Buying a Clio 172?

[RichMcc]

Hi I just joined the site. Looks great by the way!

I just sold my 1.6 Fiesta Zetec-S and my insurance is sweet now Im 26, so Im looking for a 172.

What are the common faults?
I know ZetecS's have SOOO many common problems to check before buying, so other than the obvious is there anything in perticular I should look out for or avoid all together?

Cheers for any feed back!

 

[edde]

Check for accident damage they rattle as standard interier wise.
Check all the electrics work.
Check o0il levsle some car s burn oil some don't its hit and miss.
The list of problems depends how the cars been driven a 100k car can have less faults thana 20k version if its been tracked a lot. Cups are usually tracked and treated that bit harder. Some people bought 172 full fats for the cumfort and toys not for the all out performance.
See if the engine moves about as the mounts arn't wonderful although new /modied ones arn't that difficult to do anyway.
The 4k rattle from the exhaust is a common failing a lot of people just go for aftermarket boxes if it does happen.
Check for engine coming out of gear and serious engine noises and bad gearboxes its best to drive a few then you'll realise there all bad just some can realy have been killed.
Clutch slip can be a problem

 

[16v_jon]

there's loads of rich men's wives with full fat 172's their the best to look out for
the engines are reliable things to look out for are:
rattle from engine load- either engine mounts or the exhaust
check the full exhaust system as they are rubbish as standard
air bag lights - wires under the seats
check service intervals as the aux belt needs to be done and can cause problems
as edde said the gear box should be smooth and the clutch bite good

 

[RichMcc]

Cheers I'll look out for all that. My fiesta rattled like a tin of marbles and had clutch issues so Im going all out to avoid anything that doesn't fell quite right!!

Intresting about the engine mounts but not a major issue, I usually get a custom zorst, sports cat and uprate bushes, springs and pop an induction kit on asap so I would expect to do all that anyway. Also tidy plugs, leads, oil etc.

Im going for a full fat just need to get from A to B faster. I hate the interior but love the stats on the car tho! Im going to see a few this weekend so I'll try and test as many as possible tehe