Which RS Megane?

[survivalist]

Long story short I’ve had a fair few cars, some more interesting than others but I’ve never had a Renaultsport.

I’m now in a position where I need a car to cover about 4K mikes a year. No one else needs to drive it (my wife won’t drive a manual, so family car is an auto) and my kids, who will likely be the most frequent passengers, are used to a car with a stiff ride.

Additional factors that have peaked my interest in the Megane are the ability to throw in the occasional track day.

So what’s my question? Which model/edition should I choose? As a newcomer to all of this there seem to be a large number of different versions, not 100% clear on what to go for. Also idea of what a reasonable budget is, keen not to lose to much cash if I decide to move on after 12
Months,

So far all I can decide is that I want Recaros and a cup pack (which I believe includes better suspension and an LSD). and I don’t want a black car.

Ideally I’d get one with ohlins as well.

Any guidance on an reasonable budget and model/age/dates gratefully received.

Thanks

[Zarco]

Cup Pack is a must which ever variant you choose. Otherwise there's not much between them really.

Assuming you are looking at Megane 250/265/275?

Face-lift versions (all 275 and I think 265) have different/better looking front end but crap headlights (halogen vs xenon). Obviously a bit of cost saving there.

[Zarco]

I think Ohlins only came about in Megane Trophy (standard/only spec) and 275 as an option.

[survivalist]

Thanks. Do all sellers list the cup pack? Or are some oblivious? The link below for example has the Recaro Seats but makes no mention of the cup pack.

Also, ohlins seem elusive (or again , potentially not declared). What’s a good price for a late 275/Trophy with less than 40k miles.

Cheers

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

[Driver101]

survivalist said:

Thanks. Do all sellers list the cup pack? Or are some oblivious? The link below for example has the Recaro Seats but makes no mention of the cup pack.

Also, ohlins seem elusive (or again , potentially not declared). What’s a good price for a late 275/Trophy with less than 40k miles.

Cheers

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

That car doesn't have the Cup pack.

The red brake calipers are a big give away, but people sometimes paint the calipers red on cars without the Cup pack. Phone Renault and confirm the spec.

Prices are too high currently in my opinion. Too many people holding out for top money and they aren't getting it.

[anonymous-user]

That car looks nice but I'm pretty sure the Cups all have red calipers.

For me I'd want a cup pack with those Recaros, and the RS Monitor is a nice option to have although not vital..

Is it a daily driver? The mk3 as you linked above is better for that over a mk2 R26 but likely to lose more money and be a harder sell when you come to move it on.

[KPB1973]

I've had three of them in various states of spec. Here's my view on the various options i've had across them all:

- Cup Pack - absolutely essential
- Recaros - lovely and will help resale, but the standard seats are much better than they look
- RS Monitor - I only ever use it to change the throttle map. The rest is frippery and a bit clunky to scroll through
- Akrapovic - waste of money. Drowned out by the road noise and needs a lot of heat into it before it gets fruity
- Alloys - I didn't find the 18s much more compliant than the 19s, because it's a very hard-riding car with either
- Engine - my 250 felt like it had 250. My first 275 was MUCH more aggressive to rev and felt under-rated in terms of power. Oddly, my second 275 feels a little more tame...
- Ohlins - phenomenal, but very, very hard to find. They are transformative in terms of ride quality without compromise on dynamism

Perfect spec? Probably a very high spec 275 Cup-S with Ohlins, 19s and the Sat Nav. But...don't disregard a non-Ohlins car if it is the right colour and spec otherwise.

[gutbobs]

In addition to the perfect spec in the previous post, I'd add the RS Monitor so you can change the throttle map - the Extreme one that is standard when you press the R.S. button is a bit much.. The good news is that RS Monitor can now be retro fitted - it does need satnav though.

The other thing I'd mention, is that the Recaro's in the 275 have a bar across the back of them right where your rear passengers feet go. My kids are 9 and 10 and are struggling to fit in the back now due to this. The standard seats are comfortable and supportive though, so I wouldn't discount a car because it hasn't got Recaro seats

[framerateuk]

gutbobs said:

In addition to the perfect spec in the previous post, I'd add the RS Monitor so you can change the throttle map - the Extreme one that is standard when you press the R.S. button is a bit much.. The good news is that RS Monitor can now be retro fitted - it does need satnav though.

The other thing I'd mention, is that the Recaro's in the 275 have a bar across the back of them right where your rear passengers feet go. My kids are 9 and 10 and are struggling to fit in the back now due to this. The standard seats are comfortable and supportive though, so I wouldn't discount a car because it hasn't got Recaro seats

Yeah the RS Monitor is a must on the 250/265/275, if only to be able to reconfigure the throttle map.

