Question for any former Megane R26 Owners
Discussion
In a bit of a dilema. I'm looking for a car that is fun to drive at reasonable speeds (make of that what you will) with 4 seats, something along the lines of the recent Chris Harris 'RIP the hot hatch'. In other words, something that is fun to drive rather than bonkers fast.
My only dilemma is looking at all the alternatives, both old and new. Looking at some of the lease deals on new cars, the Golf R, Fiesta ST, Focus ST etc are all within budget, hence my question to those people who had a R26 and moved on - how are you finding the newer alternatives?
Thanks in advance for any replies.
My only dilemma is looking at all the alternatives, both old and new. Looking at some of the lease deals on new cars, the Golf R, Fiesta ST, Focus ST etc are all within budget, hence my question to those people who had a R26 and moved on - how are you finding the newer alternatives?
Thanks in advance for any replies.
I'm a long term Renault sport fan (I've owned 8). Recently purchased an r26, can't wait to get rid. Of all the rsports I've owned, the build quality feels extremely poor. After one track day an Aux belt pulley has failed (3 months old), the steering has developed a knock, and there are more creaks /rattles than any car I've ever owned.
It's a shame as it's brilliant to drive. But as soon as the issues are resolved I'll be selling up.
It's a shame as it's brilliant to drive. But as soon as the issues are resolved I'll be selling up.
Previous R26 F1 230 owner here. Fantastic cars, outstanding performance and handling, very easy to drive, seemed to defy physics around corners. Only negatives are fuel consumption and main dealer service costs, my one and only official Renault service was £2.5k, which was hard to swallow, so moved it on and replaced with another Elise.
On a more positive note I ran an R26 for 3 years and it's well up there with my favourite cars I've owned. In contrast to the other posters I had no major issues with it - the only thing that broke was the xenon levelling arm which hangs off the bottom of a front wishbone but is easily enough repaired. It did have a few flaky moments but never let me down or cost anything more than servicing and consumables.
I'm now running a Mk5 Gti Pirelli (same as the edition 30 mechanically) and it has just as many squeeks and rattles but is nowhere near as much fun to drive. The Diff in the R26 really made the car - it was ridiculous how early you could get on the power in a corner and it just gripped and went. If they made a 5 door version I'd be in another one now.
Not sure how it would match up to the latest breed of hatches - probably slower but more fun to drive
I'm now running a Mk5 Gti Pirelli (same as the edition 30 mechanically) and it has just as many squeeks and rattles but is nowhere near as much fun to drive. The Diff in the R26 really made the car - it was ridiculous how early you could get on the power in a corner and it just gripped and went. If they made a 5 door version I'd be in another one now.
Not sure how it would match up to the latest breed of hatches - probably slower but more fun to drive
I just sold my R26 after almost 6 years - the longest I have owned a car as I have a new Golf R now on the drive for a couple of years.
The bad bits - a hard ride around town (and on bad roads) and a very dated interior.
The good bits - a fantastic drive when you want to put a smile on your face, great steering feel, fantastic Recaro seats.
The Golf is much more comfortable and grown-up place to be, but the R26 is in a different league for feel and involvement when "on it".
In terms of reliability, I had both electric window regulators replaced (which are still a 75% contribution from Renault) and that was it aside from servicing and consumables.
David
The bad bits - a hard ride around town (and on bad roads) and a very dated interior.
The good bits - a fantastic drive when you want to put a smile on your face, great steering feel, fantastic Recaro seats.
The Golf is much more comfortable and grown-up place to be, but the R26 is in a different league for feel and involvement when "on it".
In terms of reliability, I had both electric window regulators replaced (which are still a 75% contribution from Renault) and that was it aside from servicing and consumables.
David
Another current R26 owner here. They really are good fun to drive, the diff makes so much difference especially in the wet. I've had the car now for 11 months and it's cost me a fair bit but that's all been consumables like tyres, cambelt, service, brakes, battery etc but nothing has gone wrong yet (touch wood). You will hear horror stories but these tend to be people who buy at the lower end of the market and expect to pay 5.5k for a fast and faultless car that's 7+ years old. Buy one that's already had the the cambelt done by a specialist or main dealer, the ideal place would be off the owners forum rsmegane.com
Ok Not a R26 owner, but I am currently driving a DCI 175 Megane same (225 RS but diesel). Its one of my favorite car Ive owned even with a sole-less tdi lump up front. it handles better than the 3.0 Z4 I had and its more rewarding to drive. even without the LSD the corning speeds, even in the wet never fail to amaze me. a FWD diesel just should be able to do the things it does. one can only assume the R26 with a lighter nose and LSD its even more mind bending.
like all cars there a few key things which you need to look out for with these cars, if do your homework and get the right one they are very reliable and not really that expensive to run given the performance.
