# Renualt Laguna



## mrteatime (Oct 25, 2006)

My Boss is selling his '51 plate Laguna for Â£2,000. While it seems to be a good deal, i have a few concerns!

1 Its a diesel

2 Its got 111,000 on the clock.

Now being someone who has no idea about cars, i would really appriciate some advice please?????

1.9 dci, 6spd, 51 reg, 111,000 miles, alloys, keyless entry, cd. It has full service history, and being a company car, was done at a main dealer. Cambelt was changed at 70,000.

On another point, are they expensive to service? (especially the cambelt)

Or should i go for the 1.8 mondeo petrol with "only" 69,000?










OR any suggestions for a good buy upto Â£2000?

Thanking ANYONE in advance for your help


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## rhaythorne (Jan 12, 2004)

First off, and assuming you don't get a rogue one, newer Renaults are nowhere near as unreliable as their earlier counterparts so don't let a bad reputation for reliability put you off. The trim may well fall off and it may rattle a bit but mechanically they're sound. Electrics can sometimes cause a problem if you get a bad one.

111,000 miles is a lot though and I'd reckon the cam belt needs changing again. Yes, servicing is quite expensive (at main dealers) because the cars are relatively cheap to buy when new. The cam belt change may set you back Â£350 or so although I don't know how difficult it is on that particular model - that's about what it cost on my old Megane.

The keyless entry system is a known problem area on the new Meganes so I would presume it is on the Laguna too. The door-handles may need changing if this goes wrong.

Compared to the Mondeo, the Laguna will seem like a luxury limo and is a much cooler car in my opinion, although it'll probably cost you more in the long run.

The lower mileage of the Mondeo could be its trump card. I've not driven the 1.8, but the 2.0 Zetec one I had as a courtesy car a while back was OK, although nothing spectacular.


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## mrteatime (Oct 25, 2006)

rhaythorne said:


> First off, and assuming you don't get a rogue one, newer Renaults are nowhere near as unreliable as their earlier counterparts so don't let a bad reputation for reliability put you off. The trim may well fall off and it may rattle a bit but mechanically they're sound. Electrics can sometimes cause a problem if you get a bad one.
> 
> 111,000 miles is a lot though and I'd reckon the cam belt needs changing again. Yes, servicing is quite expensive (at main dealers) because the cars are relatively cheap to buy when new. The cam belt change may set you back Â£350 or so although I don't know how difficult it is on that particular model - that's about what it cost on my old Megane.
> 
> ...


thanks for your reply rhaythorne


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## Roger (May 17, 2003)

My Brother in Law is a Renault trained mechanic and has worked for the local main dealer for nearly 20 years. He tells me....if its more than 3 years old....walk away, unless its exceptionally cheap.

It could be a money pit, electrics , suspension and body-trim seem to be the main areas of concern. Also automatics seem more trouble than is usual for autos.


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## MarkF (Jul 5, 2003)

rhaythorne said:


> The lower mileage of the Mondeo could be its trump card. I've not driven the 1.8, but the 2.0 Zetec one I had as a courtesy car a while back was OK, although nothing spectacular.


No better value car on the road, just as good as a Passatt, just not cool. No cam belt to worry about either and they are ultra-reliable. Right now I have 2, a hatchback and an estate, both 2002 and can confirm that the build quality is fantastic, the estate has 165, 000







and it drives and looks like a two year old car

I don't like either of them







the estate was bought instead of a van but they were by far the best value and that is why I bought them. Â£2000 will get you a 2002 Mondeo with FSH and you will be able to pick a minter, in the colour you want out of the millions for sale. I would have preferred a Laguna, they are better looking, by far, and have nice interior but I cannot afford to have car that breaks down working for myself.


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## rhaythorne (Jan 12, 2004)

Here's what AutoExpress have to say:

Used Car Tests - Laguna

Used Car Tests - Mondeo


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

We have a V-reg (1999 I think) Renault Laguna Estate 1.9 diesel.

Had it from new, now has about 90,000 on the clock.

