Buying a renault laguna?

cold_filter

Ok guys thinking about buying a renault laguna 2001-2002 any one have advice for me?

rockdrummer

Hey,

I bought a 2001 laguna in Spetember 2005 ! So far so good, just a few annoyances:

1. tyre pressure sensors keep going off !
2. Car sometimes doesnt start, may have this problem once every few months. But eventually I get it started after 5 - 10 mins. Had battery changed but didnt help, it may be damp or cold, but in saying that its started on wet and cold mornings aswell. As i say it doesnt happen very often. Someone said it may be starter motor going, but ive had this problem for about 1 year now and it aint got any worse !!!
3. I bought mine for €7250 plus trade in of about €1500, so thats €8750. I went to alot of garages that were selling them for 10, 12 grand !! so watch out. I got mine in Brian Reynolds Motors in Drogheda.

Its a very nice car to drive, and the interior is class....

cold_filter

Thanks for the tips, how many miles were on it when you both it?
Any other electrical problems with it?

BrianD3

Oh dear, another one of these threads OP, a 2001 new shape Laguna has a rep for being troublesome however
a) a lot of what's said is exaggerated pub talk BS
b) on a 2001 car most build quality and electronic probelms should have occured by now and been fixed by previous owners if they're going to occur.

Check that EVERYTHING works. Pay attention to the backlight on the climate control display if fitted. The backlight is a common fault and if it goes you won't be able to read the climate control display when it's dark. Get a warranty and if possible get someone to put the car up on a lift and check for play/wear in the ball joints, track rods and rear suspension beam mounting bushes.

cold_filter

BrianD3 wrote:

Oh dear, another one of these threads OP, a 2001 new shape Laguna has a rep for being troublesome however
a) a lot of what's said is exaggerated pub talk BS
b) on a 2001 car most build quality and electronic probelms should have occured by now and been fixed by previous owners if they're going to occur.

Check that EVERYTHING works. Pay attention to the backlight on the climate control display if fitted. The backlight is a common fault and if it goes you won't be able to read the climate control display when it's dark. Get a warranty and if possible get someone to put the car up on a lift and check for play/wear in the ball joints, track rods and rear suspension beam mounting bushes.

Yeah i've read that about the electronics but as you say most should have occured by now.

how expensive is it to replace the backlight if it goes?
A mate is a mechanic and he'll come check it out with me, though i haven't told him i want to buy a laguna yet!

Owen

Don't do it. Whatever about the marginal reliability, they depreciate like nobody's business. As Junkyard says "Renault? I'd rather stick pins in my eyes".

BrianD3

Don't know how much the backlight is as I got mine done under warranty. I would guess that it is dear though.

If you look on ebay there is a guy selling instructions on how to dismantle and fix your faulty climate control display with a soldering iron. It's only a matter of time before this "secret" information gets into the public domain (if it hasn't already)

BrianD3

ned78 wrote:

they depreciate like nobody's business.

Which is precisely why the OP *should* consider buying a 2nd hand one.

cold_filter

I'm not too bothered about depreciation, my last 2 cars have been fiats, you get them cheap and then sell them on cheap so the loss isn't huge

old boy

check the air con blows cold, also the heater blows hot, drive it over a rough roar or a field if poss, any rattles forget it, but then your mate should know all this, but after this he may be your ex mate after this

Stephen

One of the guys in work bought a 2003 diesel one last year. Less than a week later the turbo died on it, producing massive clouds of white smoke :eek:

Luckily it was bought from a dealer and covered under warranty.

BrianD3

I'd be of the opinion that the 1.6 petrol may be more reliable than the diesels. Diesels seem to have some turbo problems also there are reports of problems with the 6 speed gearbox which is fitted to some of the diesels. OTOH the 1.6 petrol with the 5 speed box has been around for about 10 years and is well tried and trusted.

The same may be true of other cars which are available in a modern turbodiesel and in a petrol version.

