Buying advice - Renaultsport Megane '08 R26 F1
Discussion
Hello,
I think I want to buy a Renaultsport Megane '08 for a second car, spirited weekend drives and the occasional track day type thing. Always preferred that arse.
I've googled issues about them, seen about electrical issues generally, but nothing personal, so hoped to hear something about them here.
Stuff I should ask about when viewing them - Deeper stuff than 'replaced cambelts' (always on the advert anyway), I'd like to own one for a few years at least without spending the same amount in repairs etc.
I'm in Manchester so have found one in Leeds for £6K (the advert says 'two drive shafts replaced' - I assume they mean the drive shaft is in two parts?) which looks decent. They were pretty honest about it on the phone, looked after it since 2014 as it's a local customer, they think they've sorted all the 'underlying issues' associated with these. What could they have missed etc?
Hopefully someone who's owned one sees this and can give some advice. If not, any advice is welcome!
FYI my budget is around £6K, if you want to suggest a different car to think about.
Cheers
I think I want to buy a Renaultsport Megane '08 for a second car, spirited weekend drives and the occasional track day type thing. Always preferred that arse.
I've googled issues about them, seen about electrical issues generally, but nothing personal, so hoped to hear something about them here.
Stuff I should ask about when viewing them - Deeper stuff than 'replaced cambelts' (always on the advert anyway), I'd like to own one for a few years at least without spending the same amount in repairs etc.
I'm in Manchester so have found one in Leeds for £6K (the advert says 'two drive shafts replaced' - I assume they mean the drive shaft is in two parts?) which looks decent. They were pretty honest about it on the phone, looked after it since 2014 as it's a local customer, they think they've sorted all the 'underlying issues' associated with these. What could they have missed etc?
Hopefully someone who's owned one sees this and can give some advice. If not, any advice is welcome!
FYI my budget is around £6K, if you want to suggest a different car to think about.
Cheers
Great car the R26, very underrated. Loved mine, one of the best cars i've ever had. Did daily duties no issue and great for a track session here and there. That was quite a few years ago now though.
Just make sure it is an R26 (red brembos) and not an F1, so you get the LSD and bit bit more bhp and lbft.
Window regulators do fail so check them. Injectors also were a weak point so make sure it doesn't run lumpy at idle or stutter under acceleration.
The brakes are strong but check both calipers are working well, the brembos sometime need a refurb, and its not pulling to one side under heavy braking.
Sounds like you're not far from RS Tuning, they know these cars inside out and they do respond well to a stage 1 map.
Just make sure it is an R26 (red brembos) and not an F1, so you get the LSD and bit bit more bhp and lbft.
Window regulators do fail so check them. Injectors also were a weak point so make sure it doesn't run lumpy at idle or stutter under acceleration.
The brakes are strong but check both calipers are working well, the brembos sometime need a refurb, and its not pulling to one side under heavy braking.
Sounds like you're not far from RS Tuning, they know these cars inside out and they do respond well to a stage 1 map.
Great car. I had a liquid yellow one which I really enjoyed owning.
Only thing which went wrong in my tenure with the car were the CV boot clips failing on the front suspension. You can sometimes spot this as it leaves a load of thick grease on the front wheels. Not too expensive to fix though but something to definitely check as it happens to almost every car.
A tip if you do buy one is to drop the back seats and to remove the sound deadening in the boot if you want more exhaust and turbo noise. Renault designed the exhaust to almost whistle on light throttle and to make a kind "jet" noise on wide open throttle. It's almost silent with parcel shelf in and back seats up but surpisingly loud with them down. It is, effectively, a free modification.
As for alternatives, it could be worth checking out Megane 250s as they are a step on again - https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202208279...
Alternatively, after some boring diesel commuter cars for a few years, I ended up in mk7 Fiesta ST. Smaller than the Megane but I think I probably enjoyed it more overall - albeit it would have been a close run thing. Could be worth thinking about as well - https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202210120...
Only thing which went wrong in my tenure with the car were the CV boot clips failing on the front suspension. You can sometimes spot this as it leaves a load of thick grease on the front wheels. Not too expensive to fix though but something to definitely check as it happens to almost every car.
