RENAULT MEGANE Hatchback 1996‑2002

Never thought I'd go back to a French car after a bad experience of owning a Peugeot. However when on a limited budget you cant be that chosey sometimes.

I bought this car a V reg for £600 over 3yrs ago it has served me very very well.

Its sailed through all MOT's the last one only costing me £2.35 (for a bulb).

Its had a few problems I've had to fix in that time, Starter motor and a wheel bearing being the main one. But both quite cheap to fix compered to newer cars.

Overall I've loved having this car, never let me down, lots of extras, great trip computer, spacious, great on fuel and quite nippy when foot down.

I'll be sad to see it go but have just traded it in for another newer Megane

I got my megane after getting rid of my first car and it was good and bad. The car drove great and went like a train when you put your foot down.

Pros

. Spacious

. Comphy

. Looks good

. Very Very Fast for a 1.6e

. Good on feul even when flooring it

. Held the road well even in the rain

. Quite cheap to insure and am 18

Cons

. Not very reliable

. The cooling system blew up and burnt me

The Renault megane expression i have had for two years very good car and even for a woman managed to find my way no problem around the engine this car suits my lifestyle for getting to and from work also running my teenage kids about but would prefer mum to be in a cool corsa of course! very economical to run as it is a 1.4 tax and insurance reasonalble.

I have had to replace bulbs breakpads nothing major quite reasonable for the small parts the car dosent cosume large ammounts of coolunt oil break fluid etc.

the car drives well always has but a downside you have to be very careful in the winter the car has to be driven very slow on ice or snow i personally feel it dosent handle bad weather very well it is a allround good car but i think if a major thing went wrong with the engine it may be tricky to get to it .

Initially liked it, very comfy and fairly spacious..... HOWEVER.... Shock absorber went within first week, cambelt went on fast lane of the M6 in the following few weeks (10,000 miles prior to the manufacturers suggested change mileage). At the exact same time as the cambelt going the rubber came out from the seal on the windscreen and started smacking the windsceen! Next the waterpump went, then had problems with the car starting - caused by a dirty TDC sensor. Bought the car for £1000, spent £1500 on repairs within 6 months at which point we cut our losses and sold it to the next victim for £900. This car has made us so wary of buying any vehicle, definitely put off Renaults for life. Sorry Renault!

This was my second car, replacing my also very reliable Vw golf which was a K reg, i can honestly say this Renault is well built and very reliable. The interior is well finished, the fuel economy is quite acceptable also. The insurance is pretty low, and for a small family its a nice car. The only downside would be boot space but it is a hatch so cant expect too much from it. This model also has a nice tint in the windows which filters the harmful uv rays.

Since i owned the car not had any major issues with it, replaced the cam belt and brake pads and discs at about 89000miles, which is fantastic! All the electronics are still working and still drives really well at 108,000miles!

As for the handling its not bad at all it can have a tendency to under steer if you happen to take a corner too fast...but when driven sensibly it is comfortable both for driver and passengers, the sports seats are pretty good.

Had my 02 plate Renault megane for just oiver a year, it has cost me £600 plus for parts, the worst being ABS sensors required for MOT £ 420 at local garage. The car handles quite well but 1.4 engine underpowered for car. average mpg is on average 36, so not bad. leg room in rear very tight. The expensive spares is the main downside to this car, Buy japanese for better reliability.

It's most economic car I ever had. I travel weekly around 140 miles(just work-home) and use diesel for £15 (insurance cheap as well) which is fantastic to compare me previous cars and cost of public transport. The car is dynamic and fast if we can said that about megane. You still have fun to drive. I never had any problems so far, but I own megane just for three months. The only bad thing is noise in cab, but it is diesel and 12 years old car so I forgive this.

First of all it is not very suitable for a family with a couple of kids.

I Have owned my megane for about 4 years and it has given me very little trouble a wheel bearing and abs sensor and that is about it. We have done quite a lot of long journeys and even been to Ireland and found it very economical and quite comfortable and very lively on a long journey and as for about town it is the ideal run around.

I've come here to review the Renault Megane 1.4e 1999.

Right, the pros:

1) On a cold day, this car heats up extremely quickly. Within 2 or 3 minutes it’s too hot and you have to turn it back down or off.

2) Styling. For a car of its age, it looks alright, nothing special but thankfully nothing like a TR7.

3) it’s quite comfy but a bit small. I happen to like the plastic, it’s not a cheap plastic where it flexes or makes noises, it’s pretty solid and doesn’t feel that cheap.

4) Fuel. That’s a big subject in today’s market. We all wish that it could be less expensive. BUT if you drive this car correctly you could get 40mpg out of it. Which is nice eh? Having said that, I just recently put £30 in it, and I’ve only done 100 miles atm, and it’s nearly empty.

5) It handles okay, there is a bit of body role but what can you expect, it’s a family car not a B road car. On the motorway it sits at 60, to overtake it easily hits 70ish and its still quiet.

Now the bad parts.

1) The engine, as I said, I brought this second hand so I don’t know what others are like but it’s got an insane tapping sound over 3000 rpm. I just try and shift early

2) Again this might be down to the car I have but the dead zone at the bottom end trying to pull away is annoying. Makes it a bit dangerous at times, but anything over 1500rpm and you’ll be fine.

3) The oil filter, this might be down to me or it might be another issue. I change the oil for the car and I can’t get the oil to stop leaking out of the filter, I’ve put another filter on it and I think it’s still doing the same thing. But that’s just me.

4) The drivers cockpit, well I’m 6ft2 and there isn’t really enough space for me. Unless I pull my chair quite a way back and then I’ve extended my arms too much and it looks as if I’m leaning forward. Even my 206 was bigger than this.

5) Going around corners, It seems to roll to one side quite a lot and it just doesn’t feel secure in its road handling. It feels like the back is going to give away. But I know it’s not as I’m not nearly doing any speed for it to give. I just don’t like it.

This is my third renault, my last car was a newer megane(w) plate, unfortunately involved in accident and written off. I bought this 97 plate megane 4 yrs ago for £500 and sailed through every MOT only cost me a bulb this yr. I am now looking for a newer one been thinking of megane cabrolet so these reveiws are useful.I would recomend renaults to anyone who has never owned, most reliable i have ever owned in 30yrs driving and ive driven loads different cars.The megane is very comfortable and smooth to drive.My daughter borrowed it recently and she was so impressed with how smooth this old car was in comparison to her nissan which is only 4rs old, she has had nothing but trouble with her nissan,and is thinking of trading it in for a renaul.Really big boot great for lots shopping or going on hols.I have had cam belt change, and will be sorry to sell.