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Panda pricing is absurd. The fag-end of a ten year old facelift of a twenty year old car. They should be discounting the hell out of them.
General MK 5 Panda 4x4 due, 2023?
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General MK 5 Panda 4x4 due, 2023?
We will see the new low budget Panda in 2024, it will grow into a B-segment car
No French FIAT for me, my 500S will be the last FIAT i will own.
I have had 7 Panda’s, 3x141A, 2x169, and 2x 319.
I have had 7 Panda’s, 3x141A, 2x169, and 2x 319.
I read some of this thinking “do you ever look beyond Fiat? Yes, the Panda now costs £15k, but so does a Toyota Argo, a Kia Picanto, a Hyundai i10…. That’s what small cars cost now. Steel, tyres, electronic parts, labour and factory running costs have all spiralled — for all brands. Just because it’s an old design doesn’t mean it costs less in terms of materials. (Yes, if there was a stockpile of pre-made cars, that would be different. But now with all brands more or less making to order, that doesn’t happen)
Having recently decided against another 4x4 pickup, I did look long and hard at the usual brands (and Fiat don’t do one, at least not here, Toro, so the Cherokee XJ was kept). I liked my old L200 and my even older Navara, but, going through the forums, they still exhibited the same faults, these are 10 and 15yrs on. They’re still as useless in the rain with no load on the rears. The only advances I can see is that they have infotainment and look less like you can throw a sheep in the back and more a surfboard and bulk toilet roll.
Cars have moved on, but not by much (removing EVs from the equation), and ‘ugly’ is now considered ‘bold design’.
Cars have moved on, but not by much (removing EVs from the equation), and ‘ugly’ is now considered ‘bold design’.
I agree with this so much. There's a lot going on in the industry. A big push between "closing the gap" between regular cars and EVs. We all thought this would be good, because we presumed it meant the price of EVs dropping until they were pretty much on-par.
Unfortunately, in reality it seems artificial inflation of the used car market, on the basis of a chip shortage (which I'm also skeptical about, as those countries never seemed to be concerned with safety in the past, let alone the pandemic), the pandemic itself, the 'B' word, and of course, as of last year, crazy inflation because of the 'W' word. Does this push what was a £6,999 car up to starting a literally more than double at £14,000... in my mind, no, absolutely not, not even with all of those excuses combined.
It's a dirty trick what they're at. When I started looking at cars online circa 2014, an Auris started at like what, 13-14k? Now the replacement Corolla is £30k. The kind of car you'd have gotten starting at under £30k back then compared to what we considered run of the mill, working class cars, is insane.
For the life of me, I can't understand it. When I come back to Fiat there's no doubt I'll over-pay. But the real investment for me will be trying to get 15 years out of the thing with as little impact on my wallet as possible. Of course, by then I'll be driving a near 40 year old technologically speaking car!!!
Back around 10 years ago, the Corsa D was long in the tooth and reaching the end of the line... they had 'Limited Editions' and other specs, solely for clearing out the parts bin built up over the years. It's a mystery to me why Fiat haven't started this already with the Panda (much to our benefit). Especially with the horrific introduction of what we now know will be, the PSA parts bin in replacement models :-(
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A top-spec Corsa is now £38,585. Just ponder that for a while.
The Panda was my last new car, I know that much.
The Panda was my last new car, I know that much.
I think I’m in that same camp…
Bonefish Blues
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I think that's one of those Lunar Seas.
Of course, that’s exactly what Fiat have been doing for ages with the Panda. Starting with the City Cross to use the 4x4 Cross styling and suspension bits up (on 2WD cars), the Waze versions, the current Garmin and (Red) editions… and all the latest Pandas have the full 4x4 bumpers and side trims now. But these are being built new. They can’t discount as they’re costing more to make now than ever before - world steel prices have rocketed, chips shortages have raised the price for all the tech like ABS and the main ECUs…. It’s not like ‘the old days’ where there were storage yards and airfields full of unsold cars they can mark down: every new car is made new, to order. Every brand’s prices have rocketed…
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The Panda Nut
Nutty about Pandas Infected by Panda virus and OPD
Over priced it may be but show me something else that is all round a better offering for the same money. The only reason I dont buy the last 4X4 on offer is that soon we shall see taxing petrol cars of the road regardless of size and economy.
I suspect we will see more and more electric only parking spaces, clean air requirements etc and petrol costs rocketing too as tax is jacked up to kill petrol cars. I am hoping not to loose too much when the inevitable starts. I have driven all the alternatives and IMHO they are all as boring as sin. They all weigh too much and none offer any better view of B than the Panda does after getting there from A.
I dont trust batteries at all, as one day they work, and hte next day they are as dead as a door nail. OK car batteries can die cell by cell but efficient long term?? I cant see it. I think im in the camp now of I have had my last new car and the possibility of having another is financially NIL. One or other of the Pandas will inevitably be converted to electric in due course as this will be cheaper than buying new and more sensible than a secondhand electric car with a dying old battery pack.
It all makes me ask why oh who dont the just put a block on the overpowered and oversized cars on sale and make immediate savings and improvements to air quality. Why not reduce the speed limits as well. There is and will be a need a balance of fuels for a while longer but its not going to happen.
We could improve CO2 emissions a vast amount by getting old polluting cars off the road, by banning large engines, thirsty engines and restricting speed but our governments are too spineless to actually do something that would have an instant effect. We dont need 2,3,4 5 and more litre engines on road cars, we dont need 0 to 60 in under 15 seconds or top speeds of more than 70mph but no just carry on down the current couse of travel allowing the excesses of idiots to prevail. When we accept we need to change and stop tearing around at silly speeds INCLUDING elctric cars which burn just as much fuel when driven at speed as petrol cars I will show some interest in electric cars...
I suspect we will see more and more electric only parking spaces, clean air requirements etc and petrol costs rocketing too as tax is jacked up to kill petrol cars. I am hoping not to loose too much when the inevitable starts. I have driven all the alternatives and IMHO they are all as boring as sin. They all weigh too much and none offer any better view of B than the Panda does after getting there from A.
I dont trust batteries at all, as one day they work, and hte next day they are as dead as a door nail. OK car batteries can die cell by cell but efficient long term?? I cant see it. I think im in the camp now of I have had my last new car and the possibility of having another is financially NIL. One or other of the Pandas will inevitably be converted to electric in due course as this will be cheaper than buying new and more sensible than a secondhand electric car with a dying old battery pack.
It all makes me ask why oh who dont the just put a block on the overpowered and oversized cars on sale and make immediate savings and improvements to air quality. Why not reduce the speed limits as well. There is and will be a need a balance of fuels for a while longer but its not going to happen.
We could improve CO2 emissions a vast amount by getting old polluting cars off the road, by banning large engines, thirsty engines and restricting speed but our governments are too spineless to actually do something that would have an instant effect. We dont need 2,3,4 5 and more litre engines on road cars, we dont need 0 to 60 in under 15 seconds or top speeds of more than 70mph but no just carry on down the current couse of travel allowing the excesses of idiots to prevail. When we accept we need to change and stop tearing around at silly speeds INCLUDING elctric cars which burn just as much fuel when driven at speed as petrol cars I will show some interest in electric cars...
