At what mileage would you not consider a s/h 172?

[.Ben.]

I'm considering a 172 or a 172 Cup as a fun commuter/ track day car.

I'm also aware that there are some components on which Renault made budgetary compromises (exhaust?).

Now I realise there are the odd 'lemons' from any manufacturer, but are 172's more likely to need serious work when other cars may be hitting their prime? I used to own a 330 Sport that was still loosening up at 55k miles!

I know that each case should be considered in isolation, but as a general rule-of-thumb are 172's of a certain mileage more likely to have serious problems than other makes (ie Honda/ VW)?

If we consider this as an example:

Ph2 172 Cup
75,000 miles
FSH

Well treated/ maintained vehicle.

Unfortunately, I'm familiar with rubbish quality (the Elise has a K-Series engine that has needed 2 head gaskets and a new head in 40k miles! It's made using a parts-bin of Vauxhall components that appear to be made of cheese! It also seems to need new suspension components at 20k mile intervals!).

But I'm not keen on the idea of the car spending more time being repaired than being driven!

What are your thoughts?

 

[Poopensharten]

Your right in what you say.

Used car ownership is very much a lottery, you either get a monday morning car or a friday afternoon car. Well cherished examples will/should last.

There are quite a few examples on here of high miles but very good condition (Fletchers Phase 2 172 and Russ's Phase 1 172 are both on 100k plus) but to name a few are in very good condition and havent missed a beat thus far i am aware!

The exhausts are pretty bad across the 1*2 range but thats no secret. Also engine mounts seem to be made of toilet paper aswell. There are no major faults to report with them as far as i am aware tbh.

Good cherished examples seem to be more reliable than others (although these command a price)

btw, i have heard the S1 elises are world famous for head gasket failure

 

[Ali]

lol...Now theres a question. Some will run and cause minimal expense for the duration of ownership, others will break constantly.

 

[.Ben.]

i have heard the S1 elises are world famous for head gasket failure

Ain't that the truth. :dead:

All down to badly designed/ badly cast water cooling channels in the block. Heads are prone to warping because of the terribly-designed thermostat system that allows cold water to gush into a hot block. Also, heads become porous for some reason unknown to me!

That's why lots of S1's and early S2's (that have the K-Series engine) are being converted to K20A (Civic Type-R motor) or Audi 1.8T setups.

Thing is, we've got an 8-month old and I can't justify the £10k for the conversion!!

 

[Poopensharten]

I was just about to add about the K20 conversion!

That must be alot of fun to get that set-up. Reliability guarnteed if its done right!

 

[ianeire]

I bought mine at 72k on the clock and it didn't miss a beat until 100k where it spat the dummy.

 

[Ads_172]

Generally mileage doesn't seem to be a particular issue with RS' so far as long as they're been cared for. More wear and tear parts will need replacing, but that applies as much to age as it does mileage for the most part.

Mine's on 80k and whilst it's had a few parts replaced (exhaust, UCH, steering arms), the car itself is sweet as a nut. A big nut.

 

[.Ben.]

Intriguing answers guys! Thanks! Pretty much as I expected. The 'core' car seems to be solid, but the peripheral components seem to be gash, yes?

What's a UCH, Ads?

My gut instinct is to steer clear of cars over 80k, just on the basis of wear and tear. I'd also avoid excessive under-use too. To me, it seems that there is a 'sweet spot' average mileage of between 7k-10k per year. Less than this can have it's own implications (ie - local journeys can cause more harm than long ones!).

When considering any car I'd always avoid cars without a FSH (not too bothered that it'd not be main dealer - I find Independents so much more trustworthy anyway!).

So, from reading various sources, common points to check at 60k+ miles appear to be (please forgive me if the sources from which I copied these have got it wrong!):

- Engine and gearbox mounts
- Exhausts (seem to not last more than 20k miles?!?!)
- Cam-belt needs to be changed @ 72k(?)
- Aux belt @ 36k(?)
- Suspension bushes
- TDC sensors (What are they?)
- Clutches only last 30k! Surely this is down to driving style?
- Brittle rear springs
- Noisy power steering

Would you agree?

...until 100k where it spat the dummy.

:S What happened Ian?

 

[ianeire]

Broke a few valves two hours after leaving a Renault Main dealers having had the timing belt done. Renault say it's not their fault so we're having a bit of a row at the moment!

 

[JON13S]

i looked after mine religiously but had a fair few issues with covering 25k in a year. i'm not saying they aren't reliable as it didn't miss a beat and i have seen many on here sail through the miles. suffer mainly with wear and tear but the costs add up. finally got rid of it when a big head problem occured and a reputable garage (no names as i trust them) on here advised that i should get rid as covering high miles was taking its toll especially the extended motorway stints. car was only on 60k

i apprecate this was a fluke (and only the second one they had ever seen) but these are all things to consider. swarf was found in the top of the engine and it wasn't the dephaser, although the noise sounded like it.. we tried that and it sounded ok until i got down the road. after relentlessly trying to find the cause the engine was run with the covers off and you could see the cams vibrating...and the cost to fix was high...

i'm going to return to clio ownership but it will be a toy not a mile muncher.

