General Thinking of buying one..don’t.get a Suzuki swift instead

[Jamiesouthwest]

I’m so sorry,guys.my mark 2 had served me well.it’s the second I’ve had.after the diesel turbo kept breaking down to limp mode.dpf stuff,at least the tiny turbo didn’t explode.sidelined after major crash.now my 1.2..76 k ,had been regularly maintained.good points.great cabin space,great gearbox,nippy for what it is.got both kids through learning/test.almost bulletproof simple f.i.r.e engine.8v,.reliable.now the bad points..in order of annoyance.1,tyre wear.uneven,and a unique size which means you will pay more than my old focus.rather more frequently,2,quality of plastics,****.try and replace light cluster stuff,things ping,and fall apart.designed by Satan,especially front sidelights.see 3,3 had an idea to change plugs,bought same,plus lead set.I do quite a lot myself.and thermostat stuck open,common however,need to take battery tray out,and anticipate every plastic clips go south.as they will.and deep socket inaccessible plugs.4,satan designed the rad coolant reservoir,hard to fill,and opaque,as is screenwash accessibility,5,the key barrel seems to be giving up.a common problem,based eBay stuff,don’t want a 3 key car,.I tried to ask my garage to check spade connector to starter,no chance,to rule out corrosion.as can happen.it’s a sealed unit.5,power steering can die on you.unless battery connection tight,and earths are good.turn on,turn off.bit inconvenient on a dual carriageway.to summarise,build quality is..****.maybe mine was a bad Warsaw Friday afternoon.I don’t think so.bought simultaneously a Suzuki swift,much same vintage,mileage,made in Hungary,Mitzi 1.5 engine.oh god ,what a difference in build quality.will never buy a fiat again,will just run this to destruction..

 

[SB1500]

Okay, I'll bite...

I’m so sorry,guys.my mark 2 had served me well.it’s the second I’ve had.after the diesel turbo kept breaking down to limp mode.dpf stuff,at least the tiny turbo didn’t explode.sidelined after major crash.now my 1.2..76 k ,had been regularly maintained.good points.great cabin space,great gearbox,nippy for what it is.got both kids through learning/test.almost bulletproof simple f.i.r.e engine.8v,.reliable.now the bad points..in order of annoyance.1,tyre wear.uneven,

Uneven tyre wear is indicative of a suspension problem, not the cars design. Most of us with these Panda's have had that issue at some stage and solved it.

and a unique size which means you will pay more than my old focus.rather more frequently,

The 13" wheels I had on mine, in 2018, I was able to get four (budget) tyres for £100 - I don't think I'll ever find tyres that cheap again. Shop around until you find a tyre shop willing to make you a deal, shouldn't be hard on any 13" or 14" tyres in this day and age.

2,quality of plastics,****.

The only 'quality' issue on Fiat interiors is perhaps you can argue they feel rough, or you don't like the look or feel but I'm yet to see much complaint on here about them breaking / failing / falling off. The things are robust and can take a beating in my experience

try and replace light cluster stuff,things ping,and fall apart.designed by Satan,especially front sidelights.see

I managed to change the bulbs outside Tesco at night in the winter a few times, wasn't that hard?

3,3 had an idea to change plugs,bought same,plus lead set.I do quite a lot myself.

Not a hard job really on these

and thermostat stuck open,common however,need to take battery tray out,and anticipate every plastic clips go south.as they will.and deep socket inaccessible plugs.

Thermostat wasn't a hard job either, honestly. You could nearly stand between my Panda's engine and sides there was so much space in the engine bay... the easy access to most things is what I miss with the later cars I owned. All the cars I've had have annoyingly deep sockets in places... nothing a decent socket set won't be prepared for.

4,satan designed the rad coolant reservoir,hard to fill,and opaque,

Holding your phone or a torch up to the coolant reservoir makes it really easy to see the level. There are some valid frustration points re: the radiator on non-ac models, but you haven't identified those if that's your only criticism of that part

as is screenwash accessibility,

This really isn't that hard to find though?

5,the key barrel seems to be giving up.a common problem,based eBay stuff,don’t want a 3 key car,.I tried to ask my garage to check spade connector to starter,no chance,to rule out corrosion.as can happen.it’s a sealed unit.

Is this common? ..I don't see much about it on here.

5,power steering can die on you.unless battery connection tight,and earths are good.turn on,turn off.bit inconvenient on a dual carriageway.

When the battery is low / weak, the PAS will cut out but that's a power / battery issue. Most cars will do the same when the battery / power is weak and under load. A restart solves that. Though to be honest, why would you have to do that on the go? Inconvenient, sure. But wasn't there a time before PAS even existed and people got by alright..

to summarise,build quality is..****.maybe mine was a bad Warsaw Friday afternoon.

Tychy***. Or more likely.... you've bought an older car, which might not have been maintained properly by the original owner(s) or yourself. Or you had the expectation that it would be more simple to work on ... but honestly, I can't think of many cars this side of the year 2000 that are as simple, cheap to fix or run as well / long as these Panda's do. I think your expectations are the only thing out of calibration here.

Why don't you buy an equivalent age Vauxhall Corsa C, petrol, with the same miles as the Panda you have. I think that'll correct your opinions on 'a bad car' and in comparison, the Panda will be a dream.

I don’t think so.bought simultaneously a Suzuki swift,much same vintage,mileage,made in Hungary,Mitzi 1.5 engine.oh god ,what a difference in build quality.

The Suzuki Swift is a brilliant car. Can't go wrong with the Japanese. Though I have found that sometimes I miss working on the little Fiat's personally. They don't have as much unique in the design, they do a job and do it well, but they don't make me smile as much. Suzuki is pretty much the Asian Fiat - small, simple, good cars. If you want silly power outputs and stupid technology, look elsewhere.

I hope the Swift serves you well. But I wouldn't diss the Panda so harshly. It sounds like you bought one that might have had some issues... especially as you start by stating how well your first one served you. Old cars will always have issues. Though if you start talking about a modern Panda as a hard to fix car, or the 1.2 FIRE as an unreliable engine, I don't know... I think most mechanics and car enthusiasts might laugh you out of the room. There are two kinds of people when it comes to Fiat, the ones who make the 'fix it again' joke(s), and the ones who have owned, or are close to someone who has owned a modern Panda or 500, and will often state how surprised they are at how decent the cars have been, particularly if like myself they've had car trouble before on 'better' cars, and then went on to own other cars that are also 'better' but don't seem to fill the void quite the same.

will never buy a fiat again,

As much as you're always welcome here if you did buy another to ask questions and share thoughts, I don't think we'll miss these kinds of posts...

will just run this to destruction..

I will look out for a similar post to this on the Suzuki Forum's

At the end of the day, as the old saying goes, Haters' gonna' hate'

 

[koalar]

I had 3x pandas
Suzuki splash
Suzuki alto

All pretty much the same

Both have Delphi electric power steering, both suffer the same EPS

The alto is slightly worse, if you disconnect the battery you have to recalibrate the steering every time otherwise the stability control light comes on

Both have the same rubber washer in the thermostat, both can suffer from running cold

I have had the Suzuki alto with the same failing earth strap

Plastic clips break due to age, same when I replaced the brake pipes on the Splash many fell apart

Have replaced the clutch and alternator on the splash at quite low milage and age

And a coil over plug on the alto


The two wires to the starter are fastened to a copper stud with a nut washer and insulator, if a garage can't remove the plastic cover that protects it, then they don't deserve anyone's business


A lot of these cars are close to 20 years old, and still used regularly, that use to be classed as a rare vintage classic kept in a garage and only coming out for shows

If you want trouble free motoring, a well maintained car over 3-10 year old, most of any niggles will have been ironed out and before thing wear out would increase your odds, but it's still a lottery


Over 15 years is a bigger gamble and I would only consider it unless you really need to be able to tackle most jobs yourself, this is where the panda shines with it simple mechanics and access

Try changing a aux belt on a Mercedes A class
Officially you are supposed to drop the engine

 

[rmjbn1]

Fair enough, Jamie, does sound like you've had more than your fair share of issues. Hope you enjoy your Swift!

