OldDan

Whats to look out for? Some at really good price at the moment.

Who's had one and what was it like? Is there much room for a 6ft2 bloke?

Are they as fun and nippy as people say??

RS Grant

iTrader: (1)

Girlfriends brother has one, he's 6ft4 and pretty built... he looks a bit big for it IMO, however, he said that he feels fine driving it.


Cheers,
Grant

AndyPen

iTrader: (24)

I have one and it is a great toy. If they have suspension mods things can shake around a lot and come loose.

I have lost an injector and some of the wiring isn't what it could be - fave is the seat belt tensioners that need wiggling around to reconnect once the seat has been moved... air bag light comes on... but seconds to sort once you know whats up.

Water pump packed up and the gearboxes tend to leak a bit because of the way it is designed.

They do nip around and are great handling cars... power band is up high and the revs just fly up.

Not selling mine anytime soon - its great

Shings

I've never had any of the above problems on either of mine or my 182 BUT.... I have heard of the air bag/seat belt thing before.

Above all the MOST important thing when it comes to buying a 172 is the Cam Belt/Aux and Tensioner/Dephaser pulley.

If the pulley fails it will strip the aux belt which will take out the cam belt and scrap the engine.

You can tell if its fucked as it rattles if you try and rattle it and whines like a power steering pump if its on its way out.

Ł300 to have changed, needs a special tool or engine out ( but can be done without either if you have small hands )

Dont be scared of 100K + cars my first 172 did 104k before its first track day and was still going strong at 114k when the pulley went and I sold it on.

Body is cheap french shit.
Interior is cheap french shit.

If you're tall then you may find the seats shit as they have low backs - I'm 5'10" and they take a bit of getting used to.

They go like a bastard, they need the nuts reving off them and corner like on rails....

Awesome bits of kit....

I will own another one soon.

Jakes top tip - find a boyd up kev chariot and rip do the numbers on the chav selling it - take all the crap off and enjoy.

Jake

faisal

2 of my mates have 1 each gosh they rag them everyday the car still fires up the next day so shocking that they take a hell ov a beating and still start up the next day for it all over again lol. very good cars very light and really quick perfect lil pocket rockets tbh

Shings

Round 2.

Phase 1 cars are the best without fail. 15x7 wheels and less silly wires - the throttle has a cable rather than fly by wire as an example.

Also if you're lucky will come with an ally bonnet.

Cliosport is the home of the 172 BTW.

Jake

Shings

Mine drove to Donnington, did 6 hard sessions and drove home and then did 10k miles on the road through the winter and I didn't even change the oil/plugs/etc

Just abuse them.

vaughant

iTrader: (1)

French shit but somehow have a big following,fuck knows why!!!faults?how long have you got?coilpacks,headgaskets,wiring,bearings,French build quality(although they don't rust to be fair),weak as beancans in a crash,for some inexplicable reason suddenly won't start in the winter months.

Ive seen loads in the garage this year and every one of them had something wrong with it,no matter what mileage.I've posted this before but the guy next doors sister hit hers at 5-10mph and the fucking legs went over!!!

Total and utter crap,their cheap for a reason!!!

I'll be slated as usual but I'm in the trade and believe me the Clio has an appalling reputation,but for some reason they sell like fuck?

I think the problem can be what else you can get for your money as on paper especially theres not much comparable to them,but believe me they'll soon piss you off.......and the aa man!!!

Chopshop85

iTrader: (4)

Make sure you have a second car to run yourself home from the garage as you will be dropping it off for repairs weekly.

OldDan

What repairs are common then CS?

I've no problem fixing a car myself or doing the cambelt, however I cannot be arsed doing it so will obviously look for one that's done.

I've seen quite a lot of CAT D's around, and they go for good money too, Do they usually get fucked in a crash? I.e Bend easily?

Shings - I quite like the ph1 but the toys in the ph2 look excellent - and I want something a bit comfy with some nice bits.

Cheers.

