Looking for a fun little reliable car

[tryant]

The Megane totally slipped under my radar. In my mind, Renault has always had a less than brilliant reputation for reliability. Maybe that's unfair or has changed? I also have the impression that they're better at diesel engines, which I've always assumed are less suited to my kind of driving. I'd be happy to be corrected on all or any of those preconceptions.

 

[68rednose]

i suggest the megane as my cousin has a Lamborghini galliard and he has the megane cup as his daily run around - he speaks very highly of it and thinks its a stunning B road blast with space for bits.

The Megane totally slipped under my radar. In my mind, Renault has always had a less than brilliant reputation for reliability. Maybe that's unfair or has changed? I also have the impression that they're better at diesel engines, which I've always assumed are less suited to my kind of driving. I'd be happy to be corrected on all or any of those preconceptions.

Was wondering the same, and don't want to bash Renault in any way.

I find they found brilliant (cost effective) solutions for the build up of their LHD and RHD instrument panels.

Colleagues with Megane MkII station have had some issues, mostly electric/electronic.

Used Meganes, Scenic and Espace can be had for ridiculously low prices here, that makes me suspicious.

In any case, stay away from the 3.0 dCI.

Came accross many ads where engine issues were already mentioned, in spite of low mileage (around 100k).

But, it must be said, Renault was more avantgardistic than Citroen was for a long time with their Avantime and Vel Satis designs.

Todays cars look all too familiar.

Very brave attempts, but not well received in their prospective market of upper class cars.

Leads to ads like these:

http://suchen.mobile.de/auto-inserat/renault-vel-satis-3-0-dci-privilege-navi-wiesloch/183842869.html?lang=de&pageNumber=1&__lp=30&scopeId=C&sortOption.sortBy=price.consumerGrossEuro&makeModelVariant1.makeId=20700&makeModelVariant1.searchInFreetext=false&makeModelVariant2.searchInFreetext=false&makeModelVariant3.searchInFreetext=false&minPowerAsArray=109&minPowerAsArray=KW&fuels=DIESEL&maxPrice=5001&negativeFeatures=EXPORT

The asked € 890,- is less than a foo cable, in fact, the alloys and tyres alone are almost worth half of it.

Oh, and on topic:

didn't I see an episode of Top Gear where they had serious fun with a Skoda Fabia diesel?

If the hatch is too small, maybe you could consider the station for the dog then.

FYI:

VW connected is only in terms of shares.

All parts are at the end manufactured by suppliers that are mostly the same for all car brands as you know from the dealerships.

 

[tryant]

VW connected is only in terms of shares.

Precisely. I also will never ever buy a BMW, Mercedes or Porsche. Sort of limits my choices, I realise.

 

[meninblack]

We used to have a Renault Laguna as a pool car at work, and my boss also had one as his company car. LOTS of expensive problems, especially my boss's top-end model which was laden with electronic gadgets that went wrong constantly. The low-spec one was better, but even then it's last service bill ran to more than £3k. :shock:

 

[julian2002]

yeah, wouldn't touch a french car with penance's, every single one I've had has been a nightmare for reliability.

When my audi blew it's engine, I asked the recovery driver what car he deals with least, his answer was if you want something reliable get a kia, hyundai or toyota. Honda are trading on their image a bit these days and nissans are too bound up with renault to be that trustworthy any more. Mazda have diesel issues, mitsubishi are expensive to service, the germans are all a bit pants nowadays. One possibility is the new astra, but it's a vauxhall, then again paper bags are cheap.

 

[tryant]

Tryant, may I ask what is the obstacle to buying anything German ?Is it the war ?

Not a problem, Clothy. The obstacle as you say is of course the war. A German car would forever remind me of the Holocaust. A pity really as I've always lusted after a 911 (funny how the name now has a new significance), and really like the styling and handling of VWs and BMWs. But there's strangely no way around history and what those marques still symbolize other than forgetting.

 

[tryant]

Yes, of course. It's completely irrational. I admire VW in many ways. It seems to be an exemplary company today. But I could never be happy owning one of their cars because VW has that very particular history.

 

[meninblack]

I won't buy French cars because of William the Conqueror. What a bastard! He came over here and took our land, then installed huge numbers of immigrants (who didn't even speak English) in bloody great castles where they lived it up at the taxpayer's expense while the ordinary British worker lived in a mud hut and only had turnips to eat. :grrr:

German cars I won't buy because all the ones I can afford are shite.

 

[tryant]

I won't buy French cars because of William the Conqueror. What a bastard! He came over here and took our land, then installed huge numbers of immigrants (who didn't even speak English) in bloody great castles where they lived it up at the taxpayer's expense while the ordinary British worker lived in a mud hut and only had turnips to eat. :grrr: German cars I won't buy because all the ones I can afford are shite.