Generally I think the 169 Panda is very well built, but yes was built down to a price with cheap components.

Mine's 20 years old now, virtually no rust, the only thing that doesn't work is the boot handle (but sometimes it does, it's been cleaned several times) and the only things that have fallen off are a rear bump stop and an exhaust bracket.

I'll readily admit, that's far better than I was expecting from an old FIAT

I like the Suzuki Swift a lot, was considering one as an alternative when we got the Panda. Only, not as many around so at the time equivalent examples were at least £500 more, slightly heavier, slightly thirstier, more expensive tax, insurance and parts.

And the Panda makes me smile

I would expect a Suzuki (or Mazda, or Honda) to have fewer little faults, but then probably more expensive to fix when they do happen.

 

[Jamiesouthwest]

Fair enough, Jamie, does sound like you've had more than your fair share of issues. Hope you enjoy your Swift!

Generally I think the 169 Panda is very well built, but yes was built down to a price with cheap components.

Mine's 20 years old now, virtually no rust, the only thing that doesn't work is the boot handle (but sometimes it does, it's been cleaned several times) and the only things that have fallen off are a rear bump stop and an exhaust bracket.

I'll readily admit, that's far better than I was expecting from an old FIAT

I like the Suzuki Swift a lot, was considering one as an alternative when we got the Panda. Only, not as many around so at the time equivalent examples were at least £500 more, slightly heavier, slightly thirstier, more expensive tax, insurance and parts.

And the Panda makes me smile

I would expect a Suzuki (or Mazda, or Honda) to have fewer little faults, but then probably more expensive to fix when they do happen.pp

Ty,it’s a balanced reply.unlike the others.I still stand by the build quality,and I still have the panda.and the swift,but,ones built in Poland,other built in Hungary.there’s a huge difference,imho the swift has a Mitsubishi 1.5 ,chain cam,auto.a joy to drive.equal plates.the Suzukis done a tad more mileage,nothing falls off nothing goes wrong.,tyres cheaper.,I’ve replaced so many suspension units,shocks,but that is because,district nurse,like taxi wear.but at the end of the day.but..build quality…again.best thing on panda,.fire engine,gearbox.worst things.blaupunkt radio,/cd,really?try am radio..tyres,ventilation,fan heating,plastics,tiny cup holders,really wierd drainage cup under inside bulkhead ,that guarantees a permanent screen mist,opaque rad reservoir from hell.and even worse screenwash filler.forget trying to replace sidelights.unless using long nosed pliers.oh,and key barrel,fuel gauge going south.you are entitled to love them,but for me,the third panda.never again!

 

[SB1500]

.blaupunkt radio,/cd,really?

This was in the early 2000s, before Blaupunkt got reduced to a B&M e-waste brand that makes disposable electronics. If it makes you feel any better, most cars (some Fiats) with 'Beats Audio' or 'Bose' speakers from factory (a few Mazdas and more) are utter crap though despite being audio brands. CD player then is the equivalent of having CarPlay / Android Auto today... or Bluetooth connection a decade ago. Of the time.

that guarantees a permanent screen mist

Only if you don't know how to drain / maintain it! (Most people don't)

 

[Jamiesouthwest]

But why should you have to drain it,again,idiotic design!

 

[Jamiesouthwest]

This was in the early 2000s, before Blaupunkt got reduced to a B&M e-waste brand that makes disposable electronics. If it makes you feel any better, most cars (some Fiats) with 'Beats Audio' or 'Bose' speakers from factory (a few Mazdas and more) are utter crap though despite being audio brands. CD player then is the equivalent of having CarPlay / Android Auto today... or Bluetooth connection a decade ago. Of the time.


Only if you don't know how to drain / maintain it! (Most people don't)

Again,thanks for reply,I suspected the same!