Faults:

- Head gasket blown just after buying the car - repaired quickly and cheap

- The cooling radiator broke - it formed a massive crack in the plastic part - it had to be replaced

- The clutch cable snapped once (well it seems to be a common problem with Renault, because it has happened to my previous Renault twice)

- Most of the front suspension had to be replaced - after all it's a Renault and the Bulgarian roads are terrible!!!

- Certain problems with the central locking and the alarm - a blown fuse somewhere

- Problems with the rear brake system - replaced cylinder and problems with the brake pads - the carbon material split from the metal part

- A stupid problem with a rubber ring seal in the injection unit - left me stranded in the "nobody's land" between Greece and Bulgaria :-) The problem was easily repaired, but it was a pain in the ass to find and identify.

General Comments:

I love the car! Well, you know, it has its problems but it's an old car... and well even though I keep all the service records clean and within the kilometer and period limits, I have had these problems. Well, all of them have been repaired easily in a local garage by a bunch of extremely skilled mechanics, but the big problem of this car has been the "identifying the problem" part.

I love the general road behaviour of the car and the fuel consumption. It starts every time in the morning, even in extremely cold conditions and it has no problems when the roads are flooded when many other cars are just stranded out there in the middle of a big puddle.

And, well, I will definitely buy another Renault - preferably a Laguna or a Megane.

A solid piece of French engineering (very reliable compared to Peugeot and Citroen models of the same class).

Faults:

Top of carburettor came loose- twice (!)

Electric sunroof slid back and took the interior roof lining with it. Jammed open.

Clutch cable sheared off at pedal. Replaced. Two months later it sheared again.

Usual other faults- brake pads, bulbs etc.

General Comments:

I bought this one on a whim. I was already driving a 19, albeit an '89 model, and wanted to upgrade to a newer higher spec version.

This one proved not to be so reliable as my previous model, with a few, fortunately not major, niggling faults.

The most annoying aspect probably being the clutch cable. Fortunately, the first time, I was right next to a phone box, and the second time was about 100 yards from home.

Basically, this was a standard 19 with a sports kit, although I do believe it was fitted with twin carbs (so I read), so the performance was slightly better than my previous 'standard' 19 (though not much).

Forced to replace it in the end, due to being hit by another driver. Result: the front chassis was bent and the engine shoved back 4 inches.

Opted for a Ford Escort (the worst mistake I ever made), as although I wanted to stick with Renault's, they were very pricey when it came to servicing and repairs.