Used Car Advice Please!

fed16

Hi,

I bought a 03 Ren Laguna 1.9DCi last year (59,000m on it). I thought I got a great deal but then the following went wrong:

• Fuel pump (200e)
• Timing belt (350e) nothing wrong but needed replacement
• Oil and Air filter 50e (normal maintenance)
• Rear wheel disks (400e)
• Electronic steering lock (780e)
• Gear box (700e)

I also put new tyres on for about 400e. Needless to say I am very pis$ed off with the latest expense (gearbox fcked up on fri 13th) coming two months after 780e bill for the steering lock. What an absolute sh;tbox! :mad:

Anyway, I am going to get it fixed and flog it asap. Now I want advice on a reliable diesel car for about 3k - 5k. I travel approx 500 miles a week so I need to get a car that does a reasonable mpg. Any recommendations? I am thinking japanese or german cars may be the way to go.

Thanks

PS NEVER AND I MEAN NEVER BUY A RENAULT. PURE CRAP! COMFORTABLE BUT CRaP!!

kingbrumak

To be honest I have little or no experience of diesels but I'm looking into one myself at the moment. I'm thinking a Bora or a golf TDI is the way to go. I may be wrong on this but I'm sure someone will correct me if I am :P

Anan1

Past faults are not a particularly good guide to future reliability. I'd keep the Renault - you'd fix quite a few faults with the money you'll lose changing cars. Unless there's something obvious like the Renault's a bit tatty with no SH or the like.

biko

A lot on that list are consumables and things you need to replace occasionally anyway so to me the gearbox is the biggest problem you had, and now that it is fixed you should be able to look forward to many years of happy motoring.

fed16

Anan1 wrote: »

Past faults are not a particularly good guide to future reliability. I'd keep the Renault - you'd fix quite a few faults with the money you'll lose changing cars. Unless there's something obvious like the Renault's a bit tatty with no SH or the like.

It has a full service history from previous owners but it just seems to be one thing after another with it. I reckon the only things left at this stage are the exhaust, clutch, suspension (i think front bushels were replaced before i got it though).

is there much else you can see going?

ronaneire

fed16 wrote: »

Hi,

I bought a 03 Ren Laguna 1.9DCi last year (59,000m on it). I thought I got a great deal but then the following went wrong:

• Fuel pump (200e)
• Timing belt (350e) nothing wrong but needed replacement
• Oil and Air filter 50e (normal maintenance)
• Rear wheel disks (400e)
• Electronic steering lock (780e)
• Gear box (700e)

I also put new tyres on for about 400e. Needless to say I am very pis$ed off with the latest expense (gearbox fcked up on fri 13th) coming two months after 780e bill for the steering lock. What an absolute sh;tbox! :mad:

Anyway, I am going to get it fixed and flog it asap. Now I want advice on a reliable diesel car for about 3k - 5k. I travel approx 500 miles a week so I need to get a car that does a reasonable mpg. Any recommendations? I am thinking japanese or german cars may be the way to go.

Thanks

PS NEVER AND I MEAN NEVER BUY A RENAULT. PURE CRAP! COMFORTABLE BUT CRaP!!

All cars can have problems. I can see why you are annoyed OP. Is the 700e for a recon gearbox or the repair yours?
You won't get a whole lot for the car and as Anan just said I would hold on to it.
VW diesels don't come cheap either.

biko wrote: »

A lot on that list are consumables and things you need to replace occasionally anyway so to me the gearbox is the biggest problem you had, and now that it is fixed you should be able to look forward to many years of happy motoring.

An electronic steering lock a consumable? It works out dearer then the gearbox.

fed16

biko wrote: »

A lot on that list are consumables and things you need to replace occasionally anyway so to me the gearbox is the biggest problem you had, and now that it is fixed you should be able to look forward to many years of happy motoring.

true..i can accept the oil, feul pump and timing are to be expected.

steering column, wheel disks and gearbox cost about 2k though. people told me renault had a bad rep but i thought that that was from years ago.

i'll need to have a good think about whehter to keep it or not

Anan1

Brake discs are a consumable, although €400 for rear discs & pads does sound a bit on the high side to me. I'd class the fuel pump, the steering lock and the gearbox as faults, the rest as routine maintenance.

Lurching

Buy a mondeo. Sorted.

fed16

Lurching wrote: »

Buy a mondeo. Sorted.

do you drive one? what year? any problems with it? good mpg?

Kannon

i'm looking at buying a 2001 audi a4. anyone any experience with these? i heard they can be expensive to service? Any ideas what kind of problems can go wrong with them? also how much difference in terms of cost these days is running a diesel instead of petrol?
Thanks

Kannon

bump. anyone?

