Renault megane Classic-51k 2001 opinion?

D500B

Hi,

I was looking at this car and just wanted to gauge people opinion of it. It’s a Renault megane Classic 2001 saloon. Engine is 1.4.
It's got 51k on the clock. There was only one registered owner so it might be genuine but of course one never knows.
What experience have people had with these cars - common problems maintenance costs etc?
I took it handled Ok when I took it for a test drive.

Henry Ford III

This thread has potential :rolleyes:

horgan_p

how long do you want to keep it for ?



(hope youve got your fireproof boxers on):rolleyes:

who_ru

hi,

mileage is very low which is a plus point, a 1.4 engine will be very economical. speaking as an owner of a '00 megane similar spec to your own i would say make sure the timing belt is replaced, they should be replaced after 45k miles.

tuxy

who_ru wrote: »

a 1.4 engine will be very economical.

An engine that is underpowered for the weight of the car does not get better mpg.
The 16v 1.6 gets better mpg. 37 MPG for the 1.4 and 40 for the 1.6.

http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/specs/Detail.aspx?deriv=16612
http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/specs/Detail.aspx?deriv=16613

colm_mcm

does that qualify for Classic insurance?

Damien360

Run away from Renault as fast as you can.

I had a 1.4 05 Scenic which got always less than 27mpg in town and the wife drove it easy. Brother in law had a 03 1.4 Megane saloon and it gave him loads of trouble.

Problems : On mine, at first it drank like a V8 before being repaired. Electrical problems with windows and dash, terrible dealer. Acceleration is terrible.

On the brother in laws car, dashboard slowly falling away from mounts, electrical problem on engine causing it to cut out for no reason. Did this on 3 occasions on one roundabout between Naas and Newbridge. Dealer could'nt give a monkeys. Same dealer as mine. Window fell off the mounts on the passanger side and then they got the same electrical problem as ours. He got the 30mpg in town. Acceleration is also terrible but felt quicker than Scenic which is a heavier car.

The fuel consumption figures on the Renault website bear no relation to reality. Drove it to Wexford from Newbridge and happened to be behind another one from Carlow on. Followed him into a car park and asked him about his fuel consumption and once he got over the shock said his was poor also.

In the end I bought a Toyota and the brother in law bought the Kia Ceed diesal. Both of us are much happier.

Run away from Renault.

Dero

Damien360 wrote: »

Run away from Renault as fast as you can.

Run away from Renault.

FUD, FUD and more FUD

I'll counter your negative experiences with some of my own...

I've had a 98 Megane, 01 Laguna and currently have a 07 Scenic. All great cars. No complaints from me. My friend has also had a 98 Megane, 01 Laguna, and is currently on his 2nd Laguna (05), he hasn't had any problems either. My Mother has an 02 Megane too. Guess what? No problems.

Now, here's the question: Are we the luckiest Renault drivers ever, or are your acquaintances the unluckiest ever? Or is it possible that *some* Renaults give trouble, while *some* don't? Just like any other car...

pburns

Dero wrote: »

FUD, FUD and more FUD

I'll counter your negative experiences with some of my own...

I've had a 98 Megane, 01 Laguna and currently have a 07 Scenic. All great cars. No complaints from me. My friend has also had a 98 Megane, 01 Laguna, and is currently on his 2nd Laguna (05), he hasn't had any problems either. My Mother has an 02 Megane too. Guess what? No problems.

Now, here's the question: Are we the luckiest Renault drivers ever, or are your acquaintances the unluckiest ever? Or is it possible that *some* Renaults give trouble, while *some* don't? Just like any other car...

Fud, fud, fud me ass!

Look up some of the Top Gear reliability surveys. Renaults and Peugeots come pretty much bottom for customer satisfaction.
My most direct experience was with a 97 Classic which was a complete dud and a Laguna whose electrics set it on fire!

Regarding your question 'the luckiest Renault drivers ever?'

