I am looking at the Megane 165 GT. This is essentially a detuned 225 and a bit less OTT, less likely to get stolen.
What other cars might be considered a rival that I should look at?
My needs:
2.0 litre petrol 130bhp+
5 doors
Leather seats and aircon/climate
Alloys
Slippery winter trips to France need front wheel drive.
Not too big, Focus rather than Mondeo class.
I only do 9K a year, so not really bothered about MPG, as long as it's not excessive. No more diesels, 'er indoors gets my car. Time for some fun :-)
Quite happy to have Renault again but that will mean we shall have three Renaults. Maybe I should have a change. I quite fancy another VW.
What do you all think?
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What about an Impreza wagon? Ideal for the winter.....
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Golf GTi? Motorpoint have a few in stock at the mo from 17999.
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Octavia VRS? Maybe a bit big though.
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What about a Focus saloon. Does anyone on this site know anything about Focus saloons?!!
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No Focus saloon, thank you very much.
A Focus hatchback might do though.
Some useful suggestions. I have dismissed Subaru in the past because there's no dealer near us. But then being Japanese, maybe visits to the dealer aren't going to be too regular...
I have an urge for another VW at the moment. The VW's I have had before have been quite good, a few things here and there but I don't recall any big issues.
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The Seat Cupra's a nice choice, good looking car and very good to drive in Cupra or FR form.
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Sorry, the above referred to the Leon
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Impreza wagon would be my choice - cheap too as the lads don't like wagons.
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The only problem with the Imprezza is its a bit basic inside. The Forester and Legacy are far better trimmed.
Ah! - try a Forester!
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if you like the way it drives, Megane 225 F1 - I know you specifically said not but it's only £14.5k from a broker.
Or failing that, a Focus ST? Or probably the most sensible choice is a Golf GT 1.4 TSi 170.
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The (new) Focus saloon is a cracking looking car, shame that there is not an ST version, how about a V50 / S40 T5?
I have always liked the Megane, the 165 could be an excellent car though I have not driven it with the 2.0 turbo motor.
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I had a lesser Megane (1.5 dCi 106PS Dynamique Sports Tourer 6spd manual) as a company car and I really liked the car itself, but the build quality and early reliability was dreadful. Be very careful.
After 3 months and 9,000 miles:
Seat trim visibly worn
Two clutch switches had failed on the starting system. These were on back order with Renault on both occasions.
The paint on the fuel filler flap had faded to a completely different colour to the surrounding bodywork.
The ESP and SERVICE lights would intermittently appear on the dash.
The electric windows played up every time it rained.
As none of these faults are specific to the dCI engine, it is logical they could apply to the 165 you are considering.
I agree as a product, the Megane is a great car (I even like the styling). It was faster, more economical, smoother, more comfortable, better equipped, and far more refined than the mk1 Focus TDDI it replaced, but the Ford did 99,000 miles with just one minor fault, had no unscheduled dealer visits, and drove as well at 99k as it did the day it was delivered.
Cheers
DP
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