General Perception of pandas then and now?

[onemanmade]

Being born in 1988 I am too young to remember much about the "heydey" of our little pandas I only remember many of my mums friends had them, and my uncle had two, I think the general perception of them was that they were "fun". By the late 90s and early 2000s I never saw any on the roads anymore (in Scotland) and the perception of my dads unos and tipos by then were that they were a bit naff. So does anyone remember what the general public perception of the panda was in the 80s and 90s? Im a bit curious! What market sector was the panda aimed at?

As I have mentioned before Scottish people in general (now) seem to have a low view of older cars, and there is a bit of stigma attached to driving one generally. Of course we have classic car clubs, but it seems England has a much more favourable view of older cars. What kind of reaction do you folks get to your pandas these days? I get overtaken quite often and the drivers generally seem to get a bit frustrated with me, even though I generally as close to the speed limit as road conditions allow. Kids seem to like it though, and I occassionally get approaced by people who are nostalgic about them, "you dont see many of these anymore".

Not a rant, just curious, Im very happy with my panda

 

[Bartpanda]

Panda was the 80s succesor of fiat 126 from 70's and fiat500 from the late 50's/60s., so the cheappest ride you can buy ,to go to work, school, make some shopping, like renault 4, peugeot 104 , mini or beatle. etc. It was a second/third car for average family, and "main" car for young people, cheap to buy and to use. "Fun" was not important, the economics of use and functionality was main factor for average buyer. The car was praised for that, also for lively engines and agility. Mr Giugiaro said it was his best car he ever designed not because it was beautiful or made with high quallity{ because it was not} but because function was its main feature. "Function on wheels" one would say

In Poland panda has good opinion, there were plans to start production here in Fiat Auto Poland, there were lots of articles about that in moto-press so people were aware of the fact , that it will replace aging fiat 126p but martial law of 1981-1983 in Poland and struggle to fight comunism through the 80's stopped all, and fiat 126p remained in production till 09.2000. Ive never heard nothing but good opinions about panda here, good or senthimental.

 

[onemanmade]

Panda was the 80s succesor of fiat 126 from 70's and fiat500 from the late 50's/60s., so the cheappest ride you can buy ,to go to work, school, make some shopping, like renault 4, peugeot 104 , mini or beatle. etc. It was a second/third car for average family, and "main" car for young people, cheap to buy and to use. "Fun" was not important, the economics of use and functionality was main factor for average buyer. The car was praised for that, also for lively engines and agility. Mr Giugiaro said it was hist best car he ever designed not because it was beautiful or made with high quallity{ because it was not} but because function was its main feature. "Function on wheels" one would say

In Poland panda has good opinion, there were plans to start production here in Fiat Auto Poland, there were lots of articles about that in moto-press so people were aware of the fact , that it will replace aging fiat 126p but martial law of 1981-1983 in Poland and struggle to fight comunism through the 80's stopped all, and fiat 126p remained in production till 09.2000. Ive never heard nothing but good opinions about panda here, good or senthimental.

Thanks Bart! Its really interesting to hear about perception of the panda in another country

 

[firstcar-Y10]

I seem to remember it had 2 main jobs back in the 80s. Simple cheap & group 1 insurance meant it was a classic first car for parents to get their kids on the road after they passed their test. That is partly why they get such positive reactions now, so many people have fond memories of themselves or their mates running them when they were fresh faced youths first hitting the road.
The other thing they did through the latter part of the 80s was be a funky city runabout for the same sort of folks who might run a 2CV then, or a Smart or an early import Twingo later on. ('My husband's car is a Range Rover' types) hence the tendency towards fashion statement specials like the Tacchini, Sisley, Fantasia or Bianca. By the early 90s it had sort of lost that funky edge and most people in the UK had forgotten Fiat still made them, and toward the end it seemed like people only bought Selectas because they were long term Fiat buyers and there wasn't an auto on the Cinq.
That was my impression anyway

 

[Bougainvillea Rosso]

Based purely on my memories of the time when they came out I seem to remember that they were marmite cars. They were loved mainly by those that drove them and seen as bit of a joke by those that didn't, mostly because of the bizarre appearance, i.e. 'a box on wheels'. It's easy to forget now just how different they looked to everything else when they came out and this naturally divided people. I don't think I ever imagined having a Panda until one dropped onto our lap in the mid 90s (a Mk I sadly long deceased). At that point we fell in love with them!