Yep! A total of 7 reliable Renaults - someone call the Guinness Book of Records!:D

D500B

Hey thanks for your replies,

I was hoping to keep it for a few years and probably run it into the ground. - assuming there is no problems I wouldn't have any reason to trade up. The car looks roomy.

When I looked at the car I did think it might be underpowered. It does seem like a big car for a 1.4; engine but the weight seems to be 1090kg which is lighter than the 1215 kg on a 3 door almera hatchback I have driven. I found the almera fine for acceleration. I suppose what constitutes good acceleration is subjective but I never found myself having problems keeping up when taking off at lights.

What is the megane like for overtaking on roads? Does it lack power at the upper end of the speed scale?

mildews

I drove a megan classic '00 1.4 for three years, bought it second hand and put a lot of mileage on it (Driving from Mullingar to Dublin daily before the M4 was completed) six days a week 100 mile round trip, and it was the most economical (52mpg according to on board computer), reliable (NEVER had a problem) and comfortable car I owned. Traded it in with 96,000 on the clock.

Green Hornet

D500B wrote: »

Hi,

I was looking at this car and just wanted to gauge people opinion of it. It’s a Renault megane Classic 2001 saloon. Engine is 1.4.
It's got 51k on the clock. There was only one registered owner so it might be genuine but of course one never knows.
What experience have people had with these cars - common problems maintenance costs etc?
I took it handled Ok when I took it for a test drive.

Renault are absolute DIRT:eek:

Brutal electrics.
Brutal reliability.
Brutal resale.
Brutal everything!

As for common problems...........anything that can go wrong will go wrong.
Worst cars on the road.

Guy:Incognito

Green Hornet wrote: »

Renault are absolute DIRT:eek:

Brutal electrics.
Brutal reliability.
Brutal resale.
Brutal everything!

As for common problems...........anything that can go wrong will go wrong.
Worst cars on the road.

You should tell that to Mildews above.

Oh and last yearscustomer satifsfaction surveys had them above Audi for one (cant remember which others).

Poor resale values will be great in the OP case btw, he's buying a 7 year old car. Assumeing he keeps it for 2 years, it'll be worth around the same as any car from that segment, ie very little.

Green Hornet

Stekelly wrote: »

You should tell that to Mildews above.

Oh and last yearscustomer satifsfaction surveys had them above Audi for one (cant remember which others).

Poor resale values will be great in the OP case btw, he's buying a 7 year old car. Assumeing he keeps it for 2 years, it'll be worth around the same as any car from that segment, ie very little.

It will probably have gone on fire by then anyway.

Guy:Incognito

Green Hornet wrote: »

It will probably have gone on fire by then anyway.

Nice resoned and well thought out response.

Green Hornet

Stekelly wrote: »

Nice resoned and well thought out response.

Just saying it as it is. In fairness, the Megane is supposed to be better than the Laguna. They are atrocius.

Guy:Incognito

Green Hornet wrote: »

Just saying it as it is. In fairness, the Megane is supposed to be better than the Laguna.

Do you know which models of each your refering to? The 01 Megane is not he current model. The problematic Laguna (01-05 ,later ones seem grand, new model obviously too earlyt to know) is the same generation as the surrent Megane. My experience of the Laguna 1 has been very positive. My godfather has owned a few and my dad currently drives one with no problems.

Green Hornet

Stekelly wrote: »

Do you know which models of each your refering to? The 01 Megane is not he current model. The problematic Laguna (01-05 ,later ones seem grand, new model obviously too earlyt to know) is the same generation as the surrent Megane. My experience of the Laguna 1 has been very positive. My godfather has owned a few and my dad currently drives one with no problems.

I know a few people who own the outgoing Laguna and almost all have had a good few issues with them. The electrics appear to be the worst part:

Windows going up/down on their own,
Lights on dash flashing like Xmas tree,
Accelerators need replacing (drive by wire I think),
Key cards not working so the doors cant be locked.

Most dealers wont take them in even as trade ins because they will keep coming back afterwards for fixing.

