Renault Scenic - any good??

[TriumphVitesse]

Thinking of getting the missus an 02 plate Renault Scenic 1.9dCi to replace her Micra (we need a bigger car as I have an MX5 but thats not going anywhere!).

Seen these Scenics around 8 - 10 years old and they are for peanuts & they would do everything we want i.e. fit the tent in, carry the bikes on the back etc etc and I would also be able to pick spares for my Triumphs up in it!!!

So are they any good or are they crap? Would definitely want a diesel (not usually my fuel of choice), but we tend to do a lot of long journeys so mpg is important I guess and she is currently used to a 50mpg Micra!

At the end of the day I think cars like this are the dullest of the dull but we really need something thats just functional (I have 3 toys!) and these things seem to tick all the boxes.

Any major issues / things to look out for??

Also what mileages should I avoid? I'm looking at ones between 90K - 135K at the moment.

[Autogasm]

Hi there, I run a garage in a town just down the road from a Renault dealer so I see quite a few of these. In my humble opinion, I like 'em! They don't suffer any worse than similar age vehicles mechanically and I would personally choose one over a similar Ford or Vauxhall!

I would personally check for timing belt changes, they are due at 72k intervals, but I have known many to fail prematurely around the 65-70 mark. I would change mine at 60k! Other than that, I would just check all the electric items, bodywork and trim!

Obviously you would always try to find the lowest mileage example, but proof of regular servicing is more important as these engines will go on and on if well treated!

Personally, go for it!

[flakeypaul]

I've got a 54 plate Grand Scenic 1.9dci (7 seat) with 78k on the clock and I love it! One thing I found when researching is that the early dci engines (fitted to 02 and 03 cars) can suffer with premature turbo failure. When the turbos fail they can cause the engine to start running on the engine oil until it is all gone at which point the engine seizes and is destroyed. You cannot stop this by simply turning off the ignition - you have to stall the car.

This is well documented and you'll get plenty of clever sts telling you that this will definetely happen and you'll definetely lose all your money when in reality its a relatively rare occurence especially when the car has had regular oil changes.

As you said you'll be paying peanuts for an 02 Scenic (Series 1 facelift?) so it's probably worth the very minimal risk anyway! As I said I love mine and wish I'd never bothered owning a Zafira! HTH