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Hi Grainne,

Yeah, at that price level I'd avoid a Scenic. They older they get the worse their reliability becomes. How about a Toyota Corolla Verso instead? It's within your price range, has the space and is ultra reliable. The only thing is you'll probably have to break your 1.5-litre boundary and go for a 1.6.

What do you think?

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Hi David,

Not a terrible car but you could do better. The third generation Mégane atoned for many of the reliability sins of its forebears. It's well made, comfy and super economical. Make sure all the electrics work properly and argue yourself a good deal - Méganes depreciate heavily so make sure you're not putting too much into the front end.

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Hi Pat,

Yeah, electric window failures are depressingly common on most Renaults of that vintage. I'd say generally you're looking at a trade-in value of around €3,000 but you can probably knock another €750 or so off that thanks to the knackered windows.

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Hi Barry,

To be blunt, you're going to struggle to get a decent diesel engined car at that price level. There do seem to be one or two diesel Peugeot 307s or Renault Méganes around at that sort of money but we'd advise serious caution before purchase - neither have a great reputation for reliability. 

Unless you're covering mega-miles every week, you would probably be much, much better off getting a tidy 1.4 petrol hatchback, perhaps a circa 2002 Toyota Corolla? Really solid on the reliability front, excellent fuel economy and affordable motor tax. It would be a much better idea than going all out for diesel but ending up with a less reliable car.

What do you think?

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Hi Carmel,

OK, full disclosure - I owned a 2003 Laguna estate for several years, so I know here what I'm talking about. Realistically, they're not very reliable at all. The engines tend not to break in and of themselves, but everything else does. Anything electrical is suspect (especially the electric windows and the credit card key system), the suspensions are fragile (especially the rear rubber bushings) and the catalytic convertors regularly pop a rivet or two.

Best avoided to be fair.

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Hi Clare,

If you're looking for an MPV, I always tend to recommend a Toyota Corolla Verso. They're spacious, have plenty of room for boosters seats and the like and are very safe and reliable. If you get around €3k for your Renault, that should get you into a 2008 or 2009 Verso diesel.

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Hi Aparesh,

You know what? I wouldn't. Renaults from that era are not the most reliable things and your budget could be as easily eaten up fixing a catalogue of minor problems. Your budget though should be able to get you into a Toyota Corolla Verso - one of the most reliable cars around and a firm favourite in CompleteCar Towers when it comes to affordable, reliable family transport. 

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Hi Des,

As with all Suzukis the Grand Vitara is impressively well bolted together and there are very few reports of any major reliability issues. The only recurrent problems seem to be glitches in the electrical system, but as long as the car you're looking at has a full service history, you should be OK. There are only two major downsides: the interior looks and feels pretty cheap and old-fashioned compared to some rivals, while the 1.9-litre diesel engine (which Suzuki actually bought in from Renault) can be very thirsty, as the Vitara is no lightweight.

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Hi Bryan,

I'd say about €15,000 on average, perhaps slightly below the €14,000 as a trade-in.

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Hi Dawn,

Pros are that it's pretty, reasonably good to drive and on a nice day you can get a tan on the way to work. Cons are that it's heavy, thirsty, slow, the roof is complicated and prone to getting stuck half way up or down and Renault reliability in general isn't great...