Should I buy an Avantime?

[Spiny Norman]

A few days ago I stuck an ad for a red 2 litre Renault Avantime in the Ebay thread THIS ONE HERE and then tried not to think about it too much afterwards, since it's literally just down the road from me, I'm looking for new wheels and it's exactly the sort of stupid thing I'd buy.

 

Long story short I'm off to see it on Sunday, so does anyone have any idea what to look out for? I know it's a 10 year old Renault and I'm under no illusions but is it a fair assumption that since the oily bits are regular Espace/Laguna that the main things to concentrate on are the electrics and bodywork? It may need a cambelt, I've heard horror stories about the V6 being officially an engine out job but the 4 pot should be fairly straight forward, yes?

 

Any advice, do's & don'ts, offers of psychiatric help, hypnotherapy etc readily received.

[Cavcraft]

It's not my money so 100% definately you should buy it.

[dollywobbler]

Make sure everything works. Sunroofs rattle and but as you say, the four-pot is lot easier for the belt change.

 

They are incredible and obviously you should buy it. What's the worst that could happen? Er, maybe don't answer that...

[peter9000uk]

The 6 speed boxes are not the strongest in the world so listen out for any whining and jumping out of the higher gears.

 

PS I would love one!

[cort16]

You really need to speak to R9UKE as he knows all there is to know about them and owns one. Hopefully he'll be along shortly.

I think they all have the potential to grenade their engine or shut down permanently due to some random electrical fault but I think the 2.0 is at least the easier to work on. I.e. You don't have to take the engine out to do the cambelt.

 

P.S. I'd totally love one and being in Scotland that one really caught my attention.

[Mr Lobster]

It's not my money so 100% definately you should buy it.

 

 

Should you buy it?

 

YES YES YES YES YES

[Spiny Norman]

I think the 2.0 is at least the easier to work on.

 

That's what I was thinking. I know the V6 has more kit and bit more power but I've enough experience with recent Renaults to know that some of the more esoteric toys like rain sensing wipers etc are best done without, and it's not the sort of barge you go hooning around in anyway.

I've been doing a bit of reading up on them and the more I read, the more I like it/am blinded to its obvious shortcomings...

[Woody]

 

Should you buy it?

 

YES YES YES YES YES

 

Wot he said!!

 

 

(Thank God it's in Glasgow, or I'd have been looking at it...)

[Lankytim]

Its a nice colour, too!

[25v6turbo]

A few things to watch..

The centre caps of the alloys are about £70 EACH

Window regs are £1200 EACH,these should go slightly down when you open the door then when its closed go back up,make sure they do this...

Centre console lid is spring loaded that packs up.

The silver roof panels alloy rust and bubble up.

Make sure it has both keycards,check for oil leaks and note next to nothing is stocked in the U.K!!

[eddyramrod]

 

Should you buy it?

 

YES YES YES YES YES

 

Wot he said!!

 

 

(Thank God it's a 2.0 manual in Glasgow, or I'd have been looking at it...)

 

EFA! But yeah, if you fancy it, do it. You surely don't need encouragement from us! We'll only lead you astray, and before you know it the Avantime will be blocking your driveway and you'll be unable to park your Tatra 603!

[Parky]

Yes definitely. A second hand french car with loads of electrics is a recipe for reliability and durability....

 

Seriously though you only live once and whats the worst that could happen? Buy that mo'fo!

[very tall brad]

A few things to watch..

The centre caps of the alloys are about £70 EACH

Window regs are £1200 EACH,these should go slightly down when you open the door then when its closed go back up,make sure they do this...

Centre console lid is spring loaded that packs up.

The silver roof panels alloy rust and bubble up.

Make sure it has both keycards,check for oil leaks and note next to nothing is stocked in the U.K!!

 

 

All of this is true. Renault didn't fit a key card reader to the Avantime, though. Which is a good thing. The Avantime has an old style Espace type plipper. There should be two.

 

I have had three - a new one in 2003 and two in the last year. The 3 litre is a beast. Great to drive but expensive to work on. I would go for the 2 litre to keep maintenance costs low.

 

Be prepared for a lot of attention at filling stations, having your photo taken on the motorway and people asking to borrow it for the School Prom.

 

It is the only Renault I can recommend. And I have had Renaults (4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 16, 17, 20, 25, 30, GTA, Safrane, Vel Satis (3 of those, never worked properly), Grand Espace V6, Avantimes) since 1977 so maybe I should know.

[cort16]

They are pure french filth.

I imagine the market for selling that on glasgow gumtree is limited to a few of us rubbing our trousers over it so that and it needing a timing belt is a good place to start negotiations.

 

Are you travelling far to see it?

[The Moog]

Yes then turn it into an Autoshite slutcar so it can be passed among us slowly deteriorating over time...

[Renault18]

Bloody hell £2250

 

I would.

 

I did go and have look at a Vel Satis this time last year, although head said no. The only reason that I was interested was because it was the 2 litre petrol engine with the least amount of electrical items to self-destruct - was a similar colour to this Avantime too. History will be a must, as these started breakinng at small mileages anyway - at that price, even a cambelt change and sorting the scratches will put you in a cheap car that stands out from the crowd.

[Spiny Norman]

Are you travelling far to see it?

I could walk there, and I'm a lazy fat bastard!

 

Managed to speak to the seller after dinner and it sounds distressingly like it might be a go-er.

She's had it seven years and hasn't used it much, says the 44k is genuine and she's just boshed it into a Renault garage whenever the service warning light has come on, knows about the owner's club website too. Doesn't know if the cambelt has been done, but surely it's not a major job on the 2 litre for a decent spannerman?