Maybe it depends how they are maintained. If they are well maintained they might give better service.

smemon

I have a '00 megane classic hatchback

Bought it with 72k almost 2 years ago, around 88k now.

All it's needed has been new brake pads :cool:

Comfortable to drive, good fuel consumption and like any other car, it has an engine and four wheels and moves :cool:

Another factor, which as you can tell the boards community has looked in to, is the safety factor. Top of it's class, which although you hope may never be tested, might just help you out if you fail to make that overtaking maneuver due to the poor acceleration :rolleyes:

D500B

hmm there seems to be a lot of negetive feelings towards this car. I'm am thinking about just walking away from it.

In a straight up choice between the 1.4 16v megane classic and a 1.4 volkswagon polo saloon would the polo trump the megane?


The polo is 2000 and has 80,000 miles.

Guy:Incognito

D500B wrote: »

hmm there seems to be a lot of negetive feelings towards this car. I'm am thinking about just walking away from it.

In a straight up choice between the 1.4 16v megane classic and a 1.4 volkswagon polo saloon would the polo trump the megane?


The polo is 2000 and has 80,000 miles.

Theres a lot of negativity towrads Renault on here. They dont come bottom of reliability surveys, cutomer satisfaction surveys etc, but some people will claim they are far and away the worst cars ever made because they had a bad experience , but yet wouldnt do the same with other makes. Theres a lot of "man down the pub says" about things.

Personally, the only 2 cars I've owned that completey died were a 2.0 Accord and a Rover 620 (same car) yet I know better than too write off a particular make, If the right Honda came along again I'd be interested (noneinterest me at present) bu8t I have had all good experiences with Renault so tbh it'sd going to take a lot to pull me away from them. I like the styleing of most models (really like the Vel Satis which a lot of people dont) and we have just bought an 05 Grand Scenic to replace a 00 Scenic.

Re the polo. We had one as a hire car a few years back and tbh it feels like what it is, a supermini with a boot. It's a segment smaller than the Megane. Not nearly as comfortable or nice to drive. If you end up movign away from the Megane, I'd at least stay in the same segment ( Corrolla, Astra etc sized cars)

smemon

D500B wrote: »

hmm there seems to be a lot of negetive feelings towards this car. I'm am thinking about just walking away from it.

In a straight up choice between the 1.4 16v megane classic and a 1.4 volkswagon polo saloon would the polo trump the megane?


The polo is 2000 and has 80,000 miles.

I was offered a polo in a swap deal for my megane.. (both same year, similar mileage).

The polo is grand around town and maybe a bit nippier and has a 'cooler' image, but no way would i swap it for my megane on any sort of long journey.

I drive to college & back (2 hour round trip daily) and if it's comfort and a bit of space you're after go for the megane.

That's what swung it for me - the long distance comfort.

Drexl Spivey

Damien360 wrote: »

Run away from Renault as fast as you can.

I had a 1.4 05 Scenic which got always less than 27mpg in town and the wife drove it easy. Brother in law had a 03 1.4 Megane saloon and it gave him loads of trouble.

Problems : On mine, at first it drank like a V8 before being repaired. Electrical problems with windows and dash, terrible dealer. Acceleration is terrible.

On the brother in laws car, dashboard slowly falling away from mounts, electrical problem on engine causing it to cut out for no reason. Did this on 3 occasions on one roundabout between Naas and Newbridge. Dealer could'nt give a monkeys. Same dealer as mine. Window fell off the mounts on the passanger side and then they got the same electrical problem as ours. He got the 30mpg in town. Acceleration is also terrible but felt quicker than Scenic which is a heavier car.

The fuel consumption figures on the Renault website bear no relation to reality. Drove it to Wexford from Newbridge and happened to be behind another one from Carlow on. Followed him into a car park and asked him about his fuel consumption and once he got over the shock said his was poor also.

In the end I bought a Toyota and the brother in law bought the Kia Ceed diesal. Both of us are much happier.

Run away from Renault.

