Randy Panda Bought. The worst best car in the world (with the worst wheels in the world)

[rainagain]

Track days, hmm, would you like to buy a nice stainless steel decat exhaust manifold?

[HH-R]

I was going to say throw the alloys through the front window of someone you don't like, but some mug might pay money for them on ebay.

[Cheezey]

I've fancied one of these for ages. Arnold Shark in Grangemouth had a brand new one for £8995 years ago on ramps outside. Every time I went past I thought it was the best value brand new car going.

 

I looked at one at a dealer in Alloa about three years ago but was disappointed with how the interior had worn compared to the rest of the car. Maybe it was just a bad example.

 

Yours looks a great buy for the money. I've been waiting for these to drop to the £1000 mark.

 

I've seen the £400 respray adverts on Gumtree as well. For a cheapy car getting tarted up or doing something goofy for fun it would be worth it.

[Pillock]

I test drove one at £5995 and nearly bought it, thought it was an absolute hoot. Three figures sounds like the bargain of the week.

[cort16]

You've not paid much more than CAP Below for it - if you were able to sort the body out to a reasonable standard you could quite easily make a few quid on it when you're bored of it

It's the very definition of cap poor. The fees came to an eye watering 180 quid. 1080 all in.

 

Sg petch fiat are doing the cam belt and tensioner for 43 quid In eBay. Should probably buy that .

[Timewaster]

They certainly split opinion don't they.

 

I'm in the "like them but not sure I want one" camp.

 

I did consider a new one under the rapage scheme but imminent children rendered one impractical at the time

[Timewaster]

I was going to say throw the alloys through the front window of someone you don't like, but some mug might pay money for them on ebay.

Well that's your delivery method sorted then.

[cort16]

Hopefully I'll get something for the wheels . I'll mostly be happy as long as I don't have to look at them.

[cort16]

I picked up the Panda tonight. No flat battery's, no flat tyre, no warning light and no ftp's.

 

It's finger ling-ling good!

 

 

 

I took it pretty easy given it's got a Jeremy Beadle wheel on it and a timing belt probably hanging on by a thread. 

From what I can gather on the 10 mile drive home it drives pretty well. No weird noises, brakes all work, clutch doesn't slip and it seems very nippy. In fact I had trouble keeping it at a sensible speed and as it got a six speed box it's not revving it's knackers off, which is a definate fault with Mrs C's Daihatsu .

 

crash

 

 

bang

 

 

wallop

 

 

oh what a picture

 

 

These shitty "dynamic" wheels seem to have half decent tyres on them so hope fully I can get some cash back.

 

I went over to falkirk yesterday and bought these Fiat 500 wheels for 85 quid. Four good tyres, 3 of which look brand new. I think I'll ditch the trimz and wonder wheel the steels gunmetal grey, which'll do until I can find a better looking replacements.

 

 

I had a rake through the glove box hoping to find a receipt for a timing belt. There was an envelope. I got excited but no, just a shopping list for diced cow leg.

 

 

It does have this though. Ooh, fancy

 

 

Here's the power house. Noticed how they just lost interest painting it when the got to the engine bay.

It all looks okay, the oil even looks pretty clean (I'm just glad there's some in it). The timing belt seems to be right under that engine mount though, which is handy.

 

 

 

I've bought worse!

[Kiltox]

Looks a cracker for the money. Let me know if you need any technical help etc (I'm performing major surgery on a 1.1 at the moment)

[cort16]

I need to figure out the timing belt change. I might see what it's going to take to get it through an mot before I go down that route though.

[Danblez]

There's a few black uns being broken on eBay at the mo

[Kiltox]

There's a few black uns being broken on eBay at the mo

Body parts command strong money though - I tried to find a door and wing for my one and was shocked at how much they sell for

[HH-R]

Amazing how the lovely FIRE 1.4 can generate 100 HP in these and a dire, wheesy, unbelievably slow 70 odd in a Punto Evo.

[cort16]

My Mrs had a 1.2 Grande Punto and it was unbelievably slow.  Dangerously so. She loved it though as it looked purdy.

[Barry Cade]

Every time I've driven a Grande, I've scratched my chin under the bonnet wondering what's broken- but most non Jap small cars are like that now. 100HP is a proper terrier Fiat, like my old Y10 FIRE- you just can't tire them out.

[cort16]

I can't wait to give it a proper drive. Does anyone know where I could get a workshop manual for one? All the ones on ebay etc only cover the smaller engines and not the 1.4?

I really need to get that timing belt changed before I start giving it some abuse.

[oldcars]

Body parts command strong money though - I tried to find a door and wing for my one and was shocked at how much they sell for

Christ, what type of person sells Panda body parts, that's grim indeed.

[cort16]

It was time to do something about THOSE wheels.  

 

IMG_0197 by cort16, on Flickr

 

I bought a set of Fiat 500 steels with nearly new tyres last weekend. They came with decent trimz but I thought they'd look a bit naff on the panda so came up with a very complex plan B. It is as follows, use the wheels without trims.

