Buying Advice for a Newbie

[cliocupwannabe]

Hello to All,

Firstly, excellent site you have, lots of info and lots of knowledgeable owners... Great!

Please help, with advice, comments and general thoughts... Thanks

My Dilemma.

I've been offered a 2003 Clio Sport Cup, very cheap, but has 101k miles. Not knowing these cars, I'm after some advice...
How many miles will these engines do before needing work? What should I be looking / listening for? Should I be worried about anything? What should have been done, service intervals etc? & What may need doing soon if not done already?

Loads more q's but you get the idea, all information greatly appreciated, who knows, I may become a fellow owner soon, or I may have to wait just a little bit longer...

Look forward to hearing from you all.

Many Thanks,

John

 

[Craigus]

Welcome.

Cambelts. Due every 5 years but often aren't done as they haven't reached the mileage, which I think is 60,000, but don't quote me. And a good service history.

Apart from that, just the general things you would look out for really. Check for crash damage, do an HPI check. These engines will go for a long time if they are looked after, there are loads of members who have cars with over 130,000 on them.

Got links to the Ad?

 

[is1]

Cambelt is every 5 years or 72,000 miles and the auxiliary belt should be changed at the same time. It is an involved job and this car should at least have had one, maybe approaching a second belt change if you are cautious and bearing in mind the mileage. The work needs to be receipted to get an idea of whether you trust the work. It is possible to get timing checked if in doubt.
With that mileage, I would be looking for annual servicing. Interrogate the history (are there receipts or just stamps and do you trust just stamps).
Other than that, general checks, crash damage, overall condition. Check that gearbox changes into 2 and 3 cleanly.
Listen for clunks, lower arm ball joints often get noisy but it's a cheap fix.
There is an example on here which has done 175,000+ miles and the experts think the engines get better with use.

 

[is1]

In addition, check the tyres. Not just for wear but the brand.
These cars only really work with quality sports tyres. Conti SC2 or Michelin PE2/PS3 would be a very good sign.
Check it against spec, is it standard height, suspension, wheels etc.
You can spend hundreds trying to get it back to what it should have been if you get a bad one.

 

[cliocupwannabe]

Thanks for all the comments so far...<br><br>It looks pretty standard to me, but I'm no expert; can newbie members post photo's straight away or do you need to have so many posts before this entitlement etc?<br><br>If I could, then hopefully someone could confirm exactly how standard it looks to them.<br><br>Anyone done the belts, pulleys etc themselves? &nbsp;How hard / easy is it?<br><br>If done by independent renault specialist, rather than main dealers, how much should I expect a cambelt change to cost OR how many hours labour (as labour costs vary)? &nbsp;<br><br>Also is there anything else that you should get done at the same time, eg: water pump or other things that you may aswell do whilst doing cambelt etc?<br><br>Many thanks,<br><br>John

 

[cliocupwannabe]

Apologies for the HTML tags

 

[CabinFever]

Welcome.

Pop some pictures up.

 

[cliocupwannabe]

Here we go with some pics if it will let me... fingers crossed.

Now you will see why I can probably have it for £1400.

This small amount of damage to the rear quarter has made this car a cat c, and so hence the price.

Comments please, is it, isn't it original etc?

Thanks,

John

 

[bennno2005]

£1400 isnt cheap for a Cat C buddy. Cant see the pics. Full cambelt kit with a dephaser is about £600.

 

[Craigus]

No pics mate, don't seem to work.

Are you using photobucket, flickr or something like that?

 

[rob5gt]

you need to become a full member to post pics