2003 Renault Avantime 3.0

This particular three-litre V6 Avantime Privilege is one of the runout special edition models, number 163 in this case, as confirmed by the plaque mounted on the centre console. It still has the book that the final cars were supplied with too, which is a nice touch!

Offered for sale by an Avantime enthusiast, it’s had an awful lot of work carried out on it recently and what’s left to do is relatively straightforward minor niggles; the heavy lifting has been done and it’s got a rock-solid history file with it too, which is important when you’re buying a car as idiosyncratic as this.

The paintwork is in fabulous shape thanks to the owner having undertaken a full respray in the summer of 2017 in the car’s original colour of Steppe, which is an attractive green/silver metallic that suits the car perfectly. He’s done a fabulous job, because the coachwork is flawless and looks utterly stunning.

The alloy wheels are also in terrific shape and shod with new, matching Continental tyres, all of which have good tread. And yes, we are going to remind you again of the significance of buying a car with matching tyres. Just think about it: if an owner goes to the trouble of fitting four matching tyres, they aren’t going to skimp on the smaller stuff that you can’t see, are they? That means they aren’t going to use Asda value engine oil for example, or buy their filters from an eBay site that gets them straight from China. This kind of thing matters, it really does.

Jobs still to do? Well, you could pop a new front number plate on to replace the one that is starting to delaminate, and give it all a good polish, but that’s about the extent of your problems…

It’s much the same story on the interior, which is very, very good; while the seatbelt guides might be showing a light patina but that is the extent of the cosmetic problems on the Avantime’s beguiling interior. All five leather seats are still in fabulous condition being free of rips, tears and other major problems. Even the driver’s side seat bolster, an area that often suffers wear, shows only very minor creasing. 

The rest of the interior is as well-preserved as it is quirky; take a look at the way the interior trim on the doors folds as they open, for example. Some cars delight you with the way they drive, while others, like the Avantime, delight you every single time you step inside. It’s stuffed full of interesting features and novel solutions to problems you didn’t know you had. As Thierry Metroz, the Avantime’s design project manager, said: "We wanted someone walking around the car to be continually astonished." Well Thierry, you succeeded. 

The full-length sunroof (possibly the biggest in production) opens, closes and seals as it should, including the full-length electric blind. With this open and all the windows down (using the plein air button), the pillarless Avantime feels more like a convertible than a coupe.

All the digital displays work and the car even comes with its original Pioneer/Renault-branded remote control for the headunit and multi-changer CD player.

The remaining faults are pretty much limited to a CD player that doesn’t eject discs and a heated driver’s seat that sometimes doesn’t work. The heated windscreen works on both sides, but only a few filaments heat up – a common result on these. 

The cruise control doesn't work: the owner tells us that the latter is a fault on the 'clock dial' which holds the indicator stalks. There's a spare clock dial included with the car, so is possibly repairable.

Bidders should also take into account the fact that this Avantime doesn’t suffer from many of the car’s usual, niggling faults. So, all the drawers and catches open and close as they should, and the seats flip forward and back properly, latching securely. This is becoming important as many of the unique interior trim is becoming unavailable now.

The owner has also refurbished the interior door handles and installed LED interior light bulbs, which are a huge improvement over the originals. 

The underpinnings are straightforward, being lifted directly from the Renault Espace. This means that while the interior and exterior of the car are resolutely eccentric, the mechanical components are cheap and readily available.

The three-litre, V6 petrol engine starts and runs as well as it should and provides creamy smooth power through the automatic gearbox. It’s definitely more of a car to waft around in rather than thrown into a series of interesting bends but it’s a very pleasant place to be and drives well.

Largely because the owner is, as we’ve said, something of an enthusiast, and has rolled up his sleeves and got stuck into servicing and refurbishing it. As you’ll be able to tell if you come and view and test drive it, he’s done a thorough job including having Rentech of Poole fit a new timing belt and water pump in June 2014. He also fitted:

A new radiator, including Evans waterless coolant, to reduce corrosion and the chance of a heater matrix leak.

Popped on a new battery.

Replumbed the power steering system, including fresh fluid.

Overhauled the braking system, which included fitting new brake discs and Mintex pads, and part of the rear hydraulic brake pipework in addition to renewing the brake fluid.

Fitted new rear dampers, a new alternator, five new coils and a set of spark plugs. 

Freed off and adjusting the headlamp levelling arms and sensors. 

Drained and changed the gearbox fluid.

Fitted new tyres at 80,000 miles.

Installed a new stainless steel exhaust and flexi section at 83,500 miles. The owner tells us that this gives a very slightly throatier sound than standard but is still subtle and unobtrusive.

The car also comes with not one, not two, but three spare alloy wheels. Welcome to the world of the rare car collector!

The Avantime comes with a V5 registration document, two keys, an Avantime keyring, and a huge history file. The latter even includes the original invoice and showroom sales brochure. The car also has a brand new MOT certificate.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained to the very highest standard. 

Remember when Citroen DSs were cheap but you didn’t buy one because you were too scared? Well, you’re kicking yourself now, aren’t you? Especially because we’ve since discovered that they aren’t half as bad to work on as we were all led to believe, back in the day.

Well, this is where we are with the Renault Avantime; the sheeple are too scared to buy ‘em, which means they’re cheap. Very cheap. Like £3,500-5,500 cheap, which is a ridiculously small sum to pay for a car like this. 

Sure, there are some niggles to work through but an investment of a few weekends of your time and a couple of hundred pounds should see them resolved, after which you can waft around in one of the most innovative, far-sighted cars of a generation. From experience we can say driving one of these generates more favorable comments from passers-by than virtually all other modern classics

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen here at The Market HQ in Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.