 

[Russ_16v]

mines now on 127,000 and regularly gets driven properly, i let it warm up and cool down, treat it with respect and service it every 6k or so, and has behaved perfectly.

only things iv had to replace have been the exhaust which snapped, the idle control valve, and the n/s drive shaft as muggins here didn't see a split cv boot and ran it dry

iv chosen to replace various things to freshen it up, such as brakes and suspension, but generally runs lovely and still makes reasonable power ( 141bhp @ the wheels, 173.3@ the fly, 149lb ft torque) and makes very good compression too


but it does depend how its looked after,mines still on its original clutch and gearbox i know some people on here have had gearbox trouble for example, as low mileage as 40k,

 

[Poopensharten]

Cambelt and Aux belt need changed after 5 years or 72k miles whichever is soonest.

I wouldnt say the exhausts last no more than 20k they can last longer (ive heard 40k is about right)

Renault could have done such a better job with the exhausts for such a small cost.

The cost of exhausts from Renault is unbeliviable when you consider how poorly put together they are !

 

[Russ_16v]

^^ yup 177 quid for a centre section!? lol i went aftermarket

 

[Poopensharten]

Have you seen the cost of a Phase 1 double cat?

Eye watering!!!!!

 

[.GAZ.]

U either get a good 1 or a bad 1.. no inbetweens!

 

[Andyman]

Bought my ph1 from new and its now over 112k on the clock.

Was modded at 60k and has been tweeked here and there right up to last year.

Its pretty much as good as the day it rolled out the factory. I dont drive it any different because of its age.

Problems iv had since new have been one alternator, couple of Lambdar (sp?) sensors, loose map sensor wire, the common throttle body spring thing and a leaking inlet gasket at 20k.
Rest has been the usual wear and tare, brakes and tyres, one clutch change handbrake cable etc

FSH and a car that hasnt been owned by half your town and i personally wouldnt worry too much about the mileage. These F4R's seem to be pretty strong engines.

On the point of loosening up. Roughly 40k and it started to get going on this lol

 

[sideways danny]

I've seen 40k sheds and 90k minters. It's ALL about condition and maintenance with performance cars. Personally I'd start with a shed and make it right for me, but i can't live with standard cars, so most of what goes wrong would be changed ASAP anyway

 

[.Ben.]

U either get a good 1 or a bad 1.. no inbetweens!

That's the thing. It's a lottery with second-hand cars. I think you just have to go in with your eyes open and be as educated as possible on the things to look for when viewing.

It's encoaraging to hear everyone's experiences though!

 

[TimR26]

Its not the mileage that matters its how its been looked after. Fletcher on here has a 172 thats done over 100k and its in as good a condition as any I've seen.

 

[alanc1000]

ivan on heew has a phase 1 172 X reg and at the rolling road is put out 178bhp standard or something mad, its standard too i think!

 

[Fletcher]

Your right in what you say.

Used car ownership is very much a lottery, you either get a monday morning car or a friday afternoon car. Well cherished examples will/should last.

There are quite a few examples on here of high miles but very good condition (Fletchers Phase 2 172 and Russ's Phase 1 172 are both on 100k plus) but to name a few are in very good condition and havent missed a beat thus far i am aware!

The exhausts are pretty bad across the 1*2 range but thats no secret. Also engine mounts seem to be made of toilet paper aswell. There are no major faults to report with them as far as i am aware tbh.

Good cherished examples seem to be more reliable than others (although these command a price)

btw, i have heard the S1 elises are world famous for head gasket failure

Its not the mileage that matters its how its been looked after. Fletcher on here has a 172 thats done over 100k and its in as good a condition as any I've seen.

Thanks guys

As long as it's been serviced regularly and looked after, then don't let the high mileage put you off.

I like Russ have oil changes every 6k and i am also still on the original clutch/gearbox.

tbh my 172 did cost me quite a bit when it reached the 70k mark but now [touches wood/ is running better then ever.

 

[Martin_172]

my engine and box is brilliant but the cars a friday afternoon car!

 

[Rossy197]

Mines been pretty solid TBH

04 182 @ 42K

Had new engine @ 20k as cambelt decide to do a runner and smashed every valve, but since the replacement engine (warranty) i've only done brakes and services, Still on original exhaust too - does need replacing but it still does its job bar a lil rattle (baffles), Oh yeah watch for the hazard switch as i think they have gone on nearlly all RS's but are pennies so no biggie, not bad cars on replacement parts as easy to get hold of maybe a tad expensive but i spose you just got to know where to look