/euro/ - european car general

I used to have a 2002 Renault Clio 1.6 16v initiale. It was lavishly equipped for the time: cream leather, alloy wheels, 6CD radio, automatic A/C and even cruise control.

It had very short gearing though which was good in the city as you could use the first 4 gears and still do 50, but on the highway I never went at the speed limit of 130 because the noise was unbearble.

>Why are french cars not sold in the USA?
Because they're stinking piles of fucked shit. Be happy you didn't get them.

Xantia was really unreliable due to the suspension system apparently.
ever seen it in person? the hydraulic suspension lowers everytime you park it, it looks pretty cool but apparently it wasnt that good on the road
so how many french cars have you tried user?

>Xantia was really unreliable due to the suspension system apparently.

Only the top version of the Xantia had the Hydractive, and it isn't really unreliable, the problem is when it does wear or break down it costs an arm and a leg to repair.

>apparently it wasnt that good on the road

I'd really like to know who told you that so I can punch him in the face. In plain 2017 it still holds the top spot on the moose test, that should give you a clue on how it performs.

>Xantia
>wasnt that good on the road

WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!

The Xantia is fucking LEGENDARY because if this.
youtube.com/watch?v=e0EtQNufzTw

They were able to almost eliminate bodyroll and made that thing corner obscenely well and that in the mid 90's.

>looks pretty cool but apparently it wasnt that good on the road

...

...

can your 2017 car do this?

youtube.com/watch?v=E-4nArFoXkc

>Why are french cars not sold in the USA?
I'm guessing because its a tough market to brake into. One of the deciding factors why Fiat merged with Chrysler was a chance to get into the USA market, lots of potential money to be made there.

Also, the US has some pretty ridiculous safety standards. It's fucked them out of a lot of really good cars.

>Why are french cars not sold in the USA?
Because they are shit

Ok faggots, I am now seeking your advice and guidance, if it's an europeasant central.

I need a 4 door saloon to travel me in great comfort every now and then. Here are the criteria:
>Must be a 4 door saloon
>Must have a petrol engine with a max displacement of 2.0L because taxes
>Must be comfy af and I don't care about performance. I don't want some pig ugly car either.
>Must be reliable

Budget is 5.000 euros hands-down or I can finance to around 8.000 euros.
I drive somewhere at 8.000km per year so I wouldn't stress myself too bad with the fuel consumption. Also, diesel is out of the question at this yearly mileage.

What would Veeky Forums pick?

Stay away from BMW, their 4cyl engines are pretty shit. Lots of timing chain issues etc. Honestly with that criteria I would go for something like a 2.0 petrol mk4 Mondeo, they are surprisingly good cars and very comfy. Cheap parts and very reliable, plus no rust issues like the mk3 had although there are still plenty of them about and they are good too.

Suppose you could also look at something with the VAG 1.8T engine like an Audi A4, lots of info about preventative maintenance to stop them going bang and parts are pretty cheap too in euroland.

All Citroen I've been in have been good cars, not the nicest to look at but do the job they are required of very well.

I actually do like the Mk. 4 Mondeo quite a lot. I do tend to get intimidated by it's size tho, and I know nothing about the general issues of the Mondeo. All I know is that Ghia is the comfort trim and Titanium the sport trim. I also know that it has a 1.6 petrol, a 1.8 and a 2.0. Is it worth going from the 1.8 to the 2.0? I presume the 1.6 is too small, but I've driven a B6 Passat with the 1.6 petrol 102 bhp engine and it was decent. No fast by any measure, but decent. I literally drive on weekend to do the groceries, the occasional drive for a meeting with the clients and the ocassional trip. I also walk to work so that cuts the mileage significantly.

I looked at the Audi offer, and it's either the A4 B7 which looks too dated and maybe the B6 Passat but it's hard to find a non-fsi engine. Heard that they are oil burners.
But really, what puts me off in the VAG market is the lack of rear power windows. It's incredible how many B7 Audi A4's from 2007-2008 have wind-your-own windows. This is abit of a dealbreaker for me.

Then they will fit just right

> Not good on the road
> Xantia

Do you even know what an automobile is user...

in my experience, Mondeo Estate models have a inherited disease with boot lids. Still present with MK3, not sure about MK4.
Engine shouldn't be an issue with this model, old Zeta base was dropped with MK3, the newer volvo engine should show bigger numbers for smaller displacement.
Depending on how many people you want to seat, the rear row might not be as likeable as MK1/2's since the middle-rear seat is a bit sturdy for some people. For comparison: the MK1/2 had a straight up bench, while the MK3+ has seating positions separately.
If you think about getting a VAG, think about the repair costs. They are either very cheap or stupidly expensive. When getting one, be prepared to replace things that you don't even understand how or why did they broke. I'm currently working on a Touran that had it's boot lock die(boot won't close) and as it turns out, it's just one of the locks that'll break eventually for no particular reason. I won't get started on the electrics since they are pretty unpredictable. Fords usually have good electrics but sometimes they crap out. GHIA models have a ~30% bigger chance of electrics fuck-up.

