Thinking of chopping the wife’s diesel Focus in for a new 1.2 petrol Panda.
She likes the look of it and having changed jobs last year she rarely does any journeys over 15-20 miles.
We have a T5 that gets used for lugging big loads, long journeys etc so just want something a bit smaller than the Focus.
Only real consideration is being able to fit the dog (Springer x Lab) into the boot. He’s got dodgy hips & back so whatever she gets needs to have a low boot lip, ruling out many small cars. Also needs to be in the lower £30 tax band, like her Focus is.
Will be buying outright so the circa 9-10k price of the Panda fits us nicely.
Anyone got one? Or any suggestions of alternatives?

Which Panda? The 03-12 or the New New Panda?

The new shape one.
1.2 petrol ‘Easy +’ spec is just over £9k new and the wife likes the look of it.

I can’t comment on the new one, but have experience of the previous model:

Fun to drive, easy to live with, but brittle and poorly made. Buy a used Mini Clubman.

We’ve had one for a couple of years now (new shape), and I can’t really fault it. Drives well and has been trouble free.

Boot might be too small and high for the dog though. They are a ‘tall’ small car so you feel like you are sat on it rather than in it.

A mini MPV like a B Max (may need to be nearly new at ypur budget though), new Meriva or a Honda Jazz may have more bootspace.

Get the diesel if you can.

I borrowed one for a few weeks and I actually thought it was brill.

But lethal around corners but fun. Fits two bikes in the back, no probs with fitting you dog in with the sets down.

Just get the diesel – and fit a double din navigation unit.

Also needs to be in the lower £30 tax band, like her Focus is.

1) there’s always someone that points out that road tax is an insignificant amount when you’re spending x grand on a car. today is my turn

2) isn’t it all about to change all over again anyway?

I thought conventional wisdom was to go for petrol over diesel when it’s only going to do short runs about town?
We looked at the Mini range & she didn’t like them, aparrently they are too fussy & trendy. Go figure.
As for the tax thing, why is wanting to spend less a bad thing? We intend to keep whatever we buy for at least 5 years like the last one so it all adds up.
Boot lip height is as important as actual size, as low as possible.

2) isn’t it all about to change all over again anyway?

Yes. But changes only apply to cars registered from April 2017 onwards. So a £30 tax car bought now pays £30 tax forever.

http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-news/motoring-issues/2015/budget-2015-how-it-affects-uk-motorists/

Forget the 1.2 engine. Old and trustworthy and go with the 0.9. Test drive both.

If you are buying new drivethedeal(?) Or others are doing good deals on new ones at 8k etc.

For 10k why not get a 2014 Panda 4×4?

You can get a 5,000miler 2013 4×4 0.9 for 8k if you are willing to travel. Two Fiat main dealers have these near me and the twin-air 0.9 is highly regarded by testers

We have one the last body shape not the new one we love it for all uses for a family of three. The boot is small but plenty of space with the back seats down . Very easy to park and drive the car does not feel small when inside and is more comfortable to be in than my old punto .

I have never put a dog in the boot but would imagine you would have to lift it over the boot lip to get it in it comes to about mid thigh on me I’m 5’8

Just had 2 as hire cars in Greece.

Dull to drive but ok. Very good to see out of. Quite roomy inside. Reasonably refined. Gear box a bit clunky.

Not in the same league drive wise as a Fiesta.

Personally I wouldn’t spend £9k on one. However it was practical/dull/did a job and if that’s what you want from a car fair enough, but it’s not as good as a Seat Mii IMO, and no where near as nice to drive as a Fiesta. The Fiesta is let down by poor vision and not being easy to park in comparison to the Panda, and bloody awful dashboard

my mate had a 1993ish one. main plus point was that it was easy to remove the HT lead from the engine so that when some scrote broke in, they couldn’t start the ignition.

Might have been an Uno come to think of it.

Hope this helps 🙂

We have a Panda Pop 2013 model and it’s a little pocket of fun. It’s not high level plastics and it’s basic inside. But it is cheap and frugal motoring. They are a giggle round corners.

