Alexis wrote:Citroën is big crap too, even these days I hear lots of story about them. Only Peugeot hasn't really had that bad reputation.
That's very strange to say that two makes that make cars with the same mechanics, made in the same factories have different reliabilty...
Myself and my parents and brothers have had the following french cars within my life span:
- Renault: 4, 5 (Supercinque), Clio I, Megane Scenic -old version- (x2):
- Peugeot: 205, 309, 106, 206, 406, 407, 207 (my current car);
- Citroën: Dyane, Visa, AX (my first car), BX, ZX, C1.
Out of 18 cars, I must say that the Supercinque, the Clio and the Scenics were/are crappy, with loads of small troubles. The 406 has had a difficult life at my mom's hands and developped some problems. The BX towards the end of its life began giving suspension troubles. The 205 had recurrent ignition problems, but it was very old and didn't go to authorized workshops...
The other 11 cars
NEVER HAD mechanical problems. Only the Clio made me have to
actually stop while driving (lost of cooling fluid).
My experience and some studies actually show that french cars have nothing to be embarassed in terms of reliabilty, comparing to similarly priced cars. In my opinion, mainly PSA (Peugeot - Citroen) cars have a very good construction standard, these days.
Furthermore, I've driven also a lot of japanese and german cars and I can say that the best driving feeling I have (subjective analisys) is usually with the french, due to their road dynamics and active safety.
I would like that people would be objective or, at least, to write out of real experience and not because "I once had a Renault..." or "I heard stories about Citroens...". I could tell you about people that "once had Toyotas" and had bad experiences with them...