Fiat Panda: Fun, cheap, and cute

That's right. Cute. The Fiat Panda is one of the cutest cars on the road. Why do I say this? Because I walked past one just the other day, parked under a large chestnut tree and partially covered by orange and brown leaves.

Yes...the car and I had a moment.

I think it was a mid 90's Fiat Panda. Cuter than the one pictured here as it was a 4x4 and freshly imported from Italy (still had the EU plates on it in fact). I walked across the street to get a better look, and to imagine myself hoping in, starting it up, and puttering away. I don't know if it had the 652cc or the 903cc engine, but these days the smaller the better so who cares. I want one.

In Europe the Fiat Panda is something of a legend. Love lived, incredibly spry for its size, and bucket loads of fun to zip around in. In North America, not so much: few were imported, few remain on the roads today. Which is a shame. More Fiat Panda's on North American roads would have meant a heck of a lot less gasoline consumed over the past 30 years. Oh well...that's oil under the bridge.