Which car to buy ?

ioscorpio

Fiat Panda £5795 at http://www.fiatsupasaver.com/selectacar.aspx?vid=3

Kilty_2

ioscorpio wrote: »

Fiat Panda £5795 at http://www.fiatsupasaver.com/selectacar.aspx?vid=3

Bloody hell :rotfl:

Awesome price for a brand new car that's actually half decent (not a Perodua Kelisa)

property.advert

ioscorpio wrote: »

Fiat Panda £5795 at http://www.fiatsupasaver.com/selectacar.aspx?vid=3

Getting cheaper. It does make you consider whether the alternatives, though significantly better, are actually worth nearly twice the price !

Kilty_2

Yep, if you can live without one or two comfort items I'd say it can't be beaten on value.

Fiat have come a long way - nothing like as bad as they once were.

jd82

The Panda is not that basic. I've just bought one last week in met blue, cost me £6500 and I got a good finance deal from FIAT.

It comes with
Electric Windows
Power steering with city mode
Central Locking
German CD player with 4 decent size speakers (the sound quality is good for a small car)
Adjustable steering wheel
ABS with EBD
Twin airbags
Very good heater

Its a very simple car with a very simple engine, a cambelt change costs just £140. The engines have been proven to be good for 300k (if anybody is brave enough) but most of all it is refined and very comfortable to drive. The doors go clunk and not cling and the dashboard feels as tough as any.

Then add in insurance group 1, 60mpg+ and £30 a year tax the savings just get better.

It really is one of the best buys of the moment because used cars are so pricey. You can get a four year old Fiesta with 40k for the same money.

If you have an extra £500 you could always go for the Dynamic which adds remote central locking, aircon and a 1.2 litre engine.

I've always said I would never buy a brand new car but in the case of the Panda buying used didn't make any sense when a car which fits my needs perfectly is the same price new. I only do city driving and do around 3-4k a year so it is perfect really.

Don't just take my word for it though, check out Clarkson's review in the times, he said he used the Panda more than any other car when he had one on loan, he said it was just so much fun. James May liked the Panda so much he bought one, he's had it for four years now with no complaints.

The 1.2 Dynamic is probably the best over all buy, but the Active is cheaper to buy and cheaper to insure so should be cheaper in the long run, plus it has no aircon to go wrong.

property.advert

Kilty wrote: »

Yep, if you can live without one or two comfort items I'd say it can't be beaten on value.

Fiat have come a long way - nothing like as bad as they once were.

I actually spent some time over the weekend looking at the Fiat website (very poor) and at models for sale on Autotrader (some more expensive than this :rotfl:). Not very good write ups to be honest and I do remember one really cheap car I hired once, also a Panda, which was terrible.

I see the warranty as only 2 years though !

However, I would have to work out whether it was truly just a car for the 2 to 10 mile journey as I am not sure I would even want to go 50 miles in it. But I am pragmatic and I think I would have to go see and drive it before disregarding it as a rational choice.

It also has very poor NCAP ratings

NCAP - Adult Occupant Rating

NCAP - Child Protection Rating

NCAP - Pedestrian Test Rating


Ford Fiesta NCAP Rating

NCAP - Adult Occupant Rating

NCAP - Child Protection Rating

NCAP - Pedestrian Test Rating

ioscorpio

What about the Fiat Grande Punto then at £7295 http://www.fiatsupasaver.com/SelectACar.aspx?vId=84

jd82

What Panda are you thinking off? Not very good write up? Honest John, Jeremy Clarkson, James May, Oilrag all rave about them. Even 5th Gear loves the Panda, just look at some of their reviews racing Ferraris and range rovers against the Panda.

The NCAP is a bit misleading as the the car did not have standard ABS or passanger airbag at the time, it was tested in early 2004. The Fiesta is a much newer design and is more than twice the price you cannot compare it. A second hand Fiesta for the same price as the Panda would have very similar NCAP scores plus you know the brand new Panda has never been in an accident which would compromise results as would any signs of chasis rust a 5 year old car may start to show.

The Fiat 500 and Ford Ka are FIAT Pandas underneath and both have exellent NCAP results.

So could you please show me some not very good write ups for the cheap Panda models?

flyingscotno1

property.advert wrote: »

I actually spent some time over the weekend looking at the Fiat website (very poor) and at models for sale on Autotrader (some more expensive than this :rotfl:). Not very good write ups to be honest and I do remember one really cheap car I hired once, also a Panda, which was terrible.

I see the warranty as only 2 years though !

However, I would have to work out whether it was truly just a car for the 2 to 10 mile journey as I am not sure I would even want to go 50 miles in it. But I am pragmatic and I think I would have to go see and drive it before disregarding it as a rational choice.

It also has very poor NCAP ratings

NCAP - Adult Occupant Rating

NCAP - Child Protection Rating

NCAP - Pedestrian Test Rating


Ford Fiesta NCAP Rating

NCAP - Adult Occupant Rating

NCAP - Child Protection Rating

NCAP - Pedestrian Test Rating

I've been in the Panda 1.1 and found it to be fine around the town and more than competent on the motorway. It was a bit bouncy at 70 and I wouldn't do it day in day out for 50 miles but 3 or 4 times a month wouldn't bother me. Not a speed demon motor, but the engine is nippy. As for crash tests- you get what you pay for, small cheap cars at £6000 are mainly not getting 5 stars.

Fiat warranty is 3 years- 2 year manufacturer and 1 year dealer backed.

jd82

As I said the view is that the Panda would have got four stars anyway if it was tested today, especialy the mid range model with all the side bags. Of Course FIAT could have easily given us side bags, ESP etc as standard but the price would then rise by £1000.