Of course the brother in law is not going to complain: the Ceed is a new car. How can you compare!? I bet if you had an old KIA you'd have had issues and then you buy a brand new Renault everything will be grand ..

I have heard rumours about Renault even from some mechanics, but when you go to a garage, you do not see more Renaults than any other cars. This is bs in my opinion. A friend of mine has an Audi 02 and has had some issues.

Drexl Spivey

Green Hornet wrote: »

I know a few people who own the outgoing Laguna and almost all have had a good few issues with them. The electrics appear to be the worst part:

Windows going up/down on their own,
Lights on dash flashing like Xmas tree,
Accelerators need replacing (drive by wire I think),
Key cards not working so the doors cant be locked.

Most dealers wont take them in even as trade ins because they will keep coming back afterwards for fixing.

Maybe it depends how they are maintained. If they are well maintained they might give better service.

Renault have a good reputation when it come to safety.

I have had a Clio 92 back in the day. A Seat crashed into me . Speed was about 60 km/h , on my front left hand side. (the other car hit me from its front)

My Clio was slightly damaged .. The Seat was destroyed: the girl couldn't drive off with it, she had to wait for the car to be towed away.

galwaytt

D500B wrote: »

hmm there seems to be a lot of negetive feelings towards this car. I'm am thinking about just walking away from it.

In a straight up choice between the 1.4 16v megane classic and a 1.4 volkswagon polo saloon would the polo trump the megane?


The polo is 2000 and has 80,000 miles.

Don't let the naysayers get you !!

I bought 2 new 1.4 16v Scenics, and apart from one problem (ign coils, cheaply, quickly fixed), I found them to be both frugal and very well performing. With 96bhp, it's not underpowered. And quiet, smooth too. Which is a lot more than you can say for a 1.4 VW....

I did 90k miles, and it never, ever stopped. One timing belt, 1 set tyres, 1 set brake pads, and that's it. Sailed through all NCT's without any work whatsoever.

The Polo is a boring, uncomfortable slug, compared to the Renault, which is something I always missed, after. Better even than the new 07 Galaxy I bought.

And you're forgetting - VW's aren't exactly a paragon of reliability, either, and the 1.4 VW engine in particular is well known for being an oil burner and has a host of problems. Probably made as cheap-as-chips, just for us Paddy's, and it shows.

The other big ++ for buying a Renault ?? All these nay-sayers don't want them, so you get much, much better value for your money.....all ++, to me.......


Check this thread for comparison (Renault) - 196k miles and still motoring... I mean, just how much can you expect from a car, anyhoo ?? http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055390984&page=2

E92

In before lock

galwaytt

eh ?

Drexl Spivey

Stekelly wrote: »

... reliability surveys, cutomer satisfaction surveys ...

Is there a site where we can check these surveys. I'm curious

Damien360

How in God's name did this get brought back up from Feb 08. Renault is a crap make of car. Talk to any mechanic and they will tell you that you will loose a fortune in repair and depreciation beyond any other make.

By the way, I bought my 05 Scenic in 06 and that gave me trouble from day one to the day I got rid of it in 08. Bought an 07 avensis and could'nt be happier. Brother in law had 06 Megane from new and got rid of it in 08. Both new cars and both crap.

As for relibility surveys, have seen these in many threads here on boards. One good one linked by E92. just do a search.

Someone lock this old thread before it gets in to a mud slinging match

Drexl Spivey

I went to the garage yesterday (my car has a problem) and looked at the cars.

There was one Renault out of maybe 20 cars. If really it was a crap make, we'd see an outrageous proportion of Renault cars in any given garage, wouldn't we?

