Little advice needed on purchasing a renault

sammles · 06-05-2012 8:47pm #1

Hi,

I know this may seem a little pointless, but after lurking for a while and reading through the posts, I know there are a good few knowledgable people here.

I am currently going to look at an 06 Renault Grand Scenic 1.6 petrol. I know that to some people the meer mention of the word renault strikes fear into their hearts followed by, run as fast as you can, dashboard, windows and electrics also seem to be mentioned in quick succession. I gooogled the problems they have and most seem to relate to 05 and older (unless I am being naive)

I am just wondering if this car is worth the 5k it is being advertised at or should I run for the hills like I have been advised a few times.

All opinions would be great, good or bad, I don't have 5k to throw away, nor extra money to throw at a car that cost me 5k.

Thanks

OldmanMondeo · 06-05-2012 9:24pm

Just bear in mind that is a heavy body for a 1.6 petrol engine to be hauling around. They also have the wheel bearing build into the rear discs, so you could be looking at around €100 per disc plus labour.

Guy:Incognito · 06-05-2012 9:55pm

We've had ours (05 grand scenic 1.6) for over 4 years now and not a bother. The 1.6 moves is grand. It's 110 bhp , not going to set land speed records but its not the type of car your be trying to in anyway. Ours takes us on 2 or 3 trips to England with 6 people usually each year and no issues.

sammles · 06-05-2012 9:56pm

thanks, the thought of over €500 for a new dash kind of scares me especially as it is envitably going to go at some point.

Any thoughts on an 06 fiat multipla, 1.6 petrol, not the funky looking one, but does have 6 seats.

Guy:Incognito · 06-05-2012 9:58pm

sammles wrote: »

thanks, the thought of over €500 for a new dash kind of scares me especially as it is envitably going to go at some point.

Any thoughts on an 06 fiat multipla, 1.6 petrol, not the funky looking one, but does have 6 seats.

They dont all go and Renault do it for €100/£100 if they do. Ours hasnt.

sammles · 06-05-2012 10:19pm

Is that for any age renault or only of a certain age and younger

matt-dublin · 06-05-2012 10:21pm

My advice about buying a Renault would be, buy a ford or a vw.

That is all

sammles · 06-05-2012 10:31pm

would love to buy a ford, but finances mean to get a mpv I can only afford a 2004 or older, same with the vw.

Leonard Hofstadter · 06-05-2012 10:31pm

The digital instrument binnacle and the window regulators are known weaknesses with these cars as well.

Guy:Incognito · 06-05-2012 10:37pm

captainspeed wrote: »

The digital instrument binnacle and the window regulators are known weaknesses with these cars as well.

As well as the dash and window regs the op mentioned originally?

Guy:Incognito · 06-05-2012 10:38pm

sammles wrote: »

Is that for any age renault or only of a certain age and younger

For all Scenic II's afaik.

Damien360 · 06-05-2012 11:00pm

I had a 05 scenic II with a 1.4 petrol engine. I got to know my mechanic by first name before finally getting rid if it. Electrics are a nightmare on those. Depreciation is very high. Just do yourself a favour and buy something else.

deandean · 06-05-2012 11:06pm

It's a lot of car for the money! Look, any car that age you are gonna have some problems. Realistically to need to find a good indy and allow say, 1000 euro per anum for servicing and parts. All cars cost money to run, renaults not specially worse than the average in my experience.

Guy:Incognito · 06-05-2012 11:17pm

deandean wrote: »

Realistically to need to find a good indy and allow say, 1000 euro per anum for servicing and parts..

A grand a year?Ours barely cost that including tax and insurance.

Admittedly I've done the servicing myself since we got it, but in the 4 years we've had it it's had 1 set of pads, 2 sets of tyres (1 set of cheapies replaced with part worn continentals when there was plenty of thread left cos they were brutal in the wet) and a ball joint and the consumables for yearly servicing. In total its cost less than a grand.

I've changed plenty more on my Xantia (spheres, Lhm, wishbones bush, caliper, pads, discs , droplinks, set of alloys with goodyears and a tb still to do *waves at nissan doctor*:) ) and it hasnt cost me anything near to a grand a year.

I'm not saying the potential isnt there for things to cost a grand a year ,but realistically it shouldnt cost that every year to keep it running properly.

06-05-2012 11:27pm

Damien360 wrote: »

...... Depreciation is very high.....

The OP is looking to buy an 06 for under €5k, in three years time I don't think they'd be overly bothered what it's worth to be fair.

I bought a 7 year old Rover 600 years back, a dizzy cow was telling me how I shouldn't have bought a Rover as they depreciate badly, I was after spending €2300 on it.

maddragon · 06-05-2012 11:30pm

As to the multipla, we had a 99 petrol multipla from 2003 to 2005 when we bought a new diesel multipla (because nobody else would take the petrol as a trade in). The petrol one was a very comfortable family vehicle and the kids loved it but it did about 23mpg and it was killing us. We drove the 2005 diesel till 2008. It had a 4 year warranty but in year 3 of the warranty almost every piece of plastic in the cabin started to break and we also had to put 2 new shocks on it. We reckoned if we kept it after the warranty wore off that we would be bankrupted.
Driving a mazda 5 diesel now.

wonski · 06-05-2012 11:31pm

OldmanMondeo wrote: »

Just bear in mind that is a heavy body for a 1.6 petrol engine to be hauling around. They also have the wheel bearing build into the rear discs, so you could be looking at around €100 per disc plus labour.

