General Pandas and Cheeky Kids

[Steven]

What's going on with kids these days? :bang:

I was round at the garage getting some groceries and I parked the Panda at the side where a group of kids were standing. When I finished I got into the car, windows open and as I was pulling away one of the kids shouts "hey mate, your car is ****".

Now I know he may well have a point, but does it need to be said, especially by a snotty kid who won't even be able to drive for at least 5 years? I was going to stop and argue the merits of a Panda as a daily driver but I guessed it would go straight over his head.

Unless a car is "cool" it doesn't get a look in. Also, people don't seem to understand that I choose to drive a Panda. 9 times out of 10 I leave the Stilo on the drive and take the Panda because I enjoy it, it's easier on fuel, it makes me smile and I really don't care what anyone else thinks. I wouldn't have got any comments like that in the Stilo, yet compared to the Panda it's dull, uneconomical and downright boring.

On the bright side, it was the same garage where a man offered to buy the Panda a couple of weeks back so it shows some people do still understand the fun to be had from shoestring motoring in a Panda.

My son is ten and loves Pandas, he wants one as a first car and I always take him to school in the Panda because he wants me to. I dread to think what sort of reaction his friends will give him when he gets his first small Fiat...

Rant over.

 

[Tony M]

On the bright side, it was the same garage where a man offered to buy the Panda a couple of weeks back

I guess that wasn't his son then

are they are a bit crappy but then so are lots of great jokes ... and unfortunately they are generally the ones you remember ... much like the Panda.

 

[JimMagill]

I'd a bottle thrown at Sylvia on the way home from Larne last sat by kids... Thankfully it was the plastic 500ml ones! Phew.

Probably has a lot to do with owning a car covered in writing

Jim

 

[dave]

i bet he didnt say car is

 

[Steven]

i bet he didnt say car is

No, true. His grammar left a lot to be desired, but I got the general meaning anyway.

 

[beau]

i have always thought there cool cars, as ususal all my mates think as them as **** cars.

 

[dave]

No, true. His grammar left a lot to be desired, but I got the general meaning anyway.

so he really said "hey mate, your ****".

 

[panda valdisere]

Steve,let it go!! these young kids havnt a clue! i understand just what you mean,i live in cannes south france and people are so snobby down here,when it comes to what you drive!the trick is how you feel,and the thing is they dont know how fun our little pandas are!!we got nothing to prove,i enjoy driving my little panda 4X4 out here,its small and nimble.my other car is a modified Audi S6,but crazy as it seems round here i have more fun in my baby 4X4.car passion comes in all shapes and sizes!!!
Damien.

 

[Steven]

Steve,let it go!! these young kids havnt a clue! i understand just what you mean,i live in cannes south france and people are so snobby down here,when it comes to what you drive!the trick is how you feel,and the thing is they dont know how fun our little pandas are!!we got nothing to prove,i enjoy driving my little panda 4X4 out here,its small and nimble.my other car is a modified Audi S6,but crazy as it seems round here i have more fun in my baby 4X4.car passion comes in all shapes and sizes!!!
Damien.

A German car owner on Fiat Forum!? Quick, where's the ban button?

I have let it go, I just thought I'd share it with some like minded people on here.

 

[Alan.D]

I'm the same Damien I have 2x7 series BMW's and the panda always seems to be the one I sit in most, although the air-con is nice in the current climate

Steve kids these days are sh*t, most of the calls we deal with are to do with nuisance kids.

 

[Steven]

That's five of us so far on this thread that have newer "better" cars and choose to drive Pandas.

 

[dave]

i depends where i am going weather i take panda or not, if i go to tip or to get parts or up the scrappy i take panda every time, especialy the scrappy as its through lots of country roads, then a ww2 air field then a farm, panda loves it

 

[FuzzyPanda]

I got a fair amout of stick for the Panda at college, but at uni everyone's grown up enough to appreciate its qualities and retro funkiness.

The funniest thing in college was when I got caught between two lads having a race and had my parking permit taken away for a few weeks. Because the Panda is the ultimate in sporting prowess 'eh. That said, neither is a 1.4 306 or a Fiesta...

At the end of the day the kid's opinion is based on no knowledge of the car. Pandas might not be reknowned for excellence in the grand scheme of motoring but they still kick serious ass.

Loads more fun than a f*cking Micra that's for sure. :bang:

(Rufus would've been on the road if the shop had got the right alternator in...)