We've had a few problems with: new engine at 10K because fan belt broken*, new water pump, etc but generally it has been a very good car for us: very economical, very comfortable. We would definitely buy another.

*when the fan belt broke, it got caught under the cam belt, which promptly came off. This was on the M40 at 70mph, we coasted to the hard shoulder and was then carried home! New engine --- under warranty.


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

Silver Hawk said:


> We have a V-reg (1999 I think)
> 
> *when the fan belt broke, it got caught under the cam belt, which promptly came off. This was on the M40 at 70mph, we coasted to the hard shoulder and was then carried home! New engine --- under warranty.


This is quite a common problem with these modern multi ribbed poly V belts, small bits tend to break off and find their way under the timing belt cover and get into the crankshaft cog for the timing belt, forcing the belt either to break or to jump. I knew a guy who had a fan (why do we still call it that when it doesn't drive the fan any more?) belt snap, spent 2 hours replacing it only to turn the key and here the no compression spinning of an engine with the timing belt broken







If you ever lose a poly V belt or even if bits start to break off it as it wears check that none of the bits have found their way under the timing cover before you start to replace the belt!

As for the Laguna / Mondeo question I wouldn't touch the Laguna!


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## Griff (Feb 23, 2003)

I see cam belts as the worst nightmare of modern motoring.

The cost of replacement is an utter crock of *****

It says a lot for cars like the Nissan Micra that they dont have one(the older ones at least), and the good old Skoda Estelle which had a double chain instead of a cam belt.

Cambelts.............the utter curse of cars that get 3 or 4 years old.

It pisses me off that the best tactic seems to be always change your car for a new one before the cam belt change falls due.























What are the bloody belts made of today?

Are some a mixture of rubber and canvas, or are some of the newer ones just some type of rubber or polymer?

I still experience so called rubber divers watch straps that start to split after a certain time, and then just fall in half. Freaking hopeless.


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## Roger (May 17, 2003)

Check out the J D Powers owners survey....

Laguna 85th beaten by the Kia Rio


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## Xantiagib (Apr 22, 2005)

at 110,000 miles already the Dci would have had its 'bugs' sorted out... they tend to show up straight away

(I worked for renault)


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## mrteatime (Oct 25, 2006)

thanks guys







really appriate all your comments. I did some research last night on the net, and the general feeling about them is that there a good new buy versus the mondeo (price wise) lots of kit, but after 3 years things tend to break a lot!

We did have a minter of a mondeo on a 'v' plate with only 41,000 on the clock, and we paid 4k for it 2 years ago. However, some one decided to come around a bend on the wrong side of the road and went straight into the front of the car....total write off. So now have the hassle of looking for a new one.

If i could afford it i would get new, however the thought of paying Â£12-15k on a car feels me with dread, especially as they lose loads as you drive of the forecourt.

Once again, thanks for all your comments and advice,









Shawn


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## Griff (Feb 23, 2003)

Get a Citroen C1 and save pots

It's really a Toyota anyway


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## rhaythorne (Jan 12, 2004)

I've used and occasionally contributed to Car Survey which is quite a good site to read user experiences of a very wide range of cars.

HERE is a good link for Renault Laguna ownership experiences. The comments seem to reflect what I suggested earlier in that if you get a bad car, it's going to be pretty _bad_, otherwise, little of any real significance is likely to go wrong as long as the warranty/recall work has been done which your boss will be able to confirm.


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## dougal74 (Oct 5, 2006)

Too many things to go wrong with the Laguna for me I'm afraid.

Â£2k gets a lot of car these days and when you are spending that sort of money you don't want repair bills of Â£500 to crop up on a regular basis!

I would invest in something with a better reliability record - even if it is not quite as "cool".


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## chrisb (Feb 26, 2003)

I drive an '06 spec Mondeo TDCI Ghia, and I've no problems whatsoever with it.