Anan1

Kannon wrote: »

i'm looking at buying a 2001 audi a4. anyone any experience with these? i heard they can be expensive to service? Any ideas what kind of problems can go wrong with them? also how much difference in terms of cost these days is running a diesel instead of petrol?
Thanks

Best to start a new thread for that.

VanhireBoys

Anan1 wrote: »

Past faults are not a particularly good guide to future reliability. I'd keep the Renault - you'd fix quite a few faults with the money you'll lose changing cars. Unless there's something obvious like the Renault's a bit tatty with no SH or the like.

I hate to burst your "I love Renault" bubble mate but a work colleauges beloved (NOT) '02 Renault Laguna has caught fire in our carpark today. This happened due to the electronic pushbutton start which would not shut off possibly overheating the wiring and torching the thing....!

Good riddance to the pig I say.. Most put up the pictures which will make you choke on your cucumber sandwiches

He also had to put a consumable "gearbox" and "turbo" in the thing as well as electronic handbrake issues which never got sorted...!

Ban me if you want but them Lagunas are as the OP put it "Pure and utter Scrap"

Id rather have an "Action Man" to play with.. better resale value at least

Get a German or Jap and stay away from French or Italian is my "about to get flamed by a know it all" opinion yee haw....!

sentient_6

VanhireBoys wrote: »

I hate to burst your "I love Renault" bubble mate...

I fail to see where he says he loves renault. I think the reasoning was now that all that work the OP mentioned is done the car should be fairly solid from now on. & the cost to change would out weigh any futher cost in maintaining the car seeing as most of the major work has now been done.

Anan1

VanhireBoys wrote: »

I hate to burst your "I love Renault" bubble mate

Where did you get the idea that I love Renault?

VanhireBoys wrote: »

Ban me if you want but them Lagunas are as the OP put it "Pure and utter Scrap"

You think I can ban people for not liking Renault Lagunas? Are you for real?

johnos1984

I must come clean ANAN, you'll have to ban me also.

I HATE LAGUNA's

However on a more serious note OP I had a Renault that gave me problems and I got shot when the gearbox went. I'd had enough of it. It will cost you to be rid but at least it will save you the hassle of future breakdowns.

The Turbo and ECU have yet to fail on yours

Anan1

johnos1984 wrote: »

I must come clean ANAN, you'll have to ban me also.

I HATE LAGUNA's

I'm composing a list of cars that you all HAVE to like now, i'll post it in the charter when i've finished.

johnos1984

Anan1 wrote: »

I'm composing a list of cars that you all HAVE to like now, i'll post it in the charter when i've finished.

As long as anything built by British Leyland, Yugo and FSO are included I'll be ok!

fed16

johnos1984 wrote: »

I must come clean ANAN, you'll have to ban me also.

I HATE LAGUNA's

However on a more serious note OP I had a Renault that gave me problems and I got shot when the gearbox went. I'd had enough of it. It will cost you to be rid but at least it will save you the hassle of future breakdowns.

The Turbo and ECU have yet to fail on yours

Thanks for the additional feedback everyone

ECU = Electronic card unit? I think that was upgraded as part of the steering fix!

That leaves the turbo. What indicators are there for that going? One thing I did notice lately was the car making a whistling noice not particularly loud intially. I could only hear it in 3rd gear at the start but then I noticed it more in 4th and 5th whn I was driving on the motorway. This may have been spmething to do with the gearbox but I doubt it. So let me know if you think the turbo is the next thing?

I think its time to sell and get a 96 Corolla! Seems to be more reliable:D

johnos1984

fed16 wrote: »

Thanks for the additional feedback everyone

ECU = Electronic card unit? I think that was upgraded as part of the steering fix!

That leaves the turbo. What indicators are there for that going? One thing I did notice lately was the car making a whistling noice not particularly loud intially. I could only hear it in 3rd gear at the start but then I noticed it more in 4th and 5th whn I was driving on the motorway. This may have been spmething to do with the gearbox but I doubt it. So let me know if you think the turbo is the next thing?

I think its time to sell and get a 96 Corolla! Seems to be more reliable:D

ECU is the Electronic Control Unit, the cars brain and a mate has had 2 into his and they are not cheap.

The whistling noise is the turbo, it could be just a split pipe or it could be on the way out.

Get it checked

fed16

johnos1984 wrote: »

ECU is the Electronic Control Unit, the cars brain and a mate has had 2 into his and they are not cheap.

The whistling noise is the turbo, it could be just a split pipe or it could be on the way out.

Get it checked

Thanks johno. will do

fed16

car is well and truly fecked. not worth fixing. initially thought it was the gaerbox bearings but now it needs a whole new gearbox.

HEAP OF SHIIITE :mad: