Faults:

Battery failed at 50k; replaced with Diesel version so parking with lights less of problem.

Clutch went at 16k; somewhat aggravated, but would have been expensive to change. No trouble since, without aggravation.

Clutch cable went around 50k; simple to change yourself.

Clutch pedal auto-adjust worn; change due soon, (85k) simple to do.

All four disks worn out at 18k; hard driving.

All four disks replaced at 72k; now slotted front, std read. Slotted noisy under hard braking.

Radiator leaked at 50k; abrasion from a stone chip from radiator shroud. Cost 70 quid, quite easy to change.

General Comments:

I had the All-inclusive maintenance contract for the first three years.

Common comment; if I'd not wanted to use the extra 10%, I'd have bought the 16V. So I drove it really hard, 10 tires in 30k miles (and clutch).

Since 30k miles, get 12k front with Uniroyal 440 and 540, great tyres.

Seats are comfortable, but a bit close to front for my 33" inseam legs. All rest is good, most enjoyable.

Replaced rear shelf with solid thing for speakers, much better, but a bit heavy when loading shopping!

Real workhorse, used for everything, and so much fun. Spoiled by extreme insurance costs. (Group 17 vs Group 12 for 16V, but 16V so soft in comparison)

Faults:

The passenger side window is really slow.

The gearbox needed replacing at78,000.

General Comments:

The car is seriously fast and aggressive for a small hot hatchback.

This results in excessive wear and tear and Renault parts don't come cheap.

However I think its worth it because the car is superb and a lot of fun to drive.

Faults:

What hasn't gone wrong?

It needed new front suspension within a month of buying it.

Passenger side sills and rear wheel arch were heavily corroded, so required massive welding bills.

Wheel bearings seem to last about 10-15000 miles.

Head gasket went, catastrophically. This required a replacement engine.

The interior fan heater is awful. Takes hours to heat up, and breaks down regularly. The faulty part is the resistor.

The brakes failed coming off a motorway slip road at 70mph, which was quite scary.

The car is now leaking water into the driver's foot well when it rains, so is constantly steamed up.

General Comments:

I have spent a fortune keeping this car on the road. Everything seems to have gone wrong. The only parts I haven't replaced are tyres, which have lasted almost 25000 miles.

I would never, ever buy another Renault and would never recommend anyone else to buy one.

The car did OK for fuel consumption, averaging about 40mpg during its time with me.

It's pet name is 'The Bucket'

Faults:

The second cylinder became clogged and required clearing.

The drive-shaft was warped and bent.

The brake hydraulics were leaking fluid.

It needed new brake pads all round.

The timing belt and tensioner needed replacing.

The rear drums were contaminated.

The gearstick came off.

General Comments:

The car was cheap at an auction (£600) but unfortunately I fell foul of the car's hidden faults. Upon getting it mechanically checked out I found it needed over £1000 of remedial word, mostly on the brakes and inside the engine.

Although it was in a good condition to the eye, with no rust or dents and an unmarked interior, it was not easy to sell on. However I managed to break even by selling it privately for &850.

I think the reason it had no service history was that it had never been serviced!