Which japanese mpv to replace my scenic?

piggybankrupt

Hi

Having probs with my 2005 scenic Petrol 1.6). Just had all 4 ignition coils replaced (out of warranty) & still sounding not as quiet engine wise as it used to (especially idling).

Just frightened myself to death reading some forum reviews on scenics although I admit we had earlier 2000 model which we had no probs with.

Some people have recently been advising us (ie the 2 RAC men who fixed the coils!!!on different visits!) that japanese mpvs are the most reliable repair wise.

Any advice from you lovely people??

goldspanners

i know its not japanese but have you considered the ford focus c-max?
these seem to have good reliability aswell.

balsingh

Zafiras have proven to be reliable over the years and theres also the VW & Seat MPVs which are worth a look. Japanese reliability is not as outstanding as it used to be .... firstly, the Europeans are getting better ... also remember that Renaults & Nissans share engines so their reliability from an engine point of view can only be similar.

netlang

Take a look at http://www.reliabilityindex.co.uk/ some interesting surprises here especially for so called quality marques at the bottom of the worst 10.

Japanese manufacturers still top it after a few years

anewman

It'll probably happily run on being noisy. How many miles does it have? Anything seem to preceed the engine noise like a cam belt change? Could also be engine mount wear perhaps.

Kez100

Love my Mazda Bongo Friendee!

piggybankrupt

Thanks for replies so far!

It has 22,000 miles on clock but have never really felt confident with this one as clutch had to be replaced before they released it to us (at 2yrs old & 15000 miles!) then within 2 days of getting it home broke down twice (dead battery) now all 4 coils gone.

The engine noise is nothing definate just that you never used to be able to hear the engine at idle at all to the point you thought you'd stalled! now its quite loud at idle and is often starting at second attempt instead of first (push button start)

Trouble is I know that most people only report on car forums if they have a problem which doesn't represent how many people own a particular make/model with no problems - every car listed will have forum entries with problems listed so how on earth do you choose something reliable.

Obviously we are on a budget hence being on MSE! but we are only a year into a four year loan with this car & intended to part ex it at the end of the four years but not if it's going to cost a fortune in parts before then! What if it's the Cat next or something thats gone??

anewman

piggybankrupt wrote: »

What if it's the Cat next or something thats gone??

Cat should be fine for another 80k miles plus, unless someone smacks it. And even then non-genuine ones can be had for under £100 then you just need fitting on top of that which shouldn't be more than £40.

I'd try not to worry so much and wait for something serious to happen before getting rid of it myself.

If money is important you might even find something suitable at the bottom end on the second hand market, like a mitsubishi space wagon. Any work that needs doing on it would never make it cost overall the same amount as a 2 year old Renault Scenic.

If the space would be useful you could even look for an old banger minibus.

vansboy

The Zafira - current model - is selling exceptionally well & certainly looks much more modern than previous one. It is now getting its first facelift, so reasonable value for money used.

But THE best value, most reliable & not too easy to find, as they never sold in huge numbers, is Mazda Premacy.

TRhe Mazda 5 is also a pretty good vehicle - again facelift model in the showrooms currently. Worst thing with the earlier ones was the rapid front tyre wear, supposedly sorted now.

& Mazda are the only TRUE Japanese makers these days!!

Kez mentions Mazda Bongo, but this isn't an option to most people, as it's personal import, not really for our shores, but a proper example of what a utility vehicle should be.

Google Images & look for the replacement that never came, called Mazda Secret Hideout - REAL NAME!!!

VB

smileypigface

Hi,

We had a Scenic (Petrol S-Reg) and replaced it with an 06 Mazda 5 (Diesel) - very pleased indeed with the decision.

The Scenic was a 'bus' but the Mazda to us is a car with the flexibility of (as my son calls it!) a big-big-boot or extra seats - there are 5 of us and a dog (who has a crate that sits over one of very rear seats) and it does the job a treat for us.

We have one of the ones that was set up incorrectly but Mazda replaced our tyres for us when the problem came to light and we were happy with the way they dealt with it all (shared the cost but they paid most of it ). All sorted now.

It's a pleasure to drive and is economical on motorway driving and round town.

I'd love a Bongo though ... just so I could say "Bongo" repeatedly

in2deep_2

The Mazda 5 is a beautifully styled mpv IMHO not a huge bus and not to small...I love it.