1998 Renault Megane RT Alize review from UK and Ireland

Head gasket blew around 60,000 miles, which is common fault with the 8 valve 1.6 petrol. That was annoying and cost around £500 to fix, but this included a new cam belt etc which was due at that mileage anyway.

There's always been a clunk from the front suspension, but as the car has passed three MOT's in my ownership (with the clunk) I guess this is OK!

The exhaust heat shield regularly rattles, and needs tightening up every 4-5 months or so.

The paintwork is fading badly now as the car is 8+ years old, and there are signs of rust around the rear wheel arches and chassis sills.

The car handles nicely, if with a little too much body roll, but there's loads of grip (even with the cheap tyres I tend to buy!).

The interior is comfy and a fairly pleasant place to be, nicely equipped with air con and sunroof, although a little cheap looking. And the back seats are a little bit lacking in leg room, especially behind me as I'm 6'3".

All in all a decent cheap family hatch - much better to drive than Astra's and Escort's of the same era, which I tested at the time I purchased the Megane.