General um.. I'm new here and I want to buy a panda

[chonkey]

Cos hopefully it will be cheap and slightly more reliable than my 71 VW fastback

and I need the cheap insurance... classic restrictions are started to get on my wick

So.. oh fonts of knowledge.. what do I need to know in your esteemed opinion?

Like, cheers

 

[rrockettman]

Hi Chonkey and welcome.
Without trying to sound biased...cheap plug....My Panda is for sale!
One of the biggest killers of the Panda is rust, the doors can be repaired or replaced but the area around the rear wheel arch, chassis and suspension is what finishes most of them off. Make sure you check the drive shaft inner boots, these can split and you end up with no oil in the gearbox.
The sills can also be a weak point.
On the plus side, the engine just goes on and on. Expect well over 130K on one thats been looked after and don't pay over the odds on a low mileage one.
Clunking into gear can be a minor problem, one that you soon get used to, but make sure it doesn't jump out of gear when slowing down.
Test drive a few, get to know what a bad one feels like to drive.
Happy hunting.