Buying debate: calling Dynamique owners

[Ben H]

I today managed to sell my mums Volvo S40 and got a not entirely unreasonable £3,600 for it, which is a lot of car for the buyer considering its a 2.0 with leather, A/C, 6 CD, alloys etc.

Anyway, thats important as it sets the scene for the hunt for a new small car. It has to be new, cheap enough to insure my 18 year old learner brother on, while at the same time still being resonably quick and well equipped enough not to be a big step down in the world for my mum after the Volvo.

My mum and I have done a lot of snooping around showrooms, looking at every possible small car that fits within the budget of about £8,000. Ive purposely made her look at every car so that she can decide on experience rather than preconceptions, but her decision is final (pending financial approval from my dad).

Failing at the first hurdle were the Fiesta (badge prejudice), C2 (rubbish build), Polo (expensive for mediocre quality), Fabia (looks), Mini (expense), Yaris (interior) and Jazz (weirdness). Coming in for closer inspection was the Ibiza, which surprised us both with looks that grow on you and decent equipment - still, there are no deals in sight and the base models are woefully slow.

This has left us looking at the 206 and Clio. I didnt used to be a big 206 fan, but it is decent to drive and there are some good deals. Then of course comes my secret favourite, the Clio. The Dynamique 1.2 is £9k, but I reckon a bit of haggling could bring it down a bit.

So, what I want to ask is how much 1.2/1.4 Dynamique owners paid for their cars and how they rate them - in all ways. In particular, what happens to the three year warranty if you buy the car from a supermarket, rather than a Renault dealer? Cheers!

 

[Clart]

we just got a 1.6 16v from motorpoint for 9k. Very impressed with it so far

 

[clio__chris]

well my 1.6 16v clio was £8856.53 from a normal renault dealer..... so normal warrenty and stuff

dunno about 1.2/1.4 tho sorry but just to give you a idea

 

[MattT]

I got my new Clio 1.2 Dynamique primarily because of the free insurance for +18...but I also loved the look of the new shaped Clio.
Am payin about 8-8.5k on finance.
Anyway, in retrospect I think Id go for the 1.4, just for the little extra umph...but Im happy with the 1.2 until I finish uni.

Theres been one or two niggles ( electric windows & a scratch on paintwork from new) but have had nothing serious. Im getting good mpg out of it too ~ about 46-48mpg.

I think the warranty should still be 3 years if the car is new...irrespective of where you buy it - not 100% sure though.

I think Id go for the Clio over the 206...although, Id go for the 1.4 or even 1.6 if insurance aint a problem.

 

[Clart]

yeah u still get a 3 year renault warrenty

 

[Jim.]

Quote: Originally posted by MattT on 15 April 2004


Theres been one or two niggles ( electric windows & a scratch on paintwork from new) but have had nothing serious. Im getting good mpg out of it too ~ about 46-48mpg.

Christ!!! u drive round in 5th gear all the time! mines great, no major probs yet... not sure how much mine was, worked out at 9k i think wen i bought it, although not sure how much our haggling saved us from that 9k.

 

[MattT]

Quote: Originally posted by Jim. on 15 April 2004

Quote: Originally posted by MattT on 15 April 2004


Theres been one or two niggles ( electric windows & a scratch on paintwork from new) but have had nothing serious. Im getting good mpg out of it too ~ about 46-48mpg.

Christ!!! u drive round in 5th gear all the time! mines great, no major probs yet... not sure how much mine was, worked out at 9k i think wen i bought it, although not sure how much our haggling saved us from that 9k.



lol, as soon as Im over 25mph wack it in 5th...helps when you coast down hill too...

Got it up to 54mpg for a week once, but it werent fun to drive at that rate!

 

[Ben H]

How much extra would the 1.4 cost usually?

