French shite - Is it shite for them too?

[Mad Cyril]

 

my experience is that the only manufacturers who make generally reliable cars are Japanese.French cars are no worse than German ones for repair costs.The only difference seems to be that owners don't mind spending £7-800 on their Audi,because high residuals mean that the Audi keeps a lot of its value.A French equivalent doesn't merit spending the money,in its owner's eyes,because it's only worth 30-50% of what the Audi is.Personally,the worst cars in our family have been German.

 

This man speaks the truth.

[320touring]

Could just be me, but those Berlingos and Partners seem incredibly tough.

They're heavy enough to push;)

[D Spares & Tyres]

I lived in Brittany for a while

 

There is a vast difference in what the French and British want in a car..

 

Where's 'we' will panic and either spend a fortune or get rid when there is a warning light on or it doesn't lock or something else trivial, as long as it moves then they will just keep driving it

[warren t claim]

I think it's because French women look like ladies driving basically anything where an English Munter requires an X5 to counteract the pyjamas and Ugg boots she invariably wears day in and out.

[RustyNuts]

Must be said I find the french cars to be quirky but nothing like the shite that the italians con us with. I got talking to a delivery driver of a lorry stacked with seats and fiats once... he was outside the dealership that was supposed to be selling them to people like me. His words? "They're all f***ing sh** mate... every last one of em!"

 

We've had a few french cars... one was a megane... loved that car to bits until the head gasket failed twice... plus it always wanted money spent on it every month... other than that it was a great car (not). The next two... temp cars.. one lasted 2 years and i was impressed. The other one... crikey... i fell in love with the poxy thing.. .took it off the road in 2010 and its been that way ever since. I've had the thing in bits this year wire brushing the rust off and repainting everything with anti rust / red oxide etc. Came within inches of its first MOT in years and the brake pipe snapped... now I've made up new ones the pedal sinks to the floor lol.

[artdjones]

I should have said that Korean cars seem to be reliable too.Their methods seem very Japanese.Mind you I've never owned a Korean or Jap car.80% of my cars have been French.But I have worked in the motor trade.If anyone asks me which car they should buy,I always tell them to buy the best Corolla or Civic they can afford. That way I won't become unpopular.

[stephen01]

Could just be me, but those Berlingos and Partners seem incredibly tough.

My mate has been running one as his van for the last three years, and I would put a tenner on it that it gets more abuse in a month than most do in a year. Its still going strong , even of it looks shagged.

[tommotech]

I think it's because French women look like ladies driving basically anything where an English Munter requires an X5 to counteract the pyjamas and Ugg boots she invariably wears day in and out.

I saw Ugg boots referred to as 'Slag Wellies' the other day.

 

Although the French have been extremely patriotic in their choice of cars I do see them buying more German stuff lately. It is certainly true, however, that cars have virtually no status symbolism whatsoever in Froggyland. This is largely due to employees having to earn their money to actually buy cars, in contrast to our company car culture that exploded in the late 70's and 80's.

 

I do like the way that the French never really give a toss. I lived on the west side of Paris for four years and would love to again if the opportunity arose.

[Lord Sterling]

....Okay as most modernish French cars are regarded as a monumental pain in the arse due to electronics and other associated build problems, how do the French regard them?

 

We all have a soft spot for Rover's and anything Brit made, do the frogs (meant in the most affectionate way) refer to their cars in the same regard, endlessly defending their shiteness and revelling in their quirky nature?

 

OR....Are they embarassed at making such monumental shite....

Just like here in Britain it depends where you go. France is a huge country, lots of countryside with many small towns and villages in between with a smattering of huge, smoggy over populated cities.

 

Having been a visitor to France on many occasions and more recently living there, I see many French people are still very proud of thier home-grown shite, be it quirky Citroen shite or dependable old Renaults (the Laguna II not included) Many don't seem to be arsed whether its a year old or 20 years old, if it goes and stops, what more do you need?

 

It's been many years since I was in Paris, I'd imagine it to be like any other major city in the world; Over worked, under paid stressed out people trying to outdo each other with the newness of thier cars, though I could be wrong.

 

In the countryside, particularly the South of France, French people didn't seem very arsed about what they drove. I saw very few new cars milling about, people seemed happier that thier old cars still worked and moved and were legal to use still. Many cars were of French marques too.

 

I don't think here in Britian we are as patriotic to our cars as we once were, here it seems to be all about "success" and newness. The French still have quite a lot of patriotism towards thier cars from what I saw. As a fellow workmate over in France once said to me; The South of France is like Britian 30 years ago.

[robinmasters]

....Okay as most modernish French cars are regarded as a monumental pain in the arse due to electronics and other associated build problems…

They are? That opinion is, in the main, held by people who know f-all about cars (see Pistonheads, or any vaguely car-related Facebook group, for further details).

 

We all have a soft spot for Rover's

We do, the British public on the whole think they're rubbish. A long dead anachronism (and didn't they get all their decent engines from Honda or something?).

 

We all have a soft spot for...anything Brit made..

Regrettably, true. That's why Vauxhall (a brand name used by a German subsidiary of an American company?) sell so many cars to EDL types. Not exclusively of course, they also sell cars to normal humans who buy them for actual reasons.

 

I don't think you can directly compare us with the French, because we don't have any big car manufacturers. We have factories in which foreign manufacturers employ British people to build their cars, but that's not the same, and will never inspire the same level of patriotism.

 

We also have a very different cultures. We still have a large number of eighties/yuppy wannabe/Thatcherite/loadsamoney types, and the French still have a lot of militant socialists, ready to go on strike at the drop of a hat.

 

My simplistic, ill-informed opinion. I have two French cars, and intend to continue buying French for my 'daily'. They work, and they have (even relatively modern ones) personality, something which Ford, Nissan and Vauxhall never have.

[forddeliveryboy]

My experience of French cars is that they make sure all the ones which didn't go together quite right on the assembly line are sent to Germany or Britain.

 

They have a very different approach to most things in life. Outward appearance matters less, so a French house may be as scruffy as anything on the outside but very comfy and pleasant on the inside. If a car is comfortable and good through the bends then chances are, if it's reasonably economical and practical they'll love it, so long as the garage round the corner can deal with it.