Danny’s ’avin’ an Avantime time
Renault Avantime V6 Auto Privilege
Engine 2946cc Top speed 134mph Fuel economy 24mpg
Work done
Driven, listened to, history examined, buttons pressed. The eagle-eyed among you will have noticed I have acquired a Renault Avantime. It is a car that has been on my wish list for years, being both proper French bonkers and a failure so heroic that it closed a factory and ended a proud marque (Matra). It was the answer to a question no-one was asking and I love it.
So, when I saw a scruffy V6 Auto for sale at a dealership in darkest East Anglia for under £2k I jumped at it.
You know sometimes you read an ad and you think there’s more to this than meets the description? This Avantime was that car. It was the V6 Auto Privilege (which is the one to have) and it had an MOT. It was obviously described by someone who didn’t know what they had… it should have had the word ‘er…’ written between each sentence. It was wearing its battle scars with obvious pride and I was on it like a bonnet. It was cheap, but was I going to be cheerful?
I spotted, at the same time, an Avantime being broken in Sussex, so I bagged rear lights, rear wiper arm, some interior trim, a new wheel and a couple of wheel centres. Not cheap, but better than not having them (they are all unobtainable). Then I drove to Swaffham with Sam Skelton and some cash.
And I found a car that would drive home without fault. I was told there was no history, but back at the workshop I found the history under the driver’s seat. It had a mighty wad of bills, including one for a brand-new engine fitted at 60k miles. So, my new Avantime was newer than its indicated 127,000 miles suggested. It still needed all its belts replacing and an almighty service, but so far, so very, VERY good indeed.