Why I am Not a Fan of French Cars
France has a long history of car manufacturing–Peugeot has been making automobiles since 1889–but I am not a fan of French cars. The three major French automobile manufacturers are Peugeot, Citroen, and Renault, and each brand is renowned for their lack of reliability as well as their eccentric design.
First of all, French cars are notoriously unreliable. All three manufacturers regularly make appearances in worst automobile lists, with Peugeot claiming three of the bottom ten positions in a recent ‘Top Gear’ automobile poll. The three French car manufacturers placed in the bottom of polls for drivability, reliability, quality of build, maintenance costs, and worst in class. In fact, in a ranking of the automobile manufacturers, the French automobile manufacturers ranked 33rd, 34th, and 35th out of 35–hardly confidence inspiring.
Eight of the bottom ten least reliable autos in that survey were French, clinching their reputation as terrible bargain for the money. French cars are relatively inexpensive, but they are cheap for a reason–you get what you pay for when you purchase a French car. Peugeot and Citroen are clumped together under the umbrella of PSA, and dismal sales within the last decade have led to significant closures of factories throughout Europe. Joining forces in the mid-1970s because of Citroen’s flailing finances, the two brands of automobiles both remain unreliable and a source of cars that are unpleasant to drive and cost a great deal of money to maintain. Renault’s privatized status–since 1996–has allowed it to take its sub-par automobiles across the world, with factories in South America and Eastern Europe. In 1999, they formed an alliance with Japanese auto company Nissan, but that had no beneficial effect upon the quality of Renault’s automobiles. This alliance hopes to churn forth electric cars in the not too distant future–one couldn’t do it without the other.
Some people find French car’s eccentricities to be charming, and a selling point. Others, however, are annoyed by the flimsy build and electronic failures. These temperamental vehicles are difficult and expensive to repair, with many of the vehicles requiring specialty tools to do something as simple as change the tires in case of flats. The post-sale service is also notoriously bad with French cars, which is problematic as there’s inevitably an issue with the automobile once you bring it home from the car lot. The electronics are known to fail, which can cost as much as $4000 to replace, at which point it’s almost worthwhile to simply ditch the car and get yourself something that will actually run. The parts are expensive, and it takes a long time for repairs to be completed. In general, there’s a good reason why the French cars are hard to find in the United States; they’re difficult to repair, and they require frequent repairs, and they’re costly to repair. You’re better off with an American car or a Japanese car, both of which are more reliable than any French car.
