Bonjour,
I'm a serious long-time lurker that has finally joined up on here. I'm basically after getting out of my boring leasing rut. Both, for the sake of my sanity and to start putting away more money for a house deposit. I've always wanted a Renaultsport Clio after being taken out in my mates 172 he had in college as a first car. The stuffy get he was! The really sensible thing to do would be get something very cheap, slow and basic for a few hundred quid but i just can't do it to myself.
So, what's the best one for daily use? I'm looking at the Phase 1 172's, Phase 2 172's (which my mate had above) and the 182's. I know alot of it comes down to personal preference. The PH1's look awesome but i believe rust is a big issue with them. Will they be a nightmare for daily duties, reliability and niggles wise? The PH2's are fairly inconspicuous and i do like that and it was the first and only one that i have experienced in the passenger seat. 182's do have the visible dual exhaust tips at the back which obviously looks more sporty and it is easier to spot if they have had a decent aftermarket system installed or not. I'm just not sure which is the best bet really.
A bit of additional info. My lurking on here over the years has given me a fair bit of knowledge on what to look out for and many of the common issues.
It is worth noting that i'm not exactly handy with a spanner. This is something that i fancy getting more involved with in this car choice but just a bit of a head's-up from the off.
I also don't want a black car. I've had one before and i have one now and it's a proper PITA and sets off my OCD. Any other colour i would go for.
I'm not looking at early 197's. I do love the looks of them but i just prefer the older shape Clio's as an ownership proposition. Coming out of leasing, with set monthlies and minimal maintenance, it's already something that i'm going to have to adjust to.
I do less than 10k per annum in general.
My 3k budget is pretty tight. I'm actually thinking more in the region of 2k would be ideal, which gives me some left over as a maintenance backup to sort any issues and just tidy it up really where necessary.
Cheers
I'm a serious long-time lurker that has finally joined up on here. I'm basically after getting out of my boring leasing rut. Both, for the sake of my sanity and to start putting away more money for a house deposit. I've always wanted a Renaultsport Clio after being taken out in my mates 172 he had in college as a first car. The stuffy get he was! The really sensible thing to do would be get something very cheap, slow and basic for a few hundred quid but i just can't do it to myself.
So, what's the best one for daily use? I'm looking at the Phase 1 172's, Phase 2 172's (which my mate had above) and the 182's. I know alot of it comes down to personal preference. The PH1's look awesome but i believe rust is a big issue with them. Will they be a nightmare for daily duties, reliability and niggles wise? The PH2's are fairly inconspicuous and i do like that and it was the first and only one that i have experienced in the passenger seat. 182's do have the visible dual exhaust tips at the back which obviously looks more sporty and it is easier to spot if they have had a decent aftermarket system installed or not. I'm just not sure which is the best bet really.
A bit of additional info. My lurking on here over the years has given me a fair bit of knowledge on what to look out for and many of the common issues.
It is worth noting that i'm not exactly handy with a spanner. This is something that i fancy getting more involved with in this car choice but just a bit of a head's-up from the off.
I also don't want a black car. I've had one before and i have one now and it's a proper PITA and sets off my OCD. Any other colour i would go for.
I'm not looking at early 197's. I do love the looks of them but i just prefer the older shape Clio's as an ownership proposition. Coming out of leasing, with set monthlies and minimal maintenance, it's already something that i'm going to have to adjust to.
I do less than 10k per annum in general.
My 3k budget is pretty tight. I'm actually thinking more in the region of 2k would be ideal, which gives me some left over as a maintenance backup to sort any issues and just tidy it up really where necessary.
Cheers
