Looking for a daily Clio/Megane

[Melrider]

Hi guys, been reading the forums and this place is very friendly and also contains a wealth of knowledge.

 

I am currently in the market for a manual daily car. The more I read the more I am becoming confused so I thought it's best to make a thread to get opinions from people owning these cars in order to assist me to make a wiser calculated purchase.

 

My daily commute is 25kms all up with little to no traffic. I don't plan to track but may take it to the twisties here & there.

Have around 10K and am after a car that won't break down and cause headaches.

Ideally looking at 2005+ models, manual, turbo or NA, economical, 2 or 4 door (prefer 2), less than 120000kms, you guys get the drift.

 

I've been reading about the timing belt & engine mounts and would like to know if all the cars are prone to these, if so how often must they be changed & what is the cost?

If done by the shop is it cheaper to obtain these parts myself then get the shop to do it or let them take care of it?

What is the best place to get hold of the timing belt & engine mounts?

Me & a friend recently took an engine out of a car and have the tools & semi know how if push comes to shove to do on our own.

What are the service intervals on 172/182/197 clio/rs & 175/225 megane/rs?

What are the main differences between sport & cup versions in either?

I don't mind a firm ride as apart from a few speed humps to negotiate on the way to work & back the roads I drive are fairly smooth.

 

Are these cars easy to service yourself? ie changing oil, air/oil filter, spark plugs etc?

Can these parts be purchased from a place like SCA, Repco or do they need to be obtained through the dealers?

 

I've been on the hunt for a car for quite a while and had a larger budget but intend to get a motorcycle aswell. If I wasn’t planning of getting a bike I maybe would have been inclined to get something like a NC MX5 but with the ND about to be released in the next few months decided to hold off for now.

 

I have used Megane & Clios on holidays in Europe extensively and never had any issues with them and know Renault are a much bigger and established brand over there as opposed to here apart from maybe RS.

I am located in the northern suburbs of Melbourne. Which service centres in Melbourne would you recommend? I’ve read the name Auto Paris mentioned in a lot of the threads whom I’m assuming do a good job. Anywhere else closer to the city would be better.

 

The car will be used extensively by myself to get to work and run errands. I don’t intend to have a full car load and am inclined to the 2 door variants but am open to the 4 door choices.

 

Thanks in advance for all the tips & pointers to assist the decision making process.

[vaughan]

$10,000 will get you either a circa 2005 Clio 182 or Megane II that will likely meet all your specs. Most likely any car you look at will need some work be it tyres or service.

 

IMHO it's probably better to get a car that needs the belts done, and price the car accordingly. Then you get them done yourself, so you KNOW they have been done correctly by a good mechanic.

 

BTW remember that belts become due by AGE as well as distance: 4 years or 100,000 km. So a 2005 car that's done only 60,000 should have had the belts changed in 2009 and 2013.