Renault Megane - Reviews/Opinions wanted

Irishbird353

Hi All

I'm going to be trading up shortly from a 1999 VW Polo which has been so loyal to us and v=nver let me down in the 7 years we've had it. One of the cars that I've test driven is the Renault Megane 16V DYNAMIQUE (5DR HATCH).....

Does anybody know what these are like, do they give much problems if so what are the common issues and are they expensive to repair.

Also does anybody know when the Timing belt should be changed on them 40k , 50k etc?

Does the 1.4 come in a diesel model?

They seem good value but dont want to be stung with maintence costs once we trade up.

Thanks and sorry for all the questions.

Dartz

Oh God... here we go again.

If you like it, buy it.

They can have icky electronics. Some people get all the problems. Some get absolutely none. It seems that they are somewhat better than they're reputation, mind.

It really depends on who you talk to.

Guy:Incognito

Dartz about sums it up. Dont expect a huge amout of usefull info from here on in though , just a fair bit of "Renaults are ****e" and "every one of them, to a car, goes up in flames and kills the occupants"

The diesel is the 1.5 unit btw.

junkyard

Don't do it OP you'll be sorry if you do.;)

Spudz O'Toole

nice cumfy motor but sometimes they go wrong. but so do VWs. so go for a renault if you like it.
safe too. push hard 4 a gud bargin. they not exactly walking outta showrooms at the mo and make sure you get some sort of written warrenty.

junkyard

Yeah, they're very safe, a five star rating I think because they spend more time in the garage than on the road!!:pac:

Guy:Incognito

junkyard wrote: »

Yeah, they're very safe, a five star rating I think because they spend more time in the garage than on the road!!:pac:

Jesus Junkyard your digging deep with the old time jokes now.


I can still set my watch by you mind.

Spudz O'Toole

junkyard wrote: »

Yeah, they're very safe, a five star rating I think because they spend more time in the garage than on the road!!:pac:

Yawn.

junkyard

Sorry Sir Rantalot defender of the Renaults!!:pac: You were a bit slow on the uptake there stekelly a full two minutes!!:D

cheapskate

Great car, R26 a stinker best 'gti' in class

Sis had a 1.4 until she rolled it, now has focus but says she misses the drive of the megane and the kit as standard.

Personally I love Renaults, french cars in general but I drive a mazda!!

CS

jochenstacker

Had the 1.9l Diesel Megavan, comfy, reliable, but slower than a Massey Ferguson and louder.
Suspension made from marzipan, hit a pothole and kiss your CV joints goodbye.
Great in a crash, and I can vouch from personal experience.
Got the Focus Diesel van and never looked back on the crock that the Megane was.
Much faster, roomier, seats are better, more reliable, near indestructible and a great stereo.
I did 120000 miles in the Focus over rough roads and gave it plenty of stick.
While the Megane needed something fixed on the suspension every 10000 miles or so, the Focus never had anything go wrong except the bootlid remote mechanism.
Can't vouch for any Megane petrol versions, but the suspension should be fairly similar on all of them.
Standard 1.4 Focuses are a bit wheezy and the suspension seems a little bit flimsier, but still better than the Renault.
edit:
Also, the Focus goes from 0-100 km/h in around 10 seconds and will do about 180 km/h, 190 at a push. And that from a 1.8l Diesel.
But has Turbo, intercooler and variable valve timing.

The Pontiac

+1. Ford Focus are a superb car. Why do you need the hassle of a Renault? Some people on here might say they never had a problem with them, but they are generally viewed as very unreliable cars. Look at the reliability here for the Megane http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/reviews/renault/megane-hatchback-2002.aspx?Page=4, it's got the worst rating of any car on the market. Why bother with it? You also have to think about reselling the car and the Focus will be much easier to sell on, and hold it's value much better. Or maybe a Jab car?

I'm not saying you'll definitely have problems with a Megane, but why take the chance on something that generally regarded as very unreliable, when there's so many alternatives out there. It's a buyers market now.

