French cars.Hmmm...
Discussion
simonej said:
My wife has a Peugeot 307 and I really, really hate it, it is a truly awful car. But, it just will not die.
In the 8 years she's had it the only things to go wrong are the heater getting stuck on full hot and the front offside coil spring snapping. Admittedly the spring broke at 40mph, went through the tyre and sent her veering through oncoming traffic into a ditch.....
I've a feeling the more you hate a car, the more reliable it becomes just to spite you.
You consider that reliable?In the 8 years she's had it the only things to go wrong are the heater getting stuck on full hot and the front offside coil spring snapping. Admittedly the spring broke at 40mph, went through the tyre and sent her veering through oncoming traffic into a ditch.....
I've a feeling the more you hate a car, the more reliable it becomes just to spite you.
I've had literally dozens of French sheds - several Renault 12s, 5s 18s and Kangoo vans and Berlingo Multispaces - as daily drivers since the early '80s. They've all been cheap to run and incredibly comfortable. Total roadside breakdowns in the last 30 years - two snapped clutch cablea and a failed coil
My Berlingo is both better made and has a nicer ride quality than my XJ8. It'll also go more double the distance on a litre of fuel.
My Berlingo is both better made and has a nicer ride quality than my XJ8. It'll also go more double the distance on a litre of fuel.
I've always been very scathing about French cars based solely, I have to admit, on what I've heard and read them. As a result I wouldn't buy one. Illogical I know. But a colleague has had an '07 Picasso from new, it's just turned 139,000 miles and apart from routine servicing costs and other consumables it's only needed a new electric window motor and seat belt on the driver's side. So not bad really. Would I buy French? Still not sure
Edited by Escort3500 on Sunday 23 November 21:52
PositronicRay said:
You consider that reliable?
I suppose attempting to kill its driver does generally trump all reliability issues! However, I consider it reliable in comparison to my latest acquisition, a 2009 Discovery, which in 3 months has had or is having the following problems (all being done under warranty);Rear differential whining and needs replacing
Engine wanting light and EGR valves need replacing
Petrol filler cap occasionally locks shut and won't open
Car refuses to lock because it thinks a door is open
Four wheel alignment needed doing
I certainly wouldn't be put off a French car by reliability, I'd be put off by the fact they're just a little bit s
t!After being a stalwart defender of everything French and particularly Pug I've now officially had it.
An oil leak on a 2-year-old car? Really? After singing the praises of the 208 and the PSA/BMW 1.4 to all and sundry to boot.
Not earth-devastating according to the garage, but still. Lucky it's still under guarantee.
Blighter's going back to them once it's fixed and it's company German or Swedish metal for me...
An oil leak on a 2-year-old car? Really? After singing the praises of the 208 and the PSA/BMW 1.4 to all and sundry to boot.
Not earth-devastating according to the garage, but still. Lucky it's still under guarantee.
Blighter's going back to them once it's fixed and it's company German or Swedish metal for me...
I've had four cars in my time so far.
2x Mk.1 Renault Clio (the first a 1.4 3-door petrol, the second a 1.2 5-door petrol)
1x Mk.2 Peugeot 406 saloon (1.8 petrol)
1x Mk.2 Peugeot 406 Coupe (2.2 petrol)
The first Clio was bought for me by the Wifely Person as a present some time before I passed my test, so I could have something to practise in. Unfortunately, she didn't get the car checked out first, and as it turns out, it was a miracle it was still operational. The car had done 109,000 miles, and was on its original oil filter and air filter. It had no water in its expansion bottle, and basically no oil in the sump. It had a cracked bearing in the gearbox. Yet after all that maltreatment, it ran rather well. Gave it a good service (its first), and it ran a little better. The brakes turned out to be too far knackered to be economic to repair, and the car was eventually sold for scrap - but I was so impressed with how well it ran despite the lack of love, I figured my first car post-test would be another Mk.1 Clio.
So, the second Clio - very basic car, but utterly reliable, except for one time - I tried to start it up in my work's car park, and nothing happened when I turned the key. Called the AA, turned out it was a quick fix - the cable connecting the battery to the starter motor had come out. As I recall, I hit a pothole quite hard on the way in to work that morning, so presumably that's when the cable popped out. Nothing else ever went wrong with that car in the year I had it. At that point, it was 14 years old, and had done more than 90,000 miles. I only traded it in as it had no power; this made it completely unsuitable for dual-carriageway driving (the noise from the engine as it was being thrashed was outrageous, making conversation between driver and passenger impossible!), and it really, really struggled to get up hills. Too small an engine for the car.
Traded up from the Clio to a Mk.2 406 saloon; it was 9 years old when I got it. LX trim, so almost as basic as it gets - that said, the front windows were electric, it had digital climate control, and it had rain sensors to trigger the wipers. Again, completely bullet proof. NOTHING ever went wrong with that car, I had it for two years, taking it from 27,000 miles to more than 56,000. This one got written off after some arse in a white van hit it while it was parked up legally by the side of the road - and then he buggered off without leaving a note. It was practically pristine, so I was fizzing. My insurance company drastically undervalued it and wouldn't shift on price despite there being loads for sale at higher prices. My no-claims would have disappeared if I did accept, so I cancelled the claim in favour of trying to repair it myself. Couldn't economically repair it, so it went to the scrap yard.
I've had the 406 Coupe for four years now. It has had some gremlins, to be fair; the most irritating having been the fuel injectors, all of which went a bit wonky (electronic issue) and needed replaced. Thankfully these were cheap. It's been solid for ages now. I've taken it from 64,000 miles to 98,000+ miles. Other than some squeaks and rattles from the interior, and the gas struts that hold the bonnet up are not so strong (it is nearly 13 years old now), it runs smoothly, accelerates well, and basically behaves itself.
Since I passed my test in 2007, I've never been left stranded by the side of the road, and only had one fail-to-start requiring an AA callout. All the garage work done to my cars has been for the replacement of general wear-and-tear items that would have needed replacing on any car (filters, oil, brake pads, discs, anti-roll bar droplinks, and auxiliary belt on all the cars, plus a timing belt/tensioner kit/water pump on my Coupe).
2x Mk.1 Renault Clio (the first a 1.4 3-door petrol, the second a 1.2 5-door petrol)
1x Mk.2 Peugeot 406 saloon (1.8 petrol)
1x Mk.2 Peugeot 406 Coupe (2.2 petrol)
The first Clio was bought for me by the Wifely Person as a present some time before I passed my test, so I could have something to practise in. Unfortunately, she didn't get the car checked out first, and as it turns out, it was a miracle it was still operational. The car had done 109,000 miles, and was on its original oil filter and air filter. It had no water in its expansion bottle, and basically no oil in the sump. It had a cracked bearing in the gearbox. Yet after all that maltreatment, it ran rather well. Gave it a good service (its first), and it ran a little better. The brakes turned out to be too far knackered to be economic to repair, and the car was eventually sold for scrap - but I was so impressed with how well it ran despite the lack of love, I figured my first car post-test would be another Mk.1 Clio.
So, the second Clio - very basic car, but utterly reliable, except for one time - I tried to start it up in my work's car park, and nothing happened when I turned the key. Called the AA, turned out it was a quick fix - the cable connecting the battery to the starter motor had come out. As I recall, I hit a pothole quite hard on the way in to work that morning, so presumably that's when the cable popped out. Nothing else ever went wrong with that car in the year I had it. At that point, it was 14 years old, and had done more than 90,000 miles. I only traded it in as it had no power; this made it completely unsuitable for dual-carriageway driving (the noise from the engine as it was being thrashed was outrageous, making conversation between driver and passenger impossible!), and it really, really struggled to get up hills. Too small an engine for the car.
Traded up from the Clio to a Mk.2 406 saloon; it was 9 years old when I got it. LX trim, so almost as basic as it gets - that said, the front windows were electric, it had digital climate control, and it had rain sensors to trigger the wipers. Again, completely bullet proof. NOTHING ever went wrong with that car, I had it for two years, taking it from 27,000 miles to more than 56,000. This one got written off after some arse in a white van hit it while it was parked up legally by the side of the road - and then he buggered off without leaving a note. It was practically pristine, so I was fizzing. My insurance company drastically undervalued it and wouldn't shift on price despite there being loads for sale at higher prices. My no-claims would have disappeared if I did accept, so I cancelled the claim in favour of trying to repair it myself. Couldn't economically repair it, so it went to the scrap yard.
I've had the 406 Coupe for four years now. It has had some gremlins, to be fair; the most irritating having been the fuel injectors, all of which went a bit wonky (electronic issue) and needed replaced. Thankfully these were cheap. It's been solid for ages now. I've taken it from 64,000 miles to 98,000+ miles. Other than some squeaks and rattles from the interior, and the gas struts that hold the bonnet up are not so strong (it is nearly 13 years old now), it runs smoothly, accelerates well, and basically behaves itself.
Since I passed my test in 2007, I've never been left stranded by the side of the road, and only had one fail-to-start requiring an AA callout. All the garage work done to my cars has been for the replacement of general wear-and-tear items that would have needed replacing on any car (filters, oil, brake pads, discs, anti-roll bar droplinks, and auxiliary belt on all the cars, plus a timing belt/tensioner kit/water pump on my Coupe).
Sooo, my count this week of broken down French-mobiles currently stands at 9 out of a total of 10 spotted 
To top it all, my partners niece passed her test and collected her lovely 64 plate, low mile, 108 Pug and it died on her twice and is back at the garage as I type yet again.
What a lovely introduction to the joys and freedoms of motoring - being stranded on a hill full of upset and panic.
To top it all, my partners niece passed her test and collected her lovely 64 plate, low mile, 108 Pug and it died on her twice and is back at the garage as I type yet again.
What a lovely introduction to the joys and freedoms of motoring - being stranded on a hill full of upset and panic.
Ive always have a softspot for Renault, they have an interesting history and have an amazing motorsport record. You can normally guarantee a comfy seat and little bit of character. I wish the new Renaultsport Clios were more raw though, they should ignore the market trends and conformity of the general car buying public and just produce something a bit more fun and mental.
Ive been driving around in various VWs the past few weeks (pool cars from work). How can VAG get automatic/electric handbrakes, auto lights, auto wipers and arse aching seats so wrong, when Renault got all of the above so right since 2003? Oh and in my milemunching recently, all the broken down cars I have seen have been range rovers!!
Ive been driving around in various VWs the past few weeks (pool cars from work). How can VAG get automatic/electric handbrakes, auto lights, auto wipers and arse aching seats so wrong, when Renault got all of the above so right since 2003? Oh and in my milemunching recently, all the broken down cars I have seen have been range rovers!!
We have 4 french cars on our driveway
A Citroen c5
A Peugeot 208
A Peugeot 508
A Peugeot 3008 ( which replaced 2 others )
Guess which have gone wrong in the last 4 years
None of them.
The 530d that was replaced by the c5 broke down 6 times in as many months, and the cls before the 508 went though many egr valves and a turbo
I'm considering a Laguna coupe or a ds5 as my next car , French cars are great and I don't think they are still plagued by the problems they used too
A Citroen c5
A Peugeot 208
A Peugeot 508
A Peugeot 3008 ( which replaced 2 others )
Guess which have gone wrong in the last 4 years
None of them.
The 530d that was replaced by the c5 broke down 6 times in as many months, and the cls before the 508 went though many egr valves and a turbo
I'm considering a Laguna coupe or a ds5 as my next car , French cars are great and I don't think they are still plagued by the problems they used too
Nickbrapp said:
We have 4 french cars on our driveway
A Citroen c5
A Peugeot 208
A Peugeot 508
A Peugeot 3008 ( which replaced 2 others )
Guess which have gone wrong in the last 4 years
None of them.
The 530d that was replaced by the c5 broke down 6 times in as many months, and the cls before the 508 went though many egr valves and a turbo
I'm considering a Laguna coupe or a ds5 as my next car , French cars are great and I don't think they are still plagued by the problems they used too
You have good taste! A Citroen c5
A Peugeot 208
A Peugeot 508
A Peugeot 3008 ( which replaced 2 others )
Guess which have gone wrong in the last 4 years
None of them.
The 530d that was replaced by the c5 broke down 6 times in as many months, and the cls before the 508 went though many egr valves and a turbo
I'm considering a Laguna coupe or a ds5 as my next car , French cars are great and I don't think they are still plagued by the problems they used too
Digby said:
I think I must see a lot of the "used to.." variety.
Anyway, don't buy a five + year old French car if you absolutely must make that journey, people
Why not? My mum has an 8 year old 207 that's just about to tick over 60k miles. Guess what? It's never let us down once in the two years/20k miles she has owned it...Anyway, don't buy a five + year old French car if you absolutely must make that journey, people
Makes a change from her pervious Audi A3 2.0TDI which went up in flames!
That doesn't mean that every other VAG car will, however, so why do you think that every French car is unreliable, when simply they aren't?
Renault and Peugeot both did better than VW in recent satisfaction and relatively surveys too...
HustleRussell said:
My £200 Saxo won't seem to die.
It goes like that in life often, doesn't it?"I'll just run it in to the ground"....20 years later.
I also forgot to mention having to lay under my workmates Clio trying to discover where the water was pissing out from, recently.
Oh and I sanded his headlights on the same 05 car because you could no longer see the bulbs.
ChrisR99 said:
Why not? My mum has an 8 year old 207 that's just about to tick over 60k miles. Guess what? It's never let us down once in the two years/20k miles she has owned it...
Makes a change from her pervious Audi A3 2.0TDI which went up in flames!
That doesn't mean that every other VAG car will, however, so why do you think that every French car is unreliable, when simply they aren't?
Renault and Peugeot both did better than VW in recent satisfaction and relatively surveys too...
If you read the thread, I'm not anti-French. I only asked how bad they were given it was and still is a running joke that if we see a car in the distance with an AA van etc, it's almost always French. It just is. Makes a change from her pervious Audi A3 2.0TDI which went up in flames!
That doesn't mean that every other VAG car will, however, so why do you think that every French car is unreliable, when simply they aren't?
Renault and Peugeot both did better than VW in recent satisfaction and relatively surveys too...
I think the difference between myself and many French car fanatics is that if you were to see only Volvo's (I like a Volvo or four) at the side of the road, I would be asking what the problem was and not getting all defensive and telling tales of 200k mile, 20+ year old cars with zero rust soundling and looking like they just left the factory etc. A bad car leaves you at the side of the road and I see LOTS of French cars doing exactly that.
ChrisR99 said:
Why not? My mum has an 8 year old 207 that's just about to tick over 60k miles. Guess what? It's never let us down once in the two years/20k miles she has owned it...
60k miles? That's brand-new! And anyway, all of the faults were probably sorted by the first owner 
Edited by Digby on Thursday 28th April 21:17
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