Chopshop85

iTrader: (4)

Pretty much everything from what I remember, Had a few mates get them when they were new ish and each one only kept it for about 4-5 months due to unreliability (springs cracking, shocks giving up, and huge ammounts of electrical faults, plastic trim falling off on every speed bump etc etc..) One of them even ended up buying the v6, and that was even worse, in the 9 months he owned it he only got to drive it for 3. They may have just been unlucky but thats 4 friends of mine that have owned them and hated them.

I'm probably going to get alot of stick from fans for this, however, i'm speaking from experience of helping friends fix them every other weekend, or picking them up from the garage they have just dropped it off at.

As has already been said, there is so many for sale at such cheap prices for a reason.

DAN P

iTrader: (1)

my mate had a 2 year old 172 cup and it was in the garage every week only had 16k on it

vaughant

iTrader: (1)

Hi fella,yes they bend very easily.if you find one where the airbags have gone off then run for the hills as you've pretty much got to drive them into a wall at 70 to get them going,you'll be badly injured at that point.

We had one in,55 plate(not a sport tbh) and the girl had hit it at about 10 mph where the headlight is o/s.in the end,we couldn't line the front up on it,even with a new wing,the only way round it was to cut a headlight piece off another Clio and weld it in as it had pulled the inner wing!!it hadn't even damaged the bonnet that's how light it was hit but off course plastic panels don't really hold up!!!!

The engine management light was on and the car had covered 32000 miles,evaporate canister,about Ł150 from Renault,a box filled with carbon!!!!bargain!!shoved an old one on and it was ok but what a headache car,hateful things IMHO.

As said by chop we'll probably get slated to fuck on here as their popular with the boys but I think a lot of them use them on the track where you could forgive all the rattles and build issues,but for day to day their wank!!!

Chip

iTrader: (3)

Not the best built cars in the world, but fucking superb handling and go very well straight out of the box.
There isnt much comparable as a "buy it for 1500 quid and chuck it straight into a trackday" kind of way at the moment.

Ive yet to find anyone who has driven one in anger and not thoroughly enjoyed it.

Make sure the belts and tensioners have been done recently, or budget for getting them done as soon as you buy it.

Spiky

iTrader: (1)

you have now

ME
was ok, was disapointed with it TBH, much prefer my 306 gti6

Chip

iTrader: (3)

Genuinely surprised to hear that, maybe its just cause you are so used to the way the pugs handle.

TimC

iTrader: (1)

Dan send Jay a message. See if he will take you out in his 182. Give you an idea what they are like

Spax

I had a black one form new when they first came out, did 12k in a year trouble free miles, it ate front tyres tho! I put a Pipercross Viper on it and it sounded lovely!

OldDan

Already spoke to Jay, said I can have a drive of it but I'm not around for a few weeks now.

RS Grant

iTrader: (1)

.....to the top, he was driving this morning, put car into 5th gear. Lost power. Pulled over and car died. Tried to re-start and it failed to do anything, guy that collected the car said he's pretty sure his cambelt has gone.

What sort of coin is he looking at to fix this? I assume the engine is fucked and will require a replacement... obviously every situation is different, but the most cost effective way will be to replace rather than rebuild cause the internals will be very messy won't they?!


Cheers,
Grant

zetec-Sam

iTrader: (2)

Guy I know has one, good little car, wouldn't mind one, but his has shit it's gearbox everywhere for some reason. Suprising concidering it's in good condition, garaged most of the time, and pampered. Not sure if it's a common thing, or he's just unlucky (hopefully unlucky concidering I want one :P)

CaftDunt

Yep, the gearbox's are the weak point on the 1*2's. Normally 3rd to go first, then the rest follow suit.

Can get them reconditioned for about Ł400.

Oranoco

Mate of mine got his wife one (Clio 172 Cup) 6 months old and they kicked the crap out of it all the time. Only issue was it went through a few engine mounts but Renault did them under warantee. He also took it to a Scooby club meet (as his Imprezza was broken-again) and upset he fellow Subaru owners by sitting with them all the way on a B road blast.

Alps Pacino

i've just bought a phase 1 with alloy bonnet etc. The interior and build quality seem alright considering its french definatly a lot better than i thought it was going to be, plus i'm 6 foot 6 and it feels quiet big and not cramped inside at all which is a bonus.

