USED Renault Megane CC (02 - 09)

My car

I have to say this car far exceeds my expectations. It's extremely quiet, refined with linear power delivery and although not a performance car it never feels underpowered in any situation. I did a lot of research before buying as I wanted something economical that was fun too- this was the only choice. I was initially put off a diesel after driving an Audi A4 and a Golf which were both noisy with a small power band. They also felt extremely front heavy and the Golf (mark 4) handled really badly. The engine in the CC is superb, you can't even tell it's a diesel from inside the cabin when it's idling. The handling is far better than the reviews would have you believe(far superior to the mark 4 Golf for instance) and the economy is amazing. I work out my mpg accurately by brimming the tank and on a 100 mile trip it did 63.9 mpg and that was half motorway, half A roads with a few delays too. Locally I get about 55 mpg out of a tank and that includes lots of journeys under 3 miles from cold. I recently reset the computer as I came away from Stirling Corner on the A1 and drove very carefully never exceeding 65mph and by junction 6 (about 17 miles)the computer was reading 85mpg!!! I love having the roof down and haven't had any problems with the roof leaking or any other problems with the car. The boot is huge and even with the roof down I can fit the weekly shop in the boot. The automatic headlights and wipers are great too. Buy one- you won't be disappointed.

My car

I bought the car second hand in gold with 38,000 miles on the clock. I've been really pleased with it so far, it's great to drive and a real head turner with the roof off. Has all the extra's you could ask for and really glad I went for the 1.9 diesel as it's quick off the mark.

The only bad thing I can think of is that the doors are really big (half the size again of an ordinary car door) and low to the ground when open, they act like a sail in the wind and you have to be really careful where you park it as you can either get too close to the car next to you and fear opening the door on someone elses car or scraping the bottom of the door on the kerb... Have consequently found my touch-up stick really useful ... :-)

My car

This car is a total beauty with the roof down and even looks impressive when sitting still with the glass roof up. It's black (with colour coded bumpers etc).

We fitted the Renault reversing aids at a cost of £350, but they don't work very well - they're far too sensitive and they malfunction when wet.

It's now three years old and we've so far experienced a leaking roof, two sensor failures, a seized fuel cap (common problem with the solenoid failing and manual over-ride seizing), and a two-hour visit to a garage just to replace a front indicator bulb.

You can't access anything in the engine compartment - including the battery - due to the panels which are secured with snapping catches, and it's almost compulsory to have it serviced or repaired by a Renault garage due to fault codes being retained by the on-board computer.

It's probably the most under-powered 1.6 16-valve I've ever driven, and can be frightening when taking away from a standstill when cold (extra weight in cabrio).

It's totally impractical for a family (this is definitely a young hair-dresser's car) and we never offer anyone a lift - except when the roof is down - unless they are seasoned athletes!

Given the known faults with solenoids and basic electrical access (common also in Laguna, according to certain user forums) I don't think we'll be buying another Renault.

That's quite sad as I have also owned two Renault 25s which I totally loved - but they were practical, and it w

My car

This is a lovely car and a real head-turner, especially as I use it as a driving-school car.

The brakes are too keen, though, and as all Renaults appear to be the same, I think this is a problem which should be addressed.

One electric window packed up (rear n/s). I would prefer a traditional handbrake (I don't think it's a good idea to change a major control!).

The car had a leak from roof - when I rang Renault customer services, I was advised to park facing downhill! As my drive is on a slope, I parked facing uphill when it leaked. Amazingly it doesn't leak when facing downhill. As the Americans would say, 'Go figure'.

Economy for this 1.6 petrol is between 30 and 35mpg. Not bad, but I think I will go for 1.5 dCi next.