I'm coming up to changing my car -I get a car through the Motability scheme and have previously had a Ford Focus, and now have a C-Max.
I'm looking at the price list and have narrowed my choice down to two cars, the new Mondeo 2.0 Zetec Diesel, which is my sensible choice.
But I'm being lured to the dark side by the Megane CC - 130 1.9 Diesel. In the top spec it seems like a really good car and I really fancy something a bit different. I had a test drive last week and enjoyed it - the sun was shining and the roof was down - spent a couple of hours on different roads
99% of my driving is solo, don't carry much stuff with me, but I do tow a caravan 6-8 times a year. I do a lot of miles, hence the diesel.
A test drive of the mondeo was really too short to get a feel for the car. I had 10 minutes and was told by the dealer that if I wanted a longer drive I need to hire one!
So, should I go for the sensible choice (Mondeo) or the less practical option?
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The obvious first question is will they both pull your caravan?
Second question is, I assume its a 3 year lease, which car will still be ticking the boxes next year, year after etc?
Is the roof the only "attraction" to the CC? I assume so if you are not contemplating the normal Megane. So will the novelty wear off when you realise we get more rain than sun?
If you were doing low miles I would say Megane so that when you are in the car, you can have "fun". But big miles, I would say it needs to be a good workhorse and go for Mondeo.
Incidentally, I see a lot of Megane CC Motability cars - are they particularly attractive from the financial side compared to other models?
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2007 Seat Altea XL 2.0 TDI (140) Stylance
2005 Skoda Fabia vrS
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Lou - "Which car do you want?"
Andy - "I want that one"
Lou - "The Mondeo?"
Andy - "Yeah. I want that one"
Lou - "Are you sure you want a Mondeo? You said they were the motoring equivalent of watching paint dry, and were only driven by sales-reps"
Andy - "I know. I want that one"
Lou - "One Mondeo please Mr Salesman"
.....
Andy - "I want a Megane"
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Colin-E
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You're right of course - they are completely different
The thing is, I've had a cabriolet in the past, and really enjoyed driving it (even if it was an MGF!), but it was a second car, and I had a BMW to do most of the long journeys in - although I do recall doing 500 miles in one day with the roof down!
The CC is very well specified for the payment that I'd have to make - leather interior, cruise, auto headlights, good stereo etc - more than equivalent to the Mondeo Zetec, for not much more money. And it would tow my van.
The thing is I do a lot of miles - approx. 50,000 in three years, so I need a reliable car, as I can't be stuck without a car. I had to have work done on my C-Max brakes at very short notice and it caused me all sorts of hassle.
(Another fly in the ointment - I was up late last night and browsed through the price list. For the same money as the Mondeo Edge (base version) I could get the Volvo V50 SE Lux. Lots of kit for little money - might have to check it out!)
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Mondeo Zetec was class winner in Caravan Club towcar of the year. See
tinyurl.com/2tx5wt
If that link doesn't work (pdf of CC magazine supplement), go to CC website
www.caravanclub.co.uk/
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Phil
Edited by PhilW on 08/10/2007 at 13:08
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"told by the dealer that if I wanted a longer drive I need to hire one!"
Go via Ford and you'll probably get a 24 hour test drive or probably longer.
If you tow a caravan, the towing weight will be a factor. Have you checked out these on both cars compared to your caravan. Not sure if I read the specs right (they are quoted different) but I think the Mondeo diesel 140PS could tow twice as much as the Megane CC.
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If I was towing, I'd rather the caravan was well within the towing capability of the car rather than only just within it. If the previous post is correct, then go for the Mondeo.
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> Lou - "Are you sure you want a Mondeo? You said they were the motoring equivalent of watching paint dry, and were only driven by sales-reps"
Heck, I'm surprised that line's gone unpunished on here !!! LOL
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If the Megane CC is the one with a trick folding roof, get the Mondeo.
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The Megane CC is indeed the one with a folding metal roof. In three years will the roof still be working? Hardly folded in the UK weather probably ;-)
For the Megane I have no idea about roof reliability, but the Focus CC has many owners still with problems from new. And the VW Eos used to come with a plastic cover in case the roof failed and you await assistance.... you don't get that anymore.
With the roof down the boot space will be compromised too. But OP is comparing apples and bananas really. And if the CC will tow his caravan then maybe it is an option.
The Ford website mentions total mass for towed vehicle and "trailer" whereas the Renault mentions towing weight. I simply subtracted the weight of the car from the total weight for the Mondeo but I probably should not have done that. The Renault Megane CC was 1200kg with driver only (so no luggage?). For unbraked weight the Renault was half that again.
Then again the values for the new Laguna Estate are 1500/750Kg respectively so the CC might not be much worse than the Mundano.
To me the concept of a Coupe Cabriolet and the life style and attitude of the driver does not seem so in-line with towing a caravan.... :-)
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if you end up with the Mondeo i sincerely hope you buy it elsewhere than the place where they asked you to hire one if you wanted an extended test drive
....part of my one man mission to improve British customer service
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If interested I'd go back (or probably phone) and say very interested but need longer test drive. If they say yes take their offer.... and buy elsewhere anyway citing their attitude why not buying from them. If they say no then obviously go elsewhere but speak to Motability - they ought to be struck off the list of supplying dealers with that attitude.
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Thanks for the feedback - I am aware of the apples/oranges thing, so what I'm really interested in the reliability of the Renault I suppose.
I am one of those people that, when I had my cabrio, had the roof down on every occassion - I miss the freedom of the motorbike that I had to give up I think and a cabrio replaces that in a methodone kind of way ;) I enjoy driving, have to be practical with the van, but don't want to compromise 95% of a years driving for the other 5%.
The Ford attitude was a bit off in my opinion as well - I was looking at the Focus CC as well but they managed to put me right off by saying that they had massive build delays and have been priced to stop people getting them on the Motability scheme. Then they said about the test drive, and I mentioned that I might get in touch with Ford directly and they said "don't bother, they don't have any demonstrator stock held so you won't get one that way!"
Think I might get in touch with Ford after all.
Motability pricing is very odd at the moment, the advance payment for a base 2.0 diesel Mondeo is £2150, the top spec 2.0 diesel V50 is £2169 and the Megane CC is £3300, so it would be a bit more expensive as well (The Focus CC is £5200, £3000 more than the Mondeo for a cheaper car that will hold it's value better - can't work that out either...)
I guess I've more thinking to do...
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I would avoid Ford on the basis of that really bad customer service.
Go for the other car - whatever it was!
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If it helps, we've had a '54 plate Megane CC for almost 3 years now as a second car. The roof is used very frequently, often multiple times a day, and has caused no problems at all....
The car itself has not been completely fault free though; it has suffered a failed coil pack (ours is petrol) and 2 punctures. Although the punctures were not the cars fault obviously, I mention them because, as standard, the car comes without a spare wheel.
Some of the interior trim now looks its age; ours is also a Privilege and the light interior is pretty unforgiving.
Despite this it has been in the garage far less frequently for unscheduled work than our main car, a BMW, which is a year younger... We've been looking around recently at what to repace it with, and have come to the conclusion not to bother yet - if we did we'd end up with the same again, which seems a bit of a waste of money ;-)
Peter
Edited by Peter S on 09/10/2007 at 00:31
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