Hi, My wife and I set out to find a second hand Scenic a few weeks ago. In a local garage we found a 1.6, 51 (Y) plate automatic for £6000. It?s done 22K and apart from a few scratches on the driver?s door, appears to be in good condition. It?s had 2 owners and is the expression model, so its got lots of extras; twin electric sunroofs, CD auto changer etc.
A month later, and the car is still sitting in their forecourt and we are still interested.
My question is, does anyone know of any specific problems with the 1.6 auto and more generally, are we nuts to be thinking of buying an automatic when neither of us has driven one before and would prefer a manual if given the choice?
Thanks.
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You shouldn't have any trouble swapping to an auto - it's easier if anything. I know HJ recommends using the left foot for braking in an auto, which makes sense if you've never driven one before.
As regsrds the potential problems, you might be better posting in the technical section for some guidance.
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Lee
MINI adventure coming to an end
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There is no reason on earth to contemplate buying this scenic auto. Normal scenic yes, auto no. The clutch and gearbox on the scenic are nice enough not to be a burden. Renaults reputation with auto boxes is lousy. A 1.6 scenic is not overly powered (its just ok) and an auto box will sap it of what power it needs. 1.6 scenics dont have great fuel economy (its just ok) but the auto box will destroy it.
1.6 Petrol Scenic by all means, you wont be disapointed. 1.6 auto you will be.
Personal point of view as always.
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Renault + Auto = Expensive problems.
Auto's are nice, especially in today's congested traffic, but stick to a good auto (i.e. Japanese or GM).
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I just sold very similar model but the manual version which we found very frugal. A relative has same car as you were looking at and found the auto very juicy
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Our 92K Clio auto box has been very reliable. The rest of the car seems to have fallen apart around it, but the box itself is working OK :-)
Doesn't exactly set the world on fire considering its size and the 1.4 engine though.
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Lee
MINI adventure coming to an end
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Having driven a Scenic 1.6 manual for about 6 months a couple of years ago I agree it is a bit underpowered, and as soon as you thrash the engine to get some performance the fuel consumption is awful.
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Thanks for the replies.
There was enough negative comments to scare me off this automatic. Will keep looking around for a suitable 1.6 manual instead.
Thanks again.
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We had a 95 Clio Automatic with the 1.8 engine and we could never better 30 mpg in that. It wasn't a ball of fire performance wise either. The transmission was ok but lots of other things went wrong with it, all to do with the electrics.
There are decent automatics out there, other than Japanese and GM. The autobox on our C5 is very good, we have found. I think it is the same as the one found on the Picasso. They are now becoming more common on diesels too.
Finally, I know it had a long airing in an earlier thread, but I just do not agree that you need left foot braking, if you have never driven an automatic before. I had never driven one until a few years ago and it is an absolute doddle, compared with having a clutch and gearstick. Braking with the right foot is no problem whatsoever and I am more likely to forget about the clutch when I get back in our Xantia, than I am to mix up brake and throttle pedals in the C5.
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