The ultimate utilitarian vehicle
New front discs.
New front pads.
New front brake hoses.
New rear brake pads.
Bottoms of both doors are rotting fast.
Excellent little car.
Acquired at very low mileage.
Fantastic around town. I just love the simplicity of this car. Bare & basic.
Everybody should have one.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 13th December, 2000
Cheap reliable runabout
Front offside brake calliper keeps sticking.
Engine mountings worked loose.
Seatbelt retainer broke.
Although the faults have been minor and been repaired by myself, the car itself starts first time every time and is very reliable and economical.
The only thing that lets this car down is the bodywork.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 14th November, 2000
Bargain box of fun
Exhaust, heating system, shocks, nothing unexpected for the age of the car.
Excellent little car that has given 1000s of miles of happy and trouble-free motoring. Engine is a lovely little nippy thing, a bit underpowered uphill I suppose but it is only a 1 litre unit.
It will happily do 80mph on the flat without straining too much, and downhill even 100mph is possible!!!
If you want a cheap and cheerful car that's reliable, you can't go far wrong with one of these little babies ;-)
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 16th July, 2000
Good things come in small packages!!
Track rod ends.
Steering boots.
Electrical problems.
Boot lock(s).
Gear linkages.
Not a bad wee car at all, but I am slightly bias and therefore maybe a bit more forgiving than most! I currently own 2 Panda 4x4's and have owned 6 in total! The Sisley was a special edition designed by Benneton, and are getting rare nowadays. 4x4's do have their fair share of niggling common problems but if you can put up with it you will get a very versatile little car, on which almost everything may be taken off with a 13mm spanner!
Problems to watch for:
-Unmarked fuses on fuse box
-Headlight switches prone to failure
-4x4 Rear leaf springs prone to snapping at high mileage
-4x4 Transmissions can be weak if not looked after, change oil regularly, avoid using 1st gear in normal driving as it is essentially a crawler 4x4 gear and is too low for sensible on road use. Do use the 4x4 system regularly, to prevent seizure, even if it is only up and down the driveway!
-Sumps prone to damage
-Watch for rust below windscreen and around door corners
-Boot locks are poorly designed
-Gear linkages from stick to box are prone to working loose and breaking at high mileages
But look after it and it will look after you! The 50bhp engine is nippy around town and will often help you win the traffic light grand prix! Unbelieveable off road and does the type of stuff it shouldn't, more than holds its own with daddy Land Rovers! But difficult to get hold of, owners aren't stupid, are very loyal and tend not to part with them easily! Find a good one and enjoy both on and off road!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 9th June, 2000
Some minor electrical problems, some rust is now beginning to set in at the base of the doors, nothing else really.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 31st January, 1999
No problems.
A superb car. 750 engine slow on hills and 0-60 but fine for everyday use. Will run all day at 80mph. Bought car when it had been sitting in a field for 18 months, changed oil, filter and water, then did over 30,000 miles that year (mainly motorway) with only oil changes required. Excellent fun to drive, corners better than it should. Runs all day on a whiff of fuel vapour, only concern is with crash protection.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 10th November, 1998
The 750L was my first car and I loved it! Its quirky angular body and unstructured interior occasionally raised a few giggles but the car was how people recognised me! My friends always knew it was me if they saw an orange Panda driving around town!
It never ever broke down in the 2 years that I drove it - the only thing I had to buy for the car was a couple of new tyres (which are really cheap!)
The car was so good, when I 'upgraded' to my second car, my dad bought the Panda off me and still drives around in it today - 2 years on.
My Panda is getting a bit rusty on the sills now but who cares?
It's a great little car and has loads of personality!! (It's loads better than the Cinquecento - which is basically a remodeled Panda with a few extra safety features).
25th Dec 2000, 18:11
I agree with you! A Panda is built for 250,000 miles at least and you only have to fight the rust (and some parts that fall off).
My Panda ('88 1000CL) has never let me down, drives fast and is a very cheap economic wonder! It's an ugly colour (very light blue) and makes some noise when cold (a cheering dynamo) and then goes like the wind!
Good luck with yours!