Today I'm going to present you the least expected car on this list because it's (some kind of) van?!
How on Earth can some van become a classics?
- Well, it looks like a spaceship, even almost 20 years after the production
- It was powered by 3L, V6
- It had 2 doors
- It's incredibly rare, with only about 8.500 cars ever produced
The Idea
Back in the early 2000's, designers in Renault got wild and loose. Maybe you remember the Megan II with the oddly shaped butt? Or the ugliest car ever, Renault Vel Satis?
In such atmosphere, Avantime seems even reasonable, imagined as the sporty, dynamic version of the arrow-shaped people carrier know as the Espace.
Specs and Trim
There were 3 engines available: 2.0 Turbo (Petrol), 3.0 V6 (Petrol) and 2.2 Diesel.
Four trim levels were available: Expression, Dynamique, Helios and Privilege(with the central screen).
The cost was, let's say it politely, "ambitious", between 30.000 and 43.000 Euro (in 2001!!!).
No wonder nobody wanted to buy them... And this is why the prices could go up...
Prices of the spare parts:
Take a deep breath... This is going to hurt...
Source: https://www.oscaro.com
- V6, belts and the water pump: 450 Eur
- Schock absorbers (all 4): 550 Eur
Prices for diesel version and 2.0 petrol turbo are reasonable.
Cars:
Currently, there are only 50 cars on sale in the whole Europe!
- Partially broken cars can be purchased in the 2000 - 3000 Eur range
- Solid cars cost between 3500 and 4500 Eur
But, if you want to have the truely collectable item, you need to try finding the best possible version: V6, Privilege.
This one is Privilege but without the screen, which is a bit odd...
And the perfect one for 6500 Eur:
Predictions and advice:
The prices will probably never going to moon, but anyway, Avantime will be one of the rarest cars of the 2000's.
If you manage to find one in 2000 - 3000 Eur range, that could be a good investment.
Keep in mind that the basic maintenance could easily cost you 1000 Eur, thus put some money aside.
HODL it until someone gives you the offer above 10.000 ;)
What else could I offer you, my readers... User's Manual, In French?