Jodsclass
Member
Hi Everyone.
I’ve not posted in a good while, this whole pandemic has really taken it out of me, especially my mental health & I'd like to ask some advice from fellow panda owners.
We've had our current panda, a 54 plate Dynamic for 7 years. We got it with only 20k miles on the clock and a good service record & I've serviced it every six months since. We are now sat at 90k miles. I've really maintained the panda, and the jobs list incudes two new cambelts, a new water pump, new front struts, new exhausts, brakes, exhaust brackets, cam seals and lots of other niggly bits. In the lockdown summer, I even stripped the infamous rear subframe with a wire brush and treated with rust converter and a liberal coat of waxoyl. Finally, in October, I had some rust cut out of the sills at the rear & had them professional welded so they are as good as new/ I've really babied this car & it's done us well. The only time it has let us down is when the impeller gave out on the water pump locally. Also had the odd issue with low voltage and the power steering light, but apart from that it's been solid.
My problem is that this last year has exacerbated my anxiety to new heights. I'm already a very anxious person due to personal history (hence the money & preventative work carried out on the panda through the years). Most of the time we pootle around here in Cornwall & the furthest we drive is 70 miles to Exeter now & then. However, my family live in Manchester which is 330 miles away & my wife's live in Dundee which is 700 miles away from home. We do the Scotland trip once a year & Manchester every 3-4 months. I used to do my checks & go, but now with my anxiety I'm constantly worried the car is too old & will fail. In my mind that failure will happen somewhere around Birmingham on the new smart motorway & being in a small panda we will surely be killed.
It has had me looking at newer cars & I've seen a nice 14 plate Fiat 500s locally. Same engine & running gear essentially so would be an easy transition, however is £5.5k and has done 45k with an already rusty as hell rear subframe and spring pans. My anxiety again is kicking in & I'm thinking should I spend that money for a very impressive but unknown car, or better the devil you know & trust the panda (plus save my money).
I know your first response will be to speak to a therapist, but I'd like your input, as you all run these cars on a regular basis. Am I being irrational? Should I just change the damn thing or stick with the panda & keep it going?
I'll leave you with the before & after shots of my lockdown summer rust removal & prevention. I look forward to your input.
I’ve not posted in a good while, this whole pandemic has really taken it out of me, especially my mental health & I'd like to ask some advice from fellow panda owners.
We've had our current panda, a 54 plate Dynamic for 7 years. We got it with only 20k miles on the clock and a good service record & I've serviced it every six months since. We are now sat at 90k miles. I've really maintained the panda, and the jobs list incudes two new cambelts, a new water pump, new front struts, new exhausts, brakes, exhaust brackets, cam seals and lots of other niggly bits. In the lockdown summer, I even stripped the infamous rear subframe with a wire brush and treated with rust converter and a liberal coat of waxoyl. Finally, in October, I had some rust cut out of the sills at the rear & had them professional welded so they are as good as new/ I've really babied this car & it's done us well. The only time it has let us down is when the impeller gave out on the water pump locally. Also had the odd issue with low voltage and the power steering light, but apart from that it's been solid.
My problem is that this last year has exacerbated my anxiety to new heights. I'm already a very anxious person due to personal history (hence the money & preventative work carried out on the panda through the years). Most of the time we pootle around here in Cornwall & the furthest we drive is 70 miles to Exeter now & then. However, my family live in Manchester which is 330 miles away & my wife's live in Dundee which is 700 miles away from home. We do the Scotland trip once a year & Manchester every 3-4 months. I used to do my checks & go, but now with my anxiety I'm constantly worried the car is too old & will fail. In my mind that failure will happen somewhere around Birmingham on the new smart motorway & being in a small panda we will surely be killed.
It has had me looking at newer cars & I've seen a nice 14 plate Fiat 500s locally. Same engine & running gear essentially so would be an easy transition, however is £5.5k and has done 45k with an already rusty as hell rear subframe and spring pans. My anxiety again is kicking in & I'm thinking should I spend that money for a very impressive but unknown car, or better the devil you know & trust the panda (plus save my money).
I know your first response will be to speak to a therapist, but I'd like your input, as you all run these cars on a regular basis. Am I being irrational? Should I just change the damn thing or stick with the panda & keep it going?
I'll leave you with the before & after shots of my lockdown summer rust removal & prevention. I look forward to your input.
