Renault Clio Hatchback (2005 - 2012) 1.2 16V Extreme 3d Owner Review

I bought this car, as my first "French car" which was a gamble because I have always driven VW, Ford, Vauxhall and Honda. It was quite cheap as a used vehicle and bought it of a friend with 28k miles in August 2015. I have been using it, almost consistently, to cover approximately 300/400 miles weekly on A-roads (A33 and A339) and Motorways (M4 and M3 specifically). Between, September'15 and Feb'16 I spent a monthly average of £250 on a Renault Dealership to fix various things (indicators, timing belt, spark plugs, servicing, etc...). All signs it was a very low budget car. All this could be forgiven if this month (January 2018), the engine, without any warning, had not just stopped working in the middle of my morning commute. Once it got towed, a couple days later the shop called me saying it needed a new engine because 3 out of the 4 cylinders were completely ruined because a rod, inside the engine, was not syncronised properly. It was just another normal day, the car had all servicing and repairs up-to-date, no weird noises and no funny smells. The engine just gave in at 55k miles. I could not believe my "luck". Definitely, my recommendation is: DO NOT buy French cars or cars with French engines. I do not know a single person saying German/Japanese is worse than French cars. There are so many used options that I really regret giving in because it was from a friend. Just do not be fooled like I was. Now I am taking the train and have £77 pounds from the scrapping company. What a joke Renault is.