For £32k, do you want a new Megane Trophy or an old one?

Renault has today priced its latest Megane RS Trophy. The 296bhp hot hatch quickly follows up on the slightly lukewarm standard Megane RS, bringing more power, lighter wheels and lower, huggier Recaro seats.

It starts at £31,810, which is precisely £4,000 more than a regular, 276bhp Megane RS. A pretty good value supplement when you consider it adds lots of the desirable bits from the RS options list, such as the harder Cup chassis and stronger brakes. Add another £1,700 if you’d rather have a paddleshifting auto than a manual gearbox.

All of which is well and good, but it’s immediately sent us to the classified ads to see what Megane heroes of old are fetching. Pretty much the same sum of money can currently buy you a very low mileage, seemingly rather mollycoddled example of the Renault Megane R26.R or Renault Megane 275 Trophy R, both stripped-out Nürburgring heroes that are widely regarded as the 911 GT3 RSs of the front-wheel-drive world. They’re sensational.

So, which is it to be? A fancy new four-wheel-steering Megane, or a harder cored, more compromised hot hatch of a few years ago?