Handling is excellent, engine is pretty good, especially on motorways, and has all the toys fitted except Satnav (which is for wimps & 710's). Auto wipers, lights & dipping mirror; in dash 6 CD radio/disc, Cruise, climate control, more airbags than you can shake a stick at etc etc. I may buy this one when the 3 years are up.


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

chrisb said:


> and has all the toys fitted except Satnav (which is for wimps & 710's)










:rofl:

I spoke too soon....my wife has just rung to say the Laguna starter motor has packed up and RAC are bringing her home.


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## Marky (Sep 29, 2005)

The Mondeo has always been a better car than the Laguna for reliability. www.reliabilityindex.co.uk

Ford 78.68

Renault 129.4

Reliabilty Index

The Reliability index takes into account all factors of a repair, the cost of the parts and the frequency of failures - Average is 112 which means that if the figure for the car you are looking at has a higher than average index (118) the indication is that that car is less reliable than the average, if however there is a lower than average index (60) the reliability is better.


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## Ironpants (Jul 1, 2005)

This month's Car Mechanics magazine has an article on living with the Laguna which should answer all your questions.

Griff - the trend is reversing, you should see new engine designs using chains again. But it will take some time to be common place.

Toby


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## DavidH (Feb 24, 2003)

....just get a Volkswagen and be done with it.


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

belts were introduced as a maintenence free solution to having to adjust the chain tension every 6000 miles. Anyone who had a mini must remember the chain slapping away in the cover when they wore, I've even seen one which had worn a hole in the chain cover and was still running!

Chains do break esp if not looked after but these modern engines seem to have better enginering and don't, on the whole, cause much problem.

Funnily the Honda / Rover colaboration showed how decent servicing made a difference, I've seen loads of Rovers with broken belts but hardly any Hondas with identicle engines! It seems Honda owners were much more likely to keep the car in the dealership network and they were much more likely to have the belts changed as per schedule, it was even roumoured the dealers were changing them ahead of schedule, on the quite, to build up the reputation of the brand. Rovers tended to get neglected and forgotten and subsequently the belts were never changed, most broken belts I see are because of neglect either the belt has not been changed or the tensioner or pulley bearings have failed, however I have seen some cars less than 10,000 miles old with broken belts..

In the early days there were some "safe" engines, where if the belt broke, it didn't matter as the valves and pistons couldn't meet (ford's 2.0 pinto was safe but curiously the 1.6 wasn't) so a new belt and away you went, now of course with more cams more valves, higher compression ratios etc there aren't any safe engines in production afaik. I got the art of fitting a cambelt to a cavalier down to 15 minutes. I towed a beemer 5 series in the other day and the dealers quoted a minimum of Â£2K depending on what damage they found. The ford 1.8 deisel usually breaks the camshaft if the belt fails









Like anything else there is nothing wrong with the technology it's the servicing that is the problem, as the public are demanding more and more maintenence free motoring these problems have to be overcome, with servicing intervals getting further and further apart cars will have to be over engineered to survive.


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## rhaythorne (Jan 12, 2004)

pg tips said:



> ...with servicing intervals getting further and further apart cars will have to be over engineered to survive


And as a result of the longer service interval the cost will increase too, I guess.


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## Russ (Feb 7, 2006)

I have a 2002 VW Passat which I've had from new. It's been trouble free all the way. I have always used the main dealer for servicing and up to the last service the tech sheet always said 'new cambelt at 70K'

The last service I had changed the goalposts, they now tell me it needs doing now (50k) The problem is as Griff says it costs bloody hundreds. VW are now saying 40k and 4 years which ever happens first, and instead of taking a hit and doing a fixed price job where they smooth the labour costs down a bit, they charge for every minute, it will cost about 450GBP. Ouch.


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## mrteatime (Oct 25, 2006)

The more i read about the laguna, the more i think its a bad idea. Ive always had fords, but wanted a diesel becuase im travelling to Thirsk from york which is about 40 miles each way. Think that i'll stick to getting a mondeo, and as someone mentioned yesterday, i've seen a few with exactly the colour and spec that i want for the money that i can afford. So it looks like i'll be using the wifes corsa to commute.

