Right, my Laguna has been on the receiving end of a lot of punches in this Barrelbrigade, but I don't really care.
I've been driving it for over 3.000 kilometres and I like it. I'm starting to love it a little. It's a lovely car and evne though it has some flaws,
it's still hanging on nicely. Especially considering what it cost me. Let Joep and the others talk, I don't care.
Now however, it's time for the enthusiast. I'm on my way towards someone who absolutely adores this first generation Renault Laguna.
You might think they're easy to find, but you'd be wrong. It was nearly impossible. Even Nic was able to find a Rio-enthusiast,
and Stéphan visited a Mondeo-enthusiast, but I was looking for a needle in a haystack. And I've found it in the shape of Wimfried van Kesteren,
who has a beautiful first generation Laguna V6. I do have to admit, he's a Renault-dealer, so he'll be prejudiced.
And you'd be right, but he also knows about everything there is to know about them. So I'm curious what he's going to say about mine.
Right Wimfried, that looks a lot better than mine. I always imagined this exact car when I wanted to buy my Laguna.
However, you won't be able to buy something like this for €395. This is the V6 right?
That's right. It's a 1994 V6, so it's one of the first batch Laguna's.
Right, you're a Renault-man, so you're a bit prejudiced. However, you do know your Renault's, so tell me something about the Laguna.
Back in the day, after the Renault 21, this was a very nice piece of design by Renault. The car was praised for its nice and round looks,
for the hood which rests on the fenders. That was very unique back in the day. It was also very popular on the lease market.
But you barely see them around nowadays. Since I've bought mine, I haven't seen a single one of them.
Nope, they're incredibly rare nowadays. You sometimes see the Phase 2, I know a few of them, but other than that?
Coincidentally, I recently drove across the Molenbrug in Kampen, and I saw a deep purple-colored Laguna V6 from 1994 or 1995.
I was driving this one, so that was very unique. I don't know if it's from here as well.
Luckily, I've brought a very nice white one with me today. - I'm very curious.
That's something else isn't it? - It's nice and used, you can say that.
It has quite a lot of experience, almost 300.000 and it's 23 years old. Within the Barrelbrigade, they're constantly bullying me because of it.
I always get the lowest scores and I don't think that's right. I've been driving it for more than 3.000 km and despite some odd cracks,
it still drives very good. So I'm curious, what do you think? - Well, at first sight, I'd recommend a good wash-up,
but other than that there doesn't seem to be a lot wrong with it. I'm not negatively surprised. If you say it's done 300.000,
it has really done its best. So I'm very curious how it drives and feels. - You're right, my mother used to say that it's all about the inside..
whenever I took a girl home with me. - I'm going to take it for a spin.
Right, we're off. A Laguna 1.8 for the first time in many years. These sold like crazy back in the day.
And I do have to say, sitting in it, I really feel at home again. Sure, the seat might not be new anymore,
but it's not entirely worn out. The seating is still good. The first few metres aren't bad at all.
The steering is nice and straight, despite the tires. I wouldn't know if the tires are able to pass the MOT.
The engine sounds like it sounded back in 1994, when I sold them as new. So it's all very recognizable.
I think it's a lot of fun to drive one again. If you ask me, the car feels very alive despite the mileage.
The way I experience it, it could be a nice challenge to take it up to Paris some day, or visit the original factory it was once built in.
A very fun experience.
A rather special detail I just noticed, is that the first windshield is still in place. It's a windshield from 1997.
Back in 1994, when it was first introduced, it was rather special that a windshield had a blue sunstrip.
And this car still has it. The blue has faded a little, but it's still the original Renault-windshield. Even the Renault-stickers are present.
Very nice.
Even though we've driven it for a small bit, it all seems alright. Everything works. Electric mirrors, heater,
the lights. Everything works. And this is the Residence-version, which was a special model in 1996/1997 which has oval-foglamps.
They make the front look even wider. The Residence.
You do notice there's some play in the suspension.
Speedbump... It's not new anymore. You can feel that. If we look at it from under a bridge, we can see some flaws I think.
But considering its age, those are not shocking flaws. The engine, gearbox and clutch are still very good.
Right Wimfried, will I get home tonight or will it be a ditch? - Absolutely. I'm incredibly positive about this car with this age and mileage
Sure, there are a few flaws, but I'm not disappointed. - Usually, I would've driven with you, but because of Corona...
I couldn't, so I'm going to watch your review later, but what do you think? - Well, like I said, I'm very positive. I'm going with an 8,5 today.
Really? - I really think that if you look at the car as a whole,
despite not having seen the underside, the way it feels and drives is still very good. I would change the tires however.
I'm proud to see a Renault like this as a Renault-man.
Well, the underside stays under, nobody has to see that. Joep, if you're watching, this man clearly knows more than you. An 8,5.