I’ve had a number of PM’s prompting me to do an ownership experience of the Clio V6 and given the frequency of threads on the forum about ‘potential buyers’ I thought I’d put pen to paper and provide the ‘true’ details and facts.
This isn’t so much a buyers guide but more-over a personal journey of mine and what I’ve done and how I’ve got on with it over the past 3years. I would always refer you to www.v6clio.net for more details; FAQ’s and advice on the running and maintenance of you’re V6.
So here goes, any questions please ask.
Ali
May 2007 – Sold 172.
After selling the ‘Pink Bus’ in May 2007, I was left in the position many on the forum face…Where to go next? I briefly considered the .:R32, GTA, S3, VX, 350Z route, but the lure of the Clio V6 was still there. It’s one of those cars you see as a boy and instantly want it. (Well it was for me) Few will be in a position to buy and scratch that itch and even fewer will be in a position to have it as a 2nd car/toy. Anyway, for the interim time before buying the V6 and being able to drive it, I was living at home, post university and had the ratty Williams to keep me mobile, or frequently not as the case may be.
One for memories!
No. 46 – SH53 UUR
For me Illiad blue was always the colour to have the Clio V6 in. That’s not said, because it’s often the cheapest and most common I might add, but more-over because it was the colour I saw in the press when it first came out, the contrasting high power silver O.Z wheels/vents work so well against the blue…Perfect!
So No.46. it’s a early 2004 car, it was on 3 owners, it was HPI clear, it was clear of finance, on 21k and owned by a Renault Commercial manager in Edinburgh. FRSH. Sounds good?........Hummmm, kind of, I’ll explain why. The car in question was kept in a lock-up in Glasgow, where it had sat for about 4months; Idle! The owner, the wife of the commercial manager had just had a baby and unfortunately had to sell. Great, I thought!
So the old boy and I made the 30min drive into Glasgow to see the car… We were met my James and partner and a rather dusty, poor looking Clio V6…I’m normally one for saying: “If it looks s**t on the outside, more often than not it’ll be a dog underneath” This fitted the saying down to the ground.
The car was dirty but given that it’s been locked up for months, not unsurprising, there was a small scrape on the bumper, where she had hit a kerb, a couple of the wheels were kerbed and the tyres were federals! The interior was a bit manky and the gear knob scratched from her rings! Couple that with swirly paint and you’ve got the most unattractive sale in the world.
Now here’s where it started looking up…At this point I was jobless and had the time to correct the faults, I was also keen at detailing and I was more than likely going to paint the front end anyway so, that eliminated the issues from a bodywork point of view. Sure the tyres were rubbish but they were brand new and they would do for a while before upgrading, likewise the wheels could be refurb’d for a couple of hundred pounds. The biggest selling point was that the car had just had the cambelt replaced; early I should add due to a water pump issue, under warranty. All paperwork was there and accounted for. Incase you aren’t aware, the cambelt job isn’t cheap and it would be due the end of the following yr.
Taing into consideration the sellers eagerness to sell the car, the conditions and the cambelt being done already, we settled on a silly low price. 15k, approx 2k less than market value. I had due concerns over the reliability given the condition but took a major risk and overlooked it. To date, this has proven to be a good move.
The Journey & Refurb work.
So back home, the refurb work commenced on No.46. Given my age, 21, the insurance was crazy so I opted to leave the car off the road until I was 22. Insurance premium difference of about £400!! Plus with all the ongoing refurb work, there was little point.
Insurance
Whilst we’re talking about insurance here’s the premium’s I paid
· Yr 1 @ 22yrs old - £1476, 1k excess and 2yrs NCB, 3 points and Aberdeen Postcode
· Yr 2 @ 22yrs old - £1100, 1k excess and 3yrs NCB, 3 points and Aberdeen Postcode
· Yr 3 @ 23yrs old - £941, 1k excess, clean licence, Aberdeen Postcode
Post yr 3 I started running the policy for 12 months and only for the summer months. Part of a multi-car agreement with Admiral.
2009 summer – 23-24yrs old, £670, 1k excess, same as above. Half premium reimbursed in November time.
2010 currently – 24yr-25yrs old, £505, 1k excess, same as above.
Now the excess may seem high but at the cost of panels, you’re not likely to have a cheap repair bill anyway…That’s my rationale anyway.
Tax
Given that’s it’s a 2004 car, in band K, its fortunately falls into the cheaper tax classification. £245 P/a or £134.50 for the half yr.
Step 1 - Stripping the car
First port of call was to address the front end!! If you’ve ever had the pleasure of taking the bumper off the v6, you’ll know what a b**ch of a job it is…fortunately it does get easier the more you do it. I think I’m down to about 20mins now! – Done it enough over the years.