Once agian, you've all been a cut above lads. the advice has been invaluable....if any of you lot are in york, let me know and i'll get you a pint!

shawn


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## Griff (Feb 23, 2003)

No you wont!!!

You'll get me two


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## JonF (Aug 26, 2005)

I think cambelts are an absolute abomination, particularly ones like you find in the VW Passat. You have to remove virtually all the front of the car to replace it. Chains these days all have tensioners, and as long as you keep on top of the oil changes, will last virtually for ever.

Virtually all bike engines use chains, and they very rarely give bother these days. The bike I use for commuting is on 114,000 and the chain has never even needed the tensioner tightenting. And that's on an engine which make max power at 9500rpm.


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## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

Well, I dont suppose theres much point in this but Ive just got a email from my work if anyones interested, 2 Lagunas are up for sale, cars are in Reading if anyones interested:

The following two company cars are for sale.

Renault Laguna dynamique DCi, Estate, 1.9cc Diesel, Silver,

Reg No: DY53 ***. Date of reg; 01/09/2003. Mileage 106,000 miles. Â£2,945

Renault Laguna dynamique DCi, Estate, 1.9cc Diesel, Red,

Reg No: NU02 ***. Date of registration 26/03/2002. Mileage 94,000 miles.

Â£3,055

The prices are based on the latest Parkers Guide Price Dec

2006 calculated at the "Part Exchange" sale price less mileage adjustment.

If more than one party is interested we will hold a sealed bid tender and

the highest bidder will get the car.

CARS ARE 'SOLD AS SEEN'

Get in touch if your interested


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## Ironpants (Jul 1, 2005)

JonF said:


> I think cambelts are an absolute abomination, particularly ones like you find in the VW Passat. You have to remove virtually all the front of the car to replace it. Chains these days all have tensioners, and as long as you keep on top of the oil changes, will last virtually for ever.
> 
> Virtually all bike engines use chains, and they very rarely give bother these days. The bike I use for commuting is on 114,000 and the chain has never even needed the tensioner tightenting. And that's on an engine which make max power at 9500rpm.


The modern chains for car engines will last a long time but still need replacing at about 100K I think, and that still means a huge bill. Remember bike engines have much lighter valve gear, the chain has a much shorter run and the tensioners on the bikes I used to help my friends strip down many years ago were spring loaded types so shouldn't need adjustment.

Your commuting bike seems to have lasted well at 114K I would have assumed at least 1 big rebuild by now







on a bike engine.

Toby


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## oldfogey (Nov 29, 2005)

Griff said:


> Get a Citroen C1 and save pots
> 
> It's really a Toyota anyway


Well, Czech-built car from a Japanese-designed factory using multinational capital.


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## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)




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## Griff (Feb 23, 2003)

Skoda Estelles were Czech built too before the mark became Kraut, and the double chains could be removed and changed at a fraction of the cost of the modern crap of today.

I'm sure Indur Goklany would have approved!!!


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## dougal74 (Oct 5, 2006)

Ironpants said:


> JonF said:
> 
> 
> > I think cambelts are an absolute abomination, particularly ones like you find in the VW Passat. You have to remove virtually all the front of the car to replace it. Chains these days all have tensioners, and as long as you keep on top of the oil changes, will last virtually for ever.
> ...


No the chains should not need replacing if the oil is changed regularly and the tension checked.

Only the early chains (e.g. the Mini example and Mercedes simplex) suffered from stretch.


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## Griff (Feb 23, 2003)

Sounds good to me!!









But, capitalism will insist that if cars turn to these improved chains either the cost of the cars will have to go up considerably to compensate for the loss of servicing and parts profits, or they will simply refuse to change from the scandal of present day cam belts


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## chrisb (Feb 26, 2003)

WTF has capitalism got to do with this Griff.

Do you expect these firms to run at a loss?

Or is it because your pension scheme is funded by the Gov, other schemes which mayhold shares in the Motor industry should not get a return and suffer for your principles.