Cheers

 

[clio__chris]

Quote: Originally posted by MattT on 15 April 2004

Quote: Originally posted by Jim. on 15 April 2004

Quote: Originally posted by MattT on 15 April 2004


Theres been one or two niggles ( electric windows & a scratch on paintwork from new) but have had nothing serious. Im getting good mpg out of it too ~ about 46-48mpg.

Christ!!! u drive round in 5th gear all the time! mines great, no major probs yet... not sure how much mine was, worked out at 9k i think wen i bought it, although not sure how much our haggling saved us from that 9k.




lol, as soon as Im over 25mph wack it in 5th...helps when you coast down hill too...

Got it up to 54mpg for a week once, but it werent fun to drive at that rate!

54 bah! ive had 57 outta my 1.6 on a run from Bath to Glastonbury!

does loadsa MPG when u hold it steady at 30s or 40s

 

[peterh2]

Ben H : my mum paid £300 more than the dealer wanted for a 1.2 to get a 1.4, must say its got a fair bit of poke and at insurance group 5 (i think) its nice and cheap to insure, the 1.6 jumps up a lot of insurance groups for only a little more power, imho the 1.4 is the best all round deal.

 

[connor]

Lol bloody hell... I think I paid a lil too much for my ickle 1.2 16v

Im not even 100% sure what it is in total... but its definetly between the 10.5 - 11k mark....

Bought it brand new from a dealer, but got climate control, electric sunroof, billabong pack (which was free), and a few other addons!

But i love it, its fully kitted and such a lazy mans car!

 

[kwingy1]

I brought my clio 1.216v dynamique when they were just coming out brand new two years ago for the sum of £7000. At the time they were around £9000. We got a great offer due to them completely up our order.

The new clios do look much better, had one follow me today, lol almost looked like a 172 from a distance.

If you can put aside some niggling faults, its a great drive and cheap to run and insure.

 

[jon_r]

I owned a 1.4 16v and a 1.5 dci.

Go and have a go in the DCi, youll be very impressed. And 65mpg is also a plus point.

The 1.4 was noticeably quicker than the 1.2 16v, after all there is 23 more hp.

If your Mum/Dads budget could stretch, IMO the 85bhp Diesel is the one to get.

 

[RobFenn]

You can get a great deal on new Dynamiques, with loads of free equipment, as well as the free insurance deal.

With comparable 1.2s it favours well, its also lively to drive thanks to its low weight. However mine has had plenty of niggling Renault problems which might annoy your mum.

My mum owns a new polo, 1.4 SE, it looks pretty good in silver with optional alloys and sports suspension, it even has such luxuries as heated seats! Theres also the little things like a nice soft leather wheel and great cd player. Its got a bit of an interior squeak but fundamentally its never gone wrong. Its great to be in if youre just cruising about, but crap to drive, dull and uninformative..and a lot slower than my 1.2 but grips well at least. I woudlnt want one but i think it would be a better mums car than the Clio

-Rob

 

[jon_r]

Also go back and test the Yaris!

 

[Ben H]

I think the Polo is out of the question Rob due to the expense. I honestly dont think I can see anything extra worth paying for on a car like that, especially when it has cheaper cousins from SEAT and Skoda that are identical in most respects. VW have a problem with product differentiation IMO - Renault just offer budget, sporting and luxury ranges on one car! It seems that deals are pretty readily available on the Clio and 206, so these are the two that are getting the attention at the moment.

The reason the car is being changed is because of insuring my youngest brother, but its still going to be my mums car foremost. Ill drive it from time to time too, but my mum has the final say on the car. Fortunately I dont need to guide her away from something sad like a Daewoo Matiz, so at this stage Im happy just to find the best deal and do all the research for her. She can do the haggling though - shes ace! (she refused to accept £3500 for the S40 point blank and played chicken with the guy over the final £100 to make it £3600. In the end he rang back, but we nearly lost the sale!!).

I hear that the 206 will now be in production until 2007, so thats a little more comforting than the Clios 2005 grave-date.

 

[edde]

Id try the dci even the little 65hp one is only slight slower than a 1.2 and as its a diesel it has good power low down so will feel quiker to somoene who doesnt rag it.

