Looking for a new car it will be my second ever as my vectra has just hit 170k, and is getting a wee bit tired, I have seen (in local garage) a 54 plate megane fsh with just under 50k on the clock. As I've only ever had one car before comparing to my vauxhall what are they like, reliable, well built, and are spares cheap(ish)? It's going to be mainly used for motorway miles and trips back home very little town driving, the megane is petrol, with probably going to be doing around 10,000 mile a year is it worth looking for a diesel for the longer distances to be travelled compared to a petrol?

Any feedback much appriciated

vauxhall? renault? if you are intent on buying such a dreadful marque why not also consider peugeot?

Nowt wrong with peugeots if you have half a brain and know anything about maintenance.

my dad has an 02/3 1.6 16v. he'd tell you that it has been a nice car to drive but a pain in the arse cos things have gone wrong. wrong= expensive. Electronics I think. Check the tyres & brakes.

On his experience, I wouldn't buy it. but my knowledge of cars is zilch.

I'm guessing its the one with the funny bottom? If so may not be that great for bike transportation.

common fault on them is the window regulators, you may find yourself stuck with a window down one day and it wont go back up unless you know 😉 😉 otherwise pretty good cars, i've had renaults for the last 5 years and yes they can be expensive but use eurocarparts and save yourself a fortune.

Avoid. I have one now and can only conclude the electrics were put in by a trained monkey. I've had all kind of problems with mine including windows not working and over £1k when the electrics in the steering lock died.

Just buy a Focus like I should have done.

my mate was an AA inspector, not keen on renault at all (fashion over function and king expensive to repair), Pug ok if you don't mind small bits failing – radio, etc but it'll keep going, if you're a revvy driver you'll probably prefer petrol, I prefer driving diesel – lower end better (do a full costing – initial cost, mpg, service cost/interval etc but 10 sounds a bit low for a diesel profit ), Nissan note seems to get good reviews (Ren engine)

We've had a Megane 1.9CDi, 06 plate from new – it's now clocked 85,000 plus and has only even been good. It's a nice car to drive and has some character too – as someone up there said, style over function maybe – but what is life without a bit of style? It's due for replacement soon and a new Megane coupe is top of the list to replace – which would be our forth Renault in a row.

My experience (previous generation Megane) was nice car (interior /trim put together better / or at least as well as subsequent Astra and Mondeo) but lots of problems year 4 and 5 of ownership (door locks / catches, cv joints, engine mount, minor electrical issues).

Dealers (poor) and parts / service more expensive (compared to Ford / Vauxhall).

AS above, get a focus or a mazda3 (which wsa built on the focus platform when ford owned mazda). Mazdas also have the reputation of being bombproof

MrNutt – Member

vauxhall? renault? if you are intent on buying such a dreadful marque why not also consider peugeot?

What do you drive then ? BMW estate Audi A6 or something better?
nothing wrong with any of the cars you don't like!

Generally reliable (in my experience), but when anything goes wrong with the electrics (and when your mileage gets high, it will), the costs will frighten you. Avoid, unless you have deep pockets.

I drive a huge filth Volvo which means I am not only superior but a better driver to boot!

Big Volvo ? like the ones antique dealers use? 😆

Buy something made in the UK.

Like an Atom!!

Plenty of room for dumping old, erm, carpet

I thought driving a Volvo was a sign of little spatial awareness, and the need to drive a tank to make up for the inevitable accidents you'll undoubtedly cause?

🙂

Third/fourth the opinions above re. Renault, I stupidly bought a Megane Scenic 2nd hand, 5yrs old, and in the year I've had it the boot door catch has failed, and I'm currently using a GPS to tell me how fast I'm driving as the dashboard has gone wrong too. Thank god it's still covered by the dealer guarantee, but I'm dreading what's going to go wrong this winter when that runs out!

That said, it's nice to drive, the motor's a pleasure after the underpowered (but reliable) Focus I had previously, the automatic handbrake is a great (though slightly pointless) invention, and the sheer number of hidden drawers, boxes etc. is wonderful for long journeys.

Would I get one again? Probably not. But then if you're considering a Focus don't get the 100bhp engine, it's underpowered if the car's fully loaded.

My missus has a 55 plate diesel. We've had quite a few problems with it and it's not the best drive. It's getting chopped in very soon for a focus.

Renaults if you get a good one then they are good, but if you get a dud then it is a dud.
Why a petrol? They are prone to problems with coil packs (electrics that supply the spark plugs) so find out if the garage warranty covers them.
Also could be coming up for needing a new timing belt (at around 60000 miles) which can be expensive.
The 1.5dCi engine is the one to go for quite nippy and 60mpg is possible.

I had a 52 plate megane 1.6 VVT, it was the worst car I've ever owned. The dephaser pulley went 3 times (£600), covered under warranty. The windscreen wipers failed and the main bulbs failed regularly. As it is impossible to fit the replacement bulbs yourself, it always meant a visit to the nearest local dealer (40 miles). I virtually never cleaned the car because the dealer felt so guilty he always had it cleaned whenever it was in for repair. Not a good car for transporting bikes, but pleasant enough to drive when it was working. Just remembered, all 4 ignition coils failed! AVOID!!

Avoid like the plague!

I used to work for Renault and as already stated they have terrible elctrical problems, not to mention the general poor build quality.

I'd say that's a no to the Renault then.

It's actually quite funny, in the previous generation Laguna they put loads of flash electronics in, then left them out on the replacement as they just couldn't get them to work. That's development! Get the customer to do the testing for you!