French or German? Budget 8-10000€.
Discussion
My very reliable and well maintained French workhorse has died. I bought a used Renault Laguna 2.0 16v (2008 model) in 2013 with just under 58000km in 2013, and it’s now got 198000km on the clock. Problem, despite two annual services (one yearly and one intermediate) both done at the Renault main dealers and using Renault guaranteed parts, my Laguna started misfiring on cold start up about one month ago. I took it to the same Renault garage where i’ve had all my cars serviced, and the head mechanic told me the spark plugs needed replacing and booked my car in the following week for them to be replaced. Ok, so far so good. However, the following Tuesday evening ( the day before it was due at the garage) it wouldn’t start in the evening at work. When it finally stared I was shocked to see white smoke coming out of the exhaust. No warning lights lit up on the dashboard and no coolant loss either. I drove home without any over heating or loss of power.
I took it the garage the next morning ( checked in morning no coolant loss) and the same day the garage told me the cylinder head gasket needed replacing. The coolant tank was virtually empty.
Total shock. I’ve never had a single problem with any of my petrol engined cars I’ve owned. This is the first time.
They put in some head seal and told me it would be ok. Two days later coolant loss and warning lights came on.
When I asked the garage why a very well maintained petrol engined ( Nissan chain driven as well!) Renault could break down so suddenly the head mechanic’s answer was ‘ its normal. Your car is 10 years old and every car at 200000km will probably have engine problems!’
He told me to either scrap it or trade it in. To replace the cylinder head gasket + open up the engine I was quoted 4600€!
It passed its MOT last July with absolutely zero fault or advisory and had a huge service last October ( disks, pads, tires, all filters and liquids).
Ok so my dilemma now is do I buy French again or switch to German?
I’ve narrowed my choice down to the following:
Ford Focus 1.0 ecoboost 125. Lots of choice second hand 2010-2012 in budget but i’ve got some doubts about the reliability. Loss of coolant and many owners here report head gasket problems on forums.
I like the 1.6 ecoboost engine but not sure if one would be available on my budget.
Ford Focus 2 with either 1.6 or 1.8 bioflex. Also 2.0 is easily within budget but older. Years 2007-2009.
Opel Astra with 1.4 turbo ( or 1.6 turbo). Lots for sale with 80000-100000 km but servicing costs are high. Any German brands are ridiculously over priced here unlike in The UK.
Maybe more reliable than Ford ecoboost.
Citroën C4 with 1.6 VTI or 1.6 THP engines but lots of online forums mention reliability issues concerning the chain.
Renault Megane 1.4 TCE. Excellent reviews here but used dealers over price their cars.
Renault Laguna 2.0 16v or 2.0 turbo gt. Will I get my fingers burnt again by getting another Laguna 3? They are very well equipped/ reasonably priced and maybe I just got unlucky with mine. Every car review states that you can buy them with your eyes closed!
Honda Civic 1.8. Over priced with 100000+ km and servicing costs more at Honda dealers over here even compared to BMW but fantastic reliability.
My next car needs to be : comfortable/ well equipped to do a 2h daily commute on A roads and motorways (90% of all my driving), minimum Sat Nav and parking sensors.
Minimum 120-130 hp. Ideally turbo petrol for lower down pulling power but 2.0 16v if right price.
I enquired about importing a right hand drive UK registered car but no insurance company will touch me, plus problems of over taking/ motorway toll gates/ car parks and since I’ll only keep my next car for next three years resale value will be zero over here for any right hand drive car.
Any other ideas for cars?
I took it the garage the next morning ( checked in morning no coolant loss) and the same day the garage told me the cylinder head gasket needed replacing. The coolant tank was virtually empty.
Total shock. I’ve never had a single problem with any of my petrol engined cars I’ve owned. This is the first time.
They put in some head seal and told me it would be ok. Two days later coolant loss and warning lights came on.
When I asked the garage why a very well maintained petrol engined ( Nissan chain driven as well!) Renault could break down so suddenly the head mechanic’s answer was ‘ its normal. Your car is 10 years old and every car at 200000km will probably have engine problems!’
He told me to either scrap it or trade it in. To replace the cylinder head gasket + open up the engine I was quoted 4600€!
It passed its MOT last July with absolutely zero fault or advisory and had a huge service last October ( disks, pads, tires, all filters and liquids).
Ok so my dilemma now is do I buy French again or switch to German?
I’ve narrowed my choice down to the following:
Ford Focus 1.0 ecoboost 125. Lots of choice second hand 2010-2012 in budget but i’ve got some doubts about the reliability. Loss of coolant and many owners here report head gasket problems on forums.
I like the 1.6 ecoboost engine but not sure if one would be available on my budget.
Ford Focus 2 with either 1.6 or 1.8 bioflex. Also 2.0 is easily within budget but older. Years 2007-2009.
Opel Astra with 1.4 turbo ( or 1.6 turbo). Lots for sale with 80000-100000 km but servicing costs are high. Any German brands are ridiculously over priced here unlike in The UK.
Maybe more reliable than Ford ecoboost.
Citroën C4 with 1.6 VTI or 1.6 THP engines but lots of online forums mention reliability issues concerning the chain.
Renault Megane 1.4 TCE. Excellent reviews here but used dealers over price their cars.
Renault Laguna 2.0 16v or 2.0 turbo gt. Will I get my fingers burnt again by getting another Laguna 3? They are very well equipped/ reasonably priced and maybe I just got unlucky with mine. Every car review states that you can buy them with your eyes closed!
Honda Civic 1.8. Over priced with 100000+ km and servicing costs more at Honda dealers over here even compared to BMW but fantastic reliability.
My next car needs to be : comfortable/ well equipped to do a 2h daily commute on A roads and motorways (90% of all my driving), minimum Sat Nav and parking sensors.
Minimum 120-130 hp. Ideally turbo petrol for lower down pulling power but 2.0 16v if right price.
I enquired about importing a right hand drive UK registered car but no insurance company will touch me, plus problems of over taking/ motorway toll gates/ car parks and since I’ll only keep my next car for next three years resale value will be zero over here for any right hand drive car.
Any other ideas for cars?
Edited by rosbif77 on Friday 6th April 08:22
Edited by rosbif77 on Friday 6th April 08:25
Edited by rosbif77 on Friday 6th April 08:27
I'd be tempted to get another quote to get the head skimmed (if needed) and genuine head gasket - shouldn't cost for than £500 I'd have thought.
I'm ready for people to disagree, but in my own experience - petrol cars do blow their head gaskets more than diesels... possibly due to the different materials between head and block? Whereas diesels used to be the same material.
The old school Focus 1.6 seems to be quite tough - so that's what I would go for if you're going to run it into the ground
I'm ready for people to disagree, but in my own experience - petrol cars do blow their head gaskets more than diesels... possibly due to the different materials between head and block? Whereas diesels used to be the same material.
The old school Focus 1.6 seems to be quite tough - so that's what I would go for if you're going to run it into the ground
Momentofmadness said:
I'd be tempted to get another quote to get the head skimmed (if needed) and genuine head gasket - shouldn't cost for than £500 I'd have thought.
I'm ready for people to disagree, but in my own experience - petrol cars do blow their head gaskets more than diesels... possibly due to the different materials between head and block? Whereas diesels used to be the same material.
The old school Focus 1.6 seems to be quite tough - so that's what I would go for if you're going to run it into the ground
It’s the first time a head gasket has blown on any car i’ve owned. I’ve never had any engine problems with petrol cars before but maybe the modern ones aren’t as reliable as earlier cars.I'm ready for people to disagree, but in my own experience - petrol cars do blow their head gaskets more than diesels... possibly due to the different materials between head and block? Whereas diesels used to be the same material.
The old school Focus 1.6 seems to be quite tough - so that's what I would go for if you're going to run it into the ground
The cheapest quote i’ve had is for 4000€ with the garage telling me not to bother bearing in mind the age and kilometers on the car, i can expect to have to replace the shocks ( never replaced), exhaust and clutch within the next 18 months if i chose to repair it.
I like the Ford Mondeo but over here very overpriced and rare.
The Ford Focus 3: loads for sale here with between 80-100000 km which seems strange.
The titanium models are most expensive. The only ones above this have had engine coolant loss or had accidents.
Opel Astra 1.4 turbo. Not sure whether to go for the 120 or 140 hp version. From 2015 the engine has 150 hp. All the mark 4 Astras for sale here have done 80-130000 km (2011-2016) with quite a few mark 5 (2015 onwards) probably ex company cars ( 2015/16 model with 80000+ km).
Citroën C4: The cheapest to buy second hand here with some interesting prices especially for the 1.6 THP engined versions. Does anybody have any experience of these? They are better equipped than the Renault Mégane but not sure if the reliability issues concerning the chain on these had been resolved after 2012.
I’ve also looked at Kia Cee’d and Hyundai i30 with 2014-16 models priced at 12-15k € and less than 30000km. Very few main dealers around here and servicing costs are more expensive than Opel/Ford.
My dilemma is get a bigger loan for a more recent car (2014-) with 30-50000km over 5/6 years or a smaller loan for an older left field alternative such as Peugeot 407 2.2 16v ( 2007-8 with 70-80000km) or even another Laguna (2009-10).
I want a reliable, well equipped and comfortable car to do the daily commute for another 1-2 years.
My daughter will be going to a local 6th form from September but I can’t find anything else closer to home ( or even in Paris ) without taking a huge pay cut. I thought about just taking the inter city coach everyday for another year but that’s a 4h daily round trip ( currently 2h by car).
I was over in Wales on a school trip and was amazed with the number of newish cars. You don’t see that many even in Paris. People in France prefer to buy with cash or take out long term bank loans.
rosbif77 said:
It’s the first time a head gasket has blown on any car i’ve owned. I’ve never had any engine problems with petrol cars before but maybe the modern ones aren’t as reliable as earlier cars.