 

[Dragon Man]

Fantastic Question, Onemanmade.

also being a "made in 1988" kid i would also want to know this.

with me, the Fiat panda was the car my mum and dad had when i was new born. (a 1988 black panda S). they sold the panda about a year or so later. (had a kid, needed a bigger car ect)
then in 1998/9 a work friend of my dad's moved into the house over the road. they were on the same shift patten and thought it would be great to have a small cheap car for car pooling. so they got a 1988 Panda Bianca. (now i was old enough to like it.. really like it! i wanted one before, but now even more so when we got the bianca.) my dad sold the bianca when my grandma (dads mum) became disabled (in 2000) as my granddad gave my dad his 1995 ford fiesta.

my dad said to me that he loved the panda, and how it looked like a mini land rover. and how cheap it was to use.
my mum said that she also liked it.

ill have to ask her in more detail...

 

[JamieK]

I'm looking forward to what Numptey has to say about this

 

[Giacosa]

I remember them still being fashionable in the early 90s although that faded fast I think when cars with blobby styling like the Mk1 Corsa came along. They were a bit like automotive butterflys Pandas, bright and appealing for a while but fragile and a rapid decline with age was expected of them. There were only a very few left visible in my bit of Scotland by 2003 and were pretty much all gone by 2005.

Scotlands hard on old cars for various reasons. The climate isn't favourable and the general impression is as car finance is so available there is no excuse for driving a 'scaffy' car.

 

[onemanmade]

I remember them still being fashionable in the early 90s although that faded fast I think when cars with blobby styling like the Mk1 Corsa came along. They were a bit like automotive butterflys Pandas, bright and appealing for a while but fragile and a rapid decline with age was expected of them. There were only a very few left visible in my bit of Scotland by 2003 and were pretty much all gone by 2005.

Scotlands hard on old cars for various reasons. The climate isn't favourable and the general impression is as car finance is so available there is no excuse for driving a 'scaffy' car.

Beatifully put. And yeah that is the general opinion in Scotland, and I wish to a certain extent that it wasnt so.

 

[onemanmade]

Fantastic Question, Onemanmade.

also being a "made in 1988" kid i would also want to know this.

with me, the Fiat panda was the car my mum and dad had when i was new born. (a 1988 black panda S). they sold the panda about a year or so later. (had a kid, needed a bigger car ect)
then in 1998/9 a work friend of my dad's moved into the house over the road. they were on the same shift patten and thought it would be great to have a small cheap car for car pooling. so they got a 1988 Panda Bianca. (now i was old enough to like it.. really like it! i wanted one before, but now even more so when we got the bianca.) my dad sold the bianca when my grandma (dads mum) became disabled (in 2000) as my granddad gave my dad his 1995 ford fiesta.

my dad said to me that he loved the panda, and how it looked like a mini land rover. and how cheap it was to use.
my mum said that she also liked it.

ill have to ask her in more detail...

Thanks John I wish my dad had pandas when I was a kid, but just unos and tipos im afraid.

 

[homeward]

A few on here will already know why I love classic Pandas. But I think it's a story worth repeating.... :chin:

When I first got married, in the late 1980s, a friend of mine lent me his Mk1 4x4: as we were honeymooning in the Lake District. I was supposed to borrow it for two to three weeks; but didn't give it back until after five or six months.