 

The wheels are painted black and generally pretty nasty .

 

IMG_0198 by cort16, on Flickr

 

Cleaned them up with some wire wool and the real hard stuff - Lidl baby wipes (I prefer unscented)

 

IMG_0199 by cort16, on Flickr

 

There was some rust on it them, which I made half hearted attempt to sand off but decided instead to burst out the lazy bastards ultimate high build primer.

Stone chip

 

IMG_0202 by cort16, on Flickr

 

After

 

IMG_0203 by cort16, on Flickr

 

You'd better not get any paint on the patio says Mrs C.

 

Oops

 

IMG_0205 by cort16, on Flickr

 

After the patio unpleasantness I though I'd finish them off in lockup so spent half another moving other shite out the way

 

IMG_0210 by cort16, on Flickr

 

A bit of primer (note how I took much more care to not get this floor covered in paint than I did with the patios).

After years of using news paper to mask up wheels I've been converted to using this decorators plastic sheet. It makes it so much easier. I think I got about 5000 metres of it off eBay for 7 quid or something. The proper stuff as used by actual painters has a static charged to it so it stick to the car. Clever stuff.

 

IMG_0213 by cort16, on Flickr

 

Time to break out the £1 fridge paint

 

IMG_0215 by cort16, on Flickr

 

It didn't go 100% to plan as I was hammering bits of metal in other areas on the lockup which made various bits of shite and detritus fall out the roof and land on the wheels. I also paid the price a bit for not bothering by arse to removed the rust properly as its a bit rough in parts.. Still, it only cost about 6 quid in materials.

 

IMG_0216 by cort16, on Flickr

 

On the panda

 

IMG_0229 by cort16, on Flickr

 

IMG_0231 by cort16, on Flickr

 

The bolts and centres are a bit crusty. I might blast them with a bit of stone chip to try to cheer them up a bit.

 

I still plan to get a set of proper hp100 wheels but I can now drive it without getting a bit of sick in my mouth every time I look at it.

[Parky]

Like! Reminds me of a Peugeot Rallye.

 

Always liked white steelies, no idea why more people do too it as I think it looks ace, especially on a red or black car

[cort16]

Me too. The rallye wheels have cool plastic centres and bits to go over the wheel nuts, which I'd like for this but the Rallye bits are a fortune and probably wouldn't fit. This is when it would be good to have a 3D printer (this is the first time I've ever said this).

[Matt]

Winter mode activated just in time for winter ending lol.  White steelies do tend to look pretty great, especially on white cars but I don't think it really goes with black so well but then again I don't think black is the best colour for the Panda 100HP. Proper 100HP alloys would look brilliant but the only ones I'm seeing on Ebay are £400 (with Goodyear tyres). It might be worth considering some alloys from the newer shape Panda? I think they've got great designs.

 

[Kiltox]

That looks pretty smart!

[cort16]

Winter mode activated just in time for winter ending lol.  White steelies do tend to look pretty great, especially on white cars but I don't think it really goes with black so well but then again I don't think black is the best colour for the Panda 100HP. Proper 100HP alloys would look brilliant but the only ones I'm seeing on Ebay are £400 (with Goodyear tyres). It might be worth considering some alloys from the newer shape Panda? I think they've got great designs.

 

 

 

 

 

Those do look smart! There are also some decent 500 wheels out there too but this is a half decent solution on a budget.

[Matt]

Those do look smart! There are also some decent 500 wheels out there too but this is a half decent solution on a budget.

 

Just looked and the 500 does have some lovely designs. I think what this car needs in something with a good chunky spoke. With the black paint, black trim, dark glass and dark alloys I can't really see any detail that grabs my attention so good chunky silver spokes like the alloys I posted above would look great.

[Parky]

Anything from the Alfa/Lancia stable will fit - always liked the turbine design on Uno Turbos but think they were only 13's.

 

Imagine that! We used to use 13's on hot hatches!!

 

Also, the second generation Ford KA shares the same platform as the 500 so I should think a set of wheels for one of those would work.

[laser wheels]

Liking the new wheels - 174% improovmunt! I've also been looking at these as a possible replacement for the SportKa, but as others have said they start at about £2k for all but the roughest, so I reckon you got a deal there.

[cort16]

My aim is to get the timing belt and mot done for 1500 quid (including the car). It really depends on what it needs for it's MOT and how much work I can be bothered to do myself.. If last years advisories are anything to go by then it's defo going to need some bits.

 

It's mot runs out 2 days from Mrs C's Daihatsu, which may make June expensive.

[hairnet]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fiat-Panda-100hp-alloy-wheels-x2-/281973735594

 

couldnt be any further away and theres only 2

 

yes im looking too

[cort16]

They are expensive!

I've listed the original shite wheels on gumtree for a probably optimistic 35 quid. It turns out that on further inspection 3 of the tyres are royally shagged. I recon that bit of trim missing from the wheel arch will be about 35 quid so if it partially covers that it'll be happy.