There are loads of good deals for the dynamics Im sure if your buying cash youll get one ~£7.5 with aircon or somehting else thrown in.

Try all the tricks of buying and dont like I did not barter (I blame my dad who was with me). Free insuracne sould be handy if you get a uk car as your allowed 2 other named drivers I think for free.

I have t say I like the dynamic its cheap to run (crashes and depreciation not included) ride not bad its quite quiet and has a decient stereo.

Have you looked at a 2/3 yr old one as there should be quite cheap and depreciation will be much less and you can get a extended warently for upto 5yrs I think anyway to cover for any problems. The warently wont included wear and tear buy after the first yr the normal new Renault ones doesnt anyway.

There was a 1.4 or 1.6 2yrs old in the for sale forum for £5k I think a few days ago which is cheap.

 

[clio__chris]

what about the new dci100?

they r worryingly quick from my position (1.6 16v) with a 0-60 listed as 10.6 and still got mpg of 65 and then more torque.........

looks good on paper

 

[Ben H]

The DCi is on the list (as is the 1.4 HDi for the Pug 206), but theyre a little more expensive to start with and the deals are a little less forthcoming.

Theres a local car supermarket doing the 1.2 petrol Dynamique for £8199, but no diesels in sight. Considering that the diesel is about £500 more to start with, I cant see us finding one at the same price.

 

[edde]

Quote: Originally posted by clio__chris on 18 April 2004

what about the new dci100?

Id keep away there expensive Renault are charging a fair premium for them at the moment I think the list price is more than people are paying for 182s

 

[DynamiqueDick]

Hey ben long time no see.

I managed to haggl Renault Penarth Road down to £8000 for my clio including mats etc etc......

you just gotta tell them your buying a corsa with the same spec if they wont lower the price also i went to one sales person who said i can do it for £8300 then went back a few days later spoke to another slaes person who said £8000.

im pleased with my car the petrol consumption is good and ifound it an easy car to learn to drive in. Easier than my original saxo.

 

[Liam_Dynamique]

ive got a 1.2 and its the smallest engined car ive had in a long while - if i was getting it again id definitly not get less than a 1.4 16v. as long as you buy a uk car then the warranty will be honoured at any dealer.

 

[Tez.]

ive paid 8,600 for mine from renault walker and i shall b picking it up on the 30th of april

2004 clio 1.2 16v Dynamique

my advice is go for that or the 1.4 16v

 

[Ben H]

Right - just got back from the Cardiff Cliosport meet and have a result!

Thanks to S2 PTH, I managed to trade a drive in his 1.4 Dynamique in return for a drive of my Williams . Frist impressions were good - I managed to burn off a Jag X-type diesel going down a sliproad!! Ok, so it wasnt a ball of fire, but the little 1.4 revved very freely and definitely pleasantly surprised me. Clutch, gear lever and steering all worked very well together and the car felt very solid.

This example was lowered, so I wont read too much into the handling, but the turn-in was almost on a par with the Williams and there was no play in the steering (having only 1800 miles on the clock). Fantastic initial bite with the brakes too: just right.

Got to say how impressed I was, having only sat in these cars before. It makes my Williams feel really agricultural, albeit faster. Oh - and I think he enjoyed taking the drivers seat in my Williams, but I probably feels the need to have arms and legs like He-Man now!

 

[Liam_Dynamique]

im quite willing to trade drives of my 1.2 16v for drives of Williams/Cups/V6s!

 

[S2 PTH]

haha yeh kinda!

tbh i quite liked the clutch, felt really manly!

yeh, i payed £9050 for mine, and i had.... metalic paint, Climate control, elc sunroof...

also i traded in my R-reg 1.4 306 which was written off twice for £2k (even though they found out about it!)

ATM im considering selling the 1.4 and gettin a williams and then robbing a bank to insure it under my 18year old boy racer alias!

