(G) Stilo vs. Megane II (Second-hand decision)

I would absolutely apreciate it if somebody could help me make up my mind which of these two models is worth more than the other. First of all I can tell you that I'm from Bucharest (Romania) and both of the models I mentioned lose their value very quickly over here ..which is good news for the second hand buyer.

To sum it up , I'm thinking of a 2003 1.9 JTD 80hp Fiat Stilo (5dr) and a 2003 or 2004 1.5 dCi 80hp Renault Megane II Saloon (4dr).

Word has it both models suffer ..or at least suffered from electrical problems at one point. I love the way both look , loving the MPV qualities of the Stilo , and the executive-futuristic qualities of the Megane Sedan. On the romanian second hand market , the Megane is usually worth more than the Stilo , because its a newer model . The usual prices are 9000-10.000 euros for the Megane dCi and 7500-9500 for the Stilo JTD. I'm hoping my buget will be around 11.500 euros of which 9500 is the max i want to spend on the car , and to use another 500 euros for car insurance. The rest i need to save since i have other expences..

ANYWAY , the advantage of the Megane , despite being usually a little more expensive than the Stilo here , is that Renault has the most car services here in Romania. If your car is a Renault and it breaks down in any city over here .. U can rest easy because there's a Renault dealership nearby. With Fiat..thats a problem ..not alot of those laying around. Sure we got plenty of them in Bucharest and other major cities , but small towns ..not a chance. Small towns only have french and german dealerships. Autoitalia only exists in Bucharest and two or three other cities here.

Down to the wire - Both second hand choices would have about 40.000-50.000 miles on them ..so what kind of wear and tear does the Stilo present after that many miles? Some say its less reliable than the Megane II , others say Fiat has solved its reliability problems.
The Megane also has better finishing inside , more quality feel to it and a more imposing presence on the road (it being a saloon car). The Stilo has a more high tech interior with the lcd display and the ability to customize your car (MY CAR i believe is the term for that particular function). The City mode powersteering is cool and the small climate airducts that exist for the passagers in the back.

The most help I could get would probably be from some of you who own a Stilo but are familiar with the Megane II (meaning at least drove it more than once). I could use a detailed comparison in your opinion on the two cars.

Thanks very much , and if anybody can help ..I'd sure appreciate it!

Cheers and Happy New Year!

I have plenty of experiences with the megane but none with the stilo

Both nice cars both have similar performance megane is newer but is gonna cost more be worth more when you sell if but when you take into account innitial outlay and what you get back its not really that different.

I think in the end take both for a drive and see which one you prefer to drive. Looked at loads of cars myself recently including megane and the stilo and in the end i ended up getting a citroen C4.

Depends what your after really. A saloon or a hatchback.

Id have to say id probably get the megane as im not a fan of the 5 door stilo. And the megane as you say is a newer car and over there easier to deal with daily as you said with dealers etc.

What not a fan of the 5dr stilo bloody frog cars that coment is for L/Lounge only

I read the other day that 30-odd in every 1000 renaults sold have broke down due to electrical problems!

1.5dci engine is pretty economic, fairly nippy, but i'd reason the 1.9JTD is better, 'cos you can have it remapped to decent bhp whereas the dci is about as far as it'll go.

Stilo in my opinion even in 5door is a better looking car than any Megane.

1.9 JTD with 80 bhp? is this correct.

Oooh no doesn't sound right. 1.9 JTD in a stilo sits around 115bhp surely?

Yeah there is an 80bhp version

Well dont buy that one!

Vimto2000 on here has an 80bhp JTD - he did get it remapped via Nige.

BUT it would be better to get the 115bhp one if possible

I can't offer any comments on driving the Megane but I did check out one in a local showroom to compare it to my JTD (115bhp version).

I hold the view that the Stilo is the better looking car but also felt the Stilo had the edge in interior build quality (German build feel against the typical French utilitarian style). Against that it struck me that, although looking quite different, there's a great similarity in the design thought that's common between the two vehicles (stacks of cubby holes, drink holders, large skyroof etc).

Biggest disappointment was the boot (the one thing they make all the fuss about) as it looked significantly smaller than the Stilo's.

While at the showroom, got talking to a customer who'd brought his Megane in to have the alarm looked at for the umteenth time. He seemed to have a good knowledge of both cars and rather surprisingly said he thought the Stilo was the better motor.

Yes stilo all the way

Im sure he sold it...

Has he confirmed that then? He was in the process of selling it, but still showing in Classifieds

Oh alright then