, scrap it.
It's the perfect car to run like this, I wouldn't pick anything else.

Running a car without worrying about this, that and the other can be quite liberating and often results in the thing lasting a lot longer than expected.

We have had our 1.1active since dec 04.
6k miles .. 6 months old.

In its lifetime it has had :

Apart from oil and plugs..
Air filters x 3
12 tyres .. sub £200
3 exhaust rear boxes .£115
2 head gasket fixes..£55
Heater matrix fail..£35(due to HG FAIL..
DID CAMBELT WHILST APART..@£45)

Front dampers and droplinks £120

Rear dampers £30

Front and rear brakes £155.

Clutches..
2 under 1st year warranty..
@80k on the 2005 0ne.

Bulbs.. changed halogen headlights last year.. didnt make any difference

Fuses.etc.. nothing.
But 3x batteries.. @£150

Oh...

5x wiperblades and 3litres of screenwash

Depreciation.. @4k ..yes in 14 years..!!

Dont want a replacement panda though..

100 000 its still a baby.

1.1 on a 06 plate nearly double that mileage and still going fine

Mine is 13 with 146K miles. I'm keeping going.

If you need an excuse to get a newer car - your Panda still has some value and plenty of people will be happy to take it from you.

If you need an excuse to keep it - you have done the most costly items so bring on the next 100K miles. I would get the radiator and engine coolant pipe checked over as low coolant will quickly ruin the head gasket.


As others have said, make sure the back axle is well protected from corrosion. They rust and will scrap the car due to costs of replacement.

Everything else is maintenance that costs money on any vehicle but at least Panda parts are low cost (usually).

koalar said:

100 000 its still a baby.

1.1 on a 06 plate nearly double that mileage and still going fine

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Ours is showing its age..
But runs and drives well.

Another 100k.. possible.. but not pleasurable..

varesecrazy said:

Another 100k.. possible.. but not pleasurable..

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Around my way, the (relative) lack of driving pleasure is more than compensated by the ease of getting down narrow lanes and into narrow car park spaces.

2 days a week I do 35 miles each way in the 100HP on dual/motorway (A38/M5) but the 1.2 is more than up to the job if a bit noisy when the engine finally wakes up. For me the small car compromises are worth taking. I've had Audi A4, VW Passat and even a turbo petrol Renault Espace and they were great but big cars around here are a pain in the wotsits.

Thanks everyone,
You've encouraged me to hold on to it for as long as I can.

DaveMcT said:

Around my way, the (relative) lack of driving pleasure is more than compensated by the ease of getting down narrow lanes and into narrow car park spaces.

2 days a week I do 35 miles each way in the 100HP on dual/motorway (A38/M5) but the 1.2 is more than up to the job if a bit noisy when the engine finally wakes up. For me the small car compromises are worth taking. I've had Audi A4, VW Passat and even a turbo petrol Renault Espace and they were great but big cars around here are a pain in the wotsits.

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we do a 110 mile / 2 hr run twice a week..
punto most trips, used to be a marea JTD..

the panda had done it ONCE.. just too tiring in the 1.1.

BUT , it's a great car still - we just don't fancy spending @£5k on a Modern panda with no toys and almost as many miles.. :bang:

Infrequent trips of 2 hours are more are fine in the 1.2 but like you I'd not use the Panda if something bigger was available. Doing it every week would be miserable and even worse in the 1.1 that for ever needs the gears stirring.

The 1.4 is easily up to the task but the hard ride and quick steering are tiring. Again I'd be replacing it with something bigger for regular long journeys.

BTW have you seen the CItroen C6? A LOT of car for the money (usually). Sadly, there are no petrol models in UK so converting to LPG is not really viable.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2007-57-...h=item4d73260f51:g:bV8AAOSwPCZbrWWd:rk:8:pf:0

I do a twice a week 110 mile run in my 1.1 Panda as well as about 60 miles a week on shopping trips, I think its ok if your not wanting to break the speed limit.

Long steep hills are a bit depressing though with the difference between 5th and 4th not being much I end up in 3rd, running the engine at higher revs than i'd like and wasting fuel. Admittedly a 1.2 woulod be better.,
But I like the Panda for what it is.......... or is it just me as my last vehcle was 850cc and 40bhp!

09 johno said:

I do a twice a week 110 mile run in my 1.1 Panda as well as about 60 miles a week on shopping trips, I think its ok if your not wanting to break the speed limit.

Long steep hills are a bit depressing though with the difference between 5th and 4th not being much I end up in 3rd, running the engine at higher revs than i'd like and wasting fuel. Admittedly a 1.2 woulod be better.,
But I like the Panda for what it is.......... or is it just me as my last vehcle was 850cc and 40bhp!

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Any of the Pandas will do the job but its outside of their design brief.

My 53 reg 1.2 Panda is on 140k. The biggest enemy to the car is potholes and general poor road surface. If all the roads were smooth, I reckon I could hit 350k