A tip if you do buy one is to drop the back seats and to remove the sound deadening in the boot if you want more exhaust and turbo noise. Renault designed the exhaust to almost whistle on light throttle and to make a kind "jet" noise on wide open throttle. It's almost silent with parcel shelf in and back seats up but surpisingly loud with them down. It is, effectively, a free modification.
As for alternatives, it could be worth checking out Megane 250s as they are a step on again - https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202208279...
Alternatively, after some boring diesel commuter cars for a few years, I ended up in mk7 Fiesta ST. Smaller than the Megane but I think I probably enjoyed it more overall - albeit it would have been a close run thing. Could be worth thinking about as well - https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202210120...
clarki said:
Great car the R26, very underrated. Loved mine, one of the best cars i've ever had. Did daily duties no issue and great for a track session here and there. That was quite a few years ago now though.
Just make sure it is an R26 (red brembos) and not an F1, so you get the LSD and bit bit more bhp and lbft.
Window regulators do fail so check them. Injectors also were a weak point so make sure it doesn't run lumpy at idle or stutter under acceleration.
The brakes are strong but check both calipers are working well, the brembos sometime need a refurb, and its not pulling to one side under heavy braking.
Sounds like you're not far from RS Tuning, they know these cars inside out and they do respond well to a stage 1 map.
Thanks, this is the one I've seen - https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202205236... looks like the model you mean right? It also says F1, for extra confusion.Just make sure it is an R26 (red brembos) and not an F1, so you get the LSD and bit bit more bhp and lbft.
Window regulators do fail so check them. Injectors also were a weak point so make sure it doesn't run lumpy at idle or stutter under acceleration.
The brakes are strong but check both calipers are working well, the brembos sometime need a refurb, and its not pulling to one side under heavy braking.
Sounds like you're not far from RS Tuning, they know these cars inside out and they do respond well to a stage 1 map.
madmatteo said:
Great car. I had a liquid yellow one which I really enjoyed owning.
Only thing which went wrong in my tenure with the car were the CV boot clips failing on the front suspension. You can sometimes spot this as it leaves a load of thick grease on the front wheels. Not too expensive to fix though but something to definitely check as it happens to almost every car.
A tip if you do buy one is to drop the back seats and to remove the sound deadening in the boot if you want more exhaust and turbo noise. Renault designed the exhaust to almost whistle on light throttle and to make a kind "jet" noise on wide open throttle. It's almost silent with parcel shelf in and back seats up but surpisingly loud with them down. It is, effectively, a free modification.
As for alternatives, it could be worth checking out Megane 250s as they are a step on again - https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202208279...
Alternatively, after some boring diesel commuter cars for a few years, I ended up in mk7 Fiesta ST. Smaller than the Megane but I think I probably enjoyed it more overall - albeit it would have been a close run thing. Could be worth thinking about as well - https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202210120...
Cheers pal, good advice! Didn't know about the sound deadening. I don't receive many parcels either so the shelf can go!Only thing which went wrong in my tenure with the car were the CV boot clips failing on the front suspension. You can sometimes spot this as it leaves a load of thick grease on the front wheels. Not too expensive to fix though but something to definitely check as it happens to almost every car.
A tip if you do buy one is to drop the back seats and to remove the sound deadening in the boot if you want more exhaust and turbo noise. Renault designed the exhaust to almost whistle on light throttle and to make a kind "jet" noise on wide open throttle. It's almost silent with parcel shelf in and back seats up but surpisingly loud with them down. It is, effectively, a free modification.
As for alternatives, it could be worth checking out Megane 250s as they are a step on again - https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202208279...
Alternatively, after some boring diesel commuter cars for a few years, I ended up in mk7 Fiesta ST. Smaller than the Megane but I think I probably enjoyed it more overall - albeit it would have been a close run thing. Could be worth thinking about as well - https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202210120...
Not sold on the 250, don't like the side profile when I'm in it
Plus, I like big butts and I cannot lie.Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff