General After a second car... any suggestions?

[AppleSei]

For 650 you would be extremely lucky to get a decent condition sei sporting

 

[Steven]

For 650 you would be extremely lucky to get a decent condition sei sporting

Exactly, and if you're buying an 899cc Cento it would really have to be a Sei.

 

[Nuova500]

why, the 899cc cinq is better than the 899cc sei and they are easy to find in good condition as lots of older people bought them. A nice cinq SX is good.

 

[Steven]

I disagree Barry. It's down to personal preference at the end of the day though, so there is no black and white answer.

 

[beau]

if its for a girl, more likely to like the sei as its said to be the girly version of the cinq

 

[Hellcat]

if its for a girl, more likely to like the sei as its said to be the girly version of the cinq

Indeed.. A sei is a very girly car.

Another option may be a Tipo/Punto. The 1.4 Tipo is a decent size, easy to fix, and reasonable performance. Might not be the prettiest car in some peoples eyes but hey - she's getting wheels for free - she can't complain!

 

[Nuova500]

No to Tipos, they are getting on a bit and age has caught up with them. Rust is common now under the car, inner sills, rear suspension rot and front engine subframe rust all bad. Also things like rads, waterpumps, power steering etc is all getting old and unreliable and being a Fiat, those parts aint cheap. I know of several local cars being scrapped due to these problems... in the past couple of years what was once a very common car has become much scarcer. Weve had two, good cars in their day, but I wouldnt touch one now.

 

[panda type thingy]

Just to clear things up, this is a second car for me. Seeing as she can only afford insurance on Speedy (with help), she'll be be using Speedy and I'll be using the second car (or Speedy).

I should really be giving her Speedy... but I don't wanna

 

[Steven]

Barry, what you said about Tipos, if you replace the word "Tipo" in your post with the word "Panda" the same is true. Sure, they rust, but there are many sound ones out there for very little money. Parts aren't too bad, most can be got from either motor factors or scrapyards just like our Pandas.

 

[panda type thingy]

Ok I think I've pretty much decided that I'm probably going to go for the Cinq sporting, the sei is a bit out of my price range and well, just a bit, well too girly too be honest.

I'm going to try and find a local one being sold somewhere, give it a test drive to see if it's a car I can live with and go from there.

 

[Steven]

They're a hoot, you'll love it.

 

[Pandarus]

Ok I think I've pretty much decided that I'm probably going to go for the Cinq sporting, the sei is a bit out of my price range and well, just a bit, well too girly too be honest.

I'm going to try and find a local one being sold somewhere, give it a test drive to see if it's a car I can live with and go from there.

Don't forget to also look out for higher spec non-Sporting Cinqs as they are sure to be cheaper and less likely to be 'razzed'

Don't rule out a nice SX

MARTIN

 

[FuzzyPanda]

Non-Sportings also have longer ratio boxes I think, which means nicer motorway cruising.

 

[Steven]

Don't forget to also look out for higher spec non-Sporting Cinqs as they are sure to be cheaper and less likely to be 'razzed'

Don't rule out a nice SX

MARTIN

That's a very good point. I'd rather a nice SX than a tatty Sporting.

 

[panda type thingy]

Well to tell you the truth the only reason I'm really looking at the sporting is the 1.1 engine, to be honest if I find someone thats shoe horned a 1.1 into an sx then I'll be just as happy with that

 

[FuzzyPanda]

I wouldn't write off the Sporting just because of the possibility of it being ragged. There are quite a lot of cherished low milers out there owned by people who got one probably because it was top of the range and looked a bit funkier than the other models.

Trouble is the really good Sportings and Abarths are now fetching £1k+ and are appreciating in value.

 

[Hellcat]

I've only ever been in a Cinq once.. as a passenger in a stripped out cinq with a 1242... what an amazing experience. Not as quick as my marea or the Tipo but lots of fun - even from the passenger seat. If the standard sporting has half the character I'm sure you'll love driving it.

I'm hoping my brother-in-law will pass his test and get a Cinq sporting as I secretly want to have a go

p.s. Loads of Tipos left on the road where I live. Much more than any of its competition at the time which sold more...

 

[Sprox]

Give up Mate!
It's no good!
You'll miss your Panda!

You'll miss seeing that nice square edged nosed bonnet in front of you,
You'll miss the way it rolls round corners and ignores speed bumps
You'll miss your glove compartment and your speaker pods
You'llmiss having only one wiper blade
You'll miss the spacious access to the engine bay
You'll miss being able to load a washing machine into the boot next to the wardrobe
You'll miss being stared at at the petrol pumps (for all the wrong reasons lol!)
You'll miss just being able to drive up and down the kerbs
You'll miss Pandering....................................

While your sister gets all the Fun!!!!!!!!

 

[panda type thingy]

LOL those are the reasons why I'm not just giving Speedy to her, and seeing as we both still live at home (I moved out at 18 but to moved back home to save up for a house instead of renting), I can still take him out for a spin almost anytime I like!

 

[Steven]

You'll miss being stared at at the petrol pumps (for all the wrong reasons lol!)

I thought it was just me!