1991 Renault 25 TXE 2.0 petrol
Summary:
The best old banger on the road
Faults:
Nothing whatsoever (fingers crossed) yet. In this 25's first year with me, the only problem is that the exhaust center section has a small hole in it.
General Comments:
How I wish I had kept the 2.2i engine out of my 1984 GTX, the 2.0i has noticeably less torque which means many down changes here in hilly Sheffield, United Kingdom.
Comparably though, the phase 2 R25 has a slightly firmer ride and is a little easier to corner hard than the older models, which tended to wallow through bends.
I am 26 years old and have been driving Renault 25's since I was 20.
My friends used to laugh at me until I took 6 of us on holiday in it, it cruised like a dream on a 650 mile round trip, managing 41.8 miles per gallon at its peak.
I certainly will buy another 25, as long as there are examples out there with good bodywork (have you ever seen a badly corroded 25?). But I would steer clear of automatics, and the multi valve engine is to be avoided, they have trouble with overheating as well as a reputation for blowing head gaskets.
The most important piece of advice I would give to a potential 25 buyer is make sure the speedometer works!!
I don't think that there is any other repair that your local non-franchised Renault specialist wouldn't be able to sort out.
Oh yes, and 3 of my friends now drive 25's, an '89 2.2i manual, a '90 2.2i manual, and an '84 2.2i manual with full leather interior, 180,000 miles and acquired for the measly sum of 150 pounds.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 4th June, 2001
2nd Jun 2002, 17:52
Having read through some of the reviews it seems that the auto box is to be avoided and that Renault have never made a good auto. I would suggest that they should try a well maintained 25 as in all the years I have driven Renault cars which is now 40 years. I have never had a gearbox problem and found the auto box to be much better when changing gear than on any car in it's class. I would agree that the V6 is to be avoided if you are unwilling to pay the price should any thing go wrong. Of-course this doesn't happen every day. In short any well kept 25 will give you years of good service. I am on my third one, but only because other drivers like to run into 25's.
5th Jun 2001, 14:20
Great to hear about your 25. I drove an R25 for nearly 5 years. Loved it to bits. Am now driving a Laguna 2.0 RXE 1998 with 106,000 miles so far, but sort of miss the 25, even though the Laguna is leagues ahead in many respects.
Best wishes!