ex-Chinese Dave
ClioSport Club Member
Two weeks ago I finally got an RS Clio. I picked up a 172 Cup for £3150. Everything checked out on the car before I bought it and I'm happy with my choice. There are a few jobs needed on it to bring it up to scratch but I think its decent. It has 125k on the clock but it's only done 1.5k in the last 10 years. I can't find any history of belts but its got a few receipts and the service book is stamped up to 2009. The last recorded date for belts is 5/2008 (!) but the last owner said he had a look at them and they don't look that old. Anyhow, it's booked in at Birchdown for a full service, belts and check at the start of next month.
The blower wasn't working but i've since fixed that. There are few silly bits missing but i've got them on order. The high level brake lense is cracked, the front jacking points need straightening, the hand brake needs adjusting and it'll want a steering wheel refurb eventually. There is definitely some play up front but i'll let the Birchdown lads have a look when it's up on ramps. Steering rack play was the only advisory on the last MOT and the tyres are ok, although they are Toyo's which I think makes it feel a little less sharp than when on the original spec tyres.
Bodywork wise it's a bit of hit and miss. There's obviously a few age related marks and the paintwork in general needs a proper polishing. The roof is terrible (see my other thread) but the rest looks ok from a few metres away. I'm tempted to buy a crap polisher for the roof but worried that it'll be too harsh to remove the marks. I'm not one for detailing so ill get the mechanical items done before I worry about paint. The wheels are Turinis but darker (maybe from a Trophy) but I bought the lighter centre caps to match the bullets. If manage to get the car back to original spec i'll have them returned to silver. A big plus for the body work is the lack of rust. I took the inside panels away today and had a look at the inner rear quarters. On the O/S I applied at bit of Rust Cure that I had. There doesn't seem to be any holes there but around the filler cap there is a little rust. It needs a good cleaning from underneath.
There is a tiny bit of paint bubble on the rear quarters above the bumper but this is on the edge/lip and it's very minor. Any idea what to do with it?
Overall the car is good. After the full service and any repairs it'll get a tune to make sure it's running as it should but it's returning 35mpg around town and about 48mpg on a run.
The value of these is going up so my idea is to keep it and bit by bit improve it but keep it standard. After 11 years I'm back in a Cup!
The blower wasn't working but i've since fixed that. There are few silly bits missing but i've got them on order. The high level brake lense is cracked, the front jacking points need straightening, the hand brake needs adjusting and it'll want a steering wheel refurb eventually. There is definitely some play up front but i'll let the Birchdown lads have a look when it's up on ramps. Steering rack play was the only advisory on the last MOT and the tyres are ok, although they are Toyo's which I think makes it feel a little less sharp than when on the original spec tyres.
Bodywork wise it's a bit of hit and miss. There's obviously a few age related marks and the paintwork in general needs a proper polishing. The roof is terrible (see my other thread) but the rest looks ok from a few metres away. I'm tempted to buy a crap polisher for the roof but worried that it'll be too harsh to remove the marks. I'm not one for detailing so ill get the mechanical items done before I worry about paint. The wheels are Turinis but darker (maybe from a Trophy) but I bought the lighter centre caps to match the bullets. If manage to get the car back to original spec i'll have them returned to silver. A big plus for the body work is the lack of rust. I took the inside panels away today and had a look at the inner rear quarters. On the O/S I applied at bit of Rust Cure that I had. There doesn't seem to be any holes there but around the filler cap there is a little rust. It needs a good cleaning from underneath.
There is a tiny bit of paint bubble on the rear quarters above the bumper but this is on the edge/lip and it's very minor. Any idea what to do with it?
Overall the car is good. After the full service and any repairs it'll get a tune to make sure it's running as it should but it's returning 35mpg around town and about 48mpg on a run.
The value of these is going up so my idea is to keep it and bit by bit improve it but keep it standard. After 11 years I'm back in a Cup!
