Ford or Renault?

[katetuc]

Hi

I'm about to buy a car and have narrowed my search to a Ford Fiesta or a Renault Clio. The obvious choice would be the Renault as it's a French brand and has plenty of service centres but I prefer the Ford to drive. Does anyone have experience of owning a Ford on the French Riviera? We will soon be moving to Tanneron in the Var, so I need a small, reliable car that can handle the steep and narrow roads. The Ford Fiesta seems perfect for this but I don't want to buy a car that could potentially be costly and difficult to maintain in France.

Any advice or first hand experience with either car or brand would be gratefully received.

[Bevdeforges]

My usual point of reference is whether or not you would have a good Ford dealer/garagiste in the area. Fords are pretty common most places in France and if you prefer the Fiesta, I'd say go with that. But it does make a huge difference having a trusted dealer for repairs and maintenance.
Cheers,
Bev

[rynd2it]

Originally Posted by katetuc

Hi

I'm about to buy a car and have narrowed my search to a Ford Fiesta or a Renault Clio. The obvious choice would be the Renault as it's a French brand and has plenty of service centres but I prefer the Ford to drive. Does anyone have experience of owning a Ford on the French Riviera? We will soon be moving to Tanneron in the Var, so I need a small, reliable car that can handle the steep and narrow roads. The Ford Fiesta seems perfect for this but I don't want to buy a car that could potentially be costly and difficult to maintain in France.

Any advice or first hand experience with either car or brand would be gratefully received.

I have no experience of the Ford but I drove a Clio as a rental car for a week - probably the most uncomfortable car I have ever driven - noisy, harsh ride and couldn't get out of it's own way. Just my opinion

Cheers

[jamesOK]

Having owned both Renaults and Fords I would definitely choose the Fiesta. When choosing a new car, if reliability is what I am looking for, check the Parker's reliability guide;
The most reliable cars revealed | Parkers

If you can get a Fiesta with the Quickclear windscreen it will save you a lot of time on those frosty mornings trying to scrape the windscreen.

[frenchbuddie]

Buy a Ford
Buy the best
Drive a mile
Walk the rest.

[rynd2it]

Originally Posted by jamesOK

If you can get a Fiesta with the Quickclear windscreen it will save you a lot of time on those frosty mornings trying to scrape the windscreen.

Great recommendation - I had one of those back in the UK, wonderful idea.

[jamesOK]

Originally Posted by rynd2it

Great recommendation - I had one of those back in the UK, wonderful idea.

And Ford cars are the only cars that can have it as they have trademarked it.

[GALLUS]

I would say, there is an davtange or purchsing an old fFrench car and it is because you can get it fixed relatively quickly. As for reliability , both brands are known to be unreliable.

I would buy a pre -94 Mercedes with aircon for the same price. Avoid high milage (above 150000 km). look here MERCEDES CLASSE E CABRIOLET 220 occasion - Année 1994