Fiat Panda Dynamic auto

Advantages: Funky looks, great quality, well equipped
Disadvantages: Hesitant auto gearbox, light coloured trim

...I would never have normally considered a Fiat before due to their appalling reputation for reliability, rusting, poor dealer service and interior quality, but when my wifes Skoda Fabia needed replacing, we checked the Panda out and I was amazed! The interior quality is nearly as high as in the Skoda (which was terrific), the steering is light and fairly responsive (especially when using the 'City' funtion which lightens it for parking, etc.), the kit is generous but most of all the price was fabulous - we actually bought it through JamJar (although now wished we hadn't due to the huge delays...) so it was especially cheap, but even from a dealer I think the price is fantastic value. The biggest downside to this particular model is the auto gearbox - it behaves in a similar manner to a manual gearbox in that there is a slight hesitation...

charlie1049 24.10.2005 · Read review
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Review of Fiat Panda 2003

Fiat Panda 1.2 Eleganza

Advantages: Very small & manouverable, specious, superb visability, cheap to run
Disadvantages: Small boot

....2 Eleganza (as described) £8195 Fiat Panda 1.3 TD Dynamic (diesel) £7895 Insurance groups range from cheap (group 3) to dirt cheap (group 1).F Fuel economy ranges from about 50mpg for the petrol versions to an impressive 61mpg for the diesel. They even do a 1.2 (Petrol) 4x4 version for £9195 - the cheapest 4x4 by far!!!!!!!! In terms of running cost you are not going to find a new car that is cheaper than one of these to run either. Fiat offer discounts on them when new and depreciation is tiny compared to larger cars. My recommendation would be for the new 1.3 Multijet diesel version. Other Fiat and Alfa products that I have driven with diesel engines lately have been impressive and I can only imagine this new state of the art engine enhancing an already super all round package. Don't tell my wife but I'm thinking of asking...

RICHADA 25.04.2005 · Read review
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Review of Fiat Panda 2003

Pleasantly surprising Fiat Panda

Advantages: Cheap, reliable, easy to drive
Disadvantages: image

...I must admit I wasn't exactly overwhelmed with excitement as my Mum came to collect me from university in her new Fiat Panda. Looking in my opinion a like a car cut in half, i was immediately thinking that as we shared a car at the time I was going to look a little silly driving this vehicle. Now, 3 years later, and having driven the panda on regular occasions, i still feel the same, it does look a little odd, is unusually high with a strangely placed gearstick, but it is undoubtably a nice car to drive. Now I am 22, try to keep up with fashion, enjoy sports, and would not ideally drive such a small car, but I have learnt to look past the exterior and appreciate the smooth running, the reliability and general high quality of the Fiat. My friends have ironically (and affectionately) labelled it the 'Beast', and where this may not be...

Foxy1212 19.09.2008 · Read review
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Review of Fiat Panda 2003

fiat panda eleganza

Advantages: personality,reliabilty,quality,space,interior,fun factor
Disadvantages: 1.2 engine not in £35.00 tax bracket,poor seat material

...there too. storage is good and there are three cupholders(one rear and two front) ours is a 1.2 petrol engine which has a typical italian rortiness about it if not a lot of go(60hp).its a smooth engine though and will sit quite happily at 80 mph on a motorway in relative quiet. in fact thats one of the great things about this little car...it feels like a bigger one to own and drive and can suit a small family needs for most of the time.we find we rarely have to resort to using our bigger 4 wd car,the panda is more than capable of carrying out our daily tasks. if we could ask for anything else it would be for better seat fabrics on this model as the attract dirt and dust.the 100hp's look a lot better quality. one other issue tho is car tax in the uk.the fiat pandas 1.2 engine is in a tax band above the new 500's seemingly identical...

ten-david 06.05.2008 (07.05.2008) · Read review
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Review of Fiat Panda 1.2 8v

Panda's dont breed.

Advantages: Cheap
Disadvantages: Noisy, attracts tin worm. leaks oil

...If ever there was a car that resembles a chicken coup on wheels then monster has to be it. I never actually owned this car, it was a company car, don?t ask just don?t ask but she was an experience to drive. At the heart of the Panda beats a 1000cc OHC Fiat fire engine, (not the red type with blue lights) a capable little engine it was and when coupled to a five-speed gearbox and 4-wheel drive it gave an adequate, off motorway performance. The downside was the noise it produced, it was a high revving engine and it soon gained the nickname Pandermonium. Even the radio couldn?t drown the appalling racket at anything over 50 miles an hour. Mind you at that sort of speed it was all you could do to keep the thing on the road as it bounced around on suspension reminiscent of an up turned pram. An experience not to be missed, believe me...

Bigbaz 01.02.2002 · Read review
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Review of Fiat Panda 1000

CAR: The Fiat Panda You Have To Experience It

Advantages: It has character, cheap to run and tidy
Disadvantages: Very Small, Little Boot Space, Slow and Uncool

...This is more of a story I would like to share with everyone about my first car. In September 2003 I passed my driving test and was extremely anxious to get a car of my own however my funds were low and insurance is a killer for teenagers. It was looking rather glum and I thought I was doomed to travel on public transport. However things kind of picked up when I was offered an M reg 1995 black fiat panda 1000cc engine. A panda was the last thing I ever saw myself driving a 17 year old teenager with a Panda? Come on people would be sure to laugh. Anyway I took up the offer of receiving the panda as I was desperate to drive. It had no tax or mot but it didn't cost me a penny. So the car arrived one evening after I came home from college and my god it was worse than I imagined. It looked like an old mans car, horrible interior...

joeyjonesyuk 01.03.2006 (10.04.2006) · Read review
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Review of Fiat Panda 1000

Fiat Panda- The boy's dream.

Advantages: Light, Easy to drive, Cost effective, gear box and engine will last a lifetime.
Disadvantages: Bodywork liable to go before anything else.

...Oh yes, I own a Panda, and I am proud to say it! Not many would, but I will. I could babble on about what features the car has (not many) or the vital statistics of the engine, but I'm not going to. Not my style. You see in my opinion the experince I have had with my Panda speaks for itself. When I bought my Panda it had 47k on the clock. It's ten 12 years old now and I got it two years ago. It's now done 64k. I think thats average for any car, but I am a student and I think that is incredibly good for such a small car, it will go forever on a tank of fuel and is dead cheap to run, cheap tax, cheap insurance and a bag of fun. The Panda has cult status around where I live and all my friends know and love it. It's great to cruise around in the summer with the windows down and the sun shining. Fantastic. The engine is ok, for me it does...

glidercwh 07.03.2003 · Read review
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Review of Fiat Panda 1000

Fiat Grande Punto dynamic Sport 1.4

Advantages: Looks like a nice car and is well specified
Disadvantages: could turn out to have niggling faults and local dealership is useless

...I bought a 12 month old Grande Punto Dynamic Sport 1.4 from Picadilly Motors in Wakefield and the experience was a good one. However since owning it for just over a month it has developed a rattle in the rear off side door and the door lock in the same door has gone intermittent. Sometimes it will not lock sometimes the outside handle doesn't work. I booked it into a Fiat Dealership locally, in Stockport, with a 10 day lead time, telling them of the lock and rattle problem and they diagnosed it needed a new lock and i would have to come back when the lock was obtained. Several days later I took it in for a fix while i wait and 11/2 hours later they notified me that they had got the wrong lock, the one for the nearside rather than offside.it has to go back again. i can see this is going to be fun. The rattle was supposed to be fixed...

Eddybangbang 04.08.2008 · Read review
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Review of Fiat Grande Punto

Fiat Grande Punto 1.2 dynamic

Advantages: Cheap, good looks, equipement, running costs, spacious
Disadvantages: underpowered, build quality not up there with the class best, Fiat dealers

.... Road Handling - Very good, as the chassis is shared with the corsa the car can be chucked about and enjoyed on B roads. The car is also nice and stable at speed on the motorway, and never feels like you are in a small car. Looks - Looks Great, attractive, sharp, aggressive, everything a small italian car should be. Also from the front looks like a mini maserati so its all good on the styling front. Features - My car, in mid spec dynamic trim gets everything, including aircon, 15 inch alloys, remote locking and boot release. + heated mirrors and cd player with an ipod connection. also includes a leather stearin wheel and gearnob, which are both good to use, and the fiat has a good positive gearshift. Overall i would give the car four out of five. The interior quality is decent, its good to drive, has lots of space and is cheap to...

andreweddy 11.02.2008 · Read review
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Review of Fiat Grande Punto

Pandas are good runners!!!

Advantages: Economical, easy to fix,become part of a community,easy to drive.
Disadvantages: Poor safety, parts can be rare,no mod cons.

...until new EU safety rules meant they weren't allowed to be produced anymore. Parts can be rare to get but as I mentioned above don't forget to check forums as they may be of help to you. In my opinion Pandas are a good car if you are on a tight budget,you won't get any mod cons(ours didn't even have a radio) but they are good fun to drive and has a lot more character than any of the newer,frumpier cars on the market at the moment. I think generally, people laugh at Panda's until they get one, then they fall in love with it, it's a very charming car which is easy to drive, easy to maintain and damn cheap to insure. Check this Panda community out on the Fiat Forums: http://www.fiatforum.com/panda-classic...

victoriaelectra 12.11.2006 (14.11.2006) · Read review
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Review of Fiat Panda 1000