Faults:

In two years I've replaced a CV gaiter, clutch and exhaust back box. Not bad considering I cane it everywhere. The little matchbox really takes it well. She's great. Oh, and the usual service bits, brakes not really gone wrong, just general maintenance.

General Comments:

Fantastic little car. Bit windy through the canvas sunroofs, but so much fun, and very nippy for a 1 liter. Had 95 m.p.h downhill with wind behind me. Didn't say that. The car really has stood up to it. Best car I've had out of the seven I've owned.

Faults:

The only problems I have ever had with this fantastic little car was when the windscreen wiper motor failed and had to be replaced, at a cost of over £100.

The second incident was when they replaced a bolt in the engine with one which was no the correct size - car was taken back several times to dealership who couldn't find what was wrong...

Get this though... a young, newly qualified AA repair man found the problem within 5 minutes!!!

Fiat were absolutely atrocious on both occasions when it came to ordering the parts... it took 6 months for them to get the parts delivered.

General Comments:

I've got to say, I will be very sad when this little car finally reaches the end of it's days!!

Fantastic little mover, does lack acceleration, but doesn't need much persuading if I want to put my foot down a bit!!

Goes very well when it comes to drinking the juice - or lack of it, it runs at about 52 miles per gallon, I ran from central wales to the Midlands on 1/4 of a tank.

Handles fairly well on the motorway, I tend to keep to 60mph so that it doesn't catch too much of the cross-winds and not to work the engine too hard.

My panda is now 8 years old and it has yet to acquire any rust at all.

Fantastic car to learn to drive in, I flew through my test thanks to the hours of fun I had practicing in my little 'fire engine'.

Really good on the insurance point of view, it may not look much, but it's a fantastic first car for young people like myself.

I'd recommend a Panda to any person who's looking for a cheap economical reliable run-around.

Faults:

Exhaust rattled at idle and between gear changes.

Injector malfunction warning light illuminated when driving over 70 mph.

General Comments:

This is a great small car which costs pennies to run and always starts first time. The above problems were easily solved with a simple D.I.Y service, and didn't cost a fortune either. The exhaust rattling was quickly cured with a new exhaust clamp, which only costed 3 pounds.

The 1.0 injection engine is very nippy in traffic and has no problem keeping up with motorway speeds. This makes motorway journeys all the more fun in a car of this size.

Reliability is a plus, as my Panda always starts first time and gets me from A to B in any condition, and cold starting isn't a problem either.

All in all, a cheap and cheerful little motor which is a pleasure to own and maintain, and great fun to drive. This car is far to under-rated in the U.K.