Renault Laguna Estate, 2003,£1500. Should I?
Renault Laguna Estate, 2003,£1500. Should I?
Author
Discussion

joebongo

Original Poster:

1,516 posts

198 months

Tuesday 9th November 2010
quotequote all
I've read the scare stories but want to know, is this a semi-shed FWD winter hack if I put winter tyres on it or a guaranteed bag'o'shyte?

DavidHM

3,940 posts

223 months

Tuesday 9th November 2010
quotequote all
Probably the latter.

Egbert Nobacon

2,835 posts

266 months

Tuesday 9th November 2010
quotequote all
A bag o'shyte.

ludicrous speed

959 posts

217 months

Tuesday 9th November 2010
quotequote all
Get a mondeo instead

manic47

737 posts

188 months

Tuesday 9th November 2010
quotequote all
Yes - if you know a friendly auto-electrician.

joebongo

Original Poster:

1,516 posts

198 months

Tuesday 9th November 2010
quotequote all
Really really really really that bad?

I've heard of autoboxes popping every 35k and the usual electrical gremlins - is it as hard and expensive to manage as BMW electrics?

robsco

7,875 posts

199 months

Tuesday 9th November 2010
quotequote all
No you shouldn't.

Hammer67

6,320 posts

207 months

Tuesday 9th November 2010
quotequote all
Buy it and take up residence on the Rue De Francais or the hard shoulder as its also known.

Negative Creep

25,794 posts

250 months

Tuesday 9th November 2010
quotequote all

MikeDH

2,402 posts

239 months

Tuesday 9th November 2010
quotequote all
Had our work one nearly 2 years, had 80k then, 120k now, needed nothing but tyres.

2.0 petrol. Nice and comfy on long journeys.

MarJay

2,180 posts

198 months

Tuesday 9th November 2010
quotequote all
joebongo said:
I've read the scare stories but want to know, is this a semi-shed FWD winter hack if I put winter tyres on it or a guaranteed bag'o'shyte?
I dunno, a couple of mates had nineties ones, and they did OK. The main issues were annoying niggles. But when the annoying niggle meant, for example, that you couldn't open the bonnet to check the oil... the niggles became more serious problems.

NiceCupOfTea

25,536 posts

274 months

Tuesday 9th November 2010
quotequote all
A colleague of mine has had an 02 plate from new without any major issues apart from a broken spring I think.

frosted

3,549 posts

200 months

Tuesday 9th November 2010
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Try and go for petrol , they seem to fare better

redtwin

7,518 posts

205 months

Tuesday 9th November 2010
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One of my favourite PH quotes was something along the lines of "A Laguna is like a girl from a council estate, looks good and is cheap, but you just know it is going to end badly". hehe

Wish I could remember who wrote it, can't for the life of me find the thread again.

plg

4,106 posts

233 months

Tuesday 9th November 2010
quotequote all
Pick up Saab 9000 and winter tyres for that money and have something far, far more capable. Might get heated seats as well...

Big Rod

6,257 posts

239 months

Wednesday 10th November 2010
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I bought a 'V' plate, (ok, I know it's a different model!), and have had to be recovered twice in six days.

The car's on it'#s last chance. If it does it again it's getting cubed!

(To be fair, both issues weren't inherent design flaws, but it's soured my take on the thing. It's actually a nice car, but I can't be doing with it's st!!)

Big Rod

6,257 posts

239 months

Wednesday 10th November 2010
quotequote all
Paddy_N_Murphy said:
Big Rod said:
The car's on it'#s last chance. If it does it again it's getting cubed!
rofl
No, really!!

MondeoMan1981

2,445 posts

206 months

Wednesday 10th November 2010
quotequote all
This time last year I had a 51 plate Laguna.

Oil leak from the back of the engine, enquired at Renault, they dont make gaskets for that part you need to buy whole new thing - no thanks, workaround was 500ml weekly topup.

Coils went, twice, one time at -5 in the middle of no where on the A90 2 days after Christmas.

Condensation out the back after a long run was unreal, wasnt using any water though....

Footwell lights always stayed on after closing the door, unless you stopped engine, pulled card out and put it back in again.

Heater only worked properly on one side.

Other than that it was a nice car to drive, handled and rode well, and returned up to 45mpg.

I wouldnt go there again, not til the 05 facelift models in which many issues were solved, and never again a coil eating 1.6!

In the end a steam clean of the oily engine and a local dealer was happy to take it in part ex at a reasonable price.

vit4

3,507 posts

193 months

Wednesday 10th November 2010
quotequote all
I remember being in one back in '02 when it was new. Felt very, very comfortable indeed. And it had electric windows in the back eek Ah to be 10 again hehe

If I remember rightly they have a 'credit card' sort of start system? Recipe for disaster if you ask me.