French cars ?

[Stixy]

So basicaly simplicity , low depreciation , mingyness ,

 

Ive been tempted several times by Megane's Laguna's Xsara's etc but i only drive auto's but autoboxes seem to be a particular weakness on french motors from what ive read .

 

Maybee i should just stick with my Fords ? but this is an itch that will need scratching one day

[dollywobbler]

Get a CX automatic. The three-speed ZF unit is an absolute delight. There may be minor gremlins such as crap heaters and dodgy electrics but these are just minor concerns really.

[R9UKE]

One of the biggest potential French car disasters has to be a very early Safrane V6, Shirley?

 

Air suspension. Renault knew F all about it but fitted it anyway, controlled by a number of computers and ECUs ready to melt down at any given moment. A Renault auto box... I don't need to explain that one. A V6 engine not immune to head gasket issues. Every french gadget available at the time (wired up by the French as well). And a voice synthesiser to make sure you're well informed of the meltdowns taking place behind the scenes.

 

I can't wait to own one.

[pandarus]

As a kid, I fell in love with the Fuego. I blame that and the Panda for getting me into cars in the first place...

 

I loved the Fuego...and felt a bit sorry for the poor old Panda

 

No accounting for taste..I loved the TR7 too!

[Ben_L]

I can only add my opinion based on experience.

 

Peugeot 405 TD Exec Estate - Spot on. 271k on the clock when it was written off, drove and looked like new.

 

Renault 11 GTL Premiere 1.4 - 30k on the clock, felt like it'd done 500k miles national service in africa

 

Peugeot 207 "60" plate Millesim 1.4 - Headgasket popped and engine seized

 

Peugeot 207 HDi 1.4 "60" plate - Turbo seals went (I think) causing engine disaster

 

Peugeot 207 HDi Verve "09" plate - Spot on.

 

All recent experiences.

 

As they've got newer, they've got worse.

 

I know the 1.4/1.6HDi was developed at Dunton by Ford and isn't a bad unit, but I can't help thinking that Peugeot Penny Pinching cause more issues in Pugs than Fords.

 

Happy to be proven wrong.

[Cavcraft]

Peugeots are frustrating in that they're either brilliant or absolutely awful, and I'm talking about the same models too. I can't think of any other particular model of car I've owned where huge differences could be found like with Peugeots.

 

Modern ones I wouldn't touch unless desperately cheap as they all seem toss these days, but I'd venture that they're still probably better then Renault.

[idiotboy]

Peugeot 304 Diesel Estate for me please.

[25v6turbo]

Safrane V6 own one if you dare!!!

Heres you opportunity Luke,just for you

http://auto.marktplaats.nl/renault/6086 ... usine.html

 

I must own the only example to exist in the U.K with EVERYTHING working correctly,including the suspension(only fitted upto Jan 94)the actual gearbox and all electrical items working correctly.

I do agree though,why fit the stupid suspension which cost a fortune to design,but did little to help the car except to devalue it very quickly as they spent more time in Renault garages under warranty than with there owners..

Still at least theres one that works correctly left on our roads

They also fitted electric rear seats and electric steering column adjustments,again never fitted to another Renault since that day,Renault must of learn,t there lessons.

[Guest]

Hmm, French cars. Let us see.

 

HHT 79D - Renault 10 Auto - buggered auto box prevented me from getting very far with this. Was later cheated out of it by FATHA_WAT's 'mate' who owned the land and told me he'd scrapped it, when in fact he'd sold it to a collector who'd been mithering him for it.

 

P363 PNC - Peugeot 306 TD. 79k on the clock, 218k [ish] when traded in, faultless other than the head gasket was going when I traded it in.

 

MT06 BGY - Citroen C4 HDi 92. Bought from new. An absolute twat for the first 18 months of ownership. Crashed once, aircon dead, silly wheelbearing issues, otherwise taken a massive amount of stick and still passing MOTs with nary an advisory. Slight to moderate, rising slowly.

 

B639 PPV - Peugeot 305 S5 Estate. Purchased pissed off eBay for £206. Broke down within 5 miles of the vendor's pitch, having not been over 50 mph for the majority of its life. 76k recorded (although we can safely preface that with a 1 or a 2), managed the trip back up North without exploding and subsequently shat its carb and plugs and has been sat in the same place ever since at the Stockport unit, waiting for a different engine and for SCTSH_ANDY to move his increasingly cuntish Saabs out of the way. Flag number plates binned with gusto.

