Finally hit 1000 miles on the Panda. There is not a lot to say really other than everything is going well the engine is feeling a bit more powerful, I am getting 44mpg instead of 40mpg I was getting a few hundered miles ago.
I really love the car but I know how boring people find posts that say how much I love the car and I think I have covered all that in my 300 mile report. The car suits me perfectly so I will focus on the niggles:-
1) No boot light - solved by a cheap £1 LED stick on lamp.
2) It has burnt 250ml of oil - dealer said this is perfectly normal and its nothing to be worried about so I am not.
3) Only one lock and no remote so it means walking to the drivers door to lock the car each time, gets a bit of a pain.
Thats about it really, the gear shift has loosened up nicely so its now quite slick. The handeling is very good, I had to sweve to avoid something the other day (mis judged the speed of the oncoming BMW) and the car performed brilliantly.
The brakes could be a little sharper but I've never had to an emergency stop yet so I am sure they will be very good if I push the pedal down.
Its the little details i like, the ceiling light comes on when the ignition key is removed, there is an emergency wiper setting which does two wipes very handle in light drisle or when water falls from a tree.
Not much else to say really, the price has come down further to £5500 on Fiat Supersaver I paid £6400 but I specified £400 extra for the colour so I could have got it for £5900 if I bought now but oh well.
For the money it is a real bargain though, a brand new car for less than £6k and its not that basic either, I still get PAS, electric windows, central locking, CD player, ABS, airbags and 6 different blower settings.
I just hope it continues to be reliable, its nice not having days off due to having to take cars to the garage :).
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6 different blower settings.>>
That sold it for me!
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Seem to remember the reg plate alluded to that feature.
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I posted in in the wrong section by accident, starting to wonder if if its best left here now!!
PS Most modern cars probably have lots of different blower settings but my old ones have only had four.
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Rattle.
A new engine using oil is a sign it's not bedded in properly.
This car is crying out for a long run uphill and down dale, using the gearbox and the revs to make proper progress.
I know you are not the most confident driver and recognising your weaknesses makes you a safer one.
If giving the car the run it needs is not an option for you, I'm sure Ted or rtj70 would find a window in their busy schedules to do it.
You might be pleasantly surprised at the improvement.
Brother had a new Kia Cerato a few years ago.
It was 'tight', but a 100 miles around the Lake District in my tender care soon saw to that.
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IMHO the price reduction is because of the impending model change / revamp, maybe including the "Multi-air" engine in the Panda at last.
Similar reductions on the "Grande Punto", which is now a model range of one - "Grande Punto Sound" - I expect it to discontinue soon, due to the "EVO Punto".
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>> 1) No boot light - solved by a cheap £1 LED stick on lamp.
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Top tip there Rattle! The boot light in my lovely blue Vectra doesn't work, I suspect the wire has broken where it enters the car body from the hatch, a stick on light is a lot less faff than trying to replace the wire. :-)
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Its getting a run in soon either to St Anns or Conwy/Llandudno I think I would actually prefer to drive to Wales as its a more straight forward run, Princess Parkway, M56, A55 and the views are rewarding when you get there.
My Panda does have the wiring loom for a boot light took under the floor but tis too much faff to mess with and I am not allowed to modify my car (terms of finance).
Yep and indeed the new model will be here soon, in fact the 1.1 I have is being discontunued from October. It will be replaced with the 1.2 FIRE Euro 5 engine and the multiair engines. The Active (basic) model I have will still be made just with the new engine.
I don't quite get it though, I mean its £35 to tax per year as it is but the EU consider thats not clean enough as my engines only Euro 4.
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>> 6 different blower settings.>>
>> That sold it for me!
I've got 7, but tend to leave it on the auto setting.
>> Top tip there Rattle! The boot light in my lovely blue Vectra doesn't work,
Mine works, but it's carp. I ended up buying some LEDs from ebay and fitting them in a more appropriate place in the boot where you actually need some light.
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...Mine works, but it's carp...
Ditto the CC3 - one crummy festoon bulb.
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And the lancer, the standard 5 watt festoon bulb. Pathetic.
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"And the lancer, the standard 5 watt festoon bulb. Pathetic."
Lexus LS too, slightly more useful than a glow worm but not much.
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>> Ditto the CC3 - one crummy festoon bulb.
Ditto on my bike.....it's boot goes back to the number plate....tiny festoon and I'm never sure it's gone out. Just keep a small LED torch ( Shell Garage one ) in the boot.
Jowett has a 5 watt boot light that's on whenever the car lights are on....simple......58 yrs old !
Ted
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Mine goes up to 11, that's 1 more than 10.
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No, you mean that's ONE more than 10.
According to our Yorkshire pendant:)
pat
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...According to our Yorkshire pendant:)...
Never worn a pedant in me life.
And I'm a County Durham pendant at present, will turn into a Yorkshire pendant at the weekend.
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A Geordie crossed with a rose......God forbid!
Pat
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>> A Geordie crossed with a rose......God forbid!
"Woolybacks" I think they're known as. Like Scots but with all the generosity wrung out of them...
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>> The brakes could be a little sharper but I've never had to an emergency stop yet so I am sure they will be very good if I push the pedal down.
Actually, Rattle, I think that is a nice feature.
The brakes on most modern cars are too sharp for my liking. Making the brakes sharp gives the illusion of strength and power. It just means that you have to concentrate when you are using them to make sure that you don't stop rather quicker than you (or the person in the car behind you) wants to!
Glad to see that your Panda seems to have easy-to-use brakes!
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1,000 miles in 4 months? You'll have to be careful of the petrol evaporating!
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I've managed to work from home, or Manchester/Warrington offices over the last 5 years (lucky me).... so I've done very little miles in my opinion. But I seem to average 1000 per month, i.e. 36k over 3 years.
Rattle, wouldn't it have been an idea to price up taxis instead of the car ;-) Only kidding.
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Not sure how you're doing 1000 miles a month. My dad is only doing 6000 a year now and he works all over Manchester and has go to his dads in Scunthorpe every few months.
I am probably just under 4000 miles a year at the moment. I don't drive Sundays as I don't trust I will be sober enough but if I did that would an extra 500 miles a year.
I was very quiet in the summer so I went for about two months of doing 30 miles a week but the past couple of months I have been doing at least 70. After Christmas is my busiest time of year and I will be easily doing 100 miles a week then.
After October like I have always said I will be going further too. I am telling my insurance company I do 6k a year when I renew it so as I am paying extra for that I will make sure I use it.
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FIAT Panda - 1000 mile - Panda ownership report - midlifecrisis