Actually no, damn it, S2 PTH is too new-a-plate for a willie, doh!

-phil-

ps- nice1 ben, and i was suprised at how un-edgy u were in the passenger seat as i was driving your immaculate williams!!

 

[Ben H]

Yeah, I know it seemed illogical at the time, but an 18 year old driving a Williams for the first time with its owner in the passenger seat is probably more likely to drive it with care!

Like I said, when I was 18 Id have loved to have a go in a Williams so I thought Id dish the car about a bit!

 

[BenR]

I would of so gone for the fezzy..........its light years ahead.

 

[Ben H]

The cars still not bought or even decided on yet Ben! Id consider a Fiesta, but its my mums choice, not mine.

 

[S2 PTH]

hmmm

decisions decisions

 

[Ben H]

Yup, but heading for the Clio methinks. Shes not in a hurry to buy - just waiting for the right deal.

 

[april]

Quote: Originally posted by peterh2 on 15 April 2004

Ben H : my mum paid £300 more than the dealer wanted for a 1.2 to get a 1.4, must say its got a fair bit of poke and at insurance group 5 (i think) its nice and cheap to insure, the 1.6 jumps up a lot of insurance groups for only a little more power, imho the 1.4 is the best all round deal.

I agree!! Ive got a 1.4, but driven a 1.2 recently and it is worth paying the extra cause it is much quicker, but getting to 1.6 doubles the insurance group (5-10) - so yeah, 1.4 is best all round!!

 

[april]

Quote: Originally posted by connor on 16 April 2004

Lol bloody hell... I think I paid a lil too much for my ickle 1.2 16v

Im not even 100% sure what it is in total... but its definetly between the 10.5 - 11k mark....

Bought it brand new from a dealer, but got climate control, electric sunroof, billabong pack (which was free), and a few other addons!

But i love it, its fully kitted and such a lazy mans car!

Think you were Mark!! Hehe!! I got a 1.4 with everything on it - Digi Pack/Billabong/Double Spoiler etc for £9500 I think it was!!

 

[S2 PTH]

^^^^^^^^Couldnt agree more...!

 

[april]

Get a price off a broker or two like drivethedeal.com or similar and then take that price to your local dealer and get them to match it/beat it!! Thats what I did!!

 

[Rich_M]

brill cars, wicked. paid bout £9200 for mine. bit much i know but got a few extras.

 

[sun7]

got mine from renault london city, 1.2 16v blah di blah for 7k, dunno if das cheap...it was brand new.

 

[Alan]

Get a Clio, 206s suck, kit in the lower models is pretty basic! The 1.1 8v and the 1.4 8v are dire, i can keep up with the 1.4 8v in my 1.2 16v Dynamique and totally smoke the 1.1!

 

[connor]

Quote: Originally posted by april on 20 April 2004
Quote: Originally posted by connor on 16 April 2004Lol bloody hell... I think I paid a lil too much for my ickle 1.2 16v

Im not even 100% sure what it is in total... but its definetly between the 10.5 - 11k mark....

Bought it brand new from a dealer, but got climate control, electric sunroof, billabong pack (which was free), and a few other addons!

But i love it, its fully kitted and such a lazy mans car![/QUOTE]Think you were Mark!! Hehe!! I got a 1.4 with everything on it - Digi Pack/Billabong/Double Spoiler etc for £9500 I think it was!!


lol... hmmmm.... Well I got the car on finance so Im guessing the car cost 10k and the finance brought it up to 11k (with the interest)Wish I knew what the exact figure was now... hang on I will check. Right, Car cost 9,795.00! Then the total interest is 1,038.00 which explains the total amount of 10,833.00.
So my baby cost me 9795!
but not sure why it cost so much... hmmm... got electric sunroof, climate control, billabong pack, sports suspension (not sure if thats standard on the 1.2 but it was ticked as an optional extra on mine..)

Does that sound better?

 

[Alan]

Think the sports suspension is standard on the dynamique? And if so it aint that sporty, LOL!