[beko1987]

I've only owned 2:

 

W636OAU 206 2.0HDI - Was faultless for the 40k I ran it for, returning well over 700 miles to a tank. Died by being set on fire

 

R385VRD ZX 1.4 - OK so far, small electrical niggles like the rear de-mist not working, and the rear brakes need seeing to.

 

So my experience is good, better than the Puma, which I could have sunk alot of money into for no real reward!

 

Looking forward to a nice xantia or derv zx next year!

[citropaul]

French cars... Ive had my fair share.. The main ones...

 

Citroen BX TZD Turbo D ... Bought with 131k... ran to 178k.. sold on.. No issues apart from a rear strut fail

 

Citroen Visa 17D ... Bought on 159k ... ran to 220k .. sold on.. No issues at all, other then rust..

 

More recently, Citroen XM's (everywhere here) I have a V6 SEi auto... Bought on 103k ran to 140k.. No car issues at all... but now needing some attention.

 

Citroen Xantia.. TD SX 1994. Bought on 120k... ran to 199k.. NO issues at all...

Citroen Xantia.. TD SX bought on 179k ran to 240k... Still in possesion, but needs a water pump then good to still go!

 

Currently running a Xantia HDi Exclusive, with everything on it. Bought on 159k still got and running pefectly at 226k.. The newer HDi engine is a far superior engine to the old TD engine, and to the new 1.4 and 1.6 Ford/PSA engines...

 

Citroen suspension is NO where near complex at all, and in reality is extreamilly reliable! I love them, and cant praise Citroen enough..

[stilo_active]

I haven't had that many French cars (3) but I've had:

 

1988 AX 10E - expired at 167,000 miles - terminal rot. Oily bits were still in rude health.

 

1992 AX 10 Debut - sold at 147,00 miles. Gearbox went and due to lots of MOT repairs needed I sold it, but it lived on for another 3 years after.

 

Currently Peugeot 205 Junior with the old lean back engine. It's done 46,000 miles, but judging by the thick file of service history it looks to have been pretty damn reliable. It certainly has been for me, but I've only had it three months. But in the three months I've had it I've spent no money on it except fuel and insurance and some service parts the weekend I got the car.

 

However, most of my family have had lots of French motors and largely good experience. One uncle (who was a bloody handy welder) had a Renault 14 (just as well he was a good welder) that seemed to go on forever. His Renault 30 went on for what seemed like forever too. Other uncle had a 19 non-turbo weasel which was bulletproof, bought at 15,000 miles, traded in at nigh-on 180,000. However, his current Megane is a pile of shite that's been into the dealer more than the staff...

[phil_lihp]

Hmm, french cars...I swore I'd never have another one.

 

1993 Citroen AX 1.0i - ran for 3 years, sold to someone who got another 6 months out of it before it died. Bodywork was fine but the engine was knackered at 120,000 miles, oil leaked from every possible place and it just about holds its record as the most unreliable car I've owned. Was about to suffer HGF number 2 when I moved it on.

 

2005 Peugeot 307 SW 1.6TD - absolutely appalling, easily the worst car I ever owned. In 6 months it suffered endless electrical problems, the DMF was shot, the build quality of the interior was dreadful and I finally traded it in with a serious antipollution fault which the garage couldn't fix and lost £2000 on it. The buyer spent £1000 fixing it only for the same problem to reoccur within a few weeks. Hateful thing, and it was a 1 owner car with a full service history.

 

1998 Renault Kangoo 1.9D - bought cheap, stank like a farmyard but never let me down (except for the exhaust back box falling off on a speed hump), actually rather good for what it was, the engine was very strong for a non-turbo with nearly 160,000 miles and no service history but the electrics were pretty shoddy, the sills were rotten and it died by the hands of the new owner shortly afterwards.

 

The pattern to me seems to be fundamentally good cars ruined by crappy build quality and poor electrics, all 3 of the above were plagued by various electrical problems in the cabin and engine. The 307 could have been great, the engine itself was excellent but all the bits bolted to it were poorly thought out and badly made.

[shedvan]

I've had five so far

 

'93 Citroen AX 1.0 Spree (I think Spree anyway) really fun little rollerskate to bounce about in, bought from a Leeds car auction for £300 with a years T&T. Ragged it around for about 15k miles until the cam belt snapped in a contra flow on the A34 outside Oxford and binned with the engine in fragments.

