Are French cars really that bad?

Atomised

Hi,



Is it a waste of money buying a French car?

Is the reputation deserved?

Are they really merde?

Premier_2

The number of Clio's I see happily running on our roads suggests it's a bit of tarring with the same brush

You'll also find quite a few 2CV owners probably don't agree either

jeannieblue

The bodywork on a Citroen can be 'flimsy' - as the joke goes, 'you could get a paper cut off of one of those...'

All cars have their 'for' and 'against' issues. Its said the French aren't great when it comes to the electrics.

I personally would not buy French nor would I buy a Fiat - but that is just my personal opinion. I think it is hard to beat Japanese - and by that, I mean literally made in Japan.

If you count - you will probably get just as many posts that are pro French cars as you will get against them. It's a gamble these days with alot of makes. Mercedes have been producing poor standard of cars for a few years now, they are planning to 'up their game'.

I prefer to drive a bog standard Focus... parts reasonably priced and it hasn't got too many gadgets on it to go wrong!

Doozergirl

We had a diesel Peugeot 206 for 8 years. It did 140,000 without complaint. It sounded like a tractor that I could hear H coming home when he was a street away :rotfl: but I'm very fond of that car because it was a little workhorse.

We only got rid of it because H's brother in law convinced him to buy an Astra Estate off him. Which died last week after 18 months of ownership at the grand old age of 5 :wall:

H is now driving around in a 12 year old Renault Clio which he's borrowed until we get him a new one.

Personally, it's been a while since I've driven anything that wasn't made by BMW

Volcano

I was going to say that cost comes into it and when japs go wrong they can be far more expensive than french cars. I only have my own experience to go on however and strangely can't seem to find anything on the net about which cars are the cheapest re. parts and repairs.

jeannieblue

Atomised wrote: »

I wanted a focus but the insurance quote I received was very high , even though I was told last year that it was an easy to insure car.
I was recently in a mini cooper and an Audi and have to admit that it didn't feel any different to when I was in a Clio , but I guess what happens underneath a car is the most important thing.
I like the look of a Toyoto yaris and think they are Japanese.

Some Yaris' are made in France and some in Japan - believe it or not, certain parts are different depending on where it was made!

Yaris' hold their price - but they are good cars and are relatively cheap to service etc (as long as you avoid main stealers...). I would strongly recommend one. (Try and get one that was built in Japan )

Poly,put_the_kettle_on

Renault electrics can be an "experience"- but we've owned them for many, many years and they've proved reliable in the main. Everything has it's good & bad points- I'm not sure what they're like now, but Fords used to be complete rust buckets for example.

That's the one thing about our Espace- we know it won't rust!

I drive a Mazzie, more expensive to repair, but rarely needs it. My old Golf was utterly bomb proof.

MrSmartprice

I have run Citroens since 1990 and am now on my 5th. The only non-Citroen in all that time was a Ford, which was the only one to have given any trouble.

I currently have a new Berlingo, having had my previous one for nearly 8 years. They are excellent cars. MrsS is also on her 4th. She runs a C3 diesel, 57 reg, and is delighted with it. We have friends who are also a 'Citroen Family' and have had, I think, 10 between them too. The wife is on her 3rd C3, recently buying a diesel as she wasn't keen on the Stop/Start option she had last time.

In all those cars none of us have had any problems of note. Between us all we have had: BX, Saxo, Xsara, Xantia, C2, C3 (several), C4, C5, C4 Picasso, and Berlingo. So a reasonable sample!;)

The build quality is actually fine, and mechanically the diesels are superb. Citroen dealers will also do you a great deal. (Take an internet dealer quote with you and ask them to beat it!)

seagull09

Yes. They do seem to have rather more than a fair share of 'silly problems' - electrics very common. But then these days I rather lose track of what is built where anyway, with all the mergers and contracting out and goodness knows what.

And some of the previously reliable Japanese makes have been steadily dropping down the reliability scores charts too.

jeannieblue

Volcano wrote: »

I was going to say that cost comes into it and when japs go wrong they can be far more expensive than french cars. I only have my own experience to go on however and strangely can't seem to find anything on the net about which cars are the cheapest re. parts and repairs.

I spend a helluva lot of my working time ordering parts.......... :eek:

So parts wise - I'd buy VW, Vauxhall, Ford. They are the ones that spring to mind straight away. VW always seem to be very reasonable. Oh and Skoda too!

Re Toyota - as in the Yaris, parts are reasonable and they are very very easy to maintain. Diesel ones parts are slightly more expensive. They make excellent driving school cars. Toyota seem to be cheaper than Honda, Lexus - well, they will be a bit pricey in comparison... Mitsubishi parts can be horrendously expensive!

Just a bit of a rough guide there - hope it helps.

Lemonade_Pockets

The small french cars are no worse than any of their competitors in many cases better.

The french reputation for dodgy electrics in the main comes from when they try fancy kit on their big cars without really testing it properly. E.g. Renault laguna's and the like.

I wouldn't be put of buying a Clio on that basis. Just the same as any older car make sure its had the required work carried out e.g cambelts etc and that everything works!