Petrol 1.2 dualogic.

Gets us from A to B with not a lot of fuss, except for dodgy neutral switch when wet. Needs sorting. Overall surprisingly capable for what appears as a box on wheels. No fuss on motorway. Less at home on fast twisty roads. Limited boot space for dog, and the lip of the boot is high. We first folded the back seats and put a puppy- crate in there, now he gets a towel on the backseat and a clip-in harness.

We have just got a new Renault Twingo. Great fun to drive and very nippy…

BR
JeZ

If you are looking at a new Fiat then join British Cycling if you aren’t already a member – the fiat discounts are very good. I can send you over the last lot of offers I had if it helps.

I’d 2nd the 0.9 twinair over the 1.2. We tried both before we bought our Fiat 500 twinair -gmail the twinair is great fun, the 1.2 a bit dull.

Is the BC deal on the login page?

Had a brand new one as a hire car a couple of weeks ago, only gripe was I found it really tricky to pull away on hill starts, the engine revs really quickly with no bottom end at all. Just felt a bit awkward. Other than that it was a capable little car.

I had to email some one to get the price list. I appear to be on the mailing list now though so get updated offers though every so often.

I had an 06 one for a few years and it is a great car. Fitted a roofrack to carry bikes as its a bit small inside but bikes in bits will fit. Dog fitted in the boot no worries. Easy to park, alright to drive, I really liked it!

Mine may be for sale if anyone is interested…..

Mrs Pondo had an 08 multijet from new until earlier this year, great little car. Fantastic visibility, lots of room for the size of car (boxy!), went well enough – softly sprung so it DOES go round corners but you need to plan ahead a bit. 🙂 She thought about the newer ones as a replacement but she reckons they look as though they’ve put on weight. 🙁

Some good stuff to ponder thanks.
Test driving a 1.2 tomorrow, may see if they have a 0.9 to try as well.
If we like the drive the next thing we will do is try the dog in the back.
BC discount sounds interesting…

“As for the tax thing, why is wanting to spend less a bad thing? “

it’s not a bad thing so long as you don’t spend more to do it! 🙂

I had one of the original Pandas and I look longingly at every new one that passes by.

We have a Fiat 500 which I understand is the same basic car but different body, ditto the Ford Ka

It’s a fun car but unrefined, and the ride & handling is poor. Lots of silly issues… door handle fell off, rear shocks spent inside 3yrs, an oil leak, something else I can’t remember. Typical Fiat really, all covered by warranty except the shocks, which I’m cross about. It’s not very big, a 4-seater – we have a cocker spaniel and the boot’s no good for him. They’re safe… this is our 2nd, the first got punted into a hedgerow at near 50mph by some idiot school run mum with me in it – wheels off, airbags deloyed, I stepped out unscathed.

Would I buy another? Yes – but the Abarth version, which is much more refined.

We’ve just got rid of a fiat 500 for the reasons outlined by Mike. Build quality was crap (I guess the Panda would be the same) ride and handling took me right back to the ’70’s and the 1.4ltr petrol engine was so gutless it was boardering on dangerous – we would drive miles out of our way to avoid having to pull out at busy junctions and risk our lives, or wait for hours for a big enough gap to pull out into. Hateful car in every way I’m afraid to say. The Panda would be better in terms of interior space (the 500 was like the TARDIS in reverse), but I expect the build quality, ride and handling and gutless engines will be just as woeful.

Well, went for a test drive in the rain & pretty much counted out the Panda.
I could get into a position I liked but wife wasn’t happy with were she could get steering wheel with lack of in-out adjustment.
Drive itself was fine but a but noisier than I expected. (1.2 petrol)
Most importantly, armed with a tape measure & some measurements from home & her Focus the boot is just not right for the dog.
Decided to stick with the Focus for now while we ponder choices of cars with low/flat boot lips that aren’t bigger than the Focus.