Do try to get your mate to have a look at it on a lift. The ball joints etc. cannot be properly tested on the ground.

Also if the car has the 17 inch alloys, look for buckling from hitting Irish potholes.

junkyard

Repairs are quite expensive too and very frequent. Suspension bushes are a regular problem and the N.C.T. test centres will have a field day with you regarding them. Electrics are a disaster area and I've also seen many problems with water leaks and of course, electric windows also need to be replaced on a regular basis. There are loads of other cars you could chose from that won't give you the trouble a Renault will.

colm_mcm

Not like you to be anti-renault, junkyard

dil999

Why the Laguna? There a plenty of more reliable cars out there in that class. The Mondeo, Passat the Avensis the Mazda 6 you might pay 500 to 1500 more, but I think it might be money well spent.

colm_mcm

In the Laguna's defense, it's still in production and spec and comfort levels are high. That said, it'd be near the bottom of my list in that class.

Owen

BrianD3 wrote:

Which is precisely why the OP *should* consider buying a 2nd hand one.

Do you think the merry-go-round of depreciation will stop just because he's the second, or third owner? They're a bad investment. Full Stop.

louie

I'll choose Toyota or Audi.
had Laguna before, and it was confortable indeed but did give a lot of trouble as well.
Before that had a Previa (Toyota) for 6 years and beside service never gave any troubles.

bazz26

ned78 wrote:

Do you think the merry-go-round of depreciation will stop just because he's the second, or third owner? They're a bad investment. Full Stop.

In fairness a 2001 Laguna probably has already suffered most of it's high depreciation by now.

They probably have one of the highest specifications in this class but you have to make sure that everything works when buying and get as much warranty as possible.

Guy:Incognito

ned78 wrote:

Do you think the merry-go-round of depreciation will stop just because he's the second, or third owner? They're a bad investment. Full Stop.

At this stage it's already a 6 year (or 5 if he goes for 02) old car. Assuming he keeps it for at least 1 -2 years its then a 7 -8 year old car and worth very little regardless of what it is.

Owen

bazz26 wrote:

In fairness a 2001 Laguna probably has already suffered most of it's high depreciation by now.

You'd think that, but when you look at Carzone, you can still see that 2001 Lagunas, with average mileage are attempting to sell at between 7-9 grand. There's a lot of depreciation yet to go in those puppies. Even an ownership period of 6 months could cost the OP anything up to 5 grand depending on the margin of the replacement car they choose.

bazz26 wrote:

They probably have one of the highest specifications in this class

That's completely dependent on the model. Prestige seems to be the one with Half Leather (But I stand to be corrected), only other bit of kit they'd have over a similar, less depreciating, and more reliable marque, is Aircon. That'll probably break anyway. For 7-8 grand, you could buy something much more worthwhile.

bazz26

ned78 wrote:

You'd think that, but when you look at Carzone, you can still see that 2001 Lagunas, with average mileage are attempting to sell at between 7-9 grand. There's a lot of depreciation yet to go in those puppies. Even an ownership period of 6 months could cost the OP anything up to 5 grand depending on the margin of the replacement car they choose.



That's completely dependent on the model. Prestige seems to be the one with Half Leather (But I stand to be corrected), only other bit of kit they'd have over a similar, less depreciating, and more reliable marque, is Aircon. That'll probably break anyway. For 7-8 grand, you could buy something much more worthwhile.

I agree for €7k - €9k you could buy something more reliable but I would not pay that kind of money for a 2001 Laguna. As you know there can be a huge difference between asking prices and selling prices and there can be some really silly asking prices on the likes of carzone.

I think €6k is more realistic for a 2001 new shape Laguna imo. Given that depreciation on your average new car of the same size is about €3k to €4k between now and this time next year, I cannot see the 2001 loosing more than another €2.5k over the same period so if the OP picks up a clean trouble free one then they have saved a few quid. Saying that there is the higher potential of having to spend the savings on repair bills. It's all swings and roundabouts really.

BrianD3

ned78 wrote:

You'd think that, but when you look at Carzone, you can still see that 2001 Lagunas, with average mileage are attempting to sell at between 7-9 grand. There's a lot of depreciation yet to go in those puppies. Even an ownership period of 6 months could cost the OP anything up to 5 grand depending on the margin of the replacement car they choose.

Ned78, get real. Depreciation is not a major issue on a 6 year old Renault or on any other family car of this age. Compare the price drop on carzone for a 2001 to a 1999 laguna, now do the same for the Avensis, Mondeo, Passat etc.

Saying that a 6 year old Laguna could drop 5 grand in six months is possibly the most ridiculous thing I've read on this forum. If as you say someone decides to trade in a Laguna against a low profit margin car after 6 months then yes they will probably get a poor trade in, but it won't be anywhere near a 5 grand loss unless they paid way above market price for the Laguna in the first place.

In any case, the margin on any car they part exchange the Laguna against has nothing to do with the Laguna. It's like saying if you p/ex a MINI against a new Toyota Aygo you'll get a worse trade in than if you trade in against against a new Pug 607, therefore the MINI is a crap investment. Awful rubbish.

That's completely dependent on the model. Prestige seems to be the one with Half Leather (But I stand to be corrected), only other bit of kit they'd have over a similar, less depreciating, and more reliable marque, is Aircon.

The Prestige is the Laguna estate, the Supersport trim level is the one with the half leather seats. And yes the Laguna is better equipped than others in this class in both base models and higher models and I'm not just talking about them having aircon

That'll probably break anyway.

And someone who drives a MINI is probably a tosser. Aren't flippant generalisations great :rolleyes:

Owen

BrianD3 wrote:

Ned78, get real. Depreciation is not a major issue on a 6 year old Renault or on any other family car of this age.

I've clearly provided examples of Renault Lagunas from 2001 where people are asking 8 grand for them. And I know, if someone came to me with one, the most I'd get bid from the trade is between 2-3.5 grand for one. So .. naturally, depending on the market, if you're looking at another second hand car, your allowance could be anywhere from 3 grand to 5 depending on what you're buying.

BrianD3 wrote:

Saying that a 6 year old Laguna could drop 5 grand in six months is possibly the most ridiculous thing I've read on this forum.

Get a job in the Motor Trade, learn the way the Irish market operates, and come back to me.

BrianD3 wrote:

it won't be anywhere near a 5 grand loss unless they paid way above market price for the Laguna in the first place.

Isn't that what we're all trying to tell the OP? That as a rule of thumb, that Renaults are overpriced second hand and unreliable?

BrianD3 wrote:

And someone who drives a MINI is probably a tosser. Aren't flippant generalisations great :rolleyes:

Well done on such a post, and turning what was my attempt at helping out the OP, and making it a personal assault. Nearly everyone on this thread has either told the OP not to do it, or if he does decide to go Renault, to go through it with a fine tooth comb, as they're prone to failures - you yourself have posted three times detailing problems with the vehicle.

Obviously, the logical thing to do is take the money, and put it into a less depreciating marque, and one that you're confident will work when you turn the key every morning. This post is not an attack on you BrianD3, but really, when you sit down and logically think it through, unless you're French, there's just no good reason to buy a 2001 Laguna, at that period of their manufacturing, they were terrible.

BrianD3

ned78 wrote:

I've clearly provided examples of Renault Lagunas from 2001 where people are asking 8 grand for them. And I know, if someone came to me with one, the most I'd get bid from the trade is between 2-3.5 grand for one. So .. naturally, depending on the market, if you're looking at another second hand car, your allowance could be anywhere from 3 grand to 5 depending on what you're buying.

Shock horror - many carzone asking prices are too high and trade prices are less than retail prices. I suppose the Laguna is the only car to which this applies :rolleyes:

Maybe you'd have had a better argument if you'd said "don't pay top carzone prices" instead of saying "they're a bad investment. Full Stop"

Anyway If you look more carefully at carzone ned, you will find that there are 2001 Lagunas for about 5 grand on there and there are others less than that.

