Car quandry

[got-to-get-fit]

OK ....can i have your thoughts please.

I have an 04 plate Renault Laguna

It has a myriad of things wrong with it.

Leaking radiator
2 busted electric window mechanisms
Broken air conditioning compressor
Slow puncture
and the service is due.

The garage have quoted me about £1000 to do all the work....and i know the guy and trust him so its not an issue of being ripped off.

When these problems are fixed it will be a decent car...bodywork and interior is immaculate and its only done 40,000 miles.

However talking to the garage guy he says i would be better off trading the car in and using the £1000 i would have spent fixing it as money against a trade in.

Now....i cant afford to take on any more finance as i have just bought another car for my wife to use and am paying finance on that. So if i traded it in it would have to be the value of my car plus the £1000 repair money.

Looking round on the interweb at local garages though most oif the cars that i would be able to purchase for this money are a good few years older than mine and have many more miles on the clock.


So do i repair my own ....or .....trade in for an older more mileage car with (hopefully) fewer problems?


Whats the general concensous????

 

[johnnyh]

if you trade it in what's to say the new one wont have problems?
Devil you know, devil you dont

and you know you will see the old one drive past you for years to come cause it really isn't all that bad.... well aside from being French

 

[gbb]

Do you use the aircon ?
That'll likely be the most expensive item of the lot. A compressor for a mates VW was £500 alone, plus fitting.
Could you do the rest and leave the aircon. I only say this mind because my last 3 cars have had it, but i never use it. Too much extra fuel comsumption.

 

[Night Train]

I would have the work done if it is only £1000. If you don't want to spend all that in one hit then leave the aircon and windows until the next service.

You will be looking at a timing belt at 50-60k maybe? You could save some money ready for that and include the cost of the aircon at the same time as it may save some of the labour cost as there may be duplicated labour involved.

It will be a false economy to trade in just for those items as the next one could be just as bad after a year or so. As you say, the rest of the car is in good condition and after your spending will be even better.

Have you thought about looking at the windows yourself? It could be something as simple as a loose connection or blown fuse. That could be fairly easy, but time consuming, to track down so you could save a fair bit in labour costs and with nothing to loose in finding out.

 

[got-to-get-fit]

Your right GBB the aircon is £350 and we have another car that we never use the aircon on. So i guess i could live without it.

I must admit im veering towards johnny h's devil you know argument and keeping it.

i had a quick browse on e-bay and it tells me you can buy repair kits for the windows for £50 so things are looking brighter every minute.

Uncle mort is right though....i would question the quality of renaults and would never buy another one ....i mean its only 4 year old and for all of these things to go wrong is a bit unnaceptable.

 

[phil_hg_uk]

Who cares about aircon open the window my last car had broken aircon for over 4 years.

Sort out the windows yourself I had the window mech go on a car so I pulled it out and it was a plastic cog that had sheared so I went down the dealer for the part and it was £60.00 and that was for a honda.

The radiator wont cost much to do and the puncture is a 5 min fix.

I reckon you could get that bill down to £300 - £400, or maybe less, if you shop around.

 

[got-to-get-fit]

i think your bang on the money there nighttrain.

Im going to leave the aircon but do the windows cause the car is like an oven at the moment and i need to get some air in if this weather is going to keep up all summer.

Im going to get the radiator done as well.

 

[Night Train]

The radiator, service and puncture are essential anyway.

My aircon broke a couple of years ago. The timing belt has to come off to fix it so I am waiting for the next belt change before I get it fixed and that way the £300 belt change comes down to parts only.

I only miss the aircon for those first few minutes of getting into a sunbaked car when I am already hot and sweaty from a job. A few minutes with the window open clears the heat anyway.

 

[phaedrus]

It's a Renault. I'd cut my losses and get something that works. I've had two in the past and they were disasters, but fortunately they were company cars. I'd never buy one myself.

I have a 2000 Renault Scenic which I've owned for about three years. It's a great car for my needs and one of the most reliable I've ever owned. My one slight criticism is that my usual (cheap and reliable) mechanic couldn't replace the timing belt at 60k miles as it requires special tools. The dealer did the job for £90 though, so it wasn't that big a deal.

 

[Mr Pig]

It's a Renault. I'd cut my losses and get something that works.

I agree. mechanically they are usually quite solid but the electrics are appalling. Just about everyone I know who's had one has had problems with it, I could list some of them but it would take too long.

We bought a two-year-old Mazda 6 from my brother-in-law's garage quite recently and he was bemoaning Renault quality. He said, if you want to keep a car for a long time do not buy one. They regularly replace expensive parts on young cars and their warranty provider is considering loading the policy's for Renaults as they cost them so much.

He says that the reason people buy them is that they'll get a good deal on them. A Renault dealer will give you a car at a cheap price, a Mazda dealer will tell you to piss off!

Your call but I'd get rid of it. There's a very good chance that you'll face more bills before long. Buy Japanese, but I'd avoid Nissan who have now been bent over by Renault and built a saloon car so bad (the P12) that they gave up making them all together!

 

[ChrisKH]

Guaranteed if you don't have the air con done, it will be the hottest summer on record.

Mr. Pig, was looking at a Mazda 6 as next family car. What's it like? It's that or the new style Mondeo.

 

[tyred]

It's a Renault. I'd cut my losses and get something that works.

Definitely agree. They are probably the worst car you could own. Everyone I know that has ever had one has been plagued with electrical faults. Probably won't be a problem where you live but if you drive them on rough roads, you'll also get through a lot of suspension bushes. They are also poorly designed and difficult to work on. Buy Japanese or German for quiet life.

 

[Wigsie]

The trouble is the only second hand car of reasonable condition/age/size you will get for around 2k is a Renault Laguna. It is a 50/50 shot when you buy Renault as to whether it will be a workhorse or a lemon, its why they are so cheap.

Tough call, I have spent thousands in the past with the "better the devil you know" mentality, but its a gamble getting something new.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Get shot of it quick - this is just the start. We had a Renault Megraine a few years back - high spec but just more to go wrong.
I think we were lucky to just about give it away in the end. What a heap!

 

[grhm]

I'd too would be tempted to fix the puncture and windows and leave the air-con. That shouldn't cost too much.

I would however keep an eye out for a decent car to replace it with (preferably before yours develops the expensive electrical issues Renault are famous for - as you'll get a better price)

Seems a shame to buy another car when you can keep that one going for a bit - and you can then try to save to have a better budget for the inevitable replacement.