I don't believe all the rumors about this make. All cars have problems even your beloved Focus/Golf/Audis

eamon234

Over the last ten years I've had a Renault, Mitsubishi, Opel, Skoda, Ford and BMW - only ones I ever had trouble with were the Opel and the Skoda averaging about 50k on each - Opel (Astra) was a complete sh1theap the Skoda was mostly niggly stuff like sensors failing all over the place.
I had a 99 Megane 1.6 - ok car not exactly the drive of your life but let's face it what car in this segment and time period was. I sold it about 4 years ago with 90k on it's still going strong I see around town regularly.
My mum has one too - also worth noting that for the time they were built they had one of the best NCAP ratings around.
I once crashed a Renault 19 head on into a cement truck and other than the engine area and front the rest of the car was perfect even the driver's footwell remained intact I'm certain that if I was driving any other car of that class made around that time I'd be dead now.

galwaytt

Damien360 wrote: »

How in God's name did this get brought back up from Feb 08. Renault is a crap make of car. Talk to any mechanic and they will tell you that you will loose a fortune in repair and depreciation beyond any other make.

By the way, I bought my 05 Scenic in 06 and that gave me trouble from day one to the day I got rid of it in 08. Bought an 07 avensis and could'nt be happier. Brother in law had 06 Megane from new and got rid of it in 08. Both new cars and both crap.

As for relibility surveys, have seen these in many threads here on boards. One good one linked by E92. just do a search.

Someone lock this old thread before it gets in to a mud slinging match

All very interesting..........but completely irrelevant. The OP is (was?) looking at an 01 - different generation. Which, like a lot of brands, the earlier designs from whom are more resilient than the new. 05/06 Scenic 16v vs 01 (which is, infact, a '90's car....) is as useful a comparison as a Prius to a 95 Corolla. Apart from the badge, that's it..........

I agree a lot of newer cars have (too many) electronic things to go wrong, but the car in question is a standard, straightforward 15 yr design.

BrianD3

galwaytt wrote: »

All very interesting..........but completely irrelevant. The OP is (was?) looking at an 01 - different generation. Which, like a lot of brands, the earlier designs from whom are more resilient than the new. 05/06 Scenic 16v vs 01 (which is, infact, a '90's car....) is as useful a comparison as a Prius to a 95 Corolla. Apart from the badge, that's it..........

I agree a lot of newer cars have (too many) electronic things to go wrong, but the car in question is a standard, straightforward 15 yr design.

Looking at ADAC reliability stats Renault appears to have suffered a dark period from 2002-2004 but from 05 onwards reliability has been pretty good. Megane II and Laguna II from 05 onwards have average or above average reliability - better than Auris, Civic, Avensis, Mondeo, Focus, S40, Vectra and others. And the Modus has been one of the best small cars for reliability.

www.reliabilityindex.co.uk which is based on frequency and cost of warranty claims only show the top ten and bottom ten manufacturers, Renault is in neither so there are at least 10 manufacturers that are worse. Including Audi, Mercedes, Saab, Chrysler, Landrover

eamon234 wrote:

I had a 99 Megane 1.6 - ok car not exactly the drive of your life but let's face it what car in this segment and time period was. I sold it about 4 years ago with 90k on it's still going strong I see around town regularly.
My mum has one too - also worth noting that for the time they were built they had one of the best NCAP ratings around.
I once crashed a Renault 19 head on into a cement truck and other than the engine area and front the rest of the car was perfect even the driver's footwell remained intact I'm certain that if I was driving any other car of that class made around that time I'd be dead now.

R19 was joint top of its class in its day along with the Golf Mk3 and the first Opel Astra when offset crash tested by Auto Motor & Sport. The Honda Civic EG, Corolla AE100 and others were far worse, the Ford Escort was also bad (it was later modified though)

The Megane I was also top of its class when tested by AM&S. The AM&S tests used a solid barrier as opposed to the EuroNCAP deformable barrier, the Megane I was also top of its class in EuroNCAP.

Here are the results for the solid barrier test, it's in German but easy to figure out, note that Kopf = head, Brust = chest
http://www.autocrashtests.de/unterseiten/am_fr_55_untere.htm
Here is a video of the Honda Civic test

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6554aGNDUmQ

Obviously no early nineties car is a safe car by todays standards, the Megane I is better but things have moved on an awful lot in the last ten years.