Get a job in the Motor Trade, learn the way the Irish market operates, and come back to me.

I've a good idea how The Trade operates. I've also a pretty good idea that there are vested interests in this forum who's main purpose seems to be to bash various marques at every opportunity while praising the particular one that they're selling.

Also who are these people buying Lagunas for 2.5-3k and then attempting to flog them on carzone for 9k? Yes that's right - car dealers. So forgive me if I don't pay much heed to what you or anyone else from The Trade says. I'd rather stick pins in my eyes than seek objective advice from a car dealer.

Well done on such a post, and turning what was my attempt at helping out the OP,

TBH it doesn't sound like you were trying to help at all rather to "bash" a particular marque. In your haste to criticise you made a silly statement about depreciation which myself and others have pulled you up on.

colm_mcm

buy one at the right money and you're laughing. (presuming it doesn't break too much )

Owen

BrianD3 wrote:

I've a good idea how The Trade operates. I've also a pretty good idea that there are vested interests in this forum who's main purpose seems to be to bash various marques at every opportunity while praising the particular one that they're selling. TBH it doesn't sound like you were trying to help at all rather to "bash" a particular marque.

How dare you assume my motives. How dare you assume I'm out to bash a brand, and most important of all, how dare you accuse me of promoting my brand above others. Not once in this thread have I tried to sell the OP anything. I've stated on this forum that the Renault Clio is a superb car many many times, so obviously, it's not all Renaults I'm set against. You obviously don't know how the Motor Trade works, and have a small minded cynical view of Dealers to boot. Myself, Junkyard, and Colm_MCM are all Dealers, and we do out bit in here helping people out when they need it. Naturally, I'll give advice on BMWs and MINIs, my PM Inbox will testify to this. And contrary to what you think, it's not for my own gains. I was helping a girl on here last week to decide what spec MINI she should buy from my compeditor, and guess what? She bought there. And I'm genuinely happy to see someone else happy, it's not all about profit.

BrianD3 wrote:

Also who are these people buying Lagunas for 2.5-3k and then attempting to flog them on carzone for 9k? Yes that's right - car dealers.

Well 10/10 for pointing out the obvious. If you, using your own money, had to sell a Laguna on in the morning, you'd be damned sure you'd put a hefty chunk of profit in there, because when the car decides to calve on a Saturday night, it's out of your pocket that the warranty must be covered, that the recovery truck must be paid, and that the repair work must be carried out. And that's just for one breakdown.

BrianD3 wrote:

Anyway If you look more carefully at carzone ned, you will find that there are 2001 Lagunas for about 5 grand on there and there are others less than that.

Carzone is not a used car price yardstick. People can place cars on that site and ask whatever they want, it doesn't mean they're going to get it. You're dead right, there are Lagunas on Carzone for 5k and under. There's 3 in total, and they're 90000 Miles, 124000 Miles, and 129000 Miles. You're welcome to them.

BrianD3 wrote:

In your haste to criticise you made a silly statement about depreciation which myself and others have pulled you up on.

As a Dealer, and most of my mates in the trade will concur, we all cringe when we see a Laguna coming in the forecourt. We know we're going to have to make dozens of phonecalls to find trade buyers who will actually underwrite the cars at relatively decent money. That experience of actually pricing Lagunas, and dealing with their owners gives me a bit more knowledge on the matter than you. So you'll see, I didn't actually make either a 'silly statement', or post in 'haste' - this is my real world experience in the matter, as opposed to your speculation.

If you're the type of person who can't take impartial advice from someone actually employed in the Motor Trade, can only bring confrontation to a debate, and assume your outside view of things is more accurate, than you don't deserve it in the first place. The OP however, does, and in my professional opinion, they should spend their money on something else. A nice Mondeo, Passat, or an Avensis would suit perfectly.

