I've recently bought a 2004 Panda 1200 Dynamic with 65k on the clock It's got more or less full service history. What sort of mileage would this engine achieve if looked after and not driven hard.
Technical 1200 Engine.
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1200 Engine.
Funky Spike
Member
My 2006 1.2 4x4 is just coming up to 140k and will go on for a lot more.
Have a look for the "High Mileage Pandas" thread for some real eye opening mileages.
Spike
Have a look for the "High Mileage Pandas" thread for some real eye opening mileages.
Spike
Funky Spike
Member
Good for 200K miles if looked after. In my opinion. The body work fails before the engine.
Drive it 'hard' by all means
They like it. Once the oil's warm of course.
It's an unstressed engine in a low state of tune for the sake of reliability & economy and it's happy to spin.
I'd swear a decent bootfull of revs from time to time does them good. Certainly kinder to an engine than trying to drag it uphill at 1500rpm on full throttle in top gear.
The FIRE series of engines was in production from 1985. It's a well-proven, simple little unit with few known issues.
There are some engines nudging 1/4 million miles in that "High Mileage Pandas" thread, so I don't think you have anything to worry about.
Just make sure she gets regular oil (10w40) and filter changes, and coolant is kept up to level in good condition.
I'd guess they'll probably stop selling petrol before a properly-maintained 1.2 FIRE dies of natural causes.
They like it. Once the oil's warm of course.It's an unstressed engine in a low state of tune for the sake of reliability & economy and it's happy to spin.
I'd swear a decent bootfull of revs from time to time does them good. Certainly kinder to an engine than trying to drag it uphill at 1500rpm on full throttle in top gear.
The FIRE series of engines was in production from 1985. It's a well-proven, simple little unit with few known issues.
There are some engines nudging 1/4 million miles in that "High Mileage Pandas" thread, so I don't think you have anything to worry about.
Just make sure she gets regular oil (10w40) and filter changes, and coolant is kept up to level in good condition.
I'd guess they'll probably stop selling petrol before a properly-maintained 1.2 FIRE dies of natural causes.
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OP
OP
Thanks all for that. It's great to know that the 1200 is a sturdy and reliable unit capable of doing high mileages if looked after.
The Panda Nut
Nutty about Pandas Infected by Panda virus and OPD
I think you can hear if an engine is good or great design. The Panda engines sound so smooth and comfortable even when engine speeds rise quite high. The 1.4 particularly is clearly 5* and the 1.2 - we have 2 is pretty similar. Fiat have been around for very a long time and really know how to build a good engine. The number of 40 year old Pandas around and also 500's testifies to the mechanical longevity even though newer cars have different engines I am sure looked after they will go on for a long time.
We used to have a Uno and it stayed in the family for a very long time and was passed from one branch to another for I think 16 or 18 years. It was 2 or three years old when bough too.
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Just keep an eye on the coolant level - damage can result if it drops too low.Thanks all for that. It's great to know that the 1200 is a sturdy and reliable unit capable of doing high mileages if looked after.
Worn-out water pumps can leak, and there's a steel coolant pipe that runs across the front of the engine, behind the exhaust manifold, which is known to rust.
I've rust-treated mine as best as I could, and I check on it from time to time and give it a wipe with an oily rag - as I do with the oil sump pan - but I know it'll probably need replacing at some point.
