Used Car Focus Fiat Panda (2004-2011)
Buyers bamboo-zled by the number of cheap city cars on the market could do a lot worse than to pick up a Panda. Craig Cheetham checks out Fiat’s ‘bear’ essentials…
Fiat has always been good at small cars, from its very first ‘Topolino’ to its current range of 500 offshoots, so when it announced a new Panda for the 21st century, expectations were high.
The ‘Nuova Panda’ would replace the Seicento in Fiat’s model range, but was a five-door rather than three-door model, with a high roof and vertical rear tailgate aiding practicality. It was either a four- or five-seater, depending on whether or not you specified a split rear seat. Used buyer beware – if you regularly travel with more than two in the rear, you’ll need to find one with a single-piece bench.
At its UK launch in January 2004, it was offered with the 1.1-litre engine carried over from the Seicento, along with a 1.2-litre eight-valve. A 1.3-litre ‘Multijet’ diesel appeared soon after launch, sharing its engine with various Vauxhall models as well as the Fiat Punto and Doblo. Three trim levels were offered
– the entry-level Active, mid-range Dynamic and range-topping Eleganza, with an automatic transmission.
Fiat revisited another legend in 2005 by reinventing the Panda 4x4, while in 2006 it launched a ‘hot’ version in the form of the Panda 100hp, with a tuned version of the 1.4-litre petrol engine giving a 0-60 time of just over nine seconds. It was absolutely hilarious to drive and enjoys a cult following to this day.
The range underwent two major revisions; the first in 2007 with a revised, darker fascia and improved seat trim (identifiable by the new dark red Fiat grille badge) and the second in 2009, which brought in new ‘Eco’ models of the 1.1 with £30-a-year road tax, more efficient engines and a rationalised trim range.
Production was scaled back in 2011 to make way for the new Panda – a wholly more mature car, but one that lacked the simplicity and character of its predecessors. Demand from certain markets meant that the original was kept in production until 2014, manufacture taking place alongside the new model at Fiat’s Tychy plant in Poland.
As with the very first Panda, there was a spread of special editions, so it pays to check trim levels carefully. The most popular in the UK was the 360 (a betterequipped but cheaper version of the Dynamic) the Sporting, and the Luxury (based on the Eleganza) Among the more quirky editions were the vibrant orange or green Alessi and the yacht-inspired Jolly.
Today, the Panda is a fantastic choice of car for first-time drivers thanks to minimal running costs and low insurance groups, coupled to the fact that it costs pennies to buy and is really quite good fun to drive. However, they don’t suffer abuse especially well, so you need to shop around to be assured of the best example.
Bodywork
Whereas the original Panda was renowned for its ability to rot away like tomato in a heatwave, the Nuova Panda is a much more durable beast and is far less of an endangered species as a result.
However, it was a cheap car, and despite a 10-year anti-perforation warranty, older models are now proving that the car isn’t immune to rust. It’s by no means bad – a Ford, Honda or Mazda of the same age will have far more crispy metal – but the Panda’s boxy lines tend not to show up rusty areas until they’re fairly advanced. Much like Alfa Romeos of the same era, a Panda can look fantastic on top, but be rather flaky underneath.
Floorpans can rot out, especially at the rear where they get peppered with stone chips and road salt, while the sills are also prone. Bubbling at the trailing edge of the rear sills is a bad sign, because if the rust has reached the outer sill it means the inner has already disappeared.
That said, none of these areas is necessarily a killer. If you’re just after cheap transport, then although rust here is an MOT fail due to its proximity to the rear suspension mounts, repairs are usually not that difficult. Let in some new metal, apply copious amounts of underseal and there’s no reason why a Panda won’t carry on giving dutiful service for several more years.
You do need to inspect 4x4 and 100hp models more carefully though, as the plastic lower body trims can both hide and encourage corrosion.
Otherwise, look for leaks on models fitted with the troublesome ‘Skydome’ roof – an option that added weight and complexity – but not a lot else.
Kerbed alloys are common due to the city nature of the car, along with the usual scuffs, scrapes and battle scars associated with the urban jungle. Indeed, base ‘Active’ models are best suited for city life thanks to their black plastic bumpers and replaceable wheel trims.
Interior
Early Pandas in particular show up signs of a hard life, thanks partly to Fiat’s insistence on using light fabrics with colour-coded inlays. The light materials attract stains and dirt, which can leave the cabin looking the worse for wear, with the seats, carpets and even seatbelts prone to feeling a bit grim.
The good news is that, with the right level of elbow grease and some decent cleaning products, you can usually bring them back to life without too much expense, so if a potential purchase is otherwise in fine fettle, grubby seats are a perfect bargaining chip – assuming you don’t mind putting in the effort to spruce them up once you get the car home.
Fiat’s OE radios were fairly basic Blaupunkt units that really aren’t that great, both in terms of reliability or sound quality, so it’s common to find they’ve been replaced with aftermarket units. It’s a minor detail, but one that might irritate buyers who like a cabin to look as it did when the car was new.
Another irritating fault that’s common on Pandas is non-functional electric windows, especially on the driver’s side. While it might appear to be the window motor itself that’s at fault, the problem is more often than not related to the wiring, which runs from the loom through the door shut and tends to split with age – if you can find the break, it’s a 10-minute job with some wire clippers and bullet connectors to restore order.
Running gear
Under the skin, the Panda was all-new (it went on to underpin the Fiat 500 and also the second-generation Ford Ka), but was pretty straightforward, with a Macpherson strut front-end and torsion beam rear. Despite its simplicity, it was a formula that worked well, with impressive handling and a good ride for a city car, while its fun-to-drive nature was enhanced by the dash-mounted gear lever, that was close to the driver’s left hand and allowed for quick and comfortable changes.
To achieve this, the Panda used longer than average gear linkages, and over time these can suffer from wear – a stiff change or reluctance to go into one or more gears (usually second) is usually down to just a worn linkage – a cheap and easy fix, if a bit fiddly to get to.
A bouncy ride or ‘loose’ feel to the front-end is often indicative of worn strut top mounts – a very common problem as these are the main stress point on the car’s body. Although the parts will be dearer, it’s a good idea to swap the entire struts over for new ones if this happens as it’s easier and less time-consuming, while also giving you the reassurance that the entire strut, spring and damper are all new and not likely to give problems for several thousand miles yet.
A knock from the rear end is usually caused by one of two things: worn suspension bushes (which is not abnormal in any older car) or absent bump stops – on early examples they had a habit of falling off. Neither is a massive job to put right, but getting the bushes replaced by a garage may cost around £200, and given the price of early examples that’s not as economical as you might think.
Brakes give very few problems other than with ABS reluctor rings, which wear out and give the feeling of the ABS being permanently on. It’s irritating rather than dangerous, but requires the whole driveshaft to be replaced. Pre2005 ‘Active’ models didn’t have ABS at all, until it was mandated by European industry legislation.