General What profile is a Panda driver

[The Panda Nut]

The 100HP of course. This one hasnt been over fed with cake so still looks like a proper Panda!!! It really upsets Audi Drivers when you put your foot down hard. Still the new cake fed Panda is growing on me slowly. Why on earth dont they do a sporty version? I just love the 100HP.

 

[The Panda Nut]

Hmmm... "Let's design our new Panda around the USP of that cr@p car that BL built in the 1970s, and maybe we'll win a Square Wheel Award for cr@pness"

At least the Panda's design team had the sense not to fit it with a squircle-shaped steering wheel (although they tried jolly hard to make the steering wheel look that shape! )

Hey stop maligning the Allegro. We had a 1981 version which we called Grot. It handled OK, had tons of room inside and used up all the second had motor oil drained from the main car every 3000 miles. To this day OI dont know where it all went, there were no leaks, and not much smoke either. By the time this one was built they had a nice round steering wheel. Would I want another one? mmmm Now that's a difficult one

NO!!!!!

 

[gar074]

Ha! A friend of mine in the early 80s had a Vanden Plas Allegro - it had all the worst features of the non-tarted-up version, but with the addition of a ridiculous grille that made it look like Noddy's car.

 

[jimboy]

I'm from that era & although the British cars of the 60's & 70's were what they were, good bad & indifferent & to be fair most drivers didn't know any better & had little choice in what they were offered or could afford, it has to be said the Allegro was not a popular car. A bit of an ugly duckling & did not sell very well.

Happy carefree times for me though. Less complicated, & things in general were stress free. Sorry, one of those.... all our yesterday moments.

 

[TinyTurbo]

I've just changed from a 500 to a Panda 4x4. I'm male and in my very early 50s.

I didn't fit the 500 stereotype. Yes, the 500 is cute and can look a bit girly in some colours. But the choice of model and spec can change that. On the 'S' the redesigned front bumper, skirts (irony!) and spoiler beef up the look. Choose the right colour and wheels and it can look manly enough. Mine was red, black roof, and black 16" wheels, and was often mistaken for an Abarth. I'll wager the Abarth owner profile is more male than female.

 

[sandeel999]

Male 51. Tried the 500 for two days feels so small inside and wasnt as nice a drive
View attachment 172897View attachment 172898

 

[Russandgizzie]

Our Panda Trekking MJ is my wife's really - I run a Giulietta - we are mid 60s getting very close to retirement. Plus points are easy to get in and out, plenty of room for us and our Border Terrier, quick enough at 95 bhp, very wieldy around town, puts a smile on our faces, joyful Arancia Siciliana colour, good Fiat small car design, good winter/field traction, good up rated air con. What's not to like? Now't really. I suppose auto lights, wipers would be good but we can cope without.

 

[Carl05]

55 SWM
I came from a cooper for the more practical met green TA trekking.
I can't say I'm loving it like I did my mini for 11 years but I do like it (most of the time ) the heated bits on a cold morning, the boot I can get my toys in (RC Trucks), 4 doors are easier for my older passengers & the little turbo lump when I get the roads to realy use it.
Down side,
on anything other than smooth roads it rattles and I mean it realy rattles like nuts and bolts in a biscuit tin, the rear seats don't fold flat & it can sometimes turn invisible, well that's not exactly true but it seams that way when other drivers look your way and then pull out into your path like your not there

 

[captpicard]

49 year male , currently going through a divorce, had to sell the abarth convertible and have a more practical car for the dog and daughter.


previously owned a several 500's, panda 4x4, and a 100HP, so not new to fiats and love the size, practically and all that is a PANDA

 

[SB1500]

55 SWM

I came from a cooper for the more practical met green TA trekking.

I can't say I'm loving it like I did my mini for 11 years but I do like it (most of the time ) the heated bits on a cold morning, the boot I can get my toys in (RC Trucks), 4 doors are easier for my older passengers & the little turbo lump when I get the roads to realy use it.

Down side,

on anything other than smooth roads it rattles and I mean it realy rattles like nuts and bolts in a biscuit tin, the rear seats don't fold flat & it can sometimes turn invisible, well that's not exactly true but it seams that way when other drivers look your way and then pull out into your path like your not there

That's your drop links and front suspension screaming "REPLACE MEEEE" over bumps. Get them checked and hopefully replaced and you'll have Head peace over bumps!