Mibby, that's a bit of a cheap shot. There are actually a lot of people who feel the same way as I do because the history is relatively recent and in some cases because it directly affected relatives not so distant.

 

[Injector]

I suggest the A-Team van.

- - - Updated - - -

One of my exes' father was a Japanese POW and refused to buy anything Japanese. Right up to his death he was a Rover man...

 

[gsrai]

The Megane totally slipped under my radar. In my mind, Renault has always had a less than brilliant reputation for reliability. Maybe that's unfair or has changed? I also have the impression that they're better at diesel engines, which I've always assumed are less suited to my kind of driving. I'd be happy to be corrected on all or any of those preconceptions.

I haven't personally driven one so can't tell you from personal experience but a few of the car meets I've been invited to where there have been some exclusive super cars (the gallardo was one of the ordinary cars :shock: ) and a couple of the guys spoke very highly of the cup as a B road weapon.

i guess if you test drive one you'll find out - I know the interiors aren't inspiring but I'm confident it will tick the fun box just not sure how practical it will be for you.

tbh, I have an anti Renault prejudice but I think the cup is special.

just my thoughts tbh, have a read of internet reviews.

only other car I could think of was an older porsche cayman but not too practical.

[video=youtube_share;7zMH1u4QhRU]

 

[gsrai]

Actually I've just re-read the "prejudice" element of this thread and would encourage you to try and ignore it and give the car a whirl, the worst that happens is you lose an afternoon hooning LOL

You have to remember, you only ever hear about bad car experiences and the vast majority of folks are happy with there purchases - if you're still warranted just buy a long warranty from the dealer .

i grew up with folks laughing at skoda's and we now own a skoda's yeti and are better for it - a simply brilliant car, actually if speed isn't your thing I'd wholeheartedly encourage a yeti but then its part of the VW group so it might be taboo.

 

[rockmeister]

I suggest the A-Team van.- - - Updated - - -

One of my exes' father was a Japanese POW and refused to buy anything Japanese. Right up to his death he was a Rover man...

Oddly my old man spent the last year of the war in a Burmese POW camp, and would only buy his rovers with a Honda engine.

Life's odd huh?

 

[tryant]

I was just reading a book (about trees actually) that said Jaguar used to be called SS Jaguar for Swallow Sidecars in the 1930s but they soon realised it would be better to drop the SS bit.

 

[meninblack]

They were called SS Cars until 1945!

 

[tryant]

It's sort of fitting that they're named after a wild animal that's on the verge of extinction.

 

[68rednose]

Is it the war ?

You know what Basil Fawlty said...

... The obstacle as you say is of course the war... But there's strangely no way around history and what those marques still symbolize other than forgetting.

tryant, I want you to know I respect your choices and feelings and don't want to change them.

I only like to show another standpoint:

Looking at my family history up to 3 generations back, it involved some countries around the world.

Mostly fleeing or moving through the cause of history.

There were losses on different sides of parties at war.

If I would reflect that towards car choice, there would be no marque left to choose except, maybe, Tata.

Some non-German chemical and technology driven companies played directly, or indirectly, important roles in Germany from, say 1918-1945.

If you'd take some of these issues into account, you'd be daily making choices what not to buy.

The Germans are aware of their past and generations later, many of them are still taking their historic burden with them.

But they did have allies, but these allies are not affected with the same sentiments.

Or, something completely different, (no, not the larch):

The Dutch committed executions and massacres in the post war period 1945-1949.

But well, that was the time..

It took untill september 2013 for a formal apology...after most of the widows to apologize to have died anyway.

Just want to point out that some bad might not be so bad and some good might not be so good.

Also a lot of words spent to say it's a pity the Mini can not be recommended either.

Great to have challanging questions ;-) .

 

[tryant]

yes, I know it's all very complicated and messy, and it's really quite remarkable how Germany on the whole has dealt with the past. I just don't want to be driving around in car that every day reminds me of that past. The line gets a little blurry in mind with Mini (and Seat), but at the end of the day, I suspect it would still bother me. Silly, I know. But I don't ever think about the past driving around in my Toyota Corolla. I just think, god, this reliable little car is boring, when's it going to die (never) so I can ditch it for something more fun?

 

[AmDismal]

Yeah, true, the Japanese have an exemplary war record :^

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_war_crimes - it's a very short article. Not.

 

[tryant]

You’re right, of course, the Japanese also committed terrible war crimes -- it’s already been alluded to a couple of times before in this thread in case you hadn’t noticed -- but driving around in a Toyota oddly never reminds me of the Holocaust. No doubt someone else will come along and remind us about Dresden....