 

[Pandarus]

...everyone's grown up enough to appreciate its qualities and retro funkiness.
QUOTE]

Hi Steve

The 'kids of today' do not appreciate the reason why we chose our daily drivers (ie. economy, character etc.) if it's not a 3 litre injection which has been modded to bugg3ry then they are not interested.

Personally, I put on my shades wind my window down and soak up the (generally really quite good) reaction.

I had a woman let me out the other day, not unusual you might think but I saw her give my dear little car an 'Aaah!' and then she wrinkled her nose and flashed her lamps at me. (as it were)

How the hell are some of you guys single? You should be picking up loads of totty in your love machines!!!

Russ

 

[Alex B]

my panda was my fisrt car, i got so much stick at 6th form, everbody else had corsas/206/yaris/new micra all on finance courtesy of mutter und patter lol. i didnt care though, at the end of the day i had bought my car myself, insured it myself and i could afford little mods like alloys. IMO pandas look better than any 'budget' car that is on the market today.

 

[pandamonius_maximus]

this is wats great about being a panda owner, the we dont give 2 ****s (yes 2, i'm serious now! ) what others think of our cars, cos we know wat it is about them that makes them soo much fun! It is also true that at school, a panda gets a lot of stick cos theyre imature pratts usually! My panda was my first car (which is my current car ) and it got hated at school. Tires let down, stuff chucked all over it Before i had it myself, i didnt want my dad taking me to school in it as i got enough stick as it was! But when it came to me getting a car i realised how much i loved the beauty and as it was a choice of it going to a scrappy very soon or me getting it , there was very little thought put into it! Now me and my car are inseperable.
So back to the issue tho, my car gets stick all the time from kids and it just makes me love it even more, cos the only reason that they have such a problem with it is cos their balls havnt dropped yet! Like, some of the ppl at uni unfortunately
On the other hand, some kids love it, usually the kids that havnt yet been warped by the "cool" kids at school, and ive heard a few of them say, cool car mommy!
Anyway, may the pandering go on! :slayer:
cheers
Si

 

[Fiat Nutter]

Hi Steve its like that almost everywhere you go now. Its quite bad at my school because its a private school and everybody car is going to be bought my muumy and daddy and everything paid for by mummy and daddy. One of my friends (not really what I'd call a friend) has had a brand L200 bought by daddy and he is only 15 and has had an offroad track built in his back garden and asked if I wanted to take my panda so he could beet it offroading haha! I put his £17,995 L200 to shame and my panda was beating his L200 every time withno problems. So £350 over £17,995 it was funny and still hasn't lived it down.

Dave.

 

[christopher watson]

One of my friends has had an offroad track built in his back garden

I think i have found the venue of the panda get together

 

[posh pandas]

Hi steve, see what happens , how protective we all are. Like fuzzy my pandas 'retro'.
My son's friends however have a different opinion of it
, one of them offered me 25 quid if i'd take him and his girlfriend to the end of year ball !!! ist i thought bloody cheek ,but now i'm just thinking i'll take his money
i do still prefer my older fizz to posh though as its more 'real panda' , if you know what i mean.......i can live in it for a week,fill it with rubbish , take it to london and know nobody will have stolen it etc !!!

 

[Plug]

What's going on with kids these days?

Not just kids. I was driving home from work in the Panda the other night, minding my own business, when I saw a bloke in a 911 (with 2 children in it), waiting to pull out of his drive.

Good for you mate, you've got a nice car, fair play to you. However, he seemed to take offence at the sight of a Panda occupying the piece of tarmac he wanted to drive on, and pulled out behind me, sitting right up my arse as I drove at 30mph in a built up area.

Now, I'm no lip reader, but I could see in the rear view mirror that he was clearly taking the **** out of the Panda as we drove along, pointing and encouraging the kids to laugh at it. When I got to my turning, and had to wait because of oncoming traffic, he revved his engine and then leant on the horn when I pulled away. What a prick.

Like Steve, I drive the Panda because I want to and because I enjoy driving it. It costs pennies to run, it puts a smile on my face every time I get behind the wheel and proves that you don't have to go fast to have fun.

However, if I *do* feel the urge to go fast, I have another tool in the armoury.. enter the Mercedes. Looks like just another boring saloon (those in the know might notice the wide alloys and purposeful stance), but there are no badges to give away the fact that it's an AMG C43 and puts out over 300 bhp. It's got more than one 911 scalp under its belt, and I look forward to the day I see Mr. Porsche out on the open road. Let's see who's laughing when his kids say to him "Daddy, why couldn't you keep up with that taxi?"

Cheers,

Plug