172 Ph1, buying help

[Mrpalmer]

Hey all

Only just joined this site so a newbie!

Not a clio owner yet... but ... I went to take a look at a 2001 172 Ph1 this afternoon and well... i was rather disappointed.

I had seen the advert on autotrader for the 172 and it was within 15 minutes drive so today i decided to check it out.

The dealership (A car park in the middle of an industrial estate) wasn't convincing but I decided not to take any notice until I had seen the car.

First look, I almost fell in love. The Body work was in very good condition and looked good all round but then the list of things I found wrong got bigger.

1. The central locking was broke
2. Drivers side door handle spring or catch was broke, it just felt really flimsy and had no clunk when you opened the door.
3. The material around the steering wheel was all rubbing off and in a rather messy state.

at this point I was feeling a little disheartened but still being positive as most of it was an easy fix.

I started the car up and instantly knew something wasn't right, the car just felt like it was about to cut out every time you took your foot off the gas. (Anyone got any ideas what this could be?)

Then the clutch, now I've heard that the clio sports come with a stiff clutch but Jesus, even with legs like the hulk you would struggle with this. Is this just a sign of old age or a sign that its in desperate need of replacement?

All in all, i walked out empty handed, but would you expect anything else for £990?

 

[arg_carra]

All three faults you have stated are very common, especially the steering wheel, i've yet to see a mint one on a ph1.

Remember, these cars are at least 11 years old now, therefore never going to be perfect.

However, I would agree on the whole "dont jump at the first one you see".

In my opinion its all about belt and service history - the cambelt needs replaced every 5 years or 72k and if it ever breaks, the cars pretty much a gonner. Also check that the de-phaser pulley isnt noisy (if the car sounds like a diesel it needs replaced)

My ph1 172 has a very heavy clutch, but seems to work fine

At £990, i'd expect a few faults as it seems cheap in my opinion. However, say you paid that and it broke next week, you'd make your money back selling all the parts off it.

Hope that helps

 

[Russ_16v]

^^ Good advise there, the cambelt is a £500 job, so that can make a £1000 car into a £1500 car, so double check it has been done by a reputable garage - not ABC performance - having performance in the title does not always mean they know what they are doing lol.

Steering wheel as said are common, and the clutches are heavy and tend to bite high.

Where are you? im sure there would be a member local who could let you see another to compare

welcome by the way

 

[The Chubby Pirate]

Clutch sounds normal, heavy in all the 172/182's.

Sounds like the car could be suffering a misfire which usually means one of the following need replaced;

Coil Pack
Spark Plugs
HT Leads
Injector

All sound like common faults (the steering wheels melt in your hand - dont worry about it)

Whats the mileage on it? There are some right bargains out there atm!

 

[mark smith87]

I bought a leather steering wheel cover for mine from Halfords and it hides the scabby leather rim. The clutch is quite heavy on the Ph1. But if it's got broken door handles etc it's best looking for a better car. As everyone else says belt servicing is critical. If you can get someone to go with you next time you view a car then that's probably worth doing.

 

[tameracingdriver]

My Phase 1 was cutting out when I got it, mechanic said it was the idle cable or something or other wasn't plugged in.

I'd expect most Phase 1's at that price needing a fair bit spending on it.

Mine was £1400. In the 3 months since I've had it, I've ended up replacing the cambelt, dephaser, brake pads, shock absorbers, exhaust, windscreen wiper mechanism, throttle cable, wheels, tyres, springs, given it a full service and spent almost £2K in the process. Of course, its like a new car now, but then so it should be... and I still need to get my arches done.

Although I couldn't really afford all this work, I did it anyway. But if you want my advise, there is no such thing as a cheap Clio Sport, because if they are, they'll almost certainly need money spending on them unless you're very lucky.

In hindsight, had I known all this, even though I like the car, I think I'd have avoided it like the absolute plague. However, I now have a good car that is probably free of needing any major work for years and I've sank too much money into it to let it go now.

Be careful.

 

[alex-avfc]

I'm not so sure, I paid £1250 for mine and it had a stack of invoices for expensive parts replaced. It felt very tight when I got it and still does (now on 109k).

I did have to replace the cambelt though and an engine mount which was about £600 all in so I guess the car owes me more like £1800.

You won't find a PH1 with a tidy steering wheel unless the wheel's been refurbed, and they do idle quite lumpy (less so when ran on Super Unleaded)

 

[Budgie]

Cheap Clio sports do exist- i've been driving around 172's and 182's for the last two years on and off. I've never had much do wrong. They can be run on a shoe string if you're handy with the spanners. It's only when you look at brand new parts and add labour that you're in trouble.

172's are now at a stage where nothing that goes wrong can cost more than £250 if you use second hand parts from a breaker from here.

As for small things like a door handle, steering wheel etc- that's nothing! Second hand latch- £15 from a breaker on here. Non-sport steering wheel - £30 from ebay. Job's a good'un!

