Is a Laguna certain to fall to bits

[HH-R]

Did anyone used to go on Parkers.co.uk forums from about 2007-2010? It was an all make forum but it was just pages and pages of tales of woe about Laguna 1.9 dCis going KABOOM!

 

They look great but really were the point where it all went wrong for cars - packed with shitty quality electrics and crap common rail diseasels.

[D Spares & Tyres]

I once saw a Renault on the hard shoulder with plumes of smoke coming out the exhaust and a lady of a certain age sprinting away from it

 

Another Renault / old lady story I remember is our sales reps were given Lagunas. One chaps did the usual and tried to rev itself to bits. Couldn`t stall it. He eventually did by driving up a very grass steep bank in 5th gear. That did the job!

 

On locking the car and walking away from it an old lady approached him and told him he should grow up. she thought he was doing it all for his own amusement!

[Matt]

Not sure how similar they are but my mother bought a Megane estate with a 1.6 petrol new on a '55 plate and did 130k miles hassle free, only real issue was the crank position censor going at about 125k.

[Rusty Pelican]

I rather walk everywhere TBH 

[Vince70]

I rather walk everywhere TBH

 

I found it quicker to walk be honest when having a Laguna 2 as I think the AA black listed me after having one as once it came up on their screen that it was another Laguna 2 breakdown I think they decided just to give up coming out.

[wuvvum]

I've had three.

 

They're nice to drive, handle well, comfortable and well equipped - although there's no guarantee that all (or any) of the equipment will be working.  Plastics feel flimsy but the design is nice, IMHO at least.

 

Avoid diesels like the plague.  Also avoid autos, and as usual with French stuff, the lower spec the better.  You'll still have problems with dodgy electric windows and the locking buttons on the keycard, that's a given.  A boggo-spec 1.8 petrol wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing to trundle around in - but then you can get a 1.8-litre Mk3 Mondeo for the same price, and they're a better car in most respects.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Saw a 51 plate tourer last week towing a broken down 03 plate Audi TT. I've got to say that gave me an enormous sence of satisfaction. I've seen quite a few really well kept mk2 lagunas around recently so there must be a few tidy ones left.

This reminds me that on one of the rare occasions my Espace was working I towed my stupid brother after he filled his Hilux with petrol. That must have fucked with people's heads,especially as his Pikeywagon was identical to the Top Gear indestructible most reliable car in the world one.

[alf892]

All renners are shit

[rainagain]

Check out how much DCi engines are second hand and that will give you an idea of how often they grenade. I had to pay £550 for second hand engine that had apparently had only done 80,000 and it was a pile of shite. I agree with above if you must buy one get the petrol or a v v cheap diesel so when not if it goes bang you wont lose much

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

 but then you can get a 1.8-litre Mk3 Mondeo for the same price, and they're a better car in most respects.

 

But most old Mondeos are as rusty as an old horseshoe underneath and they have issues of their own. There is nothing interesting about them, just porridge.

 

The Laguna IDE was/is a disaster to be avoided at all costs.

[Noel Tidybeard]

i once heard that the dci needs to have the oil level kept around the middle of the dipstick as keeping it at max made the perpetual motion turbot all the more likely

[sierraman]

But most old Mondeos are as rusty as an old horseshoe underneath and they have issues of their own. There is nothing interesting about them, just porridge.

 

The Laguna IDE was/is a disaster to be avoided at all costs.

Mk2 mondeo could get a bit ripe in old age, the mk3 was solid apart from occasional rusty doors which are rarely bad enough to necessitate replacement. Biggest problem as the Duratec got old was smoky engines, so long as you changed the oil fairly frequent it was ok

[kinkersaab]

I havmt read all the replies, but my 2 p worth on laguna 2's is this

 

Buy a normally aspirated late plate petrol manual in basicish spec and they are a safe as a laguna as you will get, they are good to drive and pretty simple to keep going. I like em, the higher spec ones have all the shit that goes wrong, the autos are horrible and the diesels...well,we all know about them.......

[forddeliveryboy]

Buy the oldest, highest mileage Mk2 DCi you can find which is running well and start a wager on here as to how long it will last. Price it right and with some luck it'll pay for the car and the replacement.

[dieselassist]

These do seem to have a terrible reputation, but for whatever reason, a lot of the 'eastern European'  folk round here run them - especially in estate form.... laguna 2's they seem to come a second in their preference to VAG/BMW/MERC shite.

A lot of the eastern European lads are handy with the spanners, but they seem canny enough in the cars that they will actually spend a few quid on /run as a family wagon... ...maybe its caus they are dirt cheap, n looked upon as a sort of a 'disposable' car' ...

[AnthonyG]

There is a minicabber near me who runs a 57 plate diesel estate, all I know is that it's been used for a year and a half without any obvious fail to proceed, so unless he's limping it to a garage each night it seems to be doing good service.

 

I think he is a serial Renault botherer as a 12 plate Espace has just replaced a very tired T plate VW Sharan as the family wagon. I'm impressed by the Espace, it looks very smart in black with leather interior, a high spec one and just off lease going by the Leaseplan number plate.