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## Griff (Feb 23, 2003)

Bit of mirth and you fell for it


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## chrisb (Feb 26, 2003)

Sorry, did not realise that you didn't take your politics seriously


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## Griff (Feb 23, 2003)

I do but some people take themselves far too seriously


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## Boxbrownie (Aug 11, 2005)

> I knew a guy who had a fan (why do we still call it that when it doesn't drive the fan any more?) belt snap,


We don't......its called a FEAD belt.......Front End Accessory Drive.....pronounced FEE-AD

Best regards David


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

well 25 yrs in the trade and that's a new one on me







learn something new everyday


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## Boxbrownie (Aug 11, 2005)

Yep, ever since we stopped driving the cooling fans from it.......you know points are out of date now too?









No wonder we changed from the RAC to the AA for our recovery service.....I now know why they were cheaper









Just kidding Paul......but there are so many acronyms in the industry now (and new ones everyday) it is hard even for the people who think them up to keep up with them, we have even got a web page to explain them all to the new graduates! There was one I havent heard for a long time that dealt with crap designs from other manufacturers NUTS.....Never Under This Steel......but of course that changed with the advent of high tensile steel, aluminium and composite panels.

Don't worry though, I asked a parts guy in my local garage for a FEAD belt a few years ago.....main dealer of course......yeah right he knew.......typical parts blank look I got









Best regards David


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## Steve264 (May 29, 2006)

I am in a thread where a Passat seems to have passed for "cool"


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## Boxbrownie (Aug 11, 2005)

Passat cool?????? Not until tank tops and sandals with white socks are!


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## bry1975 (Feb 6, 2004)

Stay clear of the Reno







The head gaskets always blow, as they use crap gasketting material














imho Bry



Boxbrownie said:


> Passat cool?????? Not until tank tops and sandals with white socks are!


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## JonF (Aug 26, 2005)

Ironpants said:


> JonF said:
> 
> 
> > I think cambelts are an absolute abomination, particularly ones like you find in the VW Passat. You have to remove virtually all the front of the car to replace it. Chains these days all have tensioners, and as long as you keep on top of the oil changes, will last virtually for ever.
> ...


No rebuilds, or any major work at all - just regular oil changes, and thrashing the bollox off it every day


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## pauluspaolo (Feb 24, 2003)

My friends old workplace used to own a couple of Renault Laguna's (with the keyless entry system) as company pool cars i.e. if one was available you could use it to go to business meetings, pick up clients etc - it meant the company didn't have to provide it's staff with company cars as such but it also meant that the staff didn't have to use their own cars for work related trips. They were never very reliable having all sorts of ignition/automatic gearbox problems - my friend used both pool cars quite a few times & each one broke down on him - he dreaded going any distance in either of them. He said they were nice to drive but the thought that they might leave you stranded was never very far away.

My girlfriends late husband ran a driving school using the new shape Renault Clio's - he had to replace two engines (1500cc diesels) during the time he ran the cars. Both cars were out of warranty (needless to say) & because of what the cars were used for Renault wouldn't give him any money towards the cost of the repairs :*****:s.

Another friend used to swear by Renault 21's but he can't find any decent ones for sale now - he scoured Ebay recently & came up with a few of the vast Savannah estates (which he doesn't want) & a couple of tarted up & modified 21 turbo's which are too fast, too fragile, too expensive & too old for him to consider buying. He's ended up with a Citroen Xsara which is ok in an utterly boring, bland way, but even that hasn't been too reliable









Would I buy a French car? No I bloody well wouldn't


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## julian (Jun 3, 2003)

pauluspaolo said:


> My friends old workplace used to own a couple of Renault Laguna's (with the keyless entry system) as company pool cars i.e. if one was available you could use it to go to business meetings, pick up clients etc - it meant the company didn't have to provide it's staff with company cars as such but it also meant that the staff didn't have to use their own cars for work related trips. They were never very reliable having all sorts of ignition/automatic gearbox problems - my friend used both pool cars quite a few times & each one broke down on him - he dreaded going any distance in either of them. He said they were nice to drive but the thought that they might leave you stranded was never very far away.
> 
> My girlfriends late husband ran a driving school using the new shape Renault Clio's - he had to replace two engines (1500cc diesels) during the time he ran the cars. Both cars were out of warranty (needless to say) & because of what the cars were used for Renault wouldn't give him any money towards the cost of the repairs :*****:s.
> 
> ...


