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Whilst some french cars are cult others are just plain old rubbish , be they new or old.
Do the french actually like french cars ? Or do they put up with the rubbish ones and say nothing...
Have you actually driven a modern Peugeot? On a par with any manufacturer.
My shabby looking 15 year old pug is still going strong. Its no BMW but it plods on. I think there is something amazing about battered old French cars.
significantly less hassle from my "french car" which had no service history (as in none at all - and is covered in dents and dings from ladders) than from my VW golf - despite on paper the golf being the better car (mint condition inside and out ,FSH , 4 new branded tires and a timing belt + service done - with reciepts from another garage to prove it all..) was still an absolute horror fest.
I like my French car. When it goes wrong bits a relatively cheap, and I'm not to precious about it.
Father-shaped-object had a Renault for ages, it kept having odd electrical problems - the best was when all four windows went down overnight and refused to come back up.
So he traded it in for a brand new Golf last year.
The central locking stopped working this morning - how I s****ed.
Meanwhile our 8-year-old Forfour keeps working perfectly.
ze French are the same as us, they love old diesels that just chug along for 300k miles and hate the modern computerized complex cars they produce today. It's always the same complaints about needing a laptop to fix one, FAP (Dpf) issues etc etc
Having said that, they don't seem to think that the electrical system is made from cheese and disintegrates after 5 years as many of us do
Ben your ForFour is a Mitsubishi Colt in a plastic dress
I'm a wee bit of a Francophile. I like french cars, I hate rusting shitboxes that start to rust after 7yrs (ford) or fail with expensive repairs (VW).
Apart from Renault ALL cars need regular servicing. The difference between a Citroen and a VW Golf is people seem to think a Golf is something that is high quality so spend the money needed to keep it going. Whereas people think French cars 'are bound to go wrong so dont want to throw any money at it/them- hence servicing slackens off'
Ben your ForFour is a Mitsubishi Colt in a plastic dress
Made in Belgium - land of great motoring 😉
Not taken with modern French cars really. My old '99 306 XSI however was a different story. Great drive, looked fantastic and very practical too!
jesus - the internet really is going to implode - thats twice in a week me and hora have agree'd
We have had numerous French cars, I like them for their quirkiness and interesting design looks (big bum Meganes etc). I currently own a 307 HDi for 4 years now with no issues at all just consumables really.
Wife has had Meganes, Scenics, Lagunas no massive issues and now a Citroen C3 which looks very cute frankly compared to other cars in that class.
I have also owned Alfa Romeo's too, no issues, I am either very lucky or most reputations are unfounded.
The worst thing about them is depreciation.
That doesn't really matter to me as I keep them until they die anyway.
On reliability surveys/ratings the Citroen Berlingo/Peugeot Partner scores very well.
Hora - wrong on every point you've just made.
Forgot Partners and Berlingos. Those I really like as well!
My french pal used to have a Peugeot 208 of the small gutless diesel type that people who don't really like cars seem to drive.
He filled it up with petrol one day and drove it around with half petrol / half diesel for a couple of days before it gave up.
Had quite a lot of bother with it after that, though I'm not sure you could blame it all on the car
He know owns a Kia Cee'd.
My old 306 lx turbo diesel estate has 150k on the clock and still going strong. The most practical & reliable car I have ever owned and a very nice drive actually. Pity it's ugly and costs £230 a year to tax.
Checked around/underneath your rear arches yet?
How long have you owned the Golf though?
A sidenote: My bro in law had a 18month old Golf. Under warranty it needed a new EGR/DMF and a new turbo. On previous 1.8T engines coil packs a plenty.
Always serviced ontime, correctly.
On a diesel 1.9TDI I had I had MAF problem and the turbo was failing.
If it was a French car it'd be serviced infrequently/got rid of as its 'only worth 3k not worth the repairs' (due to high depreciation- other people thinking the same merry-go-round).
As to whether the French think they are good - we were in Montbeliard where they are built last year and at least as many people were driving Fiats as Peugeots so make of that what you will.
