Hi all, I currently own an R27 Liquid Yellow Clio and a E9X BMW M3. The Beemer was bought as I had the M3 itch but I don't like the car much, the Clio,m as much as I love it, just needs that extra power and I just fancy a change up, so both are up for sale. In their place I wish to get a MK3 Megane RS with the intention of stage 2'ing it and have a couple of questions: 1. In terms of depreciation, which iteration of the Meganes currently available do you think are set to hold their values better? The Cup S' and Trophy's seem a solid bet but I must admit there seems to be a variety of various limited editions and i'm a bit lost. 2. For the people who have stage 2'd theirs (i'm specifically looking at KTR's kit so hybrid turbo, breathing mods, new IC and remap), what sort of fuel efficiency are you getting? It's not something i've ever considered when purchasing a car but the M3 has changed that mindset! cheers
Question 2. I have my MK3 mapped with intercooler,decat,exhaust & cone filter (319 bhp). My map is switchable on the traction button as i dont need full power going to Tesco`s. On a recent run on the std map from Calais to Nurburg (75/80 mph on cruise), i got 32mpg. Most of the time it is between 25 to 28mpg (flicking between maps).I have seen 36mpg on a long run, but not for a few years. Also depends on how heavy you are with your foot.
Wow, that sounds a better than my clio even. Who did your work? The option to switch maps would be awesome
Q1. Anything with a Cup chassis is worth having. Stuff like the older 265 Trophy or Red Bull aren't special enough to warrant a premium, although owners think they are until they try and flog them. They are only paint jobs. Later stuff, the more juicy bits like Recaros, Ohlins and exhausts always command a premium but watch out for dreaming owners or dealers who think they have something right collectable and are trying it on. Plenty of realistic priced motors out there.
I don't know if any of them are really value holders just yet. The 265 Trophys I saw did seem to cost a bit more than regular models, but I don't know if that guarantees their long-term value. They're still relatively new, so all are likely to suffer depreciation in reality. I've bought mine recently. I held out for a 265 pre-facelift with Cup chassis. I liked the 265 as they have the dark headlights, are marginally cheaper to tax (£210 instead of £265 for a 250) and just newer. The face-lift cars are a bit more money, but I suspect have some depreciation to come due to being newer. I did see some great deals out there though. I found a 275 Cup-S with delivery mileage and a stack of options for less than £18k, so it's worth keeping an eye out. The big thing in my view, regardless of the age you go for, is buying a car with some nice options on it. A car with Cup chassis, Recaro seats, Xenons, LED DRLs etc will not only be nicer for you to own, it will probably be easier to sell on later. For me, it had to have the Cup chassis and Recaro seats, as I think they make the car feel special. I went full-fat as I wanted leather and climate control. I've heard the cloth seats can wear badly and I didn't want to lose climate as my previous car had it. It took me a bit of time to find the right car, but I am glad I held out for it. I paid at the upper end of the market, as it came from a dealer, but that just means that it came with some warranty and had very low mileage. Yes I might lose more, but it's swings and roundabouts really. You'll lose money on any car, so I would rather have the right one than spend a bit less on something that wasn't what I wanted. In summary, I'm not sure I would worry too much about buying a particular model, but try to get one with low miles and the right options ticked.
Oh of course I expect depreciation, lost enough money of cars in my driving life to appreciate that. I just wanted to try and gauge whether there are any particular editions to keep an eye out for. Thanks for the responses so far, just need to lose the M3!
Your posts sort of indicate you want to minimise depreciation, so you either go for an older, cheaper Mk3 that has most of the depreciation knocked out of it, stage 2 it and just enjoy hammering it, or try to gamble on a newer full option 275 Trophy, keep it standard, don't drive it much and hope (low probability) they become a 'classic'. If you like spinning the roulette wheel, just go for a 275 Trophy R with the Ring pack, tuck it up and pray.
What don't you like about the M3, out of interest? I think anything you'd gain in buying a special edition Megane could well be lost by the fact you pay more in the first place. Modifying it is always a gamble too, as buyers are usually put off by modified cars, but I doubt I need to tell you that! Best bet is really to just buy the best example you can find of any model and keep an eye out for cars with good options. Cup chassis and Recaro are the ones to have in my humble opinion.
I would agree that options and low mileage are propably more important for long term value If you are definately going stage 2 then resale value will go out the window anyway in a residuals way anyway I looked at quite a few cars, but for me mint condition, low miles and options were the deciding factor I eventually went for a Oyster Grey 7800 mile 250 on an 11 plate, totally unmarked, leather recaros, cup chasis, xenons and climate I paid through the nose for it due to it being at a dealer, but when I worked out fuel I was spending traveling around looking at so called mint cars, once I actually found a truely mint one, I had to stump up for it
I know how that feels. I went to see one at Renault in Enfield and it was a wreck. Only had 2500 on the clock but had been the dealer manager's car. It was so tatty, he'd obviously treated it like shit, but they wanted big money for it. Paying a bit over the odds isn't always such a bad thing.
Being an R27, there will be an element of the special edition about it. Best not messed with. Mind you I'm not sure just how special an R27 is compared to the rest of the Cliosport 197 range.
When i was looking for mine I went to Enfiled Renault also to look at a low mileage car that I was told had been managers, but was not in great shape and they wanted strong money for it also.