 

Few scuffs on the body which I'll need to see for myself, there's a scratch on the silver roof panel behind the side window though. Am I right in thinking that's aluminium? Might be tricky to sort if that's the case. It has a normal key rather than the Laguna-style card, but only one. In 20-odd years of driving I've never lost or broken a key so that doesn't really bother me. (Until I start haggling over the price, obviously! ) I'm guessing a new key is a Renault dealer job for ££lots?

 

Says it drives fine & everything works OK, all the interior bits open & close, stereo, all the electronics etc and the windows do their little dance when you open & shut the door, so it's pretty promising so long as she's not telling porkies, but I've got a good feeling about it. Roll on Sunday.

[Shep Shepherd]

Do it!

[RENOMAD]

[R9UKE]

You'd be an absolute fool if you don't.

 

Looking at adverts and going to view an Avantime is one thing, but owning one is a completely different experience - it's ACE.

 

Although if you're the type who doesn't like being stared at or quizzed constantly about your car then don't bother. The 2.0 Dynamique lacks most of the toys that are known to go wrong - electric heated windscreen, CD Changer, heated seats. So... for this car, just the usual car-like checks apply. If the sunroof is really slow don't worry about it, that's how they came. Applying silicone lube to the runners every three months prevents the roof from getting so slow that you have to actually stop to close it (one touch on the button opens, but you have to hold it to close!). The 2.0 Cambelt change (interval is 5 years or 72k miles) won't be far off the £200 mark, but you need more frequent oil changes than the suggested 18k miles if you want to keep your turbo. They're a common fail on this engine so listen for odd behaviour.

 

Corrosion on the alloy wheels and silver roof rails hits almost every Avantime at some point. I can see that one has a centre cap missing and the other is peeling. They're a nightmare to get a hold off so I'd just take them all off. (If the ones on the other side are any better I'd happily buy one off you for a handsome sum).

 

It's based on the Espace Mk 3, so wheel bearings, track rods end - general wear and tear items, are piss easy to get hold of and not the nightmare it would seem.

 

Feel the carpet in the passenger and driver footwells. Heater matrices are prone to busting and making the car miserable to drive in the rain - mine included, and are a nightmare to change.

 

Don't expect it to be mildly practical. The boot is deep but an awkward shape and there's next to NO rear legroom.

 

But it really is the maddest, most illogical, ridiculous thing ever to be driven. Buy it.

 

This is a great review:

 

[cort16]

Did you buy it?

[Spiny Norman]

Did you buy it?

 

 

I would have loved to have come back on here triumphantly brandishing my new Froggy weapon but alas, even at the price offered it just wasn't worth it.

 

"A few scratches here & there" translated to "every panel has at least one large deep scratch, if not a big scuff/scrape". I don't DIY and I could just see the guy I use for body repairs walking round it, tutting... Realistically the whole bottom half needs respraying.

And then there's the deep gouge in the aluminium roof panel and a crack on the edge of the passenger door.

And the fact that the service warning light was on,

And it does need a cambelt.

And two tyres.

The wheels were all kerbed to buggery too, ideally I'd have been after a complete set of wheels & tyres for it, another £5-600.

And it was very dirty. I don't just mean a bit manky, I mean weapons grade 'two kids + dog, washed once a year if it's lucky' filthy, inside and out. The engine bay was a black hole too.

The service history (6 stamps in 10 years, a good example of why 18,000 mile service intervals are a bad idea...) backed up the 45,000 miles on the clock, but I'd have believed 145k more easily, it was a mess.

The fact that all the bits worked (although the roof took both of us to pull shut) and it drove well by that time just didn't seem to matter.

 

I made a sporting bid which reflected the fact I quite liked the car but wasn't willing to turn it into a £3.5k purchase and left, the seller reckons she's got a trade-in of £1900 plus cashing in the 10 months tax, so she wasn't for budging much.

 

A shame, I was really warming to the idea but the search for a new set of wheels continues.

[dollywobbler]

Well done for walking away! Easy to get carried away in the heat of the moment.

[eddyramrod]

Looks like you did the right thing. Not everyone would have the strength of mind to do that, as this entire forum illustrates!

[Spiny Norman]

I really was going with the attitude of "I'm having it unless it's seriously iffy", but as I stood there, totting up what NEEDS doing to it and what I'd want to do to it, I just couldn't justify it in the end.

Cheers for all the advice though, chaps, very useful.

 

Quite sad really, It's a totally bonkers looking car and mechanically it was fine, but the big deal about an Avantime is the way it looks and that one just looked horrible.

Maybe the sensible thing would be £2k-worth of 5 series or Jag XJ after all.

[eddyramrod]

Maybe the sensible thing would be £2k-worth of 5 series or Jag XJ after all.

 

Autoshite joke of the week!

 

In fact, that looks like a candidate for somebody's new signature....

[dollywobbler]

£2k seems a bit much to be spending on something not as wacky as an Avantime. Or maybe it's just me...

 

A grand should net you something decent, perhaps with a ridiculously big engine. A grand still buys a fair amount of fuel...

[Pete-M]

If you really want an Avantime, but it.

 

 

In other news...

 

3x Mk 1 827 Sterling, 2x Mk 1 827 SLi, Mk1 Vitesse, 2x 827 Coupe, Sterling 827S (LHD), Sterling Mk 2 1991, KV6 Sterling Saloon, 2x KV6 Sterling Coupe, C4 Grand Picasso VTR+, Lexus LS400, Metro City, Citroen XM Prestige, Frontera 3.2 Limited

 

Bloody hell mate. That has to be the biggest collection of utter shite in here. You, sir, are a glutton.

[Ian Mac]

I'd be inclined to wait it out for another Avantime, most other stuff would be boring by comparison...

[Renault18]

Errr . . .

 

Just a thought - although probably not a very helpful one

 

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/ ... ?logcode=p