Thinking of getting...

Cadzer

I was thinking of getting a Renault Laguna between 01-04 model.
Just wondering what experiances people have had with this car, and what spec i should go for??
1.9TDI , 1.8, petrol etc.
Is there any common problems i should look out for??

Thanks

bazz26

Sits back, puts the feet up and waits for the onslaught.

OP, do a search on the topic. I have no personal experience of the Laguna II but they have a terrible reputation regarding reliability and electrical problems. Of course some of this is pub talk, some of maybe true but there are people out there too who have had no problems with their Lagunas. It could a case of hit and miss.

They are pretty hard to sell on though as I know someone despite having the car priced well below the going rate cannot sell his one for love nor money.

Specs vary. The Dynamic is the top spec model in Ireland afaik. Back in 2001/2003 it was known as the Super Sport.

JoeA3

They have a terrible rep, as Bazz says! Electrics seem to be the biggest downfall. I've even heard stories that Renault dealers themselves don't like them as trade ins! So resale value is appalling on them, which is good news for you if you're buying an older one.

That said, I've 2 buddies who have them and I don't think they've had many big issues with either of them. Although one of them has sports suspension and big wheels on his, he constantly has to replace tyres, and the tyre pressure monitor warning is always beeping at him

mvpr

Probably one of the hardest cars to shift when it comes to selling on.

If you do buy one, drive a very hard bargain with whoever is selling it. And be prepared to sell it on for next to nothing.

1.9DCi engines get revs stuck on and destroy the engine if overfilled with oil. Dont know how common an occurence this is...

Drove a 1.8 supersport and it was ok. Not particularly memorable.

Does it have to be a Laguna? If it does, you should be able to find yourself one fairly cheap...

Guy:Incognito

Not really a good place to ask about Renaults tbh. Bettre off taking any questions here http://www.renaultforums.co.uk/read-forum.html

Personnaly I love my Renaults. Have had 3 myself and theres a few more in the family. Will be a new addition in January.

Mailman

They are infamously unreliable.
But at the prices they are selling at they are worth considering.
The 1.6 interests me as it is very easy on fuel, cheap to tax, versatile with a big hatch and much quieter/smoother on the motorway than comparable models from other manufacturers but handling isn't as good. The 1.6 engine\transmission is one of the more reliable in the range.
Consider it if it is the right car for your application, if not pass it buy.

colm_mcm

It'd be quicker to list the bits that don't fall off/stop working.

flanzer

I work with a lad who has a '04 one that the wife uses on school runs and woke up one morning last week and the handbrake had seized. Renault were charging him just over a grand (parts and labour). With fcuk all mileage (14K) and without a warranty he kicked up a stink and treatened to go legal. They ended up compromising and only had to pay the labour which was €180! So no, I wouldn't be getting one if I were you!

Henry Ford III

Buy another car, any other car.

Owen

colm_mcm wrote: »

It'd be quicker to list the bits that don't fall off/stop working.

Okay, I'll start :

The carpet ...

... anyone else?

bazz26

Mailman wrote: »

The 1.6 interests me as it is very easy on fuel, cheap to tax, versatile with a big hatch and much quieter/smoother on the motorway than comparable models from other manufacturers but handling isn't as good.

Not necessarily always the case and can be an incorrect perception by Irish motorists.

These are heavy family cars and the 1.6 litre engine has to work harder to pull it around. This has a negatice effect on mpg. The bigger 1.8 litre engine has less hard work to do so is probably just as economical as the 1.6 litre.

Silent Partner

Seeing as there is a new model out this year, this will hit re-sale values even harder.
Personally, I don't like them and would try and go for a Mondeo as this should be within a similar budget.


They say Renaults make the safest cars in the world.


Often because they are never off the mechanics ramps!!!

groupb

I worked in a Renault dealership for a while and the word Laguna (post 00) when mentioned as a trade in sent shivers down my spine as I knew I was going to offer somebody pittance for their pride and joy. I'll never forget a woman , who wanted to trade her 16 month 32grand laguna for a scenic and I was told to offer her 15 grand. The funny thing is , about 50% of owners had no problems and loved their cars but the other 50% spent their time at the service desk.

De Hipster

STEER WELL CLEAR!

My parents have a '03 which recently failed the NCT at 29,000miles as the track-rod ends were gone.

They are an absolute nightmare from what I can gather, expensive to maintain considering the on-going repairs & general upkeep.

mildews

I have a 1.6 laguna '02 70000mls and never had any engine problems (touch wood)serviced regularly. The engine is a bit underpowered for the size of car but no major problems unless you want to take it to a track day!!!!!! Lol. Electrical problems well.... thats not really a problem either (well not with mine anyway so far) the only problem i found is that because of so much electronics in the car, unless you do clear motorway driving the battery tends not to get a decent charge and then things start to get a bit weird!! i.e. air pressure sensor says that a tyre is flat when its not. fuel gague warning light comes on when you still have a half tank of fuel. But all these problems dissappear when the battery is full. YOU CAN BUY MINE IF YOU WANT!!!!!! No, only joking i'm keeping it till it really fall apart. Christmas maybe!!!.If you were to buy one make sure that they put a new battery in first and ask them to change the timing belt and whatever else you want cos they will be dying to offload it.. Not a bad car, just a bad rep.. alot of Pub talk..

mildews

Sorry forgot! Ball joints wear quickly and rear axel Bushes too around 30-50k mls, a common NCT fail. Get the garage to fix them too!!!! Depending where you go the job costs anything between €800 and €600.

BrianD3

mildews wrote: »

Sorry forgot! Ball joints wear quickly and rear axel Bushes too around 30-50k mls, a common NCT fail. Get the garage to fix them too!!!! Depending where you go the job costs anything between €800 and €600.

The ball joint problem seems to occur mainly on 01 and 02 cars, presumably any ball joints on these cars that are going to wear prematurely will have done so by now and been replaced. I'd imagine that the replacement parts are improved quality.

I have a 03 Laguna 1.6 that has done 160,000 miles with much of that on twisty roads. The ball joints are the original ones, the car drives well and it passed the NCT earlier this year. Since the NCT the rear beam mounting bushes that you mention were replaced (they had lasted 145,000 miles) and the job cost me 370 euros at a main Renault dealer.

I know many family and friends with Lagunas and Renaults generally. They're all happy with their cars and have little or no trouble with them. Depreciation on the newer cars is a problem alright. And there can be some stupid niggly problems eg the backlighting on the Laguna's climate control display often fails meaning the display cannot be read in the dark. The cause of the fault is poor solder joints on the PCB and can generally be fixed in about 5 minutes by someone handy with a soldering iron. However Renault do not fix the units and will replace them instead at big cost.

But there is a lot of exaggerated rubbish posted about Renault in this forum usually by fanboys of other makes and people repeating pub talk they've heard etc. It has been said here before that it costs "500 euros per side" to do the rear bushings - well given that it cost me 370 for two sides I'm going to call BS on that. There have also been some highly exaggerated prices for electric window regulator replacment quoted here. When people get factual things like prices so wrong you'd wonder how much of what else they say is drivel.

As SteKelly says, www.renaultforums.co.uk is a better place to go for constructive advice

Silent Partner

I wouldn't say that every Laguna is muck. I drove a '06 Sky Dynamique for a while and it was fine. Very annoying with all the fiddly switches though. Oh and the handbrake was determined to kill me. If I cut out in the middle of the road, between the stupid electronic handbrake and the key card / start button thing, it took a good 25 seconds to get going again. By which time the oncoming traffic was nearly in the passenger seat with me :eek: