One of the longest-lived brands in the market the Fiat Panda was first introduced in 1980. And that is all the more remarkable when you consider that in all that time there have only been two models, possibly making the Panda unique.
 
Always including a 4x4 variant it was originally conceived as an easily maintained, small, no frills utility vehicle and was generally more successful in its own domestic market than in the UK. This is largely because Fiat never aspired to high volume for the Panda here. 

Historically the car suffered from poor build quality and troublesome reliability and was so inadequately protected against corrosion that cars would arrive on British docks already featuring rust spots.

Fortunately the only legacy carried forward to the current model is the original value aspirations and today’s Panda represents a credible alternative to Ford Ka, Citroen C2, Vauxhall Corsa and Ford Fiesta. It works to Panda’s advantage that Fiat has still not aspired to high volumes for the car, preferring instead to focus on market penetration for Punto and Grande Punto.

Most of the cars remain within the dealer network and their relative scarcity means the current Panda enjoys solid residual values. The 1.1 Eco is one of the car’s now best suited to today’s growing band of consumers seeking ultra low running costs thanks to low CO2 and therefore small VED bills - making it a true car of the times. And the 1.4 16v 100HP version offers a credible alternative to Fiesta Zetec S, Corsa Sri and Suzuki Swift Sport.

As a used car in today’s market it can be summarised as a handy addition to the forecourt and an attractive alternative to the mainstream superminis on offer. Build quality and reliability are no longer an issue (although memories are long and may still hinder perceptions) and its nature as a genuine niche vehicle means that when a Panda does appear for sale it rarely hangs around for long.

ends