Are French cars really that bad?

[IC3]

So what does the situation look like with French cars? I can see that a lot of people disslike them for being crap and the word reliable seems non-existent for them?

I'm mainly looking at smaller cars such as; Citroen C4 3dr 1.4-1.6 VTR, Citroen C2, Pugs and Renault etc. But what about bigger saloons as well?

My granddad use to have Citroen Berlingos as company cars, they were abused and most of the time most likely overloaded. But there weren't any problems with them apart from normal servicing. When my granddad saw how reliable they were, he bought one for himself and still has it till this day. He doesn't drive as much, as he use so the car has pretty low mileage for its age.

 

[Jumper118]

they seem ok at low mileage, but my mates clio has reached 60k and its starting to go down hill fast, it has started rattling in many place, it has started needing parts and the interior has started falling apart. the wheel bearing have gone, but other than that mechanically its been ok.

 

[Howard]

Personally I wouldn't buy one. There's no real reason to do so IMHO, particularly the modern day variants. All Peugeots are crap IMHO and whilst the bigger Citroens are comfy and well equipped I wouldn't be brave enough to face the potential electrical issues.

Call me judgemental but hey.

 

[danza]

I had a Peugeot 406 Coupé that was 12 years old when I bought it. I sold it last year (and kick myself for doing so).

It was the most reliable car I've ever owned (well, joint first when considering a brand new Suzuki Swift Sport I had for a couple of years). It had been very well cared for though to be fair, and more modern Peugeots are not meant to be much good, but then I'm only going by what I've read.

 

[rodenal]

Bit random

Are you looking at buying one? What kind of budget and age?

There are a few specific models which are fairly terrible from the last ten years. That's not to say there aren't reliable examples of those models.

C2's and c3's of early 2000's spring to mind as being really quite unreliable, funnily enough as do pug 206's, 207's and 307's (who'd have thought)

Things like 2000+ cooking model Clio's are actually fairly reliable bar the odd head gasket, 406's were decent, 607's were lovely cars, whilst Laguna's have always been terrible

There's just no consistency really.

Pug and Citroen have both found their way again recently though, both producing real decent cars in the last couple of years. The 508, new 308 and even 208 are all good. Ds3 is a decent little car, c4 cactus thingy is at least interesting and the bigger Ds cars have something about them too

 

[JonnyGeee]

I ran a 57 plate clio for 2 years from new, no real issues apart from a couple of ignition coils. I only did around 20k in it before sale.

I also had a 53 plate scenic with 50k on it great car, practical for baby use etc. Ran it for 2.5 years before the dash failed, electric handbrake failed, caliper failed, rear suspension springs snapped, sunroof smashed glass, engine sensor and 2 ignition coils, steering rack issue.. All in about 5 months..

Haven't touched a french car since lol.

 

[Lopéz]

Some are rubbish, some aren't. The whole thing around choosing a car because it's from a certain country is a bit of a daft idea these days.

 

[rapid64k]

I had a C5 Exclusive which i enjoyed very much, it was fully loaded.

The only problem with the car was that ALL my tyre pressure sensors all blow out on me while i was driving!!

4 X tyre pressure sensors!!! All blew out one after the other while I drove on the motorways.

It looked like the sensors seem to corrode and become very brittle very dangerous at the time.

But the car was lovely.

 

[Begbie]

Mines has done 100k+ (103k iirc) and nothing really has went wrong with it.

Well a cat has died, as has an injector and the aircon LCD display (still works). But for 4 years of ownership I'd say that's good going really. It's obviously been serviced well though.

I'll probably buy another Renault Sport in the future.

 

[IC3]

Are you looking at buying one? What kind of budget and age?

I'm looking at Focus'es at the moment, but I don't really like the 5dr in terms of performance and looks compared to 3dr. I just dislike hatchbacks with 5dr, you can call me weird but I would just rather buy a 4/5dr saloon, unfortunately my age and no ncb don't allow me to do this. So I'm looking at alternatives, as I'm not too bothered about car makes at this point.
I do like the C4 3dr VTR, it doesn't look too bad and the interior is different from other car manufactures. The c2 would be an option, but I'm 6ft1 and in my opinion it would be comical seeing me in one of these

Some are rubbish, some aren't. The whole thing around choosing a car because it's from a certain country is a bit of a daft idea these days.

I know this, but as in 'French' I was trying to cover all the french makes.

Aren't most today modern cars pretty much this same? Most of the time you pay for the badge...

Mines has done 100k+ (103k iirc) and nothing really has went wrong with it.