Just hope it doesnt break down and sees me right through the winter

tomhunt85

Vaughant, I've got to say thats a harsh assessment. Between me and my brothers we've had 4 and I used to work for Renault (and still impartial I will add), I certainly wouldn't say they're wank to use day to day. I loved the 172 that I had for just over 3 years. I appreciate everyone has their opinion and if you work in the trade you do normally come into contact with vehicles with problems, thats the nature of it. 3 series BMW's are a nice car but I can guarantee that most we dealt with had huge recon bills in some way shape or form.

I will be the first to admit they have their build faults but what doesn't have their problems these days. Cam belt has been mentioned and is a must, age affects it more than mileage. Gearboxes can crunch if it's an abused example and standard exhausts rot quickly along with the mounts. Rear shocks leak with mileage.

They're great fun for the money, go well, stop well, corner well. If you want Dan drop me a PM and I can sort you out a ride in one seen as your a fellow Mighty Whites fan. Both my brothers still have 182's.

zetec-Sam

iTrader: (2)

They're not actually made by Renault iirc, so build quality is better than the usual.

OldDan

Might have to take you up on that when I'm around. Cheers

vaughant

iTrader: (1)

Hi mate,it does seem harsh but the guy wanted an honest opinion on the cars so I tried to tell it as it is.they seem to have a huge following and clios in general seem very popular 2nd hand but they really aren't that well put together,I found them quite awkward to work on as well,lots of plastic fiddly clips and so on.

Good example a few posts above,cambelt just gone,probably no warning either,that just seems to sum them up really,100% one minute then fucked the next.

Each to their own and I appreciate the BMW comment,I've just been stung myself on that one!!although the car had done 189000 miles,I doubt many clios will make that on their original mechanics!!!

It looks to me like the op's made his mind up anyways so I hope he gets a good un!!!

Thanks for the polite reply rather than the usual P that most put up!!!

Big bhp ecos one day

advert removed

RS Grant

iTrader: (1)

This will be deleted pretty quickly mate, you need to pay to advertise on here.


Cheers,
Grant

Big bhp ecos one day

Oh right lol dont post on here much.Hitler website i wont conform i tell ya lol

Dirty Harry

iTrader: (12)

you wont "conform" your someone speical are you ??follow the rules please or dont use the site

Big bhp ecos one day

Chip

iTrader: (3)

You do realise that hitler was the one who killed 6 million innocent men women and children, as you seem to have him confused with someone who is trying to keep a website commerically viable so that we can all continue to use it?
They dont seem very related to me TBH

TimC

iTrader: (1)

Back on topic............

Anybody know if steering rack issues?

My mates knocks every time he pulls away or brakes but at the mo we cant seem to find anything obvious thats moving or has play in it other then the rack itself?

zetec-Sam

iTrader: (2)

Driveshafts? Torque link?

vaughant

iTrader: (1)

There's 2 bolts that hold the rack onto the subframe,double check their tight young man,thunk their 16mm from memory.their fiddly to get at but from memory that's the only thing holding the rack in place so a good place to start methinks!!

Actually,check the subfame itself,it's only a few bolts but if you can get it on a ramp it's dead easy.

TimC

iTrader: (1)

The rack was 4 bolts iirc and a pain in the ass, we had it all out whilst doing a clutch on his car.

Will have to double check everything I guess then.

mobb-black

I've been knocking to work and back in one for the last 4yrs.

They're tinny but there ok. Just make sure you get a standard one thats been serviced and you won't have much trouble from it.

Electrics can be finneky, but not much else goes wrong with them. If its been serviced it'll have had cam belts etc

Just a cool and fast little car. Get one!

Dennis_Wiseman

iTrader: (1)

Its quite scary just how little knowledge you have of these from what youve wrote.

I wont even bother wasting my time to correct you but not one of the things youve listed are common faults with these and the crash test thing is bollox. They have a 5 star rating!!

If folk want to know what to look for, pop over to the Clio forum rather than believe crap like this