I would still recommend a 172 cup or trophy to anyone. I even looked for a 172 cup before I decided on the 197 as i thought it would be the safer option with regards to being newer, more modern and less likely to give me reliability issues for the mulitple years i plan to keep it.
I cannot at this time recomment purchasing a 197 or 200 because I know they are prone to gearbox failure.
My car has recaros, the seat bolster drivers side had worn (22k miles) and that was replaced back in November, the passenger seatbelt clasp stopped working (22k miles) and left me unable to use the passenger seat, this again was replaced under warranty. I could understand Renault not replacing these as you could argue they are wear and tear items but not a gearbox