General Is 130,000 miles too many to buy a Mark-4 Panda with?

[TheMossMan44]

Having looked at many possible first cars, I've decided to go for a Panda and I particularly like the 4x4 look so am looking at a couple of those with the Trekking trim (same under the hood as the Lounge but with the same body and suspension as the 4x4s). There is one problem; all those I have seen (that have dipped into my price bracket) are quite high mileage, all around 130,000 miles.

Is this too many to justify a purchase, regardless of price? I've seen people on other Fiat forums say that the Mark-4s will last for up to 200,000 miles if they're treated well. I suppose it has a lot to do with MOT history and if that's the case, what things should I look out for on the history?

 

[jrkitching]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

Is this too many to justify a purchase, regardless of price

With a TA engine, I'd avoid however cheap; the potential first year repair cost could be frightening, and more than the value of the car even if you got it for free.

With a 1.2, I'd consider a 10yr old car with 130k, but only if priced below £1000, and only if you can do your own servicing and maintenance.

I don't believe it's likely to be economically viable to run a Panda past 100k if you are dependent on the trade for repairs. Garage rates have shot up recently, and even small jobs won't be cheap, and can quickly add up.

If it's your first ever car, get a firm insurance quote before committing to buying anything. A TA for a first time driver might be pricey.

A Panda is a good choice for a first car (and certainly a better one than a 500), but I'd be looking for a good example of one of the last of the 1.1/1.2 169's. An older car in good condition with fewer miles is likely to work out better than a high mileage well used later one for the same money.

 

[TheMossMan44]

Hello and welcome to the forum.


With a TA engine, I'd avoid however cheap; the potential first year repair cost could be frightening, and more than the value of the car even if you got it for free.

With a 1.2, I'd consider a 10yr old car with 130k, but only if priced below £1000, and only if you can do your own servicing and maintenance.

I don't believe it's likely to be economically viable to run a Panda past 100k if you are dependent on the trade for repairs. Garage rates have shot up recently, and even small jobs won't be cheap, and can quickly add up.

If it's your first ever car, get a firm insurance quote before committing to buying anything. A TA for a first time driver might be pricey.

Thank you for the advice mate. I wasn't sure about the TA but you've really helped.

I've got insurance quotes on it and it's surprisingly cheap for a new driver like myself; a few hundred pounds less than a Polo even.

 

[jrkitching]

I wasn't sure about the TA but you've really helped.

We've seen TA's with <50k that have needed >£2k of repairs to parts that a 1.2 doesn't even have.

Some folks like the way they drive (it's a marmite thing), but the ones who got best value were likely the ones who bought new and traded away before the expensive repairs were needed.

For a cheap first car, I'd advise you to keep it as simple as you can. If you can take a knowledgeable person with you when buying, it might save you a lot of grief later. There's a lot of rubbish on both dealer forecourts and private driveways at this price point. Remember there'll always be another car, and if it doesn't feel right, just walk away.

 

[Big gerry]

Miles wouldn’t matter to me as long as it had a full service history there’s a member that has a panda with 164000 miles

 

[Panda IIs]

I've seen people on other Fiat forums say that the Mark-4s will last for up to 200,000 miles if they're treated well. I suppose it has a lot to do with MOT history and if that's the case, what things should I look out for on the history?

I think you have answered your own question here?!

I purchased a 2013 4x4 TA with 45k miles and no service history when it was 4 years old - I took a chance but the price reflected the lack of history. Sure enough it needed some TLC - well a new UniAir module actually followed by a clutch (probably caused by trying to drive it on one cylinder due to UniAir issue). I still have the car which gets regular (6k miles) oil changes and looked at when it makes unusual noises. It's had new wishbones (ball joint MOT advisory) and discs and is now on 86k miles with nothing out of the ordinary since.

It is not just a FIAT thing, cars need maintenance, and particularly benefit from regular, good oil changes. You will see the 1.2 fire engine recommended but that has a cam belt (TA is chain driven) which should also be maintained (regardless of miles - rubber bits degrade with time). Read the MOT history and that, with some reading between the lines, will give you some insight as to the diligence of previous owners. 130k miles on a car that age is considered "average" I believe, so you will be leading the pack, the high mileage examples "cited" are unusual in that they have above average miles on the clock (if you follow me)?

I also have a Volvo 940 on 210k miles and Merc E class on 230k miles with unexceptional mechanical demands - just regular maintenance...

 

[AndyRKett]

With a 1.2, I'd consider a 10yr old car with 130k, but only if priced below £1000, and only if you can do your own servicing and maintenance.

This is really good advice, the 1.2, even the “complicated” 16v is a really very simple engine to work on yourself.
I am no mechanic but have just stripped and rebuilt the cylinder head on my 1.2 Punto. I’ve changed the clutch and restored the whole front suspension to as new if not better than new condition all with a fairly simple set of tools. I would strongly recommend the 1.2 over the twin air any day.

As a first car you are always going to find it’s a toss up of price versus condition(mileage) and age. You want new and cheap you have to accept high milage. You want new and good condition you’ll have to pay a high price. You can still get a good condition panda 4x4 for reasonable money but you’d be better going for something older with the 1.2 petrol or even look for a 1.3 diesel in the Panda cross from about 2008 -2010

 

[The Panda Nut]

I agree with all that has been said. The TA is great, and clearly will do 100K, but its not a cheap thing and there are many issues that you must be able to afford as they are largely garage jobs. 4x4 is a great idea but makes NO difference to the drive at all but will have associated costs. If you dont need 4x4 avoid it. I have both TA 4x4 and 1.2 and the TA is significantly more expensive to insure as well. Take the advice of all these seasoned Fiat drivers and start simple. Most young men find they spend out a lot on their early cars and you will spend much less on a 1.2 and you will be able to learn about repairing it along the way. Try and find a well specified 1.2 to start with. Instead of 4x4 look for lower miles would be m suggestion.

 

[AnthonyH]

I'd go for an older car with less mileage. It'll look less fashionable but be cheaper to repair.

Try a 2004 Panda with 80,000 on the clock, or similar.

 

[Big gerry]

Maintenance is very very important in any car it doesn’t matter what make of vehicle you buy if it’s not maintained it will give you problems some items on a car I expect not to give me problems but a lot of items what I call wear and tear it doesn’t matter if it’s a rolls Royce or a TA

 

[vexorg]

If you want something with a bit more power than a panda 1.2, then the micra is a good alternative. Similar size, repair is very easy on them.
(Similar ugly factor too )