So do I Paul .Them F***ing ,ba*****, useless c***s.I had just one which broke something every day .Easily as bad as the Austin ambassdor my employers gave me during one of those crazy "buy British" drives.


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## rhaythorne (Jan 12, 2004)

Anyway, Shawn (mrteatime), hope you enjoy the Mondeo, I doubt you'll be disappointed









Some of you may remember the "Top 5 Cars I Shouldn't Have Bought" thread from last year:

I said:



> I've only owned six cars so I can't really do a Top 5 of ones I shouldn't have bought. But if I was to put those 6 in order of dissatisfaction it would look something like this:
> 
> 1. Renault 5 GTX - Cool, but a bit of a dog. Constant fuel vapourization problems which made it buck like a horse in a rodeo after sitting in traffic for more than a few minutes. Able to eat through a clutch cable every month or two. Lots of problems with this one.
> 
> ...


The 5 GTX (1987) and the 18 Auto (1982) were pretty unreliable (Renaults were generally bad in the 80's I think) but the 16 (1978), Clio 16V (1996), Megane 2.0 16V Coupe (1998) and Clio 172 Cup (2003) had no major problems at all.

The 172 Cup was written off after someone smashed into it and drove off







But I've now replaced that with one of these:

*Renaultsport Megane 225 Cup*










Don't want to jinx it but, so far, no major problems. A couple of minor niggles that'll probaby disappear once it's run in and loosened up a bit. No rattles at all! Most un-Renault-like


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## mrteatime (Oct 25, 2006)

rhaythorne said:


> Anyway, Shawn (mrteatime), hope you enjoy the Mondeo, I doubt you'll be disappointed
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Been out looking at mondoes yesterday and today! Seen two that im interested in. One is a 1.8 verona, full service history, alloys, cd, metallic ect ect.... 47,000 miles one owner, Just had an MOT & service....Â£1695

On the way home today, stopped at a local garage and took out a 53' mondeo tdci130 for a test drive, awesome! However it was up for Â£7995. Wife even thought that it was great. So now i need to decide wether to get the verona which after the insurance pay out wont cost me a penny, or do i put the 2k i get from my write off on to the tdci, and finance the rest?? OR Wait until next jan (08) when i'll be debt free and make do with the verona until then

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh


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## rhaythorne (Jan 12, 2004)

Decisions, decisions! I'd go for the newer one. You can probably knock them down Â£500 or so remember


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## Griff (Feb 23, 2003)

This could go on till we are all blue in the face.

I've heard and read of horror stories on most makes of cars, not least Ford and Fiat

Just note the recent problems with Volvo























I'm still going to get a Toyota made Citroen C1


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## rhaythorne (Jan 12, 2004)

"Toyota made", whatever that means?

To expand on oldfogey's previous post:

Yes, the Citroen C1 and Toyota Aygo (not to mention the Peugeot 107) are basically the same car. I believe the production line is in the Czech republic with various bits and pieces coming from European suppliers. The petrol engines are made in Poland and the diesels are the French PSA jobs.

When it comes down to reliability, I wonder if the only real way to decide is to find out which factory your car is made in and determine whether you trust that particular work-force or not?

For example, the Renaultsports aren't made in the same factory as the main Renault output. Rather, they're built at what used to be the Alpine factory in Dieppe. Are they any better? I don't know, but the point is they're not made by the same guys so, for better or for worse, the quality is likely to be at least "different".


