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Hi Gerard,

It’s a very good family car from the point of view of safety and comfort, and yes that 1.5-litre diesel is hugely economical (you should see better than 50mpg on a regular basis). You just need to keep a close eye on electrical items such as the central locking, the key-card and the windows and beware of traditionally steep depreciation for large French cars.

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Hi Gerard,

I write this as a former (recovering?) Laguna owner and the best I can tell you is to tread very, very carefully. Admittedly, I owned the previous generation Laguna that was quite simply a reliability disaster and one that cost Renault a fortune in warranty claims. The third-generation car, the one you're looking at, is much better in reliability terms, but still, you need to be suspicious of anything that uses electricity – make sure absolutely everything electrical is working properly and watch it like a hawk to check for failures. The 1.5 dCi engine is actually pretty good, and robust too, and you should pretty easily get high-forties mpg out of it. However, you're going to be on a pretty steep depreciation slope as nothing loses value faster than a big French car. That's fine if you're planning to keep and use it until it dies, but not so good if you're planning to trade-in in a few years. As a family car, it's actually quite good though – spacious and comfy, with a big boot and Renault has an excellent reputation for safety too.

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Hi Noel,

We can’t tell you if a particular car is worth buying or not, but we do like our Jags and the 2003 onwards XJ was a very nice one. Common problems include broken door handles, leaking boot seals, a rattling from the engine caused by faulty tappets, broken ABS sensors, knocking suspension meaning the dampers are shot, leaking dampers, failed air suspension pumps and basically anything electrical.

While the XJ was always well made and reliable, you’ve got to remember that they’re hugely complex cars and need to be cared for properly to remain reliable. If there are any gaps in the service history, or the car seems tired or worn out, then walk away.

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Hi William,

In general, Renault has picked its reliability game up over recent years,  but we would still advise a little caution. Electrical problems are quite common, especially with the windows and the engine management system, so buy carefully and make sure that it comes with a full service history.

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Hi Brian,

The second-gen C5's a pretty solidly built car actually, with only electrics and suspension causing regular problems. Check and make sure all the buttons and switches work properly, listen for any clonking noises from underneath and as long as it has a full service history, you should be OK.

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Hi George,

Oh dear, where to begin? Warranty Direct describes the 9-5 as one of the most troublesome cars it's ever surveyed. Electrics are the most common problems, so make sure all the buttons work, then check the suspension for signs of wear, tear or incoming failure. Uneven tyre wear is an early sign of problems there.

Approach with caution basically.

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Hi Ian,

If it's space you're looking for, go for the Superb, as it's massive inside. No reported electrical problems, but watch for high front tyre wear, paint peeling away from bumpers and flimsy fuel filler caps. There are some reports knocking around of clutches and flywheels failing, but these seem to be very isolated and not a recurrent problem. The Superb's a great car though - smooth and comfy, very spacious and one of the best cars on the market. Go for the Combi estate for even more boot space and nicer exterior styling (in our opinions!).

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Hi Peter,

Electrical problems seem to be the big issue. Make sure that everything, absolutely everything works properly. Alarms can go on the fritz too, going off for no reason. Clutches, diesel particulate filters and boot water seals can also go, so keep an eye out for those.

Hope that helps

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Hi Frank,

We reckon a motor or window regulator should sort that out for you.

Let us know how you get on.

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Hi Morgan,

There's no doubt that the Land Cruiser will be the more reliable of the two. Toyota's quality has dipped in some areas of late, but the Land Cruiser is still something of a halo model for the whole range. There is a good reason why Land Cruisers are the vehicle of choice in sub-Saharan Africa and other harsh environments and that's because they're built tough. The current model lacks a little in terms of its cabin appointments (certainly, the Audi feels far plusher) and it does roll a lot through the corners (again, the Audi is much better to drive), but it's superbly comfy, very spacious and you'll be giving it to your grandkids in your will. 

Mind you, the Audi is no shabby player when it comes to reliability, and only really excessive front tyre wear (it's been known to get through a set in as little as 8,000km) and some electrical niggles (watch for powered tailgate problems) seem to count against it.

Our instinct would still be to go for the Toyota though. The Q7 has an unfortunate whiff of the trendy, socialite, school-run SUV about it whereas the Land Cruiser is more appealingly rugged.

Hope that helps