You could get an Octavia RS for that price. Its basically a much roomier, comfier golf.

Ford Sierra DOHC injection.

So you own the worst Peugeot ever made and you didn't own 3 uninteresting cars. Ok then. Good post fella

>Xantia is not good on the road
Actual Xantia fag here, fucking kys cunt

Thanks for the input! I want to go for the sedan/hatchback version, the estate is far too large for me, my gf and weekend groceries.
How does the 1.6 petrol 125 bhp engine fare? Is it too small? Or should I go for the 145 bhp 2.0? I understand that the Ghia is the comfort trim so thats the one I suppose..
I dont like it that new VAG is a reliablity nightmare. Especially when I read on the 2.0 TDI section, the 2.0 TFSI and how the electronic parking brake goes to shit frequently.

I dont want anything sporty because of bad roads and sports suspensions. Also, why is the second hand Octavia costing as much as an Passat?

My buget is 5000, not 500 euros.

>Why are french cars not sold in the USA?

They at various times, they never caught on. In the case of Citroen they were too expensive (mind you it was mostly their flagship models in the late 50's though may of been 60s, into the 70s that came here) Peugoet was here for awhile too I think (I've at least seen a 305 on CL once a long time ago so I assume they tried it) but never got much exposure, and Renault tried it as well, buying into AMC to use them as a springboard to sell their cars here, notably the Renault 5, sold as LeCar which is a rubbish fucking name.

But yeah they never caught here for a variety of reasons besides as well, but mostly it's a lack of exposure and breaking into a market pretty well catered too by other manufactures both domestic, and other foreign ones.

Holy shit my dad had a shit 406 in that exact colour growing up nostalgic af

Mondeos are based, i've had three.

My dad has a 98 xantia and my mom has an 04 megane wagon, mom also had a renault 5 when I was a kid, both the xantia and the megane are crappy in different regards, the xantia has super autistic suspension design and some mechanic fucked up the engine to the point where it has what I assume is 40 or 50hp, it accelerates like a tractor, every time theres a slight slope on the highway I have to floor it so it mantains 120kph

Yeah they are quite big, but perfectly manageable even in town as they have a decent turning circle, good visibility, and most will come with front and rear parking sensors anyway. The MK4 only got the 1.6 and the 2.0, I would probably go for the 2.0 although to be fair I haven't driven a 1.6. Seems a bit small to lug a car like that around though. MK3 came in 1.8 and 2.0, I had a 1.8 and it was perfectly fine but supposedly the 2.0 has the same fuel economy so you might as well get that.

There isn't much in the way of common issues, especially with the petrol ones. The MK3 liked to rust on the bottom of the doors, and the rear bushes can sometimes give issues but parts are dirt cheap and every mechanic knows how to work on them. Make sure the clutch is good, heard they are a bit of a bugger to change but otherwise its the usual stuff.

Ghia was the top spec one until it was replaces with the Titanium and Titanium X which are a bit sportier looking but just as well equipped. Most are Zetecs which have most things you would want, and Edge is the basic one. Don't get too hung up on trim, I reckon have a look at as many you can and pick the best one.

>Wolkswägen
That's not how it's written. Try Volkswagen.

>french spotted

>406 is beautiful, XM and Xantia look fucking awesome.

That's because behind the design there's either Bertone or Pininfaria...it's always the Italians.

Also let's not forget that this man designed the 406 coupè.

>designed instant classic cars (Enzo, 360 Modena, etc..): checked
>is designing modern beauties (4C, Stelvio, Ghibli, etc..): checked
>superb memester: checked

The regular 406 was an in-house design by Peugeot, the Coupe was a Pininfarina design though.
And the Xantia wasn't a Bertone design either, although the XM was and the Xantia took a lot of inspiration from that.

I love how the 406 looks too, OP. I'll try not to name supercars or anything too crazy.

BMW 325i E36
Opel Astra GSi F
Fiat 125 Special
Volvo 850 R
Peugeot 306 S16

Shit, I love the design of the Renault 19, but it's a mediocre car as far as I know.

Not an Eurofag, but I would look at Skodas. They're the best of VAG but without the ridiculous prices and the ugliness. Also, Volvos. S60 or something like that.