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## chrisb (Feb 26, 2003)

rhaythorne said:


> Decisions, decisions! I'd go for the newer one. You can probably knock them down Â£500 or so remember


yep, go for the newer one, a completely different car than the Verona, and nmuch much better


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## mrteatime (Oct 25, 2006)

Boxbrownie said:


> Passat cool?????? Not until tank tops and sandals with white socks are!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## Russ (Feb 7, 2006)

Boxbrownie said:


> Passat cool?????? Not until tank tops and sandals with white socks are!


Let's face it if you are buying a second hand car for 5 grand should you be bothered if it's 'cool' or not?

Most of us mortals just want the thing to start in the morning. If some self appointed :*****: wants to start classifying the type of driver to the type of car, who gives a f***?.

Anyway must dash I need to buy a new camera.


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## Boxbrownie (Aug 11, 2005)

The TDCi will be a great drive for you, lovely powerful engine and few niggles with it, in fact very few!

The newer Mondeo is (pardon the pun) worlds apart from the older model.

I only got rid of my TDCi because it was so boring inside I kept falling asleep at traffic lights









Best regards David


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## Bri (Nov 2, 2006)

I owned a Laguna Estate and it was a great car, high spec and very comfortable. trouble was if the slightest thing went wrong Renault wanted it in to run computer diagnoistics. I seem to remember that the cost of that alone was about Â£40 for half an hour. It also leaked water into rear passenger footwell and we never got to the bottom of that either. I've had a series of Beemers (3 and 5) up until recently but, believe it or not, my missus got me looking at Ford Focus' ( cos' she drives them at work) and I've finished up with a 1.8 saloon. Cheap, reliable and comfortable motoring.


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## Robert (Jul 26, 2006)

Griff said:


> Just note the recent problems with Volvo


Griff, I must've missed that - what were the problems with Volvo?


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## dougal74 (Oct 5, 2006)

Christmas is a slow time for selling cars and the saleman will be worried he'll have it until the New Year (when the prices go up again). Haggle hard and you'll get a good deal. You could do better than the 1.8 Verona even for that money and you should avoid it.

The TDCi will go on forever, best of luck with making the deal.


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## mrteatime (Oct 25, 2006)

Russ said:


> Boxbrownie said:
> 
> 
> > Passat cool?????? Not until tank tops and sandals with white socks are!
> ...


got to be honest, as long as it starts in the morning im not bothered.ive never been in the position to have a massive choice anyway (money!) I have the money from the insurance company tp pay for a "cheap" (Â£1800) car, and if i get the tdci, i'll have to finance the rest, and ive never had any debt apart from the mortgage and i have a mortal fear of any kind of debt. Ive had a credit card for 2 months, and that was only to pay for a few straps from this site!. Anyway, i think that the mondeo aint a bad looking car as it happens!

On the subject of "Cool Cars" my first car was a d plate white xr3i with Pink Trim and pink ford badges!







I used to get some very strange looks as i "cruised" around east ham! what a :*****: but did i care??

oh the things that we get upto ehhh, MAD init! Im bonkers (this is sarcasm)

....anyway, it will be the mondeo tdci, just going to go back to autotrader now and have a look (again) as a few of my mates seem to thimk that i can get a better deal then the one i was offered, it seems that the local garage that i went to in york has a reputation for being on the more expensive side.

dont suppose anyone knows anywhere in york or surrounding area's with a good reputation do they?????

the sga continues.........................


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## rhaythorne (Jan 12, 2004)

With second-hand cars it seems that whichever one you buy you can almost guarantee that you'll see a better one the day after at a cheaper price









What about an auction? You could get a bargain if you take a friendly mechanic with you who check the car over.


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

As a friendly mechanic (I hope) I avoid the "can you just come and look at this with me" mates like the plague









I either end up ripping the car to bits or missing something.









You can get lemons or diamonds and most of the time it's just pot luck ime. Just use the info widely available (JD power, which, auto express etc etc) to find what has a greater chance of being reliable.

Cars on the whole are much much more reliable than ever these days but any list, by it's very nature, will have something at the top and something at the bottom.

And you'll always find two owners of identicle cars, one who never has a problem and one who has loads of them.

I still wouldn't buy a reno


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