Renault cars for sale

Overview

Renault is France’s mainstream carmaker, with a long habit of inventing categories other people then fill — the modern hatchback, the MPV, the affordable hot hatch as a serious performance car. Renault Sport models, particularly the Mégane RS and Clio RS, are regarded among the best front-wheel-drive cars ever built.

History

Founded on 25 February 1899 by brothers Louis, Marcel and Fernand Renault, with Louis designing and his brothers running the business; the first Voiturette had sold in December 1898. By 1908 Renault was France’s largest carmaker. Its AG1 taxis, bought in 1905 to create a Paris fleet, became famous transporting troops to the Marne in the First World War.

Louis Renault died in October 1944 while imprisoned, and the company was expropriated on 16 January 1945 — the only French factories permanently nationalised. The 4CV, the Renault 4 and the Renault 5 followed, and the 1984 Espace was Europe’s first MPV. Renault was privatised in 1996 and formed its alliance with Nissan in 1999, the first partnership of its kind between a Japanese and a French carmaker.

Buying a used Renault

Renault depreciation in Australia is steep, which makes performance models in particular exceptional value second-hand — a Mégane RS costs a fraction of what it did new and drives like nothing else at the price.

The trade-off is a smaller dealer network and thinner parts supply than the Japanese and Korean brands. Find a good independent French-car specialist before you buy, not after, and insist on a full service history.