I like my Megane Scenic. When it's working. 240K km on the clock, I've had it since 140K or so - and since then I've had the following problems:
* Boot refused to open (it'd been raining continuously for a couple of weeks, probably related)
* Dashboard stopped working
* Turbo blew up
* Change of fuel injector (suppose that's probably just maintenance rather than a real defect)
... and my local garage can't reprogram the display properly, so I've had the "service needed" message on the console for the past two years running. I refuse to give Renault any more money so haven't gone to a main dealer to get it fixed.
I won't be buying another.
This one? 7 months. The previous one? 4 years. Never had a problem with either.
The pug was beset with electrical problems, engine issues and felt like it was made out of tin foil.
France is full of french cars - source: drove to Italy through France last year.
I've got a Scenic Mk 3 on a 59 plate, bought two years ago no problems with it so far (fingers crossed) - hang on that's a lie Daughter No1 busted a piece of the door/window trim off.
Oh and just after we bought it (while camping) I was fiddling with some bits and bobs, then a couple of days later we were driving home in a storm (ah UK camping) put the lights on and the TFT screen went black - "effing French cars, knew we shouldn't have got one, shoddy electrics effing French cars", turned out I one of the things I fiddled with was the dimmer for the TFT - d'oh!
Montbeliard to Fiat's home city is about the same distance as Brighton to Manchester.
4yrs when was this? You had a leased-new Focus from 2007.
There are NO manufacturers who make reliable cars outside of 3yrs old across their range.
Well apart from the Jazz but who wants to be seen in one.
golf - needed brake calipers , steering rack/ wishbones , headlight loom , ABS sensors , high level brake light , engine ........
van which was older - and french. has done 5 times as much milage and needed - 2 suspension springs , 2 alternator clutch pulleys an exhaust and a wheel bearing + routine servicing - it gets a much harder life than the golf ever got.
all of the above for the van including the routine servicing - cost less than just doing the rack on the golf. - which was 600 quid for the part alone.
I have owned quite a few French vehicles to date, 16 Renault vans and a Renault 4 and a 2CV.
The Vans were a mix of Traffics and Kangoos and when I sold my business I took a Traffic and Kangoo with me, I sold the Traffic after a monster trip around Spain with my windsurfing gear and I wrecked it, got the electrics nerfed by dripping salt water down the dash from my windsurfing gear.. The Kangoo I still have, 52plate 1.5DCI and it's battered and knocked about and still hacks and drives like it should do, done 100k now and only thing nerfed on it is the drivers side central locking sensor and the heater blower only works on 3, oh and the Arial fell off...it looks French in every sense of the word with it's "modified" panels n'all. I love that van, stupid I know.
The Renault 4 (gearshift out of the dash version) was amazballs and I want another and have been looking for an early 78-83 plate for some time now to no avail.
The 2CV was my first company car and I have very very fond memories of that car, I have looked around for another on occasion but have yet to find a decent white one.
I just love the fact that you can fix them easily and cheaply and they do tend to go on forever then fail in a dramatic and often terminal way. 😉
mogrim - you bought a car with 140k on the clock and got 100k out of it .... i fail to see the issue here - except with the repairs you have put into it id have cut it loose long ago - it shouldnt have been expensive anyway(in car terms - i appreciate its still alotof cash to write off) with 140k on the clock - megane scenic with 140k - should have been about 800-1500 quid pending condition and history.
The 2CV was my first company car
Class outfit!
I like my Megane Scenic. When it's working. 240K km on the clock
😆 Are you quite tight as a person!?!
I remember a MOT tester saying to me 'Subaru Forester- great cars, totally bombproof'.
I replied 'no that they aren't mate, they are like every other car'.
I'd love a Renault 4.
Put 20k miles on a Partner 1.4 petrol, came to me with 107k on. Various things have gone wrong but it still keeps running. Spring broke so need to sort that before driving it again. All the other things- rad fans, interior fan, washer pump are little.
The French do seem to be amazingly patriotic about their cars!! The lesson I learned from living there is you don't need a flash, big exterior. Much better to have the top range, well-specced smaller car especially if you need to park in Paris or any other city. I have no desire to buy a flash car since living in Paris.
pretty much stock Citroen AX, seven years, nine engines, five gearboxes: 😀
The only problem with French cars is that they use a thinner gauge of steel for the bodywork than most manufacturers, so it dings easily, although also makes the car slightly lighter.