BrianD3

I don't know whether you have a specific vested interest in bashing Renault cars or not. Can't prove it either way. But I'm not going to stay quiet when you post what I consider wrong information without pulling you up on it.

Hopefully now others will be able to read this thread and decide for themselves whether buying a 6 year old Renault is a "bad investment. Full Stop"

edit: nice edit there. I can't be bothered responding to you anymore. I'l let others make up their minds here. PS mentioning "junkyard" as a shining example of the motor trade may not help your case. This is the guy who was trying to flog a Laguna in his signature one month and the next month was telling everyone that that he'd rather stick pins in his eyes :rolleyes: Is it any wonder that people are cynical

I'll question your motives if I bloody well want. Read the charter - it specifically mentions that ther may be vested interests in the forum.

As for buying Passats etc. Check ****ing carzone that you're so fond of quoting and point out the prices for those. I suppose if you buy a Passat on carzone for 10k you can sell it in the trade for 9k the next day. Whereas if you buy a Laguna for 7k you'll lose 5k off it straightaway. As I said earlier - get real.

Owen

BrianD3 wrote:

I don't know whether you have a specific vested interest in bashing Renault cars or not

Now you're backpedaling. You specifically accused me of bashing a marque to suit my own interests. Here, let me show you :

BrianD3 wrote:

TBH it doesn't sound like you were trying to help at all rather to "bash" a particular marque

BrianD3 wrote:

Hopefully now others will be able to read this thread and decide for themselves whether buying a 6 year old Renault is a "bad investment. Full Stop"

The only place they'll get that quote from, is you. Hopefully now others will be able to read this thread and decide for themselves whether buying a 6 year old Laguna is a "bad investment. Full Stop"

Owen

BrianD3 wrote:

I'll question your motives if I bloody well want.

Now that you've edited your post, I'd better reply again. So, how about you post what you do for a living, and let me accuse you of not doing your job properly? You have no right to accuse me, or Junkyard, or any other poster of anything without evidence.

BrianD3 wrote:

Read the charter - it specifically mentions that ther may be vested interests in the forum.

Yes, the Charter specifically mentions that. But the Charter stating that there might be vested interests, and you going out of your way to accuse me are two different things. Here are some items that apply to you, is there a reason you choose to ignore them?

Motors Forum Charter wrote:

*No personal attacks on other members
*Repeated occurrances of “that’s crap” or “you muppet” and other abusive comments in posts will result in a warning and then a good hard banning. If a moderator feels that it is warranted then a ban may apply following just one such comment.
*Back up your statements - if you make a bold statement then please provide some kind of evidence to back up what you are saying.

BrianD3 wrote:

As for buying Passats etc. Check ****ing carzone that you're so fond of quoting and point out the prices for those.

Can't you have a debate without resorting to expletives? I'd be delighted to check out Carzone for vehicles I personally feel would be a better purchase for the OP in terms of reliability and future residual values.

Here's a 2001, 60000 Mile Mondeo for € 6950 :
http://www.usedcars.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=636153

Here's a 2001, 65000 Mile Passat Comfortline for € 7500 :
http://www.usedcars.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=629039

Here's a 2001, 62000 Mile Avensis for € 7450 :
http://www.usedcars.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=635924

dil999

I am not in the motor trade, I have no vested interest in an brand, I drive a mondeo and have driven them for the last 7 years.

From people I know who have had Lagunas its almost impossible to recommend them to anybody. The mondeo, the passat, the mazda 6, the avensis are far superior and much more reliable. GO have a look and a drive in some of them. Its a buyers market.

If you do pay 7K to 8K for a 2001 laguana you may find that you wont be able to sell it at all after a year. I had a 6yo Citroen Xantia and I couldn't get a penny for it. I ended up trading it in agianst a new mondeo for the cash discount (i.e I got nothing for it) So I'd have to agree with ned on this one

The French make great wines, but there not so good on the engineering front.