Hello Compo,
Nice to see someone interested in a classic car that spawned a whole new niche.
You're right the squarer bodied Mk1s and MkIIs are getting very rare. I've got a 1990 (G reg) MkII Quadra (yes the 4WD) 1995cc petrol injection version which I'm just starting on recommissioning as she's been off the road for some 3 years whilst Bagheera the V12 Jaguar has been claiming my driving attention.
No I haven't got rid of Bagheera, but the Memsahib and I are also doing some very serious house renovation this year so a more commodious car/cum van is also going to be needed for the trips to the builder's merchants/DIY sheds. Having said that, I've had 5 x rolls of Knauf loft insulation in the Jaguar and I can also get 2.4 mtre scants in (if the Memsahib sits a bit sideways or rides in the back and does her royal wave bit). However it is not kind to Bagheera and def beneath her dignity to be used in such a way so the Espace is coming back into service alongside her.
I bought the Espace around 2006 (I'll have to check the log book), originally because we needed 7 seats so we could transport the grandkids. She had some 105,000 on the clock then. I ran her until around the end of 2013 when she totalled some 160,000 with the engine and gearbox still going strong. I did both front wheel bearings at 140,000 and new discs all round around the same time. Various lights/bulbs and such other consumables as needed.
One real curse word were the handbrake cables: they will seize inside the last section down by the connection to the operating arm on the caliper unless you keep them well checked and lubricated (not easy as access to the driver's side is a bit restricted).
Obviously being fibre-glass bodied the only possible rust bug areas are the "chassis" and underpinnings. Never found it a problem, but I have seen others which, despite the galvanising, did have some tinworm. It's a question of look and prod. Sun roof leaks are quite often nothing more than the seal has been allowed to build up a film of crud which allows water in. Cleaned mine and no more problem. Roof linings do come adrift (usual glue failure story). Driving position is excellent, as is visibility with the high seat line, handling pretty good and I was regularly getting 28 mpg in mixed motoring. Plus of course you get lots of interior space (much better utilised than in the later rounder bodied cars) and all those seat combinations. Nothing beats being able to set up for a brew and a sandwich on a wet day out than using the middle centre seat as a picnic table while you sit around it in comfort in the other seats. No more eating fish and chips etc off your lap.
Two Achilles heels:
1) French electrics (the usual story there): get a good wiring diagram and learn the Renault way of drawing such things (I've got some genuine Renault diagrams so if you have a problem I can let you have photocopies etc if needed) and
2) Apparent clutch problems: someone mentioned snapping clutch cables earlier: it's not usually the cable's fault. It's the clutch pedal design (it is curse word and it is a completely different design on the curvy-bodied models from about 1992 on). The top part of the pedal bends and stretches so the pedal doesn't give the cable a full pull so you get graunchy gear changes. Owners take up the slack at the adjuster in the engine bay (a gymnastic feat in itself) which cures the problem temporarily till the pedal stretches even more. The result is that eventually the cable is under constant load, over-stresses and snaps at the pedal end. Been there, done that and got the T shirt at 120,000 miles. Matra (or someone on Renault's behalf) attempted to address the problem by welding a triangular gusset onto the pedal arm (it just moves the bend/stretch point so it simply delays the problem). After 2 new pedals in the space of 15,000 miles I set to and worked out a very simple fix on mine and voila problem solved.
Beats me why their engineers didn't think of it themselves, but then Matra specialise in missiles and they only have to work once.
I'll try to upload a couple of pics so you can see an original pedal, Matra's or Renault's added gusset plate and how the pedal fits in the car, That latter view will show you why the damn thing was doomed to stretch from day 1.
You mentioned automatics and diesels. Renault autoboxes have a pretty awful reliability reputation and so do the diesel engines in this era of Espace and fixes are expensive. Personal opinion only but I wouldn't have either.
One final point: especially on red cars (and often on green) the paint falls off the bonnet and often along the body swage-line just below the windows.
BTW: if you can find one also buy a spares car. I did.
BTW BTW The very original MkI square-bodied cars were mostly Simca parts based so are even harder to find/source spares for. The face-lifted MKI (often known as the MKII) was a Renault revamp/rework and uses mostly Renault parts (the side-lights for instance are the same as the early Trafics). Even so they are still hard to find. Practical Classics have just acquired one so it would be worth a look in their mag these next few months.