Another plus about the standard leather seats is that they're heated - the Recaros are not. Not important for a track car but nice for a daily. The Recaros do look the part though and I did love them in my car.

(the 250 and 265 also had that bar in the back of the Recaros, really not ideal if you're carrying passengers often).

[survivalist]

Thanks for all the replies. There’s actually a 275 on auto trader with Ohlins, Recaro and Cup Pack but the dealer is asking over £18k, which seems like strong money to me and I probably more than I’d initially thought I’d be spending.

In terms of Megane II vs Megane III, I’d made the (possibly incorrect) assumption that the older car would require significantly more upkeep.

In terms of use it’s a weird mix of daily driver and weekend toy - I need it to have 4/5 seats to take my kids to nursery a few times a week, drive to the station etc, so it’s not a garage queen. I also generally travel to work by train though, so I don’t need to commute in it.

So that rules out a Trophy-R or R26R in Mégane terms and any 2 seater options like Boxter, Cayman, Alpin, Lotus etc. Test drive a GT86 and for me the engine ruins that car, rear seats are borderline.

[anonymous-user]

The Megane 3 is definitely better suited to daily duties but my Megane R26 only ever needed servicing and consumables.

[mc50]

survivalist said:

Thanks for all the replies. There’s actually a 275 on auto trader with Ohlins, Recaro and Cup Pack but the dealer is asking over £18k, which seems like strong money to me and I probably more than I’d initially thought I’d be spending.

In terms of Megane II vs Megane III, I’d made the (possibly incorrect) assumption that the older car would require significantly more upkeep.

In terms of use it’s a weird mix of daily driver and weekend toy - I need it to have 4/5 seats to take my kids to nursery a few times a week, drive to the station etc, so it’s not a garage queen. I also generally travel to work by train though, so I don’t need to commute in it.

So that rules out a Trophy-R or R26R in Mégane terms and any 2 seater options like Boxter, Cayman, Alpin, Lotus etc. Test drive a GT86 and for me the engine ruins that car, rear seats are borderline.

I have a flame red 275 cup s with all the options including ohlins,recaros, akrapovic. Was thinking of going back to a z4m. Would you be selling yours

[framerateuk]

survivalist said:

Thanks for all the replies. There’s actually a 275 on auto trader with Ohlins, Recaro and Cup Pack but the dealer is asking over £18k, which seems like strong money to me and I probably more than I’d initially thought I’d be spending.

My guess is that sellers are keeping the prices up due to the luke warm reviews of the new Megane and hoping that it keeps the values of the older ones high.

Once the supply issues are sorted with the Megane IV and the facelifts are released I think the values of the MKIII will start to drop. That said, there weren't all that many of them made compared to many hatches, and thanks to the high reviews, I think they'll keep the values quite well.

If you want bargains, look at 265 and 250's. They're practically the same car, and so long as you keep them in Sport mode, I doubt the small horsepower differences will be very noticeable compared to the 275.

[Zarco]

framerateuk said:

survivalist said:

Thanks for all the replies. There’s actually a 275 on auto trader with Ohlins, Recaro and Cup Pack but the dealer is asking over £18k, which seems like strong money to me and I probably more than I’d initially thought I’d be spending.

My guess is that sellers are keeping the prices up due to the luke warm reviews of the new Megane and hoping that it keeps the values of the older ones high.

Once the supply issues are sorted with the Megane IV and the facelifts are released I think the values of the MKIII will start to drop. That said, there weren't all that many of them made compared to many hatches, and thanks to the high reviews, I think they'll keep the values quite well.

If you want bargains, look at 265 and 250's. They're practically the same car, and so long as you keep them in Sport mode, I doubt the small horsepower differences will be very noticeable compared to the 275.

They certainly are quite a rare sight on the road.

I paid £19k for my 275 Cup Nav (basically a Cup S but with Nav included) in Jan 2017. One owner 4k miles. Was my ideal spec with 18'' Tibor alloys, Recaro seats, RS Monitor. Decided Ohlins were not worth the premium (I don't do track days really) . Reviews put me off the Akro. Wasn't bothered about Nav but it's actually nice to have.

I started off looking at 250s but the asking prices for them seemed high in comparison to 275.

Expect the market is different now but that 275 for £18k does sound strong money. The Ohlins are a desirable and expensive option however (I'd expect around a £2k premium).

