Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong so far with the car since I have had it. The only thing I have done to it so far is change the oil and put gas in it.

Interior of the car is not to good, but for 200 Dollars you can't beat it.

Both driver and passenger door windows are broken. The plastic pieces that run the windows up and down are broke.

General Comments:

It is my first Fiat ever. I bought it from a friend for hardly anything.

For the tiny 750cc engine that is in it the car runs very good. It has been reliable every morning firing up with the help of the choke.

The cars suspension is like you are driving in a heavy duty truck or a little tank.

When I first drove it, I thought I was behind the wheel of a go-cart.

So far I don't think I will be able to ever get rid of it if something happens.

Faults:

The front right wheel split at 32000 miles, but it did not cost much for a new one.

The lever to open the bonnet does not work, but I can still get to the catch to open it with a screw driver.

General Comments:

I love this car and anyone who has driven one will say the same.

The small engine is surprisingly quick even though it looks like a hairdryer motor.

In all, this car is a bundle of fun, and when it has eventually gone to the scrapheap in the sky, I will get another one.

Faults:

The contact breaker points burned out at around 70,000 miles. This cost £13.00 for a new set which was fitted at home in 20 minutes.

Also the starter motor wore out after I'd driven the car about 5000 miles. A replacement from the local scrap-yard was fitted (costing the princely sum of £12.00) after I'd got sick of a few weeks of bump-starting. Again this repair was done at home and took less than an hour.

At 71,000 miles I renewed the front brake pads and rear shoes. (As these are a "consumable" item I wasn't too upset about this). I also replaced the rear wheel cylinders as these were leaking and stiff. All this cost just over £40.00.

The windscreen developed a large crack after being hit by a stone. This was hardly the car's fault and a second-hand one costing £10.00 was easily fitted.

A bit of rust has broken through in the back of the sills.

Finally, an intermittent fault with the Weber carburettor fitted to the car means that it occasionally cuts out when idling. No amount of fiddling or cleaning seems to have much effect. Possibly another trip to the scap-yard is due...

General Comments:

Upon being made redundant and having to sell my Jag, I was looking for a cheap runabout. I'd had a Panda 900 a few years ago and remembered them as cheap to run, easy to repair and very practical (if not exactly trendy).

I paid £225 for my current Panda and have used it almost every day for the last 18 months.

I get around 40-45 miles per gallon using unleaded, and it's top speed is 90-95 mph (honest!).

In the UK. Pandas fall into the cheapest bracket for tax and insurance.

It has taken me on holiday twice, has stood up to off-road abuse on farms and building sites and has survived two wet Welsh winters!

The last MOT cost me just £25.00.

It's a bit uncomfortable on long journeys, but not as noisy as people say.

Although Pandas suffer from niggling faults and need a bit more attention than some cars, parts are cheap and easy to get hold of and you can usually bodge them up yourself with a few basic tools.