Irishbird353

OK people ...thanks for the above comments. Would you have any thoughts on a Citroen C4 or a Toyota Corolla?? We'd probably be looking at years 2006 or 2007 to replace the oh so reliable'99 VW Polo?? We don't want another Polo as the boot is on the small side for us now.

Thanks a mill.:)

CianRyan

Well, from my experience, the electrics are a bit touch and go, but that being said, my mam had trouble with it at the start, bu then everthing kind of stopped breaking, and after she traded it in my dad bought it from the dealer and nothing has gone wrong.

Its a very comfertble(sp?) car to be in, very quiet and nice to be in on long journeys.

I can't say anything for driving it, because i've never driven one. :rolleyes:

Stevie Dakota

Was just driving the wifes today, still surprised at just how good it is, quieter and more comfortable than my Focus, very refined at motorway speeds. (1.5 DCi 106bhp). I think they are much underrated and hence great value.

EPM

there should be a sticky on meganes at this stage! This is about the 5th in the last week!

OP, they aren't bad as cars go-good kit, not bad to drive and safe. But there are a lot of horror stories. Some people swear by them but is it really worth the risk? If you want something reliable like you said buy the corolla. Newer VW's aren't as bullet proof as they used be but not bad by any means. Your Polo would be one of the good ones IMO. Have a look at a Skoda Octavia maybe 1.9tdi for max resale on one. Personally, i'd go for a 1.6 Focus if you want trouble free car that size. Also maybe look at a Leon, Civic or a Golf. The Golf, Leon and Octavia are all the same car. I do big miles in a Leon and find it great.

Also you wont get a penny back on the Megane when you sell it on due to their reputation, likewise the C4.

PS-anymore jokes junkyard? Depressed about going back to work in the morning!

jennytightlips

i bought a new megane cabriolet 3 years ago for 34k...i sold it march last year for 19.5k the value just fell off. it was my first renault after 3 hondas
and 5 toyotas..and it was easily the worst car ive ever owned !
it was on the AA recovery truck 5 times in the first 18 months of its life and i felt the build quality was crap.
imho you should go for a japanese car i.e the 2 mensioned above or a mazda for comfort and value for money and most importantly reliability!
i hope this info helps and good luck with your new wheels :)

Dartz

I think it's just trolling at this stage.

Just post.

"I'm looking to buy a Renault Megane and..."

Then watch.

junkyard

If everybody came on and said Renaults were brilliant cars would it be trolling then too? You don't see too many threads about Hondas for example saying they are sh*te etc, because they're not. It's just that people come on here who mightn't exactly be big on car maintenance which, no doubt you'll have to be if you buy an Alfa or a Renault or similar, and think they can buy one and run it as if it was a Honda and get away trouble free. I think the thing to remember here is you have to stick to the letter with maintenance when it comes to some cars and others don't have to be cared for so much.

jochenstacker

I drove a Megane (97 or thereabouts), the previous model.
Compared to the Focus it was a tractor and the Focus Van is by no means the most refined car out there.
I'm simply reporting that it was ****e and it did break a lot, especially the suspension.
That is not trolling, but simply someone not liking the fact that something was reported that was accurate, but maybe didn't fit in with his own opinion.
It was by no means the worst car I've ever driven.
This honor goes to the 1980's MK III Escort Breadvan, which was simply awful, underpowered, flimsy chassis and therefore unstable and dangerous to drive.
Not to mention it rusted like crazy and broke every day.
Compared to that the Megane was a Rolls Royce.
Toyotas are great in that they are indestructible and bombproof.
But about as exciting as a glass of water.
AFAIK Passats have trouble in as much as their front anti-rollbar joints wear out every couple of thousand of miles or so and start to knock.
Mazdas have fully electronic ignition which breaks every 60k miles and needs to be replaced or the misfire will wreck your cat and you're looking at the guts of a Grand to fix the ignition and cat. (been there) But reliable otherwise.
My favourite of all time would be the 1980's Merc W123 I once drove.
It drank me poor, rusted, stopped every few days, steered like the Queen Mary thanks to the antiquated steering system and was about as quick of the mark as my 96 year old granny.
But other than that, the best damn car I ever had...

pburns

Stekelly wrote: »

Jesus Junkyard your digging deep with the old time jokes now.
I can still set my watch by you mind.

In all fairness I can set my watch by YOU, always in within 4.8 secs of an anti-Renault post!

Re all the anti-Renault chatter - there's no smoke without fire (I won't even attempt to turn that into a Laguna joke!)

TBH I can see why you defend Renaults - kinda... The Lagunas Mk I & II were handsome and characterful, the Megane II dared to be different.

But to inform some newbie looking for advice that there's a big anti-Renault conspiracy and that they're really, really great is misleading.

Likin' the new Megane BTW, even though it has been criticised for being conservative. Damn nice-looking little car in the flesh, nice low stance.

jochenstacker

http://www.fordimage.com/wallpaper/ford_focus_rs_blue/2

There, get your teeth into that!
Instead of doing it the Oirish way (Oooh, should I buy a 1.4 Toyota, or should I buy a 1.4 Nissan?), be bold, stand out, it's a fresh breath of air in a country that has found entire new depths of mediocrity.
Get something that's not granny's knickers, gray, dull, boil in a bag, boring, reliable, dependable, low insurance, family friendly, fits into my estate, liked by the neighbours, approved b y your parents and sensible.
You'd be making Ireland a bit less boring, dull and predictable.

mle1324

My da has a magane and like all other cars some are good and some are crap.
if you are going from a polo i prasume that you are going for the 5 door model
which is not a bad looking car.
the renault magane is know to be one of the safest cars on the roads or so it was in 2004,2005.2006,2007 and 2008 with a 5 star ncap rating.
the car has airbags all over (front,back and sides).even top gear did a test on it for its safety and from my knowledge the were one of the first cars to come out with the key card design:cool: and also the mad looking handbrake.
the 1.4 16v is a very good,fast and smooth (especially on the M1 motorway)compared to the focus
it has a top speed of 115mph and dose about 43 miles to the gallon
the are only a few problems with the magane and that is the tend to conk out just after they have been started which is got to do with the ignition system beening a totally different ignition system from other cars and the indacator light at the front may sometimes come lose.
again like i sayed some cars are good and some are crap.
like for instance my da gearbox is ****,but from what i heard the maganes have good gearboxes so it really comes down to the car itself and who you buy it off

Esel

Irishbird353 wrote: »

OK people ...thanks for the above comments. Would you have any thoughts on a Citroen C4 or a Toyota Corolla?? We'd probably be looking at years 2006 or 2007 to replace the oh so reliable'99 VW Polo?? We don't want another Polo as the boot is on the small side for us now.

Thanks a mill.:)

Yawn.... Can we get off the Renault wagon, please?

The OP is now asking about two other marques.

kazul

One of the last cars I sold (professionally) was a Megane that I sold so hard that the guy was "chewin' the paint off it". I felt very guilty, always felt guilty selling those dirtboxes. The nearest you can get to a car without it being a proper car. Over-engineered, unreliable heaps.

EPM

kazul wrote: »

One of the last cars I sold (professionally) was a Megane that I sold so hard that the guy was "chewin' the paint off it". I felt very guilty, always felt guilty selling those dirtboxes. The nearest you can get to a car without it being a proper car. Over-engineered, unreliable heaps.

jonnygee

My brother had a 1.5 dci, 40 ish k mileage, The diesel pump gave up. put metal shavings into the injectors ,fueltank and fuel lines, a nightmare to repair, lots of money spent, more than the vechicle was worth in my opinion. also i had to tow his car home over 30 miles, dont know what it has done to my clutch to be honest, personally i would never buy a renault. never, ever, ever.

Irishbird353

esel wrote: »

Yawn.... Can we get off the Renault wagon, please?

The OP is now asking about two other marques.

Yep...as clearly I won't be buying a Renault of any description so any thoughts on a Citroen C4 or Toyota Corrolla Years 2006 upwards please???

Many thanks.:)

EPM

If you're not that bothered about cars and you like iy the corolla is a no brainer. There are better cars but since the Megane and c4 are maybes the corolla will be fine. Try get a 1.4 d4d (diesel) in Strata or preferably Luna spec and you'll have the best Corolla