Second Car questions

Conanius said:
I'm really liking what I'm hearing about the Fiat Panda 100hp.

Simple 1.4 N/A engine. Should get close to 50MPG on the dual carriageway sections. Cheap as chips running costs (insurance/tax/servicing/tyres/brakes/etc) and brilliant if I want to wind down on the way home down the lanes and let the engine sing a bit.

Sure, it will be about as refined as sitting next to the space shuttle on take off, but it looks interesting. Can get them for about £2.5k also it seems.

Anyone here got or had one?
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If you are going down this route check the Suzuki Ignis Sport or Yaris T Sport. Both a better drive than a panda. I paid 2 grand for a 05, one owner 41k mileage car for the other half and will do mid 40s quite easily. Saying that her commute is only 26 miles. I wouldn't want to do 70 miles a day in something small.
 
Jez said:
1mpg less? Are you sure that isnt a lighter driving style as LPG has a significantly lower CV to that of gasoline :confused:

I am still tempted to do it though, especially if gas can be bought for 67p.
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Might have to do some research into this. Working in NG CV (or BTU as the yanks use) is quite a poor actual representative of the quality of fuel.

Wobbe index is normally used or a calculation based on impurities. I assume LPG will be the same.
 
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Conanius said:
I like the idea of a Jazz, interesting you managed 63MPG on a run. I presume that was 50mph tailgating lorries?
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I wouldn't expect 63mpg every time but it was done on a trip from Leeds to Bristol. I was driving cautiously but not drafting lorries, I think somewhere around 60mph was where I sat. To be honest, I wasn't a fan of the Jazz until I used it for a short while and it's a ridiculously clever little package with decent engines and reliability. The Jazz is a much nicer place to be than the Panda, but neither are ideal for motorways.
 
Someone I know in a similar situation (primary car was a 500bhp Impreza) bought a 1.5 dci Clio. Ran it of for a few years. :)
 
Conanius said:
I'm really liking what I'm hearing about the Fiat Panda 100hp.

Simple 1.4 N/A engine. Should get close to 50MPG on the dual carriageway sections. Cheap as chips running costs (insurance/tax/servicing/tyres/brakes/etc) and brilliant if I want to wind down on the way home down the lanes and let the engine sing a bit.

Sure, it will be about as refined as sitting next to the space shuttle on take off, but it looks interesting. Can get them for about £2.5k also it seems.

Anyone here got or had one?
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Same engine as our Grande Punto. While it is a bigger car it also has longer gear ratios (and a significantly longer 6th gear). It is an economical car, I get 41-43 mpg on my commute but on longer motorway trips the economy doesn't really improve much beyond that.

I've got my wifes Grande Punto for commuting duties at the moment for just under 60 miles round trip to work and back and it is fine. Climate and cruise control really are nice to have.
 
lordrobs said:
Same engine as our Grande Punto. While it is a bigger car it also has longer gear ratios (and a significantly longer 6th gear). It is an economical car, I get 41-43 mpg on my commute but on longer motorway trips the economy doesn't really improve much beyond that.

I've got my wifes Grande Punto for commuting duties at the moment for just under 60 miles round trip to work and back and it is fine. Climate and cruise control really are nice to have.
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41-43 mpg? On a commute? I must be around that in my 530d...
 
xs2man said:
Just saying that doesn't sound particularly great for a Punto.
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Fair enough, doesn't seem too bad for actual figures for mixed driving from a petrol to me. I only mentioned it because it is the same engine as the one in the Panda 100HP and IMHO the hope of 50mpg was hugely optimistic. The comparison to a 530d seemed a bit irrelevant.
 
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