Renault Scenic

P

paulocon

Guest
Hi all,

My wife is looking at buying a Renault Scenic. Something around 1998 for 8/9K. Have been looking areound a bit and there are quite a lot of these cars on the market, some with relatively high mileage (80K+).

Just wondering if there are any Scenic drivers out there and what they think of the car. Is it good for high mileage, what should I look out for etc.

All help appreciated.
paulocon.
 
We hired one of these on holidays in Spain and I hated it ... there was absolutely no power in the engine. The build quality was terrible ... bits kept coming loose.

I test drove the scenic II recently and it's worse .... just like cardboard stuck onto a metal frame ... good luck whatever you decide.
 
Scenic

I had a 96 Megane from new - one of the first. Despite being well maintained it was nothing but trouble - repairs were expensive and parts took a week or more to get. After 3 years with about 20k miles on it and spotlessI had terrible trouble getting anyone to take it as a trade in. I know 2 others who had similar experiences with Meganes. The Scenic is basically a Megane so I'd advise to steer well clear.
 
thanks for that everyone.
You can't beat speaking to people who has driven the car.

Anyone have any suggestions of a similar sized car (3 kids) - budget is around 8/9K.

thanks again,
paulocon.
 
Hi,

I am a bit surprised by such negative reactions. Usually the Scenic gets such good reviews.

The Scenic has a very good NCAP rating - I think it was the first car to get 5-stars.

Like your wife I am also looking at some 99 Scenic models at the moment. NCAP ratings are important as I have two small kiddies.

Regards,
ngirl
 
ngirl,

True. I am aware of the good reviews that the car got but a lot of people seemed to have negative comments about the renault megane.

That's why I threw the question out to people who have experience of this car....

Anyone out there with any positive comments on the Scenic?
 
>I am a bit surprised by such negative reactions. Usually the Scenic gets such good reviews.

>The Scenic has a very good NCAP rating - I think it was the first car to get 5-stars.

ngirl

Maybe the reason for this is because they spend so much time off the road they have less of a chance of being involved in a serious accident :)
 
www.topgear.com/content/carknowledge.jsp

Hi Paul,

try the link above here - i stumbled accross this top gear website yesterday, trying to do exactly same as you. The Renaults do seem to have an awful lot of 'Whats Bad' comments, though none are major faults, there seems to be a lot of small irritating faults.

I wanted to buy a 3dr megane, but have been put off by stories I heard from owners. Looks like an alternative may be VW Golf or Opel Astra - the astras around 00/01 are in around 9/10k.

I'm wondering could you bargain off an other 1/2k for the whole km change over, by putting forward that cars without km dashes as the main dial are more or less redundant now, thus negotiating a better deal??
 
hi mollser,

Stumbled across this myself yesterday when doing a bit of research - same as yourself, I was struck with the amount of 'whats bad' comments down against the Renaults.
Like you say, none seem to be major faults. As well as some very negative reviews on various sites, I also came across some positive comments also.

I doubt you'll get too much off for the km changeover but it's definitely worth a try....
 
Can I speak up for the Scenic?

Bought a 00 one a couple of years ago and it's been excellent.

It's not for the boy/girl racers among us but the kids love the seating position - it's nice and high so they get to see the road. I like the driving position also - parking is a doddle.

The 1.4 is a bit under-powered. Get the timing belt and water pump checked regularly because there does seem to be a problem there.

But the equipment level is good, it carries loads of stuff.

It's not for everybody but, if it suits, it's terrific.
 
cheers oysterman,

Good to hear both sides of the story.
I've relayed all messages to 'the other half' - still dead set on getting a Scenic so hopefully all will work out ok....
 
re: 8K

Hi Paul,

I'm pretty much in the same position as your 'other half'.

I've bene doing a bit or research for a while. Most people with Scenic models seem quite happy with them. Those who have a strong dislike for Scenics are usually not owners but come into the 'topgear' category where a car is a status symbol not a 'kiddie transporter' and haven't been able to suggest a good alternative. It's not a boy racer's car.

The only helpful info I can give you is that with 8K you should be able to buy a pretty decent 00 model.

Rgds, ngirl
 
Re: re: 8K

00 model for 8k!

Any searches I've done seem to be coming up with 10K for a 00 model..


Managed to source a 99 (62k miles) model for 8.5k but have got it down to 8 without too much hassle so should haggle the dealer down a bit.
 
I think you're about right on the price.

I thought €8k looked a bit on the light side for a 00 (been talking cars for a couple of hours now and I'm already beginning to sound like Arthur Daley....).

In the way that one tends to track the depreciation of one's own model and year, I reckon €9.5-10k for a 00 (particularly if it's "nice and clean with 4 new corners") is the 00 price range.
 
re: 8K

Hi,

I double-checked.

The Scenic 1.4 I haggled down to 8K was a late-1999 model not a 00 model.

Apologies,
Ngirl
 
Re: re: 8K

Jaysus, thank god for that - I thought I'd just moved into negative equity.
 
I've been driving a 98 Scenic for the last 3 years, no problems, at this stage I think we'll hang onto it and run it into the ground. Perfect for my gang of kids, they love all the leg room. I find it comfy and reliable too, sailed through the NCT last year.
 
I'd also recommend the Scenic, we have a 00 model with a 1.4
engine - this is our second Scenic, our 99 model was very
badly damaged in a head on collision (we were stopped at the
time and a guy hit us doing about 20/30 mph). We were both
fine, the car took all of the impact - the other guys air bags
went off ours didnt (guess the impact wasn’t hard enough for
our bags to go). Our car wasn’t written off, it just needed alot
of work so we opted to get a newer model rather than wait for
parts, etc.

We went for the scenic for 2 reasons - height and safety.
Both of which played a very important part when we were hit.
If you are looking for a safe, comfortable and reliable car then
I would certainly recommend the Scenic, they're rock solid.
 
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