What you really need is to live near me. I'll maintain your car for peanuts and supply and fit second hand parts for next to nothing! (;

 

[yeecup]

id look for the very best u can find, pay more for a good one thats had the work done rather than buying cheap and spending a fortune on bits yourself. as said cam and aux belt kits done with proof is a must, trust me you dont want a snapped belt, i know, it happened to me. rust on rear arches, regular oil changes, usual stuff. shocks and springs get tired with age, new ones transform the car, ideally upgrade to eibach springs, and cup shocks. for the money if you get a good one imo they are hard to beat.

 

[2Damnsly Andy]

My Ph1 was £650, 12 months MOT, had 4 months tax, the guy that had owned it worked for TVR Power in Coventry so had done alot fo the service work and had a rake load of receipts. I have put two tyres on it, front bearings, uprated front and rear discs and brakes for trackday use. Apart from a rear arb a spare set of wheels and some RSR's for them its not had alot of recon spent on it. The cambelt is due next year so I am getting an uprated cam fitted along with some polished inlets and the a/c deleted and that should be that.

 

[Budgie]

See, i disagree completely, if you're useful with the spanners, yet again.

A second hand engine is sub £300 now. If I was driving a cheap Ph1, i'd not bother with the cam and aux belt. If (and i said if) it goes, stick a second hand lump in for cheaper than it costs for a belt change..

 

[lemonnobby]

Ill have a mint one for sale in the next month or so.

 

[2Damnsly Andy]

See, i disagree completely, if you're useful with the spanners, yet again.

A second hand engine is sub £300 now. If I was driving a cheap Ph1, i'd not bother with the cam and aux belt. If (and i said if) it goes, stick a second hand lump in for cheaper than it costs for a belt change..

There's the problem.

 

[Andyman]

Never really found the clutch to be stiff. Firm maybe but not anything which is noticeable.

 

[Andyrg@ ClioTurbo]

Ah Budgie states, These cars are easy to work on. Nothing is hard to do, biggest job is may be the Clutch and thats not even hard!

at £990 from a garage then thats a cheap car.

 

[mgoode180566]

Exactly what i did. Bin the broken one and sling a new motor in. Changing the belts on the bench is the work of a few minutes...

 

[tameracingdriver]

Exactly what i did. Bin the broken one and sling a new motor in. Changing the belts on the bench is the work of a few minutes...

Not everyone has the knowledge / time / facilities to do this though. I know I don't. So the option is unfortunately pay someone else to do it. Which is no doubt why mine cost a lot, but it seems to be the accepted norm that everyone on a car forum is good at or has the time or facilities to do their own spannering.

Imagine me changing an engine with a £50 halfords toolbox, in my cul-de-sac with no driveway and virtually no knowledge. Not going to happen.

 

[Budgie]

Not everyone has the knowledge / time / facilities to do this though. I know I don't. So the option is unfortunately pay someone else to do it. Which is no doubt why mine cost a lot, but it seems to be the accepted norm that everyone on a car forum is good at or has the time or facilities to do their own spannering.

Imagine me changing an engine with a £50 halfords toolbox, in my cul-de-sac with no driveway and virtually no knowledge. Not going to happen.

A lot of people on here are though.

I'd be that in most parts of the country, there are people on here doing work on their driveways for much cheaper than garages/specialists..

 

[Ex-User (19928)]

<3 Ph1s. I don't know why I prefer them so much, I think it might be because people get SO angry at an old black Clio doing 50-100 faster than their 40k 2012 BMW. Or maybe it's that retro factor.

Either way don't buy cheap. You may think, I'll do the work myself and save money, but in the long run it will be far cheaper to buy a sorted one from someone on here than to fix it all yourself. Unless of course you're a glutin for punishment or realistically need to keep initial cost down.

Quite a few minters have been on CS and have seen examples with fresh suspension parts and cambelt done, recent clutch/gearbox etc is all things I'd be looking for if I were to buy again.

 

[tameracingdriver]

A lot of people on here are though.

I'd be that in most parts of the country, there are people on here doing work on their driveways for much cheaper than garages/specialists..

Maybe a lot of people are. But most?

I have mates who could help me with a lot of things, but in all honesty, none of them would have done a cambelt job, or changed an engine.

Sadly, in order to save money, I must ironically have more in the first place, since I'd need a larger property with somewhere to work, and store parts, I must invest in tools, and I must invest a lot of my time.

Just offering another perspective. If you're like me, probably best off not having a French car Then again, I've never been sensible.

 

[James23]

Shameless plug but I've got a nice ph1 with belts done which will be for sale soon

 

[Mrpalmer]

Cheers for the post guys all very helpful

I've heard they have stiff clutches but this was the kind that would give you an achey leg after half hour driving. It was noticeably stiff.

I've decided to leave it anyways and keep searching, and make sure I've got a bit more cash too

 

[alex-avfc]

Bottom line is, there are cheap 172's out there that arent money pits and it's not necessary to pay over the odds for a 10-12 year old Clio when you can pick decent ones up that have been looked after cheap enough.