Vel satis.....what are they like?

[maxxo]

for some weird godforsaken reason, i love them

i want one, can't really afford one at the moment

or maybe i want sectioning?

anyone got one i can have a go of to hopefully realise i hate it etc

of course that won't happen and i'll fall more in love (what happened with the C5)

so, how likely are they to shit themselves? fancy a 2.2 DCi auto.....

will it grenade itself and cause me a full mental breakdown?

replies are appreciated, i know i'm an idiot

[richardmorris]

You’re a glutton for punishment aren’t you! Try a C6 and an avantime too;-)

[maxxo]

4 minutes ago, richardmorris said:

You’re a glutton for punishment aren’t you! Try a C6 and an avantime too;-)

already driven a C6 recently, it was very very nice

avantime is a dream, but vel satis seems it may be more exciting*

 

 

 

*unreliable

[richardmorris]

Good luck, the world has too many sane people!

[maxxo]

4 minutes ago, richardmorris said:

Good luck, the world has too many sane people!

well i bought a C5 from a motorway services and have been doing mega miles in it as my only car and ignoring expensive sounding problems

just french cars do something to me

i love em

[Crackers]

5 minutes ago, maxxo said:

or maybe i want sectioning

Yeah, this

[Dan_ZTT]

There's a particular one that's been through many owners on this forum, myself included, l only had it a few months due to other life circumstances but it was proper brilliant, despite the moon mileage. That one is a petrol manual though.

My short thread on it is here;

If you search for Vel Satis on here you'll find some threads from other owners of the same car, there's a fair few.

Key points;

Very very very comfortable

Surprisingly large

[maxxo]

11 minutes ago, Crackers said:

Yeah, this

the fact i love french cars from the early 2000s, especially citroen and renault means i should be for my own sanity

 

[maxxo]

5 minutes ago, Dan_ZTT said:

There's a particular one that's been through many owners on this forum, myself included, l only had it a few months due to other life circumstances but it was proper brilliant, despite the moon mileage. That one is a petrol manual though.

My short thread on it is here;

If you search for Vel Satis on here you'll find some threads from other owners of the same car, there's a fair few.

Key points;

Very very very comfortable

Surprisingly large

oh i have a thing for french diesel autos, as i love punishment

yes, i recall reading that

rather wonderful

[chodweaver]

Just the best seats in any car, ever.

[maxxo]

no you're all meant to be trying to talk me out of it!

[Dan_ZTT]

15 minutes ago, maxxo said:

no you're all meant to be trying to talk me out of it!

@NorthernMonkey worked on the moon miles one more than anyone so he's probably the man to scare you off!

[Noel Tidybeard]

18 minutes ago, maxxo said:

no you're all meant to be trying to talk me out of it!

[djoptix]

Do it. Get the 3.5 v6 if you can - awesome engine. 

[loserone]

I still would.  

[MrDuke]

Secret condiment holder behind the decorative trim.

That is all.

[NorthernMonkey]

1 hour ago, Dan_ZTT said:

@NorthernMonkey worked on the moon miles one more than anyone so he's probably the man to scare you off!

It’s just an Espace saloon really…nothing to be too frightened of. Electric handbrakes can be a pain but other than that, no real nasties.

Not sure I’d fancy braving a Heather Mills though…not really a fan of millennial Renner auto boxes.

Oh yes, and the clock is a true thing of beauty. Worth owning just for that.

[Dan_ZTT]

4 minutes ago, MrDuke said:

Secret condiment holder behind the decorative trim.

That is all.

Wasn't so secret in mine, would pop open if you went over a speed bump...

Still super cool though

[wuvvum]

32 minutes ago, djoptix said:

Do it. Get the 3.5 v6 if you can - awesome engine. 

This.  Whatever you do, don't get the 3.0 V6 diesel.

[maxxo]

4 minutes ago, wuvvum said:

This.  Whatever you do, don't get the 3.0 V6 diesel.

why not?

[maxxo]

11 minutes ago, NorthernMonkey said:

It’s just an Espace saloon really…nothing to be too frightened of. Electric handbrakes can be a pain but other than that, no real nasties.

Not sure I’d fancy braving a Heather Mills though…not really a fan of millennial Renner auto boxes.

Oh yes, and the clock is a true thing of beauty. Worth owning just for that.

mmmmmmm, just how bad are the auto boxes?

 

[NorthernMonkey]

19 minutes ago, maxxo said:

mmmmmmm, just how bad are the auto boxes?

 

To be fair, I’m probably a bit biased due to a Laguna 1 auto in the family years ago that became a pain in my arse with its electronics. Always been wary of them since then but maybe unfairly.

Buy one and let me know what you think! 😂

 

 

[wuvvum]

51 minutes ago, maxxo said:

why not?

Because it's a thunderously shit engine.  Not much better on fuel than a 2.0 petrol, needlessly complicated, a twat to work on and prone to going into limp mode randomly and / or shitting its cooling system.  It's not even that powerful - 170bhp as standard, which isn't a lot more than a 2.2 dCI.  It can probably be tuned, but then it'd break even more often.

[dean36014]

I'm the current custodian of the autoshite Vel satis. It's more comfortable than the Jag it replaced. Really quiet and relaxed on the motorway. Seats are the most comfortable ever. Typically sticky Renault plastics of that era, can't stand the electric handbrake, just seems a massive faff and not in the easiest of places to reach.  

The best money I spent so far has been to buy the Renault Clip diagnostic tool.  That way you can disable the tyre pressure sensors and change a lot of the computer settings to your preference.  

If you're ever in the Coventry area you are welcome to have a drive.

[somewhatfoolish]

7 hours ago, maxxo said:

no you're all meant to be trying to talk me out of it!

[jamescarruthers]

At the time of the Vel Satis, the Espace was still being made by Matra. I don’t think the Vel Satis has anything to do with the Espace at all. The Vel Satis is pure Renault.
 

Personally I found the Avantime to be a massive let down in ride compared to the C5 Mk. 1 and C6.  Hopefully the Vel Satis isn’t so jiggly.   
 

I too would like to have a blast in a Vel Satis one day but (again personally) the styling doesn’t do it for me. 
 

They are very cheap when they do come up though!

[sierraman]

Haven’t driven one but I can only offer anecdotal advice as one of my uncles had one when it was nearly new. Said it felt really weird to drive, like nothing else. I don’t think it was all that clever on fuel and I seem to remember the tyres were stupidly expensive if you went for the correct load rating, I think only Michelin made them, going back at the time they were something like £200 each. I don’t doubt others are available much cheaper now but this was when they were new.

In other words drive one first and have patience and deep pockets if you decide to get one. Worth it I think for the interior. 

[ETCHY]

An incredible comfortable special place, to wait in for the RAC to arrive..

[barefoot]

That's not really fair. I was custodian of the Autoshite Moon Mileage special for a couple of years & my fair wife drove it for 18,000 miles as her daily. The EML would come on every so often & the parking brake was a twat, but it only actually FTP with her on one occasion when a siezed front brake caliper caused hidious vibration on the motorway. 

The electric multiway, heated opera seats, the curious radio & the clock were superb and you can't see its ugly arse when you're sat inside it. It was also deceptively brisk and I wish you'd posted this a couple of weeks ago. A local bloke, who's garage I frequent, bought an MOT'd automatic diesel version to use as a parts donor for his father's example. His old man subsequently decided to get rid of his Renault and the silver one has I think, been sold for scrap!

[wuvvum]

If it was a diesel auto, it was probably the 3.0 V6, in which case the scrapyard is the best place for it.