Panda update

[Murphyv310]

               
Hi.
Well that's me a week with the Panda. Why oh why did I not do this before. The car is full of character, so light to drive, quiet and frugal, whereas I'd have used the £15 worth of petrol by now in the 75 in the panda I've hardly used a 1/4 of a tank, when I do eventually fill up I will brim the tank and do a tank to tank calculation.
Fiat have been slagged off for many years but they are very innovative and this model is so well built, not a single rattle, the doors have a quality clunk and the fact they are galvanised and well protected means they should last well.

Some of the 4x4 versions are now used by the NHS and even the police have used the previous versions too.

[boater sam]

Things have moved on with cars, they are definitely better to drive now.
I found this when we moved on to a new car, the difference was amazing.
Just hope that it never goes wrong, not made to be repaired anymore.
It would be difficult now to buy a "bad" car, when I think of some of the absolute rubbish that was sold in the past, I cringe.  

[Terry]

... in the panda I've hardly used a 1/4 of a tank, when I do eventually fill up I will brim the tank and do a tank to tank calculation ...

Trevor, if you are interested - or anybody else, for that matter - here is a copy of an Excel spreadsheet I wrote some years ago for fuel consumption calculations. As well as performing calculations on an individual fill to fill basis, after the first five entries it shows the average for the last 5 entries as well the all time average.

It should be fairly obvious what to do with it apart from one thing:  I keep the details of fuel and mileage in a notebook in the glove compartment and only update the spreadsheet at intervals. As I see no point in repeatedly entering the same information time and time again, it only accepts the last 3 digits of the total mileage and calculates the thousands automatically - just something to remember for the future when your mileage goes over the 999 figure!

   

[Murphyv310]

Brilliant Terry.
I'll definitely use your spreadsheet, many thanks

[Cardigan]

Fiat have been slagged off for many years but they are very innovative and this model is so well built, not a single rattle, the doors have a quality clunk and the fact they are galvanised and well protected means they should last well.

My sister bought a 500 - the modern incarnation - some years ago. It really is a very well made car.

[kalee99]

Hi all,

My very first car was a Fiat 500 (1960s one)! It put me off driving for 20 years. First week the dynamo control box boiled the battery, Next week the canvas hood flew off & the retaining nuts had a bastard thread on them. The weedy little 2 cylinder air cooled engine was so inclined to shake itself apart that I fitted a tray under it to catch the bits so I could re fit them as needed. The first two gears were non sychromesh. Finaly the diferential failed on a corner sending it into a spin. I scrapped it and left driving for 20 years.
I next entered driving with a Hyndi Santa fe. What a difference. Things have come on a bit. I have seen the new Fiat 500s on the road and they have only a passiing resemblance to the 60s one & I am certain they are a lot more reliable.
Paul.

[boater sam]

The new 500 is the Ford Ka replacement, you never know what you are buying now.
We took a brand new old style 500 from Stockport to Blackpool many years ago. The air filter disappeared on the way there, the carb fell off going home. A load of dogs doings. A tray to catch the bits would of been a good idea.
There was a large parking lot, on grass, full of new Fiats on the way to Manchester, we used to joke that as you passed you could hear the tin worms eating.

Is your Panda a white one with the fluorescent checker pattern and blue light Trevor? 

[Nick]

When I first met my (future) wife, she had a 1 year old Panda.

You could see though some of the panels, and I could push a finger though others.

We entered into a dispute with Fiat as it was basically a pile of cr*p.

They argued and argued. I then promised to hire a flat-bed truck, put the Panda on it with a HUGE sign listing our complaints, and then to park it outside any Fiat showrooms I could find in the SE and London and even their HQ, whilst informing the local media (TV/press/radio) each time of the photo opportunity.

They bought the car back from us for what she paid.

Never again.

[Refugee]

My mom had one from new.
Fiats were pretty rough through most of the 1970s as well. I used to have to keep screwing all the bits back on. The carb used to warn you before it fell off. It used to keep stalling at tick-over for a few miles and if you failed to do it up again off it fell.
It had to be towed when the clutch release bearing fell off because the engine had to come out to get to it.
I an still convinced that the rustiest Fiat of all time was the Strada. They were like motorized colindas with holes big enough to put your arm through at 3 to 4 years old.
The rust proofing has improved a lot now and more recently they joined the Ford Edsil challenge with there frog eyed MPV as a contender for the worlds most ugly car.

[boater sam]

A friend of mine, slightly disabled, and his wife with mobility problems had a Fiat on the mobility scheme. From new the drivers door whistled at speed, the handbrake was hopeless, hill starts were almost impossible. On delivery it was noticed that the roof had a large soft dent, football size. 

Now the rules on mobility are quite severe as regards maintaining the vehicle, damage has to be paid for at inspection time.
So the vehicle went from Lancashire to somewhere on the Yorkshire east coast to an Fiat appointed repairer.
It came back with a new roof, no paint inside over the rear window, just an ugly mig weld!
My friends could not get any satisfaction from Fiat. It went backwards and forwards from dealer to Fiat inspector for days. 
I had a quick look at it, measured the front screen pillars to find that the driver's side was 7mm longer than the other side! No wonder the door seal whistled. I was surprised that the screen fitted or stayed in place.

In desperation my friend took the still new car to a Transport Vehicle Testing Station. They failed the car as being unroadworthy due to an inefficient handbrake.
It went back to Fiats, for good.

Now I am not saying that this is typical or that the new models are the same, but I would never buy a Fiat, no matter what name it had on the back.