I was 17 when I got my first Panda. My parents brought the car for me as my first car and at first I was a bit dubious but once I drove it I fell in love. Mine was a1986 E-reg and was immaculate without ay rust or scratches. It was the 1000Super and I found it to be pretty quick and economical. The isurace was cheapin comparison to a VW Polo of the same engine size and age. My car had a choke which took a while to get used to. Unfortunately I ran into the back of someone and the car was scrapped.
HOWEVER a year later I brought a gorgeous 1000 Selecta with 33k on the clock from new - it was in showroom condition. I loved this car it was amazingly quick for a 1.0ltr and because it didn't have a clutch I was always beating much faster cars away from the traffic lights. The handling of my car was brilliant - it would go around corners on 3 wheels istead of loosing grip and not once did I ever feel like I was going to lose control. With very careful driving I managed to get 65.7MPG on several occasions but geerally got between 45-55MPG. All Pandas are in insurance group one and the cheapest tax band of the time. Don't let the Pandas size fool you - i'm 6ft3 and I have no problem with legroom or head room. Even though the seats are like deckchairs I found them very comfortable. The rear seats fold flat and then tip up against the front seats and even have a hook so you can secure them to the front headrests. I have had washers and fridges in the back of my car and not once have I ever struggled to get stuff into it. I have read alot of reviews slating the safety of these cars but I happeed to have someone drive head on into me at 40MPH and I walked away. I was hit by a much newer Metro and the bloke hit me at 40MPH - he hit me that hard that the back end went about 4 feet into the air. Luckily I was wearing my seatbelt and only sustained bruised ribs. To say this car was designed in the early 80's I was amazed at how well it protected me. I am currently thinking about getting either another Panda. I have a Skoda Fabia at the moment but you just can't beat the charm of an old Panda. I am considering either a 1100 Slecta (these have nearly 60BHP!!! They would fly especially as the car weighs as much as a fag packet) or a Sisley 4X4. I took my Panda off roading on many occasions. Even though it was two-wheel drive it would go anywhere and had decent ground clearance. I've got pictures of it on two wheels doing a see-saw off road. When we had the floods a couople of years ago I took my Panda to a ploughed field and had some fun and not once did it stop or even struggle.
As a first car I would reccommend the Panda to anyone - it's in the lowest insurance group, they're very economical and cheap to tax and as I found out, excellent in a crash. I would also reccommend a Panda to anyone who's looking for a cheap second car/something to scoot about in or even go offroading with. The 4x4 version will truly go anywhere and I have seen them rescuing Land Rover Discoverys before. I promise that once you have owned a Panda you will more that probably own another in the future - they are addictive!!!
Sam Card
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Sep 23rd, 2007
very helpful by (94%):
helpful by (6%):
