Anyone have a Fiat Panda?

[MrsJohnDeere]

We're planning on getting one in the next few days. Dh is keen, I need a bit more persuading (great on paper - small for parking, low insurance - but so ugly imho!).

Do you like it? How reliable is it? I know traditionally Fiats have an awful reputation for going wrong but I keep reading that they're ok now.

What child car seat do you have? I have a 2yo and a small 4yo, so both in group 1 seats at the moment. The Britax ones we have in our other car won't fit in the Panda, it seems.

Mine is four years old. Never had a problem. Good mileage. Easy to park reasonable boot space for small car. Good accleration given engine size and good braking.
Not the most fashionable but I use mine as a runaround with the kids. Easily fit a medium size shop and 2 kids with car seats in the back.

I had one a few years back when xp smashed our car up. Quite easily the worst car I've ever had the misfortune to drive. Really slow, I wanted a paper bag over my head so that no-one could see me driving it, was actually glad of the accident centre logo plastered all over it, at least no-one would think it was mine!

It was heaven to get my car back and I hated that with a passion.

As with all fiats ~I've driven, the pedals are in the wrong place, you have to distort your body into a really uncomfortable position as they're really far over to one side. Plus the pedals are so close together that you hit 2 at the same time, plus can't have your feet on brake & clutch at the same time as you then can't lift the bottom foot. I've only got size 5's, but every time I braked I hit the accelerator too. The only other car I've driven that is close to as bad as that was another little Fiat (another courtesy car from when xp smashed another car up).

My mum had one years ago! It had the weirdest back seat - there was something like a ridge at the front that was higher than the back - it was very odd to sit in, a bit like a deckchair! Suggest you sit in the back to see what you will do to your children.

Bumping for any other Fiat owners, particularly anyone with recent Fiat experience. We would be getting a 1.4 hp 100 (max 1 year old) which dh tells me is much nippier than some of the other models.

I have told him that he must test drive and check out the pedal situation before buying. He has a tendency to get carried away when buying cars ....

Dp has one while we wait for the insurance to come through from the car that was smashed to smithereens....

He loves it. I think when the insurance does come through he might just get another! His insurance has halved, (who wants to nick a panda?) petrol costs have been cut by a third. We only have a booster seat now for dd, but until last summer she was in a stage 2 carseat and it fitted no problem.

We don't seem to have a ridge in the backseat..

The longest trip we've done in it is 2 hrs on an airport run. I wouldn't like to do 500 miles or anything in it, but dp loves it for the old work-school-weekend day trip thing.

Oh that's more positive. This car would only be used for the school run and occasional commutes to a station car park so comfort and boot space aren't very important. We have a big workhorse of an estate car for everything else.

Don't get the whole pedal thing or back seat phenomenon; not something I 've ever noticed. very easy and light weigth to drive. I think very hard to get better value for money.

I asked dp (I don't drive ) and he says the pedals are where they've always been. (whatever that means)

my sister has one and loves it, great on petrol costs

Well dh has gone and bought one today. He did a test drive (albeit on a lower spec model) and thought the pedals were normal. The main problem with the test drive was that he did it in scary London traffic during his lunch hour and was concentrating on that rather than the car.

We don't get it for another couple of weeks so I'll have to wait a while longer to form my own opinions.

Thanks for all the advice.