With the bumper, bonnet and plate off the damage with a lot worse than I thought…The Car may well be HPI clear, but we reckoned it had seen paint once, maybe twice before.
Step 2 - Arches and Brakes
What a state the brakes were in, even though we drove the car home, the pistons were seized on 2 of the pots. With pads down to the metal and a small groove on the disk, I had them machined and replaced. Good as new, for reference disks are £500 a pair and pads over £200! So it stands to reason why I went for aftermarket pads.
http://www.cliosport.net/forum/showthread.php?238950
Step 3 - Interior
Again, more time spent deep cleaning the interior, polishing and steaming the seats. Came up pretty much new, with just a few scratches left on the gear knob.
http://www.cliosport.net/forum/showthread.php?236011
Step 4 - Under Bonnet
Once the front end was off, the access to the inner arches, sub-frame etc was much better. With the same process as the arches, I blitzed the front end in preparation for getting the bumper and bonnet back for refit.
http://www.cliosport.net/forum/showthread.php?238804
Step 5 – Refit & Detail(s)
With the reconstruction work done on the front bumper and the bonnet also freshened up, the refit work was done. The cost to refurb the bumper and bonnet was £350 cash, or £200 for the bumper alone. This is an annual cost.
August 09 detail
http://www.cliosport.net/forum/showthread.php?427224
Step 6 – Wheel refurb
The last remaining step was to refurb the wheels, unfortunately we/they got it completely wrong, the wheels should be a high power silver, but the colour I got back with a dullish silver which when on the car looked crap, I was mega disappointed with the result so had them done again (Albeit 6months later)
http://www.cliosport.net/forum/showthread.php?269629
Modifications Made
It’s no secret that the V6 is a bit lardy and underpowered, but the looks and personality of the car far out weights the 0-60/100 time. Over the past 3yrs I’ve made a number of mechanical based changes to the car, some purposeful, some cosmetic and of course some to enhance the noise.
1 - Pipercross Evo
Options for intakes for the V6 are rather limited, infact generic 3.0l application is the only intake you can buy! That said, the pipercross is one of the best mods I’ve done, the noise before was supreme, but the noise after is simply exquisite!!
Std:
PiperX:
The latter gives a bit of clout to what I’m going to address later, Re. Performance, the DC5 is 242Bhp, 1up and over 200kg lighter stock! The “lardy hippo” does ok in my opinion.
2 – KW V3 Coilovers
Mid was through 2008 I broke a spring, being honest I never even felt it; it was picked up at an MOT. I ‘stupidly’ replaced the springs with a custom set to avoid cost, but they raised the car and made it very harsh!...They didn’t last too long.
Shortly before FCS in 2008 I replaced the whole suspension set up with a set of KW V3’s, supplied by Yozzasport, fitted by Stoddie and I and set up at Falkland and latterly IF motorsport at Knockhill. The different the coils made, not only on a cosmetic level but on handling and balance was mind blowing. I changed the set up further, before I went to the ring as I was concerned over rideheight (More so for the ferry, than track)
The KW’s were about £1500 plus set up, so £1700 all in, trust me, they are worth their weight in gold.
Before:
After:
3 – Recaro Pole Position Seats & Sabelt Steering wheel
Again, it’s not a secret that the driving position in the clio is poor, the hold the seat gives you and the position ruins the overall driving pleasure of the Renault Sport range, I admit the latter 200 is a marked improvement.
Anyway, I bought a set of Recaro Pole Positions off ColinG for the tidy sum of £800, whilst he fitted them, I PC’d his TT240. Good times!
Overall the PP’s are great seats, not the most comfy for long trips and with the recaro sidemounts they don’t sit any lower than std….I may address this at somepoint. I also have new harnesses to fit but unlike the 172’s etc the fitting is a little more complex as you need to weld them into the rear bulkhead…I’ll get clark motorsport to do that at some point.
To compliment the seats I decided to bin the bus sized steering wheel for the Sabelt cup racer wheel, it’s much better but unfortunately you lose the CC function, never really cared about that tbh!
4 – Remap
Now then, I didn’t actually map the car myself, when I bought it I was lucky in that the previous owner put an aftermarket exhaust on it and mapped it at Falkland Performance. With a trip back, Kevin confirmed that the map was no longer on the car and he offered to put it back on for £50, done! The overall effect was ok, it didn’t increase the power but what it did do was smooth the curve and give me a little more rev’s to play with! We had immense fun trying to tie the car down!
[video]http://www.youtube.com/user/ajrmotorsport#p/u/18/8rGfVxNh5P8[/video]
http://www.cliosport.net/forum/showthread.php?259340
5 – 2 piece disks
One of the last things I’ve done is to replace the front disks, as mentioned above, renault’s idiotiotic prices forced the members on v6clