weekend barge Renault Avantime?
Discussion
Work away from home 4 days a week. Looking for a weekend barge. I have a Lotus Elise, but that is no good as i get my son every second weekend. So was looking about for a cheepish barge. Seen a Avantime yesterday. the 3 V6 spec. Love the looks and it seems like its done all the depreciation its likely to do now.
The back seat is oddly high, but they are interesting especially with all of the windows down.
If you have questions go to the forums at www.renaultalpine.co.uk.
The Avantime (pron avanteem) was made inthe Dieppe factory that hand built the Alpine (pron Alpeen) models.
If you have questions go to the forums at www.renaultalpine.co.uk.
The Avantime (pron avanteem) was made inthe Dieppe factory that hand built the Alpine (pron Alpeen) models.
Go for it but go in with your eyes open. I had my 2 litre turbo for nearly 4 years until the engine sadly went pop. If I had my time again I'd definitely go for the 3 litre as its better suited to the car and the petrol costs are not significantly different especially if it's a weekend car. You also get a few more luxuries.
Apart from the usual checks make sure the cambelt has been checked as this is an expensive job and needs doing at 70k or 5 years if my memory is right.
Normal issues are corrosion on the silver roof rails but these can be rubbed down and sprayed for a few hundred pounds. Also the lids for the cubby holes have a habit of breaking as the interior plastics are fairly cheaply done. Check the exhaust has been updates to a stainless steel one. The OEM one will have rotted away by now and an OEM replacement will cost a shed load more than a decent stainless one that should last a lifetime. Also the CD changer has a habit of giving up the ghost.
That's the boring sensible stuff out of the way, the car itself is always an occasion to drive. Press the open air button and it's as near as dammit to a convertible and your kids will love all the glass and the fact they sit a bit higher in the back. You can get a manual 3 litre but autos seem more common. Mine was a manual but an auto box once again seems more suited as the Avantime was built for long stress free journeys.
The main thing to remember though is it will be over 10 years old which means Renault no longer have to stock the parts so it's down to the enthusiasts to keep them on the road and this is where the owners club comes in www.avantime-owners.com. Mike who runs it is massively passionate about keeping as many cars on the road and has helped many members when it comes to parts etc
Apart from the usual checks make sure the cambelt has been checked as this is an expensive job and needs doing at 70k or 5 years if my memory is right.
Normal issues are corrosion on the silver roof rails but these can be rubbed down and sprayed for a few hundred pounds. Also the lids for the cubby holes have a habit of breaking as the interior plastics are fairly cheaply done. Check the exhaust has been updates to a stainless steel one. The OEM one will have rotted away by now and an OEM replacement will cost a shed load more than a decent stainless one that should last a lifetime. Also the CD changer has a habit of giving up the ghost.
That's the boring sensible stuff out of the way, the car itself is always an occasion to drive. Press the open air button and it's as near as dammit to a convertible and your kids will love all the glass and the fact they sit a bit higher in the back. You can get a manual 3 litre but autos seem more common. Mine was a manual but an auto box once again seems more suited as the Avantime was built for long stress free journeys.
The main thing to remember though is it will be over 10 years old which means Renault no longer have to stock the parts so it's down to the enthusiasts to keep them on the road and this is where the owners club comes in www.avantime-owners.com. Mike who runs it is massively passionate about keeping as many cars on the road and has helped many members when it comes to parts etc
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