The wife's 8 year-old Fiesta is looking a bit tired.
I've boiled down the replacement options to a choice of either:
- Part-ex it against a brand new Panda 1.1 with air-con;
- Part-ex it against a a 3 year old (old shape) Fiesta 1.3 special edition (alloys, air-con, 20k miles).
The new Panda will cost me UK£5000 plus the old Fiesta as trade-in.
Buying the used Fiesta will cost me UK£4500.
Both are 5-door (essential for us). Got a good discount on the Panda, but the Ford dealer assures me (of course!) that the Fiesta is from a different segment and therefore a better car all-round...
Which would you choose?! Is a brand new car worth finding the extra £500 for?
(I'm in France, so there's no 05 reg snobbery here!)
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No brainer ... Get the panda. Brilliant car!
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Just a thought - have you sat in both cars? I only mention it as I loved the Panda but found that the cabin was too narrow for me - the B pillar was uncomfortably close to my arm, and although I'm not thin, I'm not unusally big.
If you fit, I'd go with imagos - no brainer for the Panda
-- Lee Having a Fabialous time.
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I've just ordered a Panda and found no trouble fitting in despite being 6 ft tall and 18 stone.
Try to stretch to the diesel if you can, goes like a rocket.
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Panda every time - for that extra £500 you'll get a 3 year warranty and the peace of mind that it gives.
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Nick
If you are looking at a 1.3 Fiesta with the old push rod engine (not the 1.25 OHC engine) then don't buy it. It sounds expensive anyway. Surely the 3 year warranty and lack of expense for the first few years of a new car is worth more than £500.
JS
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Ownership of Fiats boils down to how good (or bad) your Local Fiat dealer service department is like.
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Hi,
Form my experience of driving a panda daily for 4 days ? it?s a delightfully easy car to navigate, park and jump in and out of. I don?t think the trim is to good (fiat after all!) and the 1.1 engine, needs flooring to get moving on the open road ? but it wont be a problem around town ? although its not as economical as one would hope.
The 3 star NCAP is a let down to.
If you want better mpg, same level of safety, more kit and a million times more reliability ? go for a Kia Picanto. I found the 1.0 just as pleasant to drive, the kit list leaves fiat looking like scrooge ? and enough front cabin space for 2 6 foot 5 blokes. If you go for the Kia, avoid if you can the metallic ? paint quality is still woeful.
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No contest....go for the Panda. I had several of the previous model and they were cheap to run and the engines were tough. They were sold as generators to the the third world appently (the engines that is)and and were run for years. Strangely the old Pandas were great in the snow and ice, I went past several stranded four by fours!
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