The cheapest quote i’ve had is for 4000€ with the garage telling me not to bother bearing in mind the age and kilometers on the car, i can expect to have to replace the shocks ( never replaced), exhaust and clutch within the next 18 months if i chose to repair it.
My car problem has highlighted my personal situation. I need a car to finish the school year. My daughter takes her school exams in July and continuing to take public transport everyday is a nightmare scenario. I’m staying here for the foreseeable future (minimum next 3 years).
About the cars:
I like the Ford Mondeo but over here very overpriced and rare. I tested a 2012 model but it had 146000km and was priced 12500€ at a Ford dealer!
The Ford Focus 3: loads for sale here with between 80-100000 km which seems strange.
Do they start to go wrong at this distance?
The titanium models are most expensive. The only ones above this have had engine coolant loss or had accidents.
Opel Astra 1.4 turbo. Not sure whether to go for the 120 or 140 hp version. From 2015 the engine has 150 hp. All the mark 4 Astras for sale here have done 80-130000 km (2011-2016) with quite a few mark 5 (2015 onwards) probably ex company cars ( 2015/16 model with 80000+ km).
Citroën C4: The cheapest to buy second hand here with some interesting prices especially for the 1.6 THP engined versions. Does anybody have any experience of these? They are better equipped than the Renault Mégane but not sure if the reliability issues concerning the chain on these had been resolved after 2012.
I’ve also looked at Kia Cee’d and Hyundai i30 with 2014-16 models priced at 12-15k € and less than 30000km. Very few main dealers around here and servicing costs are more expensive than Opel/Ford.
My dilemma is get a bigger loan for a more recent car (2014-) with 30-50000km over 5/6 years or a smaller loan for an older left field alternative such as Peugeot 407 2.2 16v ( 2007-8 with 70-80000km) or even another Laguna (2009-10). An already 10-12 year old car might lead to financial ruin concerning repairs.
I want a reliable, well equipped and comfortable car to do the daily commute for another 1-2 years.
My daughter will be going to a local 6th form from September but I can’t find anything else closer to home ( or even in Paris ) without taking a huge pay cut. I thought about just taking the inter city coach everyday for another year but that’s a 4h daily round trip ( currently 2h by car).
I was over in Wales on a school trip and was amazed with the number of newish cars. You don’t see that many even in Paris. People in France prefer to buy with cash or take out long term bank loans.
The cheapest quote i’ve had is for 4000€ with the garage telling me not to bother bearing in mind the age and kilometers on the car, i can expect to have to replace the shocks ( never replaced), exhaust and clutch within the next 18 months if i chose to repair it.
My car problem has highlighted my personal situation. I need a car to finish the school year. My daughter takes her school exams in July and continuing to take public transport everyday is a nightmare scenario. I’m staying here for the foreseeable future (minimum next 3 years).
About the cars:
I like the Ford Mondeo but over here very overpriced and rare. I tested a 2012 model but it had 146000km and was priced 12500€ at a Ford dealer!
The Ford Focus 3: loads for sale here with between 80-100000 km which seems strange.
Do they start to go wrong at this distance?
The titanium models are most expensive. The only ones above this have had engine coolant loss or had accidents.
Opel Astra 1.4 turbo. Not sure whether to go for the 120 or 140 hp version. From 2015 the engine has 150 hp. All the mark 4 Astras for sale here have done 80-130000 km (2011-2016) with quite a few mark 5 (2015 onwards) probably ex company cars ( 2015/16 model with 80000+ km).
Citroën C4: The cheapest to buy second hand here with some interesting prices especially for the 1.6 THP engined versions. Does anybody have any experience of these? They are better equipped than the Renault Mégane but not sure if the reliability issues concerning the chain on these had been resolved after 2012.
I’ve also looked at Kia Cee’d and Hyundai i30 with 2014-16 models priced at 12-15k € and less than 30000km. Very few main dealers around here and servicing costs are more expensive than Opel/Ford.
My dilemma is get a bigger loan for a more recent car (2014-) with 30-50000km over 5/6 years or a smaller loan for an older left field alternative such as Peugeot 407 2.2 16v ( 2007-8 with 70-80000km) or even another Laguna (2009-10). An already 10-12 year old car might lead to financial ruin concerning repairs.
I want a reliable, well equipped and comfortable car to do the daily commute for another 1-2 years.
My daughter will be going to a local 6th form from September but I can’t find anything else closer to home ( or even in Paris ) without taking a huge pay cut. I thought about just taking the inter city coach everyday for another year but that’s a 4h daily round trip ( currently 2h by car).
I was over in Wales on a school trip and was amazed with the number of newish cars. You don’t see that many even in Paris. People in France prefer to buy with cash or take out long term bank loans.
Edited by rosbif77 on Tuesday 17th April 09:48
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