What's the aim here, to get a new panda at all costs? Or just any reliable small car?
Good question.
I'm actually a little confused on where to go next...
One option is Lexus CT - higher specs. That's about everything I can imagine having on a car. Some days (not often) I think that's where I'd like to go. On the other hand, despite being a good car - like my Toyota - I think it will lack character and any sort of love for the car, its looks and all that.. and it's a higher cost / payment - so if it's not perfect.. I might just be in the same boat.
Second option is an Abarth 595C (auto). It adds the convenience of auto, the novelty (to be enjoyed often) of an open air roof, likely a stunning colour and looks - satisfaction walking up to it and being seen in it. It's got a killer sound track. It's a real drivers car by all accounts. I'd say it would be amazing around the north coast here on a sunny day with open throttle. It's small (adequate for me). Hardly a gas guzzler like other 'fast' cars. But something I could see myself enjoying a lot and it has that warm feeling of being a part of the Fiat/Abarth/Alfa community as well as the owner satisfaction all of its cars seem to exhibit. It also has the option of CarPlay, a bonus. And I can fit heated seats and wouldn't hesitate at a job like that now. However... it's also sometimes cited at hard to live with and usually peoples second cars, so despite the fun and love of it, perhaps I'd regret that decision too...
Last option, and honestly the one I lean most toward: another Panda. Current shape. Not too old. I've been contemplating buying a brand spanking new one - right to my requirements. But this MHEV seems questionable to live with and maintain long term. With this, it's very much easy to live with. 5 doors, easy to move, personally I absolutely love how it looks despite it not being considered by many to be a looker. It's the one car I'd allow to be manual - as I've experience of it and never had many issues with the gear change on it. Lounge is the ideal spec, all the essentials, nothing more. Easy is fine - but without the phone cradle and steering control pack, I think day to day it will be lacking for my needs. CarPlay is a bonus on the newer / brand new models. But my phone (only if the factory cradle and charge port is equipped) is even better than CarPlay. I've considered the Pop, but they are barely less than an Easy or above to buy used and the remote key absent is a little too much to sacrifice walking up to the car, hands full of groceries etc.
The aim... well, I've been between cars a lot. I've experienced what is the pinnacle for me and my circles in that Mercedes CLA220 which was decked out with every feature under the sun. Unlike before, I've lived with and experienced 'everything'. The DS3 was a step on the ladder of lots of spec. The Avensis more so, with the size advantage, 'comfort', and reliability from Toyota. Sure enough, no real issues with it that weren't fixed easily. I just don't feel very satisfied with it. The gear changes are poor / bad gearing making it frustrating on longer trips. The MPG is poor and the engine constantly working overtime to make it move... My uncles 2.2D Mazda 6 estate gets the same MPG, but is auto and has 180hp versus 110hp - which is slow. That's what's got me wanting rid of the Avensis.
I've been thinking back and of all my cars to-date, the album on my phone of the 2017 Panda I bought from Motorpoint in 2019 is the one that makes me smile the most. I was so happy with that car coming from my 05. I was excited, and for actual months was in awe of having air conditioning. Something everybody else started with! That level of contentment, unwavering pride in that car - that's what I want. The satisfaction of being satisfied with something so simple and something I felt was a reflection of my own outlooks on life and character too. Before, I didn't know what I was missing and during lockdown 2020 boredom got the better of me and I wanted the highest spec I could get with minimal increase. Problems ensued (Citroen quality). The Mercedes for two months happened. I wanted more than the DS3 then. I got the Avensis, full size, 'comfort', 'hassle free'. Even since, I've been browsing Lexus CTs...
Where does it end? you know. And even the CT has a dated infotainment system, has the same poor reviews amongst competitors like the Avensis and DS3 did despite being relatively well priced and specced. That's why it's not such a 'no brainer' to just get the Lexus as most people assume it should be.