And I also get that from other drivers. They see a Fiat and leisurely pull out on the basis that they'll be retired by the time we approach them in our inferior little cars... normally I beep at them to wake them up !! Lol

 

[Carl05]

That's your drop links and front suspension screaming "REPLACE MEEEE" over bumps. Get them checked and hopefully replaced and you'll have Head peace over bumpsl

Strangely it's not so bad with the windows closed and the stero on
I thought it could be the brake pads loose in there housing as the smallest of pressure on the pedal stops the rattle dead. Your right though I should get it looked at. I'm due my anual service soon, that will be a good time to sort it

 

[SB1500]

Think it might be the drop links more than anything? They're not too expensive or hard to fit

 

[Carl05]

Think it might be the drop links more than anything? They're not too expensive or hard to fit

10,000 miles and 2 years old so I'll pass the problem on to the dealer.
There was a time when I'd get my hands dirty messing with cars but I don't do that any more

 

[SB1500]

Various Panda Driver Profiles I can think of;

- Cool Italian guy who gets all the girls. Drives an Eleganza with the glass roof

- Older outdoors sort of man who has a 4x4 for treks and camping trips.

- The chav with the 100hp trying hard to outdo the chavs with the Golfs

- The cash strapped early 30s person declined from more student finance with an Active until they can afford 'something better'

- The older person who wants an easy to drive little car. Only ones with good taste though, hence the Panda.

- The person who was given it as a hand me down first own car who didn't expect to like it but now loves it (myself)

Still thinking of more! Lol

 

[jrkitching]

- Cool Italian guy who gets all the girls. Drives an Eleganza with the glass roof

The Cool Italian guy drives a LaFerrari. He gets *lots* of girls, but a 169 Panda is more likely get you the *right* girl .

- Older outdoors sort of man who has a 4x4 for treks and camping trips.

The older outdoors sort of man drives a campervan on a Ducato chassis. He has a memory of camping with a girl in 1973. :yum:

- The chav with the 100hp trying hard to outdo the chavs with the Golfs

The chav with the 100HP isn't going anywhere; he can't work out why those 100PCD fluorescent green aftermarket wheels won't quite fit .

- The cash strapped early 30s person declined from more student finance with an Active until they can afford 'something better'

The cash strapped early 30s person can't even dream of affording an Active; it's all they can do to find the cash for a 7 day bus pass .

- The older person who wants an easy to drive little car. Only ones with good taste though, hence the Panda.

The older person knows how to drive; they buy a Panda because it's an easy to maintain little car. Woohoo! That's me!!!

 

[Goudrons]

There's a great many different profiles of Panda and 500 driver.

I've driven my fair share of both.
Actives, Dynamics, Pops, Lounges and 4x4's, Colour Therapies, S's, Twinairs even a 500C on my holidays and never thought until today how someone might consider me in any, nor did I feel at all conscious driving any.

This afternoon I dropped one of our Pandas off for a service and got loaned a sparklingly white 500 Lounge dualogic, with all the chrome trim, glass roof, white steering wheel/dash.

As I left I caught a glimpse of myself in it via the showroom window and immediately became friends with Dorothy!

I couldn't have looked more fruity.
Sure you all think it could have been worse, like a pink 500C, but I could have pulled that off, knowing that at least some people might think it's the Mrs car, but this white one looks like a possibility, if you know what I mean.

It dawned on me the service desk jockey now has a bet running with the others that I'll never ask for another loaner and the Mrs has clocked it and said even she'd refuse it as too girly and take the bus!

Now I need to bum a lift to work tomorrow!

 

[The Panda Nut]

Pandas come in white. All other colours cost more. The vast majority of Pandas for sale second hand are white bout 3:1. If the silly sods at Fiat would allow you to select the interior colour of choice with the paint colour of choice I would be in the market for one, but they dont so I shall stick with the Panda we have or buy a lower miles one when it expires.

Pandas rule OK.
Up yours to all Audi drivers. Nearly have been several times - they get so close!!!

 

[Fiat Lux]

mid 50s male driver here . Got a Panda initially for insurance purposes so my son could to learn to drive and got another for my daughter's turn. For me, living in London , parking on the street the Panda is about as much as I'd want to spend on a car and I would argue it's all the car you need for city driving..

 

[Panda 4x4 TA Antarctica]

We're a couple in our late-30s - Panda 4x4 TwinAir is our second car for run-around and town centre parking duties. Bought because it complements our Diesel Automatic S-Max perfectly - polar (pun intended!) opposites in every sense. Between the two we've got nearly all bases covered...(except really high-performance!)

 

[SB1500]

We're a couple in our late-30s - Panda 4x4 TwinAir is our second car for run-around and town centre parking duties. Bought because it complements our Diesel Automatic S-Max perfectly - polar (pun intended!) opposites in every sense. Between the two we've got nearly all bases covered...(except really high-performance!)

What do you make of the running cost of your 4x4 compared to an non-4x4 model or is it really too soon/new to say?