I posted some buying advise in the below tread about the DCI175. there a lot of crossover/shared parts with the R26.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Andy
like all cars there a few key things which you need to look out for with these cars, if do your homework and get the right one they are very reliable and not really that expensive to run given the performance.
I posted some buying advise in the below tread about the DCI175. there a lot of crossover/shared parts with the R26.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Andy
HJMS123 said:
Another current R26 owner here. They really are good fun to drive, the diff makes so much difference especially in the wet. I've had the car now for 11 months and it's cost me a fair bit but that's all been consumables like tyres, cambelt, service, brakes, battery etc but nothing has gone wrong yet (touch wood). You will hear horror stories but these tend to be people who buy at the lower end of the market and expect to pay 5.5k for a fast and faultless car that's 7+ years old. Buy one that's already had the the cambelt done by a specialist or main dealer, the ideal place would be off the owners forum rsmegane.com
Defo make sure you get on with the cambelt done if its coming to that age/milage. I got stung with that (my own fault for not checking), Renault dealer wanted the best of £1400 for just the cambelt change when I dropped it in. From my expierence just check the engine is running smoothly, mine developed a misfire (when overtaking a lorry) which they ended up tracing to a faulty injector. Great fun to drive, had mine since Christmas last year. Can even return 35mpg on a long run
Had an R26 (with a stage 1 re-map at RS tuning) for 3 years and absolutely loved it.
I replaced it with a Porsche Boxster S (986).
The R26 was comfortable, rear seats, a boot, really very good to drive. Downsides being the cabin was "functional" rather than luxurious (but actually there was everything you actually needed / wanted inc cruise) and while it was very good to drive with great capabilities, I found you could drive it really quite quickly without applying that much effort or involvement Or if pushing harder and enjoying it more were carrying licence loosing speed very easily.
The Porsche is slower, sounds great (but the R26 sounds great with the rear seats down too) controls more enjoyable (steering, brakes, gearbox), a bit more of an event with the roof off and the interior a bit nicer. As a toy it is better for me. It throws far bigger bills (c.£5k this year) and a good chunk less practical if you need to move people or things.
I'd seriously look at an R26 if I was going to buy a hatch again, (but would also look at mk5 Golf gtis or similar if I were to keep the Porsche). The advantage over buying something newer is that it will have a bit more feel to it (IMO a general trend), but the interior is likely less nice and they are getting to age where they will need more than regular servicing to keep running well.
I replaced it with a Porsche Boxster S (986).
The R26 was comfortable, rear seats, a boot, really very good to drive. Downsides being the cabin was "functional" rather than luxurious (but actually there was everything you actually needed / wanted inc cruise) and while it was very good to drive with great capabilities, I found you could drive it really quite quickly without applying that much effort or involvement Or if pushing harder and enjoying it more were carrying licence loosing speed very easily.
The Porsche is slower, sounds great (but the R26 sounds great with the rear seats down too) controls more enjoyable (steering, brakes, gearbox), a bit more of an event with the roof off and the interior a bit nicer. As a toy it is better for me. It throws far bigger bills (c.£5k this year) and a good chunk less practical if you need to move people or things.
I'd seriously look at an R26 if I was going to buy a hatch again, (but would also look at mk5 Golf gtis or similar if I were to keep the Porsche). The advantage over buying something newer is that it will have a bit more feel to it (IMO a general trend), but the interior is likely less nice and they are getting to age where they will need more than regular servicing to keep running well.
davidc1 said:
My bro has had an r26 from new since May 07.
Great car.
Reliable, wish I had of had one looking bac k , rather than the 197cup/200cup I went with.
I have a 200 and also had an R26 for 6 months. Just did not get on with the R26 and sold it about 6 months ago. Other than the diff I felt the 200 is a far superior handling car. Maybe just my preferences but thought the 2 together would be perfect but not so. The 200 is going nowhere. I regularly read all these rave reviews and feel like I must be missing something?Great car.
Reliable, wish I had of had one looking bac k , rather than the 197cup/200cup I went with.
I had an R26 and absolutely loved it, only sold it as I got a company car. I've had some hot hatch classics, 106 + 306 Rallye, Clio Trophy etc. the R26 was right up there with them, with the advantage of masses more torque. Only today I was looking at some pics of it on my phone from when I sold it. Buy the youngest, lowest mileage model you can afford and make sure the service history is spot on and I'm sure you'll be fine with it. My Dad has a 265 Trophy which I think might be over kill for the road, 230 hp was plenty for me.
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