It was just such fun to drive; would go anywhere, in any weather (useful, when you live in the north-west of England, on the edge of the Pennines...); was small, economical, and yet would carry loads.

As Bougainvillea Rosso has said: back then, people seemed to either love them for their quirky practicality; or disregard them for their simple boxiness. (The latter, usually, hadn't been in one, though... -- if they did, they were instant converts....) However, where we lived, there didn't seem to be that many around (like now...).

As you can tell, I fell in love with it; and have held a torch for the cute, wee thing for years. Not so sure why I have three, though... -- and not a 4x4 in sight.... :nutter:

 

[Palio]

Being born in 1988 I am too young to remember much about the "heydey" of our little pandas I only remember many of my mums friends had them, and my uncle had two, I think the general perception of them was that they were "fun". By the late 90s and early 2000s I never saw any on the roads anymore (in Scotland) and the perception of my dads unos and tipos by then were that they were a bit naff. So does anyone remember what the general public perception of the panda was in the 80s and 90s? Im a bit curious! What market sector was the panda aimed at?

As I have mentioned before Scottish people in general (now) seem to have a low view of older cars, and there is a bit of stigma attached to driving one generally. Of course we have classic car clubs, but it seems England has a much more favourable view of older cars. What kind of reaction do you folks get to your pandas these days? I get overtaken quite often and the drivers generally seem to get a bit frustrated with me, even though I generally as close to the speed limit as road conditions allow. Kids seem to like it though, and I occassionally get approaced by people who are nostalgic about them, "you dont see many of these anymore".

Not a rant, just curious, Im very happy with my panda

I fist came across a Panda in 1986 It was a very smart mk1 45S in gold with a sunroof. Loaned to my Dad while the Uno (70SL, lovely car), was in for service. My memory of it was how bl**dy quick it was on the back roads to Henley - it was a loaner, it was driven flat out, bounding (well bouncing really) at full scream.

When I came to buy my first car in 1988 I drove several Panda's back to back with 127's. The 127 won by a mile - it was faster, more comfortable, handled better, and felt way less tinny & fragile. Sorry guys, that was an 18 year old's view, but I doubt these rattly mk1 Panda's were the best examples!!

They dropped off my radar at that point. The Uno was always the swish upwardly mobile one - the Panda a cheap alternative, and up against the mini, 2CV, and base Skoda/Yugo/Lada models. They weren't chic round here.

Wind on a good few years & I stumbled on my Sisley accidentally. I still imagined it would be rattly & flimsy. Well the rest is history clearly - they can rattle, they aren't the best built but nowhere near as bad as I'd remembered & feel quite solid. They are great fun, go anywhere, take anything cars.

To be honest I expected a fair but of ridicule, but things have changed. Somewhere they got cool & everyone apparently loves them - including the 16 year olds I expected to poke fun. Everywhere I go people notice them, make favourable comments, and often ask to take photos (at petrol stations is favourite). I'd now happily roll up to a swish event in one as they're seen as chic & a bit anti normal (which suits me) - I also get more credit for turning up at a client in a Panda than I ever would with a Merc/BM!!

 

[Rellinars]

Interesting subject, I was born in Catalonia 1964 and for me it's a little bit different. I remember the Panda project even before it was released. It was a cool new idea, designed for the oil crisis, a kind of modern Seat 600 that was the most popular Fiat model at the moment but with all the modern technology and space. I remember my motor magazine saying it would be the perfect car for a couple of friends to travel all europe for few money sleeping inside.
One of my neighbours bought one, a red one and I was very envious watching it from my bedroom window. Every day.
I bought a used one and I confirmed my love. Driving a Panda was a way to say "I do not need to prove anything with my car, I just want to get from one place to another".
Things changed later when Fiat abandoned Seat and they had to make plastic surgery to keep selling it. The new Marbella was ugliest, the name suggests something tacky and in the 90's everyone wanted a expensive car so it became the cheapest of the cheap cars, only dared to drive by poors. Having a Fiat Panda was a little more pimp because it was imported and a little bit costly but not very.
In the 2000's most of them were old and driven by young girls or boys with new driver license and personally I replaced my second one by a Cinquecento Sporting and later started getting in Smart Cars and forgot about them.
Nowadays I drive my 4th Panda as you can see in the pictures thread. It's a 2001 Trekking with only 12000 miles. I don't care much about what people think but I agree with onemanmade that "you dont see many of these anymore" is the most usual comment. It really fit my needs as a second car, and I use it daily to go shopping and to go to the mountains with my dog.
I have bought several times the same car model but only the Panda 141 I've had four so I guess it is something like the car of my life.