VW on the other hand are just masters of marketing, they have everyone convinced they are a quality car while being no better than any other major manufacturer.
footflaps - Member
Have you actually driven a modern Peugeot? On a par with any manufacturer.
Eeek! Really? Define modern.
My OH's Pug 308 (58 plate) was an absolute pile of crap. Sluggish, uneconomical, awful gear change, lumpy throttle response, lazy design, unreliable.
I really don't know what tempted her to buy it. I think she regretted it within about 2 weeks of getting it.
The only redeeming thing about it was that it was comfortable on long journies. But given how crashy the ride in my Ibiza is, most cars are.
The French do seem quite patriotic. Always impressed with the amount of French cars you see driving about France.
That AX...without a helmet too. I bet theres more metal in a coke can than on a AX!
French car with a frenchman behind the wheel has won the WRC for many many years not to mention same frenchmen smashed the Pikes Peak record to bits, with an epic Pug 8)
that said i prefer Zee Germans ( i have german car and german bike ) both are 4 years old and neither one has gone wrong......yet
It's always the same complaints about needing a laptop to fix one
Don't see why that's a problem, it's quite useful 🙂
When we used to go to France in the late 80s you'd only see French cars. Now the mix is fairly similar to here I think.
Only French cars I've driven have been two Citroens. Both had awful driver controls that made them quite hard to drive.
mogrim - you bought a car with 140k on the clock and got 100k out of it .... i fail to see the issue here - except with the repairs you have put into it id have cut it loose long ago - it shouldnt have been expensive anyway(in car terms - i appreciate its still alotof cash to write off) with 140k on the clock - megane scenic with 140k - should have been about 800-1500 quid pending condition and history.
That's a fair point, and I'm not particularly bitter about the turbo or the injectors. But the bloody dash going wrong? It's a computer, FFS. No moving parts.
I like my Megane Scenic. When it's working. 240K km on the clock
Are you quite tight as a person!?!
Not that tight, just resent spending money on something so utterly boring as a family car.
I spent a lot of time down in Bordeax and funny as it seems there were a lot of those god awful Rover 420's and Metros down there (back in the late 90's)
Go figure.
Father-shaped-object had a Renault for ages, it kept having odd electrical problems - the best was when all four windows went down overnight and refused to come back up.
To be fair my dads Jag does the window thing sometimes. It also needs to be driven every few days or the battery goes flat; Jaguar have now told him this is normal and the electronics/security features are responsible. They have recommended a small solar panel/charger which seems to be stopping this happening.
Do they suffer the same problem the laguna dash does in that it can be damaged by an electric spike and only work I kph?
I currently have a vel satis that has done 110k. Bought for £450 and it had new tyres on it that cost that much. I like French cars and all the cars I have had have been French except for the xc90 we have. I have taken most of them to beyond 150k with little problem part from the normal. They are to me such a nicer place to be than the boring interior of the vag group (my mother in law has had a few of them).
I had French cars for 20 years and never had a single moment with either.
I have taken most of them to beyond 150k with little problem part from the normal.
What's 'the normal'?
Which current french cars are most like old french cars in terms of ride/feel?
My Partner doesn't feel very french at all.
wear and tear/ preventative maintainance ill bet molgrips - bushes , exhausts , timing belts /waterpumps suspension componants.
ECUs and gearboxes dont fall under most folks normal.
last french car I had was a diesel 205
it was indestructible
sure they are quirky and cheap, but they are no more unreliable than german cars
I've had three French cars:
- Renault Scenic - unknown electrical problems meant that it started when it wanted to - in the garage countless times but problem was eventually rectified when I crashed it - obviously responds well to violent abuse
- Renault Laguna - unknown electrical problems meant that it started when it wanted to - in the garage countless times (sound familiar?) but problem was never rectified so it was returned to the leasing company
- Peugeot 306 TDI - awesome reliable car.. apart from the dodgy immobiliser which meant that starting it was a lottery - fortunately it decided one day to wrap itself round a tree - potential case of assisted suicide
For these reasons I will never buy a French car.
French cars are like French wine - they only export the rubbish!
apart from the dodgy immobiliser
Had this in a Ford Focus - no one could ever solve it - supermarket carparks were a speciality - the fourth time we came home on the back of a car recovery truck I got a French car-gulp.
