Potential new LY F1 owner

Try and get some money of obviously but no i think thats reaonable to be fair. The arguement is......find another one with such low miles in liquid yellow!!!

They are bloody fantastic cars and u wont be dissapointed

 

I know that feeling absolutely.
I habe just come from a 230 bhp clio 182 turbo and this is better and thats saying something. Lsd alone is of massive benefit and bonus of that and brembos and recaros etc it really is a car fit for purpose out the box.mine makes me smile every time i drive it. Where u based ?

 

Oh and do ureself a favour and check online against the reg of the data on the mots to makesure mileage is genuine and true

 

Sounds like a promising r26 matey.
I am based down in southend essex.

 

That is very high money,so for that it better be spotless,and wanting for nothing.
Things to check.



Check the steering self centers..these cars are notorious for the swivel hubs seizing..again,if it hasnt been done..considerable bill.

Make sure the gearshift is smooth,and self centers..if it doesnt,the linkage is seizing up..common fault..

Make sure both electric windows are fine...window regulators go wrong.

When you test drive it,it should be razor sharp on its change of direction,and steering response.

The steering rack can wear on these,so if the steering feels loose or vague,it will probably need a new bush in the rack.
Should be minimal body roll..if its not the case,droplinks are probably worn.

My R26 is a 07 model in ultra blue with 40k on it.
weekend car,but all of the above have had to be done on it.

These are the main things that can cause issues with the R26,but other than that,my own car hasnt had 1 major issue in 6 years of ownership.

The R26 is a sparsly equipt,stiffly set up car,with little in the way of creature comforts.
So make sure you can live with that,day in..day out.

If its a weekend toy ..no problem.

I personally have owned many performance cars,and have to say the R26, as a drivers car,is the best.
With a few subtle mods,it will hang with most things on a B road blast.

But again..that is coming on for 2k over what you would normally be paying for a nice R26..so it really needs to be spotless.

Any questions on ownership/modifying..dont be afraid to ask..lots of knowledge on this site.

 

You wont find a lower mileage car...with its age he has only done a few thousand miles a year.
My car has never been used for anything other than weekend drives,so at 30k,thats mega low,and a good sign its been cherished.

I am amazed he was not a member on here,
and why its been traded in, when he would have got top money selling privately.

I have had a very good look over the pictures,and it really does look like its a minter.

For starters,it has original Renault cross drilled disks on it..most replace with blanks,so i very much doubt if its had disks.
Also,the callipers and brake pad pins look totally untouched,which again looks like it has never had pads,as the pins normally need hammering out.

Body,and interior as it should be..bumper lines up perfect..which is also a good sign.

only slight downside..and its minor is,it doesnt have xenon headlights.
Xenon lights have a dark insert,this cars has silver inserts,which denotes standard lights.

 

I live in devon,which is close to bristol..if i was 50 miles closer,i would look at it with you!

 

Also the wheelbolts look new..
so either its a new set,or its been sat in a warm garage,with seldom,if any wet weather use.

If it is on original brakes etc(ask them),those pads are 10 years old,so be a bit careful.
I bought a 20k puma a couple of years ago..The guy selling it had NEVER changed anything because of the mega low mileage,including the tyres and pads!...
He had been letting his wife drive it around like that!...
The brakes where truly awful, as the pads had gone right off.

 

If this R26 really has 30k on it,you could be looking at the lowest mileage R26 in the country..

 

It possibly is the best in the country..but if it warrants 10k...
It really will depend on if the R26 reaches classic status..
This type of`handling over everything` hot hatches will become a thing of the past ,as people prefer allrounders these days

If you are buying it as a investment,you will be lucky to make money.
If you want a car thats a very pure driving experience,and little else..its the car for you.

To be brutally honest..a 250/265/275 is a superior car,in a more rounded package,but in saying that,you would need to be chucking another 4 grand on top for a good example at least.

I flew up to newcastle to buy my R26 years ago,so took a chance.
The guy was a member on here,so i could get a feel for what type of owner he was from his posts.
Lucky for me,the car was in 100% condition.

 

http://www.ktrcarsales.co.uk/used-renault-megane-blandford-forum-dorset-1310733
This is seriously tempting me..rare colour,leather recaros,very low miles,but top money for a 7 year old car.hmmm

 

keep us informed about how you get on..

 

This place is literally less than a mile from my house.

Not sure what good it'd do but I can swing by on my way home later and have a quick butchers??

 

Know it, sister bought a car there a few years ago.

I'm home now and working until Tuesday, 12 hour shifts so Wednesday would be the earliest now.

I'll have look anyways as I've not seen a LY in the flesh.

Looks good from the pics and tileys are pretty professional for car dealership if you know what I mean.

It's a good sign if it's inside the show room as opposed to open to the elements.

If you need any help navigating bristol when your down let me know as I may able to help.

 

How did you get on??

 

take it for a decent testdrive.as said before,handling should be direct and sharp.
if it doesnt have a short shift,the gearchange will be a bit vague,but make sure the lever self centers in neutral.

again if the steering is stiff,or fails to self center..hub bearings are gone.

Hopefully all is in order,and should be for that money.

 

Superb news.still be cautious though as stated above.never believe anybidy when buying a car.....experience it first had to makesure its in order. Hope it goes well my friend

 

very nice,as you say when you can speak to the previous owner,
you get a much better feel for how the car had been treated.

 

i hope they are changing the shocks as a pair..will be bordering on dangerous to just do one,especially if its on the way out as well.

R26 new shocks are very stiff when first fitted,so damping could be significantly different on each side.

Play in the rack is common,surprising though ,with such a small amount of mileage on this one.

I recently put the replacement bush in my rack,which has really tightened it up.
not available from renault,but are avaialble aftermarket.

 

make sure you really give it a good run when you test drive it.Steering should be super sharp,with instant turn in.
If it feels vague or strange in any way..something is worn.

Trouble is with the mk2,they have always had this steering weekness.Many guys now are refreshing the entire bush,and replaceable parts in the rack and suspension,as its hard to pinpoint exactly when might be causing poor handling.

 

thats true!
you know if all is in order after 300 yards..its a very direct car,and about as far removed from a m5 as you can get!

Remember to ask about if the swivel hubs have been done.If its been garaged all its life,it might not be as big a issue.
But a car sat for long periods of time ,is usually the last straw for them to give up.

Look for sticking steering, that doesnt return to center when cornering,and feels very tight in areas of the rack.

A renault dealership would simply replace the entire hub,with a very steep bill.

Rebuild kits are available,for a lot less,but still substantial labour cost.

 

http://rsmegane.com/threads/belated-swivel-bearing-replacement-guide.11357/
this will tell you all you need to know...this is probably the most common problem effecting Meganesports at the moment.

The first pic,shows what happens to the needle rollers..seized,amd ground away to nothing.
power steering masks it,but when it gets real bad its scary to drive with the sticking steering.

 

i reckon theres a good possibility the hub bearings are gone if the inner rack joint is knackered.
It puts loads of strain on the rack trying to turn a seized or sticking bearing.

when you are there..jack it up,and see if you can turn the hub by hand..if not...its gone.