I've been randomly contemplating alternatives to a new octavia , and I see that the Megane Coupe/Cabriolet is available with a decent diesel engine so it wouldn't be entirely out of the question.

Furthermore , looking at the prices on broadspeed I can get a Monaco special edition with leather , climate and a glass roof for 16615 which is nearly 5k off list!!! That sounds a bit suspect to me , but I'd be willing to ring them and see if they are for real.

Some of the car's drawbacks are obvious - the boot is tiny with the roof down , the back seats are more suited to double amputees and it's french so it will all fall to bits the day I drive it off the forecourt.

On the upside it's a damn good looking car , the folding roof is cool , and these sort of vehicles always hold their value well.

Anyone here owned or driven one? What are they like to run , and would you advise me to consider it further or run away screaming?

IMHO "French Skip"

Now listen very carefully, I shall say this only once

There are others on this forum who have owned the Megane, me being one of them. What you want from your everyday motor is, as well as price, performance, good kit, space, economy & reliability is CUSTOMER SATISFACTION and you aint gonna get that from Renault U.K.

I had horrendous electrical problems and tyres that lasted 10,000 (easy driving) miles. All in all i had 14 pages of bullsh*t compiled for my Renault.

P.M me if you want the juicy bits.

AVIOD !!!!!

I have to interject. I've never been a renault fan. Clio's are like tin cans and Lagunas literally fall to bits within months.

However, a couple of years back SWMBO went to work for a large car dealer. They did 1 or 2 year lease deals for £99/month on Megane's so we took 2 of them and the mother in law got one as well. So far we have had a total of 5 being quite happy to renew our lease contracts after a couple of years.

I have no major complaints. The diesel engines are quiet, refined and very economical. I wouldn't say these cars are bomb proof and they are not really that rewarding to drive but they are much much better than the other Renault efforts. Not a rattle or creak either.

As for the convertable well not sure about that. You would need to be careful and depreciation is a bitch.

Oh forgot, the 2 door versions are no where near as solid as the 5 door versions.

I have to interject. I've never been a renault fan. Clio's are like tin cans and Lagunas literally fall to bits within months.

However, a couple of years back SWMBO went to work for a large car dealer. They did 1 or 2 year lease deals for

I think Tom_VRS had a megane as well - But not a cabrio - Tom would be the best person to comment on that one.

My cousin (in the Czech Republic) has one. Don't think there have been any issues with it, but we're talking Renault Czech Republic not Renault UK.

May look good but I have my concerns re reliability and depreciation. These have put me off. But each to his/her own hey.

So did others. They got shut as well.

So did others. They got shut as well.

I too can give you a horror story from owning a Megane. (Rear tyre wear, electrics, crap plastics, rattles, crap Customer Service) Worse than my time with Fiats!! I GOT RID TOO!!

AVOID !! (Correct spelling Jon)

By the way Cabrio versions suffer from leaking roofs AND more alarmingly., some owners have complained of the roof only closing 1/2 way !!!. One owner also reported that his was open when he returned to the car park, it had opened on its own!!

One last thing !! A new one depreciates by 50% in the first year !!!

Eh Chris, AVIOD it was late after all. classic. (it's the Norwiegan way it's spelt).

So do the windows ! (fault 1 of 3,522)

So do the windows ! (fault 1 of 3,522)

This could be a long thread if we are not careful!!

Get on with that Strut Brace !!

Your not at School now you know !!

My mum had a Megane Cabriolet for a couple of years, and no real problems with it as far as I know. But there again she's 60+, and not likely to have given it much stick! Was a nice looking car and the kids loved it.

I started my car-owning days with a couple of convertibles (OK - a Citroen Dyane and a Citroen 2CV - both with "sardine tin" type roll-back roofs), and still miss open top motoring.

Just to show the other side of the customer service coin, my dad bought his first Renault in 1971, and has not bought any other make since - so I guess he's been kept happy over the last 35 years! Having said that, he's just got a Modus which is an ugly looking thing IMHO, so maybe he's just easily pleased!

I had a Modus (as a courtesy car, waiting for the Megane to be 'looked at' ) and YES, he IS easily pleased.

My ex had a Megane cabrio for a couple of years - no real problems with it , other than rear tyre wear (?) and one or two electrical gremlins but nothing serious . Kids loved it with the roof down , but I always felt the plastics were a bit crappy ( as has been said somewhere else ) . And the boot was tiny , but whaddya expect ..?

I t was a bit uneventful to drive being a 1.6 petrol, but was quite economical ..

I had a Megane Coupe Convertible for a week on holiday in the South of France last summer. It looks great, the folding roof works well, and the boot space isn't actually too bad even with the roof down. The interior trim was perfectly acceptable quality, and it was fairly comfortable.

However, the 1.6 engine was woefully inadequate, it rolled on corners, it does suffer from "scuttle shake" like a lot of convertibles, the steering was far too light and lacked any feeling, and using the gearstick was like stirring soup.

Having only had it for week I can't really comment on the long term issues such as reliability and customer service. But in summary if you enjoy driving, you won't enjoy this car !

If that's the sort of thing you're keen on the Pug 307 CC is a far better bet. Still pretty sluggish for a 2 litre, and it does flex a bit on the corners, but more driveable.

If that's the sort of thing you're keen on the Pug 307 CC is a far better bet. Still pretty sluggish for a 2 litre' date=' and it does flex a bit on the corners, but more driveable.[/quote']

Thanks.

Trouble is the Peugeot doesn't have a diesel option and the normal megane does a bit better in surveys than the normal 307.

DONT DO IT. I have an Octy 2 and a 4 yr old laguna bought at 4 months old. The laguna is nicer to drive, economical and has more toys. Getting rid of it. Why ? Renault have engine probs with diesels and one petrol luimp. The diesels are specified with 18,000 m services but oil not up to it. The exhaust gas recirculation valve sticks, the turbo fails and causes engine oil to be ingested. The engine screams uncontrollably on this until it expires. First signs :- intermittant engine warning light (Ive got this) See forum on www.parkers.co.uk

DONT DO IT. I have an Octy 2 and a 4 yr old laguna bought at 4 months old. The laguna is nicer to drive, economical and has more toys. Getting rid of it. Why ? Renault have engine probs with diesels and one petrol luimp. The diesels are specified with 18,000 m services but oil not up to it. The exhaust gas recirculation valve sticks, the turbo fails and causes engine oil to be ingested. The engine screams uncontrollably on this until it expires. First signs :- intermittant engine warning light (Ive got this) See forum on [url']www.parkers.co.uk[/url]

Yep , just been reading a Megane II owners club forum and the busiest section is "problems with your car".

Think I'll be giving it a miss

Your not at School now you know !!

Yes I am !!! Read the time of post !! I usually get to school at 7.15 to prepare for the day @8.45. I always log in on this site first.

The strut brace looks good Jon