Italians are the best designers. That's a fact.

wtf

I think my sister's Focus had the 125 hp 1.6 IIRC. It was ok, not fast but not too slow either.
Most of the power was at higher revs though. I don't know whether the Mondeo is much heavier.

It was fine reliability wise excxept for a Hall sensor that had to replaced once in the five years she had it.

>Why are french cars not sold in the USA?
Because none of them considered the cost of "federalising" thier cars to comply with the retarded import laws worth the cost.

>Not an Eurofag, but I would look at Skodas. They're the best of VAG but without the ridiculous prices and the ugliness. Also, Volvos. S60 or something like that
Second hand Skoda prices are higher than second hand VW prices, even Audi in some cases.
I don't understand it and Skoda interiors generally reek of cheapness, especially pre-MQB ones.

>Also, Volvos. S60 or something like that.
Now you're talking.
However, given these prices, I might aswell just wait 1 more year to get some money and go straight for a W221 S Class, as their prices are lowering by the year. They currently sit at 10-25k euros, the 3.0L diesel models atleast and they lose about 2-3k euros a year.

actual eurofag here
>cayman
>911
>alpine a310
>twingo MR
>alpine a110
fuck you gay ass fags with your vw, vw with wooden trim and boring ass bimmers that are everywhere

For some reason when I was a kid the Peugeot 206 was my dream car.

It looked so different when it came out, so it was really memorable.

the 1.6 is ok power wise, the old Zeta 1.8 had similar power output and that was considered the logical choice back in the day for any body type. However if you can get your hands on a 2.0 then go for it. Similar fuel stats with more power. Also, with a bigger engine it's more likely that it'll last longer because it isn't being pressured as much as the small one.
GHIA models can be identified with chrome around the grille, pic related
Mondeo is a bit heavier, depending on the trim it can range from ~70 to 150kg

So was the MK1 Focus.

Now it looks more dated than most other cars from the time, especially the interior.

fucking awesome

>tfw father always gets Saabs at his workshop
Bring
Back
Saab

i really wanted to buy a Peugeot 405 as my first car but my dad advised me not to buy something that old.

405 isn't really an old car.
what other choices do you have?

Assuming his dad is a turbonormie, anything over 5-10 years is old.

wat

>Why are french cars not sold in the USA?
big memes
>What are your 5 favorite european cars?
Abarth Punto
normal Punto
Opel Insignia
Opel Astra OPC

he said i shoudl buy french because renault and citroen have loads of official mechanics in my region. so my choices are Peugeot, Renault and Citroen.
Saw some cars from the early 2000's for 2k and 5k

>can't count to 5
>all picks are objectively shit

>he said i should buy french
Please don't come here complaining when whatever shitbox you buy shits itself in the next couple of months

>objectively shit
i don't need 5 when i have the 4 best

well get the twingo then.

im poor but not that desperate

Reminds me of the Bose suspension car.

youtube.com/watch?v=3KPYIaks1UY

You should see the C6. Unlike the Bose system, this one actually made it into production.
It's quite possibly the best riding car ever.
youtube.com/watch?v=L2q03XZugwg

Why wasn't there a RS version of this? It's one of the best looking cars Renault ever made and it sold like dogshit here in the UK.

Have they ever made RS variants of their cars bigger than the Megane?

what do you think of the automotive industry in Spain? (SEAT)
this is probably the most sold car in Spain alltime

Googling gives me renault sandero RS
so that's 2
There is a Laguna Sport, but not an RS
better VAG than a volkswagen, same boat as skoda except their numbers are smaller

Live in spain

The spanish are so fucking lazy, they can't do ANY job properly, even to the most basic degree. I would never drive a car made by people with that mentality, the opposite of this is, in my opinion, what makes japanese cars great. The culture at the place of manufacture.

Sport Quattro
Twingo

BMW 850 CSi
BMW 2002
BMW M550D
BMW E39 M5
Audi V8

i thought Seat cars were manufactured in germany now

C6 is godlike comfortable. It's like riding around while sitting in your favorite sofa.

Just bought a new jetta, what am I in for, /euro/?

>The fucking Porsche 935

>RUF Yellowbird because oversteer

>Citroen DS because godlike comfy and you can with a straight face say "i was riding a godess all night"

>BMW M3 (especially E92 and E46, even more especially CSL) because 7:50 ring time in 2004 is what started life as family sedan

>Volvo 740 because its the only thing i can think of that is an APC, a drift car and a camper van at the same time, all for under 500 dollars

>mfw the golden age of French voitures is over

I have owned various French cars over the year, my first one being a '94 Renault 19, and the most recent one a '11 Citroen C5.

I moved to the US not too long ago and god do I miss them, but I'm not sure what I like more, indestructible French diesels or cheap American RWD pieces of shit.