 

'96 Citroen Xantia 2.0 16v wonderful car a REAL Citroen bought cheap from an auction near Swindon for £300. Great fun swagging about in that up and down the M40 all the time until the excellent hydropneumatic suspension turn to concrete, attempts to fix including a drive from Oxford to York on bone-shattering solid suspension to swap various spheres when I had no clue what I was doing failed. Trip was worth it though when sat in garage exhausted with my old man after failing to undo the sphere and his "Terry McCann" stepped in and UNDID THE SPHERES WITH HIS BARE HANDS!! What a machine, but was sold for parts.

 

2001 Peugeot 406 2.0 16v After the Xantia it was bought for £500 for pragmatic reasons and was as dull as porridge. Had galactic miles but only ran for a few months before I managed to burn the clutch out on Broad Street in Birmingham at a christmas works do whereupon I and a crew of folks had to rapidly bail out as the car burnt out next to a queue of shivering revellers who had to spend the rest of the night partying grimly while reeking of burnt clutch and tyres, lucky lucky people.

 

'98 Peugeot 106 1.4 What a wreck! Called the "Nugget" because it was gold and covered in craters. I think these cars suffered from being so light and flimsey and this one had been hammered by previous owners but for all that was a joy to drive but an eyesore and one of those cars you had to park with forethought and consideration if you were trying to create a positive impression. Went like the wind and was untroubled even when hit broadside by a gibbering fool in a Volvo 340. Drove for some time after that despite the passenger side being shot to hell, after a few months the car did finally conk out completely, which was probably a good thing as it was only a matter of time before I was tugged by the rozzers.

 

'97 Peugeot 106 1.5D Was probably not the best choice after enjoying a quick 106 as it felt so slow and just had no oomph with an old-fashioned heavy dizzler on board, unfortunately lasted only a matter of weeks before someone wrote it off in a crash outside my house, rather a good thing because I was able to come ahead when it came to the insurer's pay-out.

 

2010 Renault Megane Estate MK3 insurers cover car ran for a few weeks, was good for swanking about and so on, effortless cruiser from Birmingham to Weymouth for the regatta with all the kit but fairly boring and lifeless nonetheless.

[nigel bickle]

Dont ask..

 

No really -don't. Life's just tooooo short.

[dollywobbler]

Dont ask..

 

No really -don't. Life's just tooooo short.

 

I was thinking the same thing, and I'm way behind you Nigel! Getting on for 20 2CVs and derivatives, an H van, a Renault 5, a Renault 21 Monaco, a Peugeot 306 DTurbo, four BXs (two NA diesels, one turbo diesel, one 16v), a CX but sadly never a Panhard.

[nigel bickle]

Is that NOW, Ian -cos I'll match & raise.

 

However, if we're going historical ......

 

(Started on your old 5 last week- all new panels sorted, and the first now fitted. Next summer, I reckon)

[flat4alfa]

Fuego 16TS, 20 years ago, 80k, £200

 

Comfy, ran well for 6 months over hundreds of miles, until it overheated and blew the HG. Didn't know, as the temperature guage was casse. The pinking increased so I just turned the music up instead. Youth is a foolish time.

 

That is all.

[dollywobbler]

Is that NOW, Ian -cos I'll match & raise.

 

However, if we're going historical ......

 

(Started on your old 5 last week- all new panels sorted, and the first now fitted. Next summer, I reckon)

 

Sadly not! I daren't try and compete with Now...

 

Glad the 5's getting some love. Look forward to pics and who knows, perhaps seeing it again one day! Best car I ever sold.

[Talbotman]

Why is it that french cars seem to have short troubled lives in this country yet in France they still have Chrysler Alpine's 180's Renault 20's 14's etc stuff thats been extinct here for years ?

 

Going back to the original question here, in France they seem to hold on to more older stuff regardless of whether its French or not. Obviously because of their nationalistic pride they have kept a large proportion of their own motors ,but if you look at things in regard to the uk and non french shite - well were not exactly brimming with 35 yr old German Japanese or any other stuff either ...its not just French cars that have dissapeared from the roads. The media in general has had a fascination with build quality and all sort of nonsence like quality of fixtures and fittings confusing the issue with finish. A well finished car it not necessarily a well built car. Yep french cars have had their issues - but so have alot of other stuff especially from the turn of the last decade - when all this more sophisticated electronics started to take precidence. 8 to 10 year old c e and s class mercs - no thanks electrics no worse thana laguna, previous shape 7 and 5 series bmws - duff i drive units - active steering modules, varios valve flaps imploding etc etc, Vag electronic autoboxes self implode at sub 100k milages look at how many A6s you find on the bay with duff autos and the 1400 petol engines are made of chocolate. Jap stuff seems to be pretty good on the electrical side but tend to get treated and serviced poorly as their owners take their apparent infalabilty for granted - and a knackered engine is usually the result. The amount of 306s 205s Scenic mk1s 106s 206s etc etc still rattling around after a good decade and a half or so's service are still pretty much in proportion to other so called " prestige quality brands" .

