1993 Renault Espace RN review from UK and Ireland

Numerous cooling system failures including 2 hoses and the radiator (water pump was new when I purchased the car - I should have taken more notice!), I was informed by the AA patrolman who rescued me that increased pressure due to leaking head gasket was probably causing all the bursts, and there was a slight sign of mayonaise in the oil filler cap.

Exhaust system had to be completely replaced, including the downpipe from the manifold - which resulted in a broken stud in the manifold that then couldn't seal properly ever again!

Petrol tank (plastic) split causing a slight leak.

Fuel return pipe on fuel rail started leaking.

Windscreen wiper mechanism was so worn that the wipers were hitting the bonnet.

Both bonnet hinges sheared off due to rust (the replacements started rusting within days of fitting - so ensure they are well greased) and they are a pig to replace as the massive door mirrors need to be removed to replace them!

Fuel gauge over read by half a tank - luckily the low fuel light still worked!

The resistor in the heater blower broke, so the blower worked on full or nothing - required a lot of stripping down of the heater unit in the hard-to-work-in engine compartment.

Rear brake cyclinders started leaking.

The front suspension ball joints and steering joints (inner and outer) were very worn and needed replacing.

CV boot "pin-holed" - leaking grease.

Various bits of interior trim broken or missing.

Rear lock mechanism broke and only so the hatch couldn't be opened (luckily a very hard whack opened it so I could fix it!)

Bonnet release catches very worn/broken resulting in the bonnet not opening either - but as luck (!!) would have the it the hinges were both broken so it was forced open from the back and a jab with a screwdriver released it!

Clutch was very heavy (from my previous experience with Renaults this is only fixed by replacing the entire clutch).

Roof lining all came unstuck and fell off in front of me while driving!!

Very comfortable and versatile seating especially in the back with any combination of zero to 5 seats was without rival.

Being able to be a seven seater bus one day and as good as a small van the next is something I will miss.

The performance was good and quiet with the 100bhp+ engine and even with 160000 miles under its belt it didn't use a drop of oil. However with a suspected head gasket leak (alloy engines with "wet" liners are prone to failure by leaking into the cooling system) I didn't want to risk failure and an uneconomical repair - so I sold it.

Getting my many kids in and out was easy and the seats were safe and 4 of the rear seats had full 3 point belts.

Visibility is good, but the mirrors are manual and hard to adjust the passenger one without an assistant.

The adjustable/removable roof bars looked useful, but I never needed to use them.

The car had central locking, but no remote and no alarm etc.

From what I have read about other Renaults this car is doing well for these failures to occur so late in its life, but that doesn't help me or my credit card!

I won't recommend one of these cars as they are just too unreliable and poorly put together to allow trouble free motoring - it's a shame as the seating is more versatile than the Toyota Previa (a FAR better car) that replaced it.