I paid about 80 euro for 2 discs with wheel bearing and ABS sensor, from ebay. Irish retailers ask for between 60-120 for 1 disc. It is not very big issue for Renault owners, as the rear discs last for very long time before change is needed.
You are right about that engine, with 4 people on board mpg will drop a lot, and acceleration won't be very good.

maddragon · 06-05-2012 11:32pm

RoverJames wrote: »

The OP is looking to buy an 06 for under €5k, in three years time I don't think they'd be overly bothered what it's worth to be fair.

I bought a 7 year old Rover 600 years back, a dizzy cow was telling me how I shouldn't have bought a Rover as they depreciate badly, I was after spending €2300 on it.

Did they have cars 600 years ago.:)

06-05-2012 11:36pm

maddragon wrote: »

Did they have cars 600 years ago.:)

Very witty

Fishtits · 07-05-2012 1:13am

My experience with Renault has been poor.

They have been dissmissive of obvious faults, Megane windows, Electronic dash, Electric handbrakes....

Consumer programmmes in neighboring countries have resulted in half hearted recall initiatives.

Nissan doctor · 07-05-2012 1:30am

sammles wrote: »

would love to buy a ford, but finances mean to get a mpv I can only afford a 2004 or older, same with the vw.

What's wrong with that?

Surely reliability, condition and suitability are the criteria, not the number on the reg plate?

matt-dublin · 07-05-2012 7:58am

I would think that if you got a decent ford or vw it would be significantly more reliable then the Renault.

Personally I would never buy a French car, I would only ever buy German or ford.

You could also look at an Opel as well which would give you a newer car but again I think depreciation is high.

Not trying to talk you out of the renault, just giving you option as it really is whatever your preference is should be your choice.

sammles · 07-05-2012 8:16am

I was told that maintenance on a vw get costly and vw tend to have more costly problems with their abs and esp, a friend has a touran and hates it ( suppose it is the same deal with a renault, someone always has problems and hates the car.) I don't like the zafiras, I don't find them very comfortable and don't like how they drive, the ones I have driven have always felt cheaply made. They guzzle petrol and burn oil when they hit 100k, don't know what the diesel would be like for the latter, but would presume the comfort etc would be the same.

I have not got my heart set on the renault I have seen, I know I would probably get the same kind of value as the 04 galaxy I saw if I traded it in, in a couple of years, I just worry that some people won't touch the galaxy by then as it would be 10 years old, and as it is from Dublin the clutch maybe well worn. The galaxy does have a 1.9 diesel engine that would be a better drive, but then tax goes up by over €200 a year.

I just want a good sized family car, which can fit 2 highbacks and a baby seat comfortably in the back without having to fasten seat belts behind the seats, preferably a 6/7 for less than 5k which I know is a tall order, but I really do appreciate all the advice I am getting.

Thank you

BrianD3 · 07-05-2012 10:42am

There's a lot of rubbish written about "French cars" in this forum. The facelift version of the Megane II and Scenic II are very reliable. These facelifts occured in 2006.

See how they do in the ADAC pannenstatistik (breakdown stats) Click on Untere Mittelklasse and Mittelklasse in the link below
http://www.adac.de/infotestrat/unfall-schaeden-und-panne/pannenstatistik/

Note that the Scenic has a higher rating than the VW Touran, Ford C max, Toyota Verso, Mazda 5 etc. and much better rating than the Ford S Max.

Nissan doctor · 07-05-2012 9:35pm

sammles wrote: »

I was told that maintenance on a vw get costly and vw tend to have more costly problems with their abs and esp, a friend has a touran and hates it ( suppose it is the same deal with a renault, someone always has problems and hates the car.) I don't like the zafiras, I don't find them very comfortable and don't like how they drive, the ones I have driven have always felt cheaply made. They guzzle petrol and burn oil when they hit 100k, don't know what the diesel would be like for the latter, but would presume the comfort etc would be the same.

I have not got my heart set on the renault I have seen, I know I would probably get the same kind of value as the 04 galaxy I saw if I traded it in, in a couple of years, I just worry that some people won't touch the galaxy by then as it would be 10 years old, and as it is from Dublin the clutch maybe well worn. The galaxy does have a 1.9 diesel engine that would be a better drive, but then tax goes up by over €200 a year.

I just want a good sized family car, which can fit 2 highbacks and a baby seat comfortably in the back without having to fasten seat belts behind the seats, preferably a 6/7 for less than 5k which I know is a tall order, but I really do appreciate all the advice I am getting.

Thank you

You say your afraid of VW maintenance costs but are considering an 04 Galaxy 1.9.....your not aware, presumably, that a Ford Galaxy is a VW Sharan with a Ford badge.

If its reliability that's your major concern, what about a Toyota Verso or Honda stream?

wonski · 07-05-2012 10:01pm

Nissan doctor wrote: »

You say your afraid of VW maintenance costs but are considering an 04 Galaxy 1.9.....your not aware, presumably, that a Ford Galaxy is a VW Sharan with a Ford badge.

If its reliability that's your major concern, what about a Toyota Verso or Honda stream?

+1, isn't it the same tdi engine?
They are not that bad, and if you are really concerned about Renault, why not pick one of these?
Galaxy/Sharan are much bigger inside, i would say it is proper minivan, and it will secure it's value over the time. There are a lot of Scenics for sale for good price, not loads of those Galaxys, this is some indication.
When i picked up my old, good 2000 reg Scenic 2 years ago, the seller already had 2005 Grand scenic in his driveway. He complained about it a lot( after i paid), and said he would never change it if his son wouldn't extend his family. He only needed 7-seater, but didn't expect any problems after having Renault for years. He was wrong.
If you stick to Renault, just make sure you pick the right one, with not only service history, but good owner story as well.

alias no.9 · 07-05-2012 10:03pm

Two years down almost to the day since we bought it and we had our first incident of woe on our 2007 Grand Scenic 1.5dci. Not the dash, not the window regulators, in fact nothing electric. The clutch had had enough abuse from a lady best suited to automatics but unable to comprehend that driving one really is 'that easy'. Of course any motors regular having spotted that its a diesel model will just know that the dual mass flywheel was the worse for wear, swiftly doubling the repair bill. Total pain in the ass, more than wiping out the notional €1k repair budget mentioned above but moreso due to inherrent design flaws with modern diesels rather than renaults and the bloody dual mass flywheels.

Nissan doctor · 07-05-2012 10:08pm

wonski wrote: »

+1, isn't it the same tdi engine?
They are not that bad, and if you are really concerned about Renault, why not pick one of these?
Galaxy/Sharan are much bigger inside, i would say it is proper minivan, and it will secure it's value over the time. There are a lot of Scenics for sale for good price, not loads of those Galaxys, this is some indication.
When i picked up my old, good 2000 reg Scenic 2 years ago, the seller already had 2005 Grand scenic in his driveway. He complained about it a lot( after i paid), and said he would never change it if his son wouldn't extend his family. He only needed 7-seater, but didn't expect any problems after having Renault for years. He was wrong.
If you stick to Renault, just make sure you pick the right one, with not only service history, but good owner story as well.

Its the Renault generation from around 00-02 up to 06-07 that are the troublesome models. Previous models where very reliable and the newer models are better, although despite what some will say, far from trouble free.

Nissan doctor · 07-05-2012 10:16pm

alias no.9 wrote: »

Two years down almost to the day since we bought it and we had our first incident of woe on our 2007 Grand Scenic 1.5dci. Not the dash, not the window regulators, in fact nothing electric. The clutch had had enough abuse from a lady best suited to automatics but unable to comprehend that driving one really is 'that easy'. Of course any motors regular having spotted that its a diesel model will just know that the dual mass flywheel was the worse for wear, swiftly doubling the repair bill. Total pain in the ass, more than wiping out the notional €1k repair budget mentioned above but moreso due to inherrent design flaws with modern diesels rather than renaults and the bloody dual mass flywheels.

IMO its not design flaws, its the Irish market that's the problem. Modern diesels are for high mileage use, their design and economy/gearing is optimised for this but all most people here see is a lower fuel price at the pumps and so automatically think it will be cheaper to run. This problem has been made worse post 08 due to the low tax bands.

wonski · 07-05-2012 10:20pm

Nissan doctor wrote: »

Its the Renault generation from around 00-02 up to 06-07 that are the troublesome models. Previous models where very reliable and the newer models are better, although despite what some will say, far from trouble free.

I think the theory is that all new models are bad, until facelift. First generation of scenic came out around 96-97 i think, facelift 99-2003.
New model 2003-05/06, and then facelift. I hate buying the car knowing it is a new model, sometimes it is just better to stick to older one, knowing they fixed most of the serious issues prior to face lift. That is my theory, based on very poor experience with Fiat, Ford, and French car in question.
I am not sure if that particular theory is based on actual facts...
I know that having any doubts, i would rather invest in any other car, as Renault prices are really going down quickly every year.

alias no.9 · 07-05-2012 10:38pm

Nissan doctor wrote: »

IMO its not design flaws, its the Irish market that's the problem. Modern diesels are for high mileage use, their design and economy/gearing is optimised for this but all most people here see is a lower fuel price at the pumps and so automatically think it will be cheaper to run. This problem has been made worse post 08 due to the low tax bands.

I'll buy that for particulate filters and the like but not for a flywheel, a flywheel should not be a consumable. This car has 125k kms and is only 5 years old so has had its legs stretched plenty.

Little advice needed on purchasing a renault

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