 

[Numptey]

I'm looking forward to what Numptey has to say about this [/

I am glad you value my opinion so highly on this matter Jamie and that I seem to have created myself a bit of reputation for my outspoken views on the looks and quality of these vehicles. Perhaps I have a little Scottish in my ancestry.

I don't like them to look at, I think they are ugly boxes on wheels, my sister nearly died in one as they fold up like a card pyramid and they are slow and rough. However all the Panda owners seem to be very dedicated and very pleasant to deal with and I enjoy the banter with them and indeed the teasing I get from them. In truth I have never driven one and unless John gives me his (a rare nice looking one) I am unlikely too unless it's a new one. But they do have a large following of people with good memories of them and they are going up in value (due to the fact they rust overnight in the damp) and they may yet have the last laugh as I would never say my mind will not be changed. After all I don't believe in God but I bet I bloody pray as I'm dying

 

[onemanmade]

Somewhere they got cool & everyone apparently loves them - including the 16 year olds I expected to poke fun. Everywhere I go people notice them, make favourable comments, and often ask to take photos (at petrol stations is favourite). I'd now happily roll up to a swish event in one as they're seen as chic & a bit anti normal (which suits me) - I also get more credit for turning up at a client in a Panda than I ever would with a Merc/BM!!

I think mine is starting to become cool now, (I already think its cool ) as the favourable comments are starting to outweigh the laughter and ****-taking (Most of it friendly though). My friends were very sceptical at first, but after a few runs in it they give it grudging respect. But its the best, most fun and functional car to run I have ever had. Putting the roof down on a sunny day and pootling about the ayrshire countryside is just fantastic

 

[homeward]

Somewhere they got cool & everyone apparently loves them - including the 16 year olds I expected to poke fun. Everywhere I go people notice them, make favourable comments, and often ask to take photos...

...especially if you're driving a pink one! I've never had so many people wave at me...!

 

[onemanmade]

I'm looking forward to what @Numptey has to say about this [/

I am glad you value my opinion so highly on this matter Jamie and that I seem to have created myself a bit of reputation for my outspoken views on the looks and quality of these vehicles. Perhaps I have a little Scottish in my ancestry.

I don't like them to look at, I think they are ugly boxes on wheels, my sister nearly died in one as they fold up like a card pyramid and they are slow and rough. However all the Panda owners seem to be very dedicated and very pleasant to deal with and I enjoy the banter with them and indeed the teasing I get from them. In truth I have never driven one and unless John gives me his (a rare nice looking one) I am unlikely too unless it's a new one. But they do have a large following of people with good memories of them and they are going up in value (due to the fact they rust overnight in the damp) and they may yet have the last laugh as I would never say my mind will not be changed. After all I don't believe in God but I bet I bloody pray as I'm dying

The panda members here on the fiatforum are at least half the reason I got involved, its the friendliest most helpful club I have ever been in.

 

[Numptey]

...especially if you're driving a pink one! I've never had so many people wave at me...!

You don't seriously do you?

 

[Numptey]

The panda members here on the fiatforum are at least half the reason I got involved, its the friendliest most helpful club I have ever been in.

They are ugly too

 

[homeward]

You don't seriously do you?

You haven't lived until you've driven Pinky the Panda...!