Megane RS250... What Next?

[Bordtea]

Afternoon everyone,

Looking for opinions and advice to see if I've missed anything as I'm struggling a bit at the moment! Currently own a 2011 Megane 250 (with LSD) that's currently at ~300bhp so is bloody good fun. I've had it a year now which is actually quite a long time for me and I'm not bored of it yet! However, I'm starting to get close to the 70k miles mark after which I think it gets more difficult to sell on a car like this, and the depreciation is starting to set in. There have also always been a few nags with it in terms of spec - the exhaust/engine sounds like a wet fart even with a sports exhaust on and you can't even cover it up as the sound system is absolute cack!

Prior to this I owned a 2007 BMW Z4 3.0si which had an absolutely gorgeous sounding engine and I really do miss the noise it made particularly with the roof down! Also really enjoyed the RWD and feel like I should scratch that itch again!

So this has lead me to considering options for a new car. My budget would be up to £15000 and I'm looking for something with a minimum 300bhp (or easily tuneable to 300bhp) and err... that's about it really!

Options so far include:
- BMW M135i. Probably the hottest contender although I'd be looking at the bottom end of the market in my budget so 2012 model. Main drawback for me is the lack of LSD and the handling, so I've read, just isn't on par with the Megane. So perhaps an option that has better spec than what I have at present, and faster in a straight line, but not particularly brilliant around corners?

- Evo X FQ-360. Friend of mine owned one of these and I loved it to bits, but the amount of money he put into running the thing puts me off!

- E46 BMW M3 - too old now for me personally

- BMW M5 (E60?) - the V10 version. Tempting but with my budget I think i'd be looking at the dog end of the market which I don't think is the place to be with cars like this. Also the MPG would put me off driving it!

- Nissan 370z - I owned a 350z a couple of years back and never really got on with it so sold it fairly quickly. Found it felt far too big (even though it wasn't) and the quality of the interior was a bit naff. Did things change significantly with the 370? I'd be half tempted to give it another go. £500 tax is a potential swaying factor though...

Any thoughts/comments would be gratefully received!

Best wishes

[Jonstar]

z4m or slk 55.

[nickfrog]

Bordtea said:

- BMW M135i. Probably the hottest contender although I'd be looking at the bottom end of the market in my budget so 2012 model. Main drawback for me is the lack of LSD and the handling, so I've read, just isn't on par with the Megane. So perhaps an option that has better spec than what I have at present, and faster in a straight line, but not particularly brilliant around corners?

I suggest you form your own opinion about the M135i handling after driving it.

I came from one to a Meg because of the amount of track work I do but as a road car I miss it, even without LSD.

What did help was fitting front M4 LCAs though, very cheap too.

[Bordtea]

nickfrog said:

I suggest you form your own opinion about the M135i handling after driving it.

I came from one to a Meg because of the amount of track work I do but as a road car I miss it, even without LSD.

What did help was fitting front M4 LCAs though, very cheap too.

Thanks mate. That's interesting. How do you find it compares in terms of cornering?

I did test drive one around a year ago (when I was looking at the Megs) but was difficult to properly test it with a salesman in the passenger seat. I've heard a bit of work lowering the suspension and fitting spacers does really help with the handling. How did you find the lack of LSD?

[nickfrog]

LSD is useful in 2nd/3rd in the wet. Beyond that inherent traction is inherently immense, partially through the soft rear kinematics.

I have found that careful throttle modulation goes a long way on the road but had I kept it I would have probably fitted a Drexler, mainly for track use.

I like the handling on LCAs (my car was a 3-dr that has the cross member and was LCI), quite soft but that suits the car.

[Bordtea]

nickfrog said:

LSD is useful in 2nd/3rd in the wet. Beyond that inherent traction is inherently immense, partially through the soft rear kinematics.

I have found that careful throttle modulation goes a long way on the road but had I kept it I would have probably fitted a Drexler, mainly for track use.

I like the handling on LCAs (my car was a 3-dr that has the cross member and was LCI), quite soft but that suits the car.

Interesting - shall investigate!

[anonymous-user]

Would suggesting a 265 cup megane fall on stony ground?

[ZX10R NIN]

I second the 265 but if you want to change go for the SLK55 AMG a good alternative is the 370Z.

SLK55 AMG

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

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

370Z
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

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

[Bordtea]

ZX10R NIN said:

I second the 265 but if you want to change go for the SLK55 AMG a good alternative is the 370Z.

SLK55 AMG

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

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

370Z
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

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

Haha, I don't think the 265 represents any change unfortunately! They are more or less the same car with different mapping - and I've changed the mapping on mine anyway!!

Got to say the 370z does interest me as from what I've read it seems to have addressed most of the gripes I had with my 350z...

SLK55 AMG also a very interesting choice. A friend owned an SLK350 and I never really got on with the auto gearbox he had in it (although I think his was the 6 speed) - is the 7G any different? I found the 6 speed to be v sluggish and not very involving. Do they not do manuals in the SLK55 at all?

Another thought that popped into my head the other day was the SL55 AMG - is the consensus that these would be a complete money pit? I can't see them depreciating too much in the near future?

[Alex_225]

Tricky conundrum as I suspect the Megane offers a hell of a lot of smiles for what it costs to run. My last daily hot hatch was a Megane 225 Trophy which was running about 260bhp, that was excellent fun but I wanted more power and comfort.

I looked into the V10 M5s but was put off mostly by the gearbox and potential costs or maintenance on that. Seemed to be an inevitability that something on the SMG box would need replacing.

That said I opted for a Merc CLS63 which isn't entirely cheap to run but I found a silly low mileage example and so far so good.

So in relation to the OP, I'd certainly look for something German which has some significant power to put a smile on your face. If it was me, I'd be thinking CLS55 or E55 but then I'm more a fan of Mercedes now. You can just get a lot of 5.5 V8 for not silly amounts of money if you're prepared to run one.