My step son has a clio diesel and the wiring loom looks awful, just a bunch of wires loosely shoved in there. No sheathing or the like at all.
I had a French car (Renault Clio RSi). It was fantastic.
I had a French car (Citroen ZX Furio). It was the biggest pile of horse manure of a car I have ever had the misfortune of owning. Gave it back the garage for a full refund after a catalogue of issues throughout my ownership meant I never 'accepted' it as being of merchantable quality. It was 2 years old and had a full engine rebuild amongst other things. The last straw was when it cut out when I was halfway across a roundabout.
I had a Renault megane, 2l petrol, pre-big bottom era. Had it from 48k to 105k and it was mostly great. In addition to normal and cheap independent services, it needed 3 wheel bearings only. Towards 100k it had a lighting problem where all the lights would come on with the brake. £20 fix for that. Fuel needle jammed a bit too, but nothing that a bit of hope couldn't overcome!
Anyway, it was cheap, comfy, quick and didn't cost much more to run than the civic that replaced it.
I had a Citroen 2CV for years. Fabulous car, lasted years including several trips from England to Southern Spain. Also good as any 4x4 off-road.
Remember trying to change a rear bulb in my folks Pug, dear god had they never considered a bulb might ever pop?
I've not yet noticed anyone on this thread piping up to sing the praises of their British car.
Remember trying to change a rear bulb in my folks Pug, dear god had they never considered a bulb might ever pop?
Ever tried it on a Altea? Luckily a bloke at Halfords had the longest and thinnest arms that I've ever seen in our species.
Or a Ford Ka?
😆
Also good as any 4x4 off-road
No it wasn't. Don't be silly.
Love the AX Video though no-one has commented that its a diesel (non turbo) how good is that. anyway the last 16 years all i have bought has been french, 1 pug and 4 Citroens.
I've had ZX, 306 and XMs in the past. One XM was a dog (bought cheap and first learning venture to hydro pneumatic citroens). All others were good cars.
French cars do poorly in reliability surveys over the years but they do well now. I think that they make particularly good small cars now. If I was buying a small car it would probably be French.
The problem for French car manufacturers is their main market has traditionally been their home market but it is no longer strong. The French only buy just over half the new cars (2013) that the UK does and you see plenty of non French brands on the roads over there.
To be fair my dads Jag does the window thing sometimes
A girl in work had a similar problem with her Boxster..... on a rainy night..... and it lowered the roof too - she was not happy!
On the other hand, I love my Clio 182 (even the Mrs says that we're never going to sell it)
Good grief,
I've had
Citroen AX, ZX, XM, Xsara, Berlingo x 3, Synergie, C8, C-Crosser (Mitsubishi really) and DS3
Peugeot 205, 309
Renault 5, 19, Espace, Grand Espace, Master and Laguna
The head gasket went on the AX but apart from that not one of those cars ever broke down. Judging by all the other tales of woe I seem to have been incredibly lucky?
You watch, the DS3 will break down tonight.
No they're not always the quietest nor the best specced out inside but you get what you pay for when it comes to interior and I have always found french cars to be cheap and reliable
Edit: forgot the back 1ft of the Laguna got chopped off when steel ramp got dropped on it but I don't think that counts as a breakdown
In my youth I used to buy, use, fix and flog Renaults, at various stages had a 4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 14, 16TX, 17 Gordini, 18 Turbo, 21's . Just bought at the time because they were always really cheap (for good reason). My favourite was probably the most basic, a 4 van. I always wanted (and still do if I had the money) a Citroen DS or Traction Avant. Stuck with jap or german stuff as I got older and more sensible.
On the French theme I have a lovely rusty old 1960's Velosolex bike with an engine on the front if anyone wants it to restore, make us an offer:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/109756768@N03/
I had a 2001 C5 as a company motor for 2 years, it was very comfy and enormous and had a few quirks such as the dash refusing to work and it winking at people with one light... prior to that a 205 diesel which was great until the heater matrix sprung a leak, which matched the leaking sunroof but it's all character I s'pose.
I thought the French home market got discounts or subsidies for purchasing a home built motor .. or is that Le Urban Myth?