Don't get me wrong, this weekend as much as I've been joyful of the thought of Panda ownership, I am giving it
serious thought. It is a completely different class, and it too is long in the tooth just like the Avensis and DS3 for their competition. It will be noisier. It will lean around the corners dramatically more. It has some relatively less promising safety characteristics. It has no smart safety tech. It probably won't be so comfortable on the annual trip to Dublin ...
But what I'm focusing on here is that I never had to worry about scratching the interior when I cleaned it. I ruined the DS3 shiny dash inserts in the first month. There's similar marks on the Avensis grey trim pieces too. The soft touch panels, if you have anything lean on them, get permanently marked. I clipped it last year in the work car park because I turned too soon and that was £600 out of pocket to put right, and months of bad paint that cost another £100 to put right. There's the fear of the BMW engine not lasting very long or well. Or the constant over working of its turbo leading to a short engine life. It cost me £600 to put some quality tyres on it - fine but the Panda won't cost that. Maybe half that for a set of four. What I'm getting at is, the DS3 and Avensis are nice cars compared to my old Fiats. But as such, I expect them to be perfect and in reality they can't be. The Panda's I had, both, they took light scratches, bumps and wear and tear gracefully. They're straightforward, they've got style, they cost peanuts to run. And now that I have the money to throw at my cars - which I have - doesn't mean I think it's the right thing to focus on. Yet I don't want to run around in an Avensis with cheap tat tyres or lousy components. Even the paper flat carpet in my Pandas was easier to clean than the relatively lush stuff on the Avensis. Took two months of hassle with AutoGlass to get the windscreen fixed right... first poor quality glass, bad fit, then the sensor not re-aligned.. lost a lot of sleep over that.
The year I had my 2017 Panda - June 19-June 20: I went on my first holiday abroad to Amsterdam, booked more weekends away, got a new job, graduated, went over on trips to England and Scotland, did the coastal route multiple times, must have been to Belfast and back nearly weekly around November-February time. I spent a lot more focus and money on other parts of life that led to better memories. When I bought that, that was the 'car' part of my life accounted for, by my own definition at the time, I had made it. Didn't need to worry about it. I changed the oil. Put new tyres on it when it needed two. Must have waxed it nearly, if not every month! And I made a lot less back then, it never broke the bank. This year I've put a tonne into the Avensis but every time has been a little bit of a month or two of not spending elsewhere to avoid digging into savings or what have you.
I got rid of the Panda for
stupid reasons. I remember it well. And it was largely boredom from lockdown - no real substance to the move. No real push factors scaring me away, if any, worrying too much what other people thought or might think. A few more years of experience and it's abundantly clear to me that:
nobody else cares. Everybody else is worrying about their own life. When
my car comes up they might notice it or say that it's not their cup of tea, but sure enough, nobody ever turns down me wanting to drive or even sitting in the back of any Panda I've owned

But finally, it's just because I like the look of it. I liked driving it.
How many Fiat 500s are sold solely on the basis of how they look. Or VW Beetle re-makes. That in itself seems to be sustaining a major best seller on a big continent. So even if just for the fact I like how the Panda looks and how it makes me feel to drive - even if it pales in comparison to the other cars I've owned or is noisier etc. I think it's justified.
It'll take 8 weeks to sell my Avensis, if not more. I'd be pleasantly surprised if it came sooner. But equally given the model and the lack of interest in it in general, I think it will be a struggle. I might need to drop down the price, at most to settlement figure value... Hopefully not. Until then, it's thinking time. Lexus. Abarth. Panda.
One approach I had was this...
If my car doesn't sell (and lowering the price doesn't work) stuck with it. Keep it.
If it does sell, and the dealer here finds me a suitable Abarth, go for that. But the 595C Auto is rare, and so is a dealer working hard to find one.
If he finds me a suitable Panda, I'll buy that. (1.2, Lounge, low miles)
If not, there's always the CT.. but then .. there's always everything above.
It's not like I'm comparing three close cars in the same class here, they're each a totally different lifestyle, for a totally different buyer. I've still not figured out which of them I am.