[survivalist]

Zarco said:

framerateuk said:

survivalist said:

Thanks for all the replies. There’s actually a 275 on auto trader with Ohlins, Recaro and Cup Pack but the dealer is asking over £18k, which seems like strong money to me and I probably more than I’d initially thought I’d be spending.

My guess is that sellers are keeping the prices up due to the luke warm reviews of the new Megane and hoping that it keeps the values of the older ones high.

Once the supply issues are sorted with the Megane IV and the facelifts are released I think the values of the MKIII will start to drop. That said, there weren't all that many of them made compared to many hatches, and thanks to the high reviews, I think they'll keep the values quite well.

If you want bargains, look at 265 and 250's. They're practically the same car, and so long as you keep them in Sport mode, I doubt the small horsepower differences will be very noticeable compared to the 275.

They certainly are quite a rare sight on the road.

I paid £19k for my 275 Cup Nav (basically a Cup S but with Nav included) in Jan 2017. One owner 4k miles. Was my ideal spec with 18'' Tibor alloys, Recaro seats, RS Monitor. Decided Ohlins were not worth the premium (I don't do track days really) . Reviews put me off the Akro. Wasn't bothered about Nav but it's actually nice to have.

I started off looking at 250s but the asking prices for them seemed high in comparison to 275.

Expect the market is different now but that 275 for £18k does sound strong money. The Ohlins are a desirable and expensive option however (I'd expect around a £2k premium).

Might not be that strong after all then. I like the idea of the Ohlins from a fast road perspective as well as the occasional track day. I guess they could be bought aftermarket and added to a 250/265, but my experience of modifications is that you never get your money back and I'm not sure I could be bothered stripping them off and selling separately.

Will have to have a think then as 18k is probably more than I want to spend on an additional car.

[survivalist]

mc50 said:

survivalist said:

Thanks for all the replies. There’s actually a 275 on auto trader with Ohlins, Recaro and Cup Pack but the dealer is asking over £18k, which seems like strong money to me and I probably more than I’d initially thought I’d be spending.

In terms of Megane II vs Megane III, I’d made the (possibly incorrect) assumption that the older car would require significantly more upkeep.

In terms of use it’s a weird mix of daily driver and weekend toy - I need it to have 4/5 seats to take my kids to nursery a few times a week, drive to the station etc, so it’s not a garage queen. I also generally travel to work by train though, so I don’t need to commute in it.

So that rules out a Trophy-R or R26R in Mégane terms and any 2 seater options like Boxter, Cayman, Alpin, Lotus etc. Test drive a GT86 and for me the engine ruins that car, rear seats are borderline.

I have a flame red 275 cup s with all the options including ohlins,recaros, akrapovic. Was thinking of going back to a z4m. Would you be selling yours

Current plan is to keep the Z4M for high days and holidays. I considered selling last year but came to the conclusion I'd struggle to easily replace it if I changed my mind.

If you decide to sell your Megane though let me know, sounds like a nice example.

[KPB1973]

I paid £15.4k for a flame red, ohlins, recaros, akra, rs monitor 275 in January. Perhaps not in A1 condition but it was from an Audi dealership with breakdown cover and 12 month warranty.

It's also still under Renault warranty until October.

I had to move quickly to secure it but it does prove bargains can be had if you look outside the main dealer network.

[Zarco]

That was a decent price by the sound of it. Bought mine from an independent dealer.

[survivalist]

KPB1973 said:

I paid £15.4k for a flame red, ohlins, recaros, akra, rs monitor 275 in January. Perhaps not in A1 condition but it was from an Audi dealership with breakdown cover and 12 month warranty.

It's also still under Renault warranty until October.

I had to move quickly to secure it but it does prove bargains can be had if you look outside the main dealer network.

That seems like a fair price and something I could probably justify. Will keep an eye on autotrader and see what comes up.

Car market seems all over the place at the moment. I’ve also been keeping an eye on E90/92 M3s (as a family car replacement, not as my car) and the gulf between advertised and selling process seem to be widening.

[Turbojuice]

If it's going to do 4k miles a year i'd argue a 250 or 265 with the cup pack would be much better value than the 275. 250/265/275 are all mechanically the same, only difference in terms of driving being the ecu used on the 65 plate and newer 275's to meet the euro6 emissions standards.

Yes you can get Ohlins on the 275's but it's a rare option and as a result sellers will always lump a massive premium on the car which is not worth it at all in my opinion. Standard cup suspension is already brilliant. If you are really that bothered about upgraded suspension the money saved getting an earlier car can be spent on a reputable aftermarket suspension setup, and you'd still have change left over for an RSTuning remap to over 310bhp and any other mods you may want to do.