I used to own a Renault Megane.

I wasn't really that much of a Renault fan as was mostly into Fords and VW.

In the end I had no regrets owning it as other than the keycard that malfunctioned because it was flung across a room.

The key? Make sure you properly maintain that car and if you're buying 2nd hand make sure you buy one from someone that took good care of it.

A good car but you need to know how to drive it to enjoy it the most.

A good one from the same era would be the Mazda 3 MPS and if you're not looking for outright speed then a Toyota GT86 is an excellent choice as is a Mazda MX-5.

BMWs? I currently drive an E89 Z4, I bought it with a blown engine which meant I had a good discount on it upfront. I bought an engine for it from an E90 and still enjoying it. Thus far other than the convertible top everything about it has been very reliable...... presumably its reliability has more to do that I've made sure it is very well maintained like recently I had it serviced even though in the last 6 months it only did 2,000km.

Have you considered a Honda Civic FN2R?

I believe that's the car you're looking for albeit a bit older than what you're expecting but its bang on the money for your budget and requirements.

It overheated due to the water pump.

Not modded but it had 270,000km on it when it blew.

Unfortunately not had much of a chance to drive it the last 8 months due to work schedule.

Mechanics? Previously I sent it back to TCEC for maintenance and did so till the car was 6 years old.

Surprisingly it wasn't expensive when compared to SDAC for Ford and Alfa Romeo.

What's very expensive are body parts because the rear bumper cost RM9,000 to replace on a Megane RS. Mirror cover and assembly RM2,900 and the rear spoiler cost RM1,800 so the moral of the story is don't crash it or allow a crazy ex near it that could vandalize it because paying is one thing, you have to wait a long time for the parts as well as it isn't something you can order today get today. Oh and don't ever break those wheels because you wouldn't want to know how much it cost to replace it.

Parts that are expensive? Suspension and brake components, Originals are as expensive as BMW parts from AB. Front lower arm bushes were RM200 per piece, shocks were RM700 each, brake pads RM700 for the fronts, disc RM800 per piece and the most expensive thing I ever replaced was the clutch kit RM3,200

Now much cheaper and easier to get aftermarket OEMs for it which just 3 years ago was an absolute rarity unless you hand carried it yourself from UK.

Mechanics? Contrary to popular believe you don't need a specialist mechanic for this car as it uses a standard MT on a very usual FWD transverse layout. Any continental car mechanic should suffice for any of the more complex works needed.

me ex owner