I've had an XM and a C5, both huge estate cars. No big issues with either, both were more reliable than my 90s Passat whose crankshaft pulley fell off in France.
I took the C5 over to a Citroen specialist in Edinburgh last week and wondered about replacing it with one of the newer post '08 models. He said not to. They have had tons of problems with their electrics. He said that he and all guys that worked for him drove Passats.
My first car was a Citroen AX. The head gasket went twice, then it caught fire. Never again.
In my experience, the French are generally less precious about their cars than we are.
Are French cars cheaper to buy over there? Not sure.
We've had a Peugeot and two Citroens. They've all been pretty reliable, like most modern cars.
Got a brand new (2013)VW Caddy for work in my last job , Passenger side window would stay in the down position randomly and the central locking failed on the back doors within 2 weeks of ownership.
My 52 Renault Kangoo with 100k has been faultless in comparison although the doors are about as thick as a paperback book.
Prior to the Caddy , I was using a Vivaro(Renault Trafic) and never had any problems with it in 4years of driving.
Walk down any street in Paris and I bet you can't find a single car that isn't bashed or thumped. I just think they are not as precious as we are about cars and they are simply tools to get from a to b. If the car breaks down its just an excuse not to go to work.
ootflaps - MemberHave you actually driven a modern Peugeot? On a par with any manufacturer.
Yes. I had a Pug 508 for 24 hrs as a hire car. It drove like my Focus - which is 12 years old. But handling was good. Seats were terrible though, numb butt after an hour. And the handbrake was on the wrong side of the car.
I am glad to see that other people have recognised that VW are still living off the mark 3 Golf ad. "If only everything was as reliable as a Golf"....we would all be stuck at the side of the motorway!!
If I was buying a small car it would probably be French.
Oh, forgot to mention I had a Clio as a hire car last year - that was brand new. Actually a good drive and very solid, but the 3cyl petrol engine was pretty worthless anywhere other than in town. It had to be thrashed mercilessly to even cope with joining motorways and passing lorries. So I only got about 40mpg from it - that's what I call a lose/lose situation 🙂
I'd definitely consider one with a different engine if I were buying small. Although I'd probably prefer a Polo, cos I am a VW fanboi, or maybe a Yaris hybrid 🙂
At least the French still have a car industry......
OP yes many French think French cars are of decent quality and certainly for the price. I would say French are generally more loyal to home country products than we are in the UK.
French used to have very protectionist policies until the EU made them stop, or at least rein it in a bit.
I've had two French vans and three hot hatches
All have been fine.
The c2 we have has been fine since 2006 with only one abs sensor
My golf estate is a pain in the arse and almost the worst car I've ever had
The words was an a4 t sport with full leather sline etc it was nice to sit it but always broke down
The french cars in France must come with bigger engines. Even the Peugots can get to 50, somethimes 60 mph, unlike the sodding ones near where I live.....
Ive only had french cars, and tbh never had a problem with them at all.
106 died after a crash
106 gti, traded in for a
206 xsi then jumped over to citroen
C2 VTR which i had for 7 years, didn't miss a beat
Current car is the new shape C3 a bit of an odd car, but great commuter and bike carrier with added towbar.
Next car, in a couple of years will be ethier a DS4 or C4 depending on cost mileage and what i can see when its time to change.
My 07 stop-gap Xsara Picasso had its MOT yesterday at a [b]main dealer[/b]. No asvisories and the complimentary free inspection found?.....nothing.
Im thinking of replacing it with...another Citroen; C4 3dr 2.0VTS or 2.0HDI VTR if anyone sees one 🙂
Molgrips 3cyl engines are there to be revved to the redline 😉
The French view cars as any other domestic appliance. Essentially disposable. Status by voiture is a British thing. So they buy French cars because the cars are French. And, of course France is the home of small cars. So it doesn't really matter if they think they are good or not. Personally, I'd like a Twingo Cup because Renaultsport still have a "we don't care" attitude that produces proper sporty small cars, rather than bloated turbo'd mainstream.
Had a few french cars in my time all we're nice enough to drive and all went wrong somewhere the last with gearbox issues. Since then I've owned nothing but VAGs and not had one single issue with them.
The Citreon range is rather nice though.