Well a cat has died, as has an injector and the aircon LCD display (still works). But for 4 years of ownership I'd say that's good going really. It's obviously been serviced well though.

I'll probably buy another Renault Sport in the future.

Model?

 

[Lima]

Mother in law - 1.6 308. Not a very good car to drive, but there is a lot worse out there. Don't think she's ever had a problem with it reliability wise.

Wife - 12 year old 206 xri. Mileage creeping to 100,000 and apart from minor things needing doing (typical for mileage and age) it's fine.

Myself - 208 gti. Only had it 7 months but it's absolutely fantastic.

 

[abbotsmike]

Some are rubbish, some aren't. The whole thing around choosing a car because it's from a certain country is a bit of a daft idea these days.

Whilst you're probably right if you actually look at the numbers.

I only ever see renaults & citroens with strange electrical faults, ie the brake light flashes in time with the indicators and the reverse lights come on with the brake lights. I also only ever see pugs stuck at the side of the road with the exhaust having fallen off!

 

[G.O.A.T]

I'm happy to buy anything that came from the the renault sport factory in dieppe, other stuff is a bit more of a lottery. Having said that my gf loves her 207 more than the polo it replaced.

 

[chrisoverson]

I also only ever see pugs stuck at the side of the road with the exhaust having fallen off!

My sister had this happen in her 206, lmao. Along with it sounding like half the exhaust was missing most of the time anyway, it's most spectacular feat was when she dropped her son off at school, he opened the passenger door and it fell off completely! If I remember the 206 scored worst reliability in class? She's got a 09 plate 207 now and constantly going back to the garage for one thing or another, although she still thinks it's brilliant.

I've had two old peugeots, a 106 and a 306 and they were horrible cars compared to everything i've had after. They had strong diesel engines which peugeot is known for but everything else fell to peices.

This isn't really fair as they're old cars. My parents have a Citroen Xsasa Picaso and they swear by it and say it's the best most reliable car they've ever had.

Mechanically... yes it's true it hasn't ever broken down as such and only required minor repairs other than suspension last year, but everything feels so cheap and nasty inside and all the bits are breaking off. The rear plastic trays both snapped within the first couple of years and the drivers armrest broke off last year.

However they're delighted with it and don't want to change until it literally runs itself to bits.

Personally I'd never want a french car again, I've just ordered my new Seat after touring loads of dealers but no pugs, citroens or renaults were on my list of test drives .

 

[miniyazz]

Oddly enough the exhaust fell off my 106 as well.
However I'm not sure why anyone would end up stuck at the side of the road because of it!

 

[KiNgPiN83]

I had a 205 that was amazing and nothing ever went wrong with it and if it did it cost hardly anything to fix. Then I had a 306 that was equally good and only started throwing up bigger bills as it came to the end of its time with me and then I had a Citroen C4 (55 plate) and that was terrible. It was nice to look at and different to all the Focus' etc and very comfy and generally a nice place to be inside but the diesel engine/dpf was an absolute pain in the rear end. In its defence I may not have been doing enough miles for it but this doesn't seem to be an issue with other diesel engine manufacturers. So after 2 years of ownership, a new DPF and 3 new injectors I gave up and bought a Subaru Impreza WRX STi. Which has been pretty much bullet proof no matter what I do to it.

So French car ownership can be a good thing.

 

[Third Opinion]

I had a Peugeot 406 Coupé that was 12 years old when I bought it. I sold it last year (and kick myself for doing so).

It was the most reliable car I've ever owned (well, joint first when considering a brand new Suzuki Swift Sport I had for a couple of years). It had been very well cared for though to be fair, and more modern Peugeots are not meant to be much good, but then I'm only going by what I've read.

Very true from experience. My stepfather had a 406 that lasted him years, longer than the Mondeo he replaced it with.

Because of that he decided to replace the Mondeo with a 407. What a mistake, in terms of reliability the 407 was a massive step backwards in reliability. Both mechanically and electrically it could only be described a disaster on wheels.

 

[Sirrel Squirrel]

Most of the Peugeots I get stuck behind seem to have electrical problems with their lights, normally see the indicator blinking and the brake and rear lights flickering too in unison

 

[IC3]

So it seems like French cars haven't changed much than, but it is a lottery with them. I'm not going to risk it, I'll have a look at some Japanese cars which aren't too harsh on my insurance or korean Kia.

 

[Begbie]

Model?

182

I wouldn't buy a French car though, I mean if I was buying a standard car.

Well E.G if I was looking for a hatch and a Megane and a Focus cost the same, I'd be all over the Focus