Panda 100HP, yay or nay?

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Moglet

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I'm in a bit of a pickle lately, having driven the Abarth 500 I've decided I want something with a bit more oomph but I still want a car with a quirky nature. My 500 is still a brilliant car but the engine really isn't cutting it lately. So I've been looking at the Panda 100HP. It's not the quickest car in the world but it's cheap to buy, cheap to run and cheap to insure, just like the 500.

But you've got the extra power. Now obviously since buying my 500 brand new I have to take into account my losses. The Abarth dealer offered me £7,000 for my 500 in part exchange, and a new Panda 100HP costs £7,295 (On offer, RRP is £10,500) so I'd be making HUGE savings on the brand new Panda, but my 500 will have lost £2,500 in depreciation anyway.

Here's how they stack up;

Fiat 500 1.2 Lounge
Pros: Looks good, turns more heads, safer in a crash, more equipment (just)
Cons: Looks a bit girly, has less power, all models have ongoing fault that Fiat can't find a fix for
0-60: 13 seconds
Average MPG: 44
Insurance Group: 2
Road tax: £35 per year

Panda 100HP
Pros: Still looks good IMO, is obviously faster, has climate control instead of a glass roof, no ongoing faults
Cons: Not as safe as the 500, not as much of a head turner, older model, more expensive to tax
0-60: 9.5 seconds
Average MPG: 40
Insurance group: 5
Road tax: £145 per year

What does GTP reckon? I'm mighty tempted to go for the nippy Panda as I've always liked them. But the 500 keeps drawing me back with it's styling and interior. Both come with 3 years warranty and 1 year AA roadside assistance.

Nnnnggg! :nervous:
 
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I'm a huge fan of the Panda 100hp. A friend-of-a-friend has one and of the few times I've talked to him about it he loves it. It looks good and or what it is it goes well.

You are still getting a budget FIAT though. And the interiors are rather sparse and probably lacking comepared to the 500.

And finally, I wouldn't personally want to fiddle with a Fiat engine.
 
ExigeEvan
I'm a huge fan of the Panda 100hp. A friend-of-a-friend has one and of the few times I've talked to him about it he loves it. It looks good and or what it is it goes well.

You are still getting a budget FIAT though. And the interiors are rather sparse and probably lacking comepared to the 500.

And finally, I wouldn't personally want to fiddle with a Fiat engine.
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The interior is a bit sparse compared to the 500, but I still like it. It looks more 'grown up' than the 500's interior, although it is less light and airy in there.
 
The rate new cars are selling right now, you can probably get a straight swap. In fact, if you're aggressive enough, you can probably get a straight swap plus a trim upgrade, a year's tax, servicing, FIAT mats and a tank of gas.

New cars aren't going anywhere. A used FIAT 500 would sell in seven seconds.
 
Yay. YAY

Absolutely love them, favourite small Fiat in years. Look awesome in any colour. Sound great, very cool. Apparently the only problem is a hard ride. But I'm sure you can live with that.

Fiat_Panda_100hp.jpg

Also, Pandas - highest scoring Fiats in customer satisfaction and reliability surveys virtually since those sort of surveys began.

Edit: New 100HPs are just over £7k? Bloody hell... I thought they were around £10k...
 
The Lounge trim will be the most popular 2nd hand as it has the glass roof, chrome bumper inserts, air conditioning and 15" alloys as standard over the Pop model.

And yes, homeforsummer, the Panda 100HP can now be bought brand new for just over £7k from a lot of places. It's an absolute steal at that price! To me, it's a more 'grown up' car, it's not designed to look fancy or cute, it's designed to be fun to drive and fairly quick. I happen to love the way it looks, a lot of people disagree with me but it's not their choice!
 
As an enthusiast, I say go for the car that has 11HP up on my slightly larger....

wait, what? the Panda's smaller than my Eight-Two Nova, and has 11 more horsepower? that's hardly fair...

Get it anyway.
 
If you can get over the difference in interior plastics, then I can't see any problem. Although Sir Clarkson (ignoring all of the opinion) says it's a bit unrefined. But then I'm guessing a 1.2 litre 500 isn't exactly an S Class either.

Dunno really. Give it a test drive - you'll either love it or hate it, most probably. Just don't forget that it is essentially a cheap car with a few tweaks - it's not going to have the Mini-rivaling comfort and quality feel of your 500. Oh, and I'm guessing it'll probably depreciate a fair bit quicker than said 500.
 
Well yeah, a Saab would be better than a Fiat in everyway. You get a turbo, and a squilion airbags so you wont die if a semi hits you.

And chicks dig Saab's. Especially red Saab coupes Buy a Saab.
 
Chassis flex FTW!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

I'd vote "why not?" on the Panda 100HP, but as others suggested, whats stopping you from nabbing an Abarth 500? Or what about one of those pesky Fiesta Zetecs?
 
ExigeEvan
With the exchange rate as it is, there's fews cars that wouldn't be!
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By which I meant "Every Pound is equal to 2 and a half (or whatever the exchange rate is) dollars." I could certainly see paying 20 grand for a Panda being more sensible than flushing it down the toilet on a smart, or (Gasp!) getting a Scion.
 
Toronado
By which I meant "Every Pound is equal to 2 and a half (or whatever the exchange rate is) dollars." I could certainly see paying 20 grand for a Panda being more sensible than flushing it down the toilet on a smart, or (Gasp!) getting a Scion.
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His point was that their currency is down next to ours. They're only at a buck fifty on our dollar right now.
 
YSSMAN
I'd vote "why not?" on the Panda 100HP, but as others suggested, whats stopping you from nabbing an Abarth 500?
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Probably the expense, given that he'd have to put in a good £3.5k more. The Panda 100HP might be as good as a straight swap.

Or what about one of those pesky Fiesta Zetecs?
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About a million times less cool than either his current 500, an Abarth, or a Panda 100HP. It's still a cheap Ford, however much tinsel it's dressed up with.
 
Bah, get it with the sublime green paintjob and a set of 18" alloys and you can pull it off. Of course, I'm just a jealous American waiting to get his hands on the car.
 
Or, option number 3: hunt down a nearly new 1.4 500.

It'll have the same engine as the Panda with the same power, and roughly the same 0-60 too (the 500 weighs a tad more). But it'll still be a 500. Yays all round.

The issue is finding one. And for £7k.
 
Exactly. While the 1.2 will keep alot of it's value thanks to that now golden £35p.a. tax band, I doubt it would give it that much benefit so as to be equal with a 1.4.

Though maybe if it was very low on options.

[EDIT]
Nothing better than Pop trim level for 1.4 below £8k in the UK.
 
I'd say the Panda 100HP is by far the best option of any of the Panda's, but I really think it should be cheaper than the 4x4. That's probably one of its cons. I actually think that the only Fiat that is better than the Panda 100HP is the majority of the 500's.
 

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