[Spiny Norman]

The media in general has had a fascination with build quality and all sort of nonsence like quality of fixtures and fittings confusing the issue with finish. A well finished car it not necessarily a well built car.

 

THIS.

Many a Mk4 Golf was sold on the strength of its viscous damped grab handles!

[Mr Lobster]

French cars?

 

8 x R5, 4 x R4, 3 x R11, 1 x Twingo, 1 x Kangoo, 2 x Clio, 1 x Megane, 1 x Citroen AX.

 

All bar the Kangoo have been pretty decent. Kangoo was the newest and worst of the lot and the reason I'm now running around in a Mazda.

[Mr Lobster]

Many a Mk4 Golf was sold on the strength of its viscous damped grab handles!

 

I was at the dealer launch of the Mk4 Golf. They made a huge deal out of the fact that it had fabric trimmed A pillars whereas the Focus / Escort and other competition had plastic trim. I wondered at the time who would actually care about that.

[Cavcraft]

I think they were just chipping away, gradually building pieces of a jigsaw almost with the Golf. tell people the doors shut firmly, tell them the trim is trimmed, all little things that add up to this supposed superiority they have.

Golfs aren't especially rubbish or anything but equally (more importantly imho) they're just not really any better than their closest rivals. If people want to pay a premium for this just because they believed an advert or whatever, then clearly they're the sort of person who actually knows sod all about cars.

[idiotboy]

French Cars erm

 

1977 2CV6 - 1st car - the usual bag of pants wrapped in Isopon held together with spit, string and hope...lots of hope.

1978 Mehari - short term during Summer 95 ahhhh the memories

1986 2CV6 - sensible car on its 3rd chassis when I had it and 150K miles rebuilt it and it was written off by sleeping lady BMW 5 series owner.

1987 2CV6 - brightly polished turd

1977 Ami 8 Estate - fantasic car loved it to bits, sold to buy 88' 2CV, it's still running even now.

1973 Ami 8 Saloon - now in its 14th year in my possession.

1988 2CV6 - immaculate low milage car I loved it to bits, sold it to a complete tosser to buy a DS. Car now in New Zealand.

1983 CX 20 Safari - Took over from my father who fell out of love with it

1985 CX25 Pallas - see above

1988 CX22 TRS- Got for free from Aberdeen, kept for as long as the gaffa tape lasted. Flogged for £50

1974 Ami Super Service van- lowered, GSA 1300 non eco engine and 5 speed box, peppermint green, rusty and seriously fast.

1978 GS Pallas - spent too long in a private museum before I owned it, so everything was f***ed.

1984 GSA X3 - Rusty heap driven until MOT expired and broken for parts

1967 DS 19 Pallas - Bought from an con man. Caught fire on his drive way. Isopon, chickenwire and poprivets from the b post rearwards.

1974 DSpecial - Bought but still bankrupted me.

1989 BX14TE - Cheap winter hack owned for 6 mths...it was very white

1983 LNA - Small scurrying mouse of a car, great fun.

1977 2CV - back to my roots

1986 2CV - donor car for above.

 

Just realised I've never had a renault or a peugoet (except the LNA), that's brand loyalty that is...or stupidity.

[R9UKE]

Cav has a good point. In fact, in America, they're not stupid enough to buy into the whole thing. Golfs aren't great sellers and don't have a particularly sparkling reliability record either. In fact in the consumer reports mag I got during the summer, they actually say to avoid them. And of course whatever few do get shifted have a 2.5 petrol engine, hardly a TDi in existence

[mharrell]

I've got two French cars, but that's because the '78 KV (with racing stripes) is a parts car for the '80 KV (without racing stripes):

 

 

I'm generally happy with them.

[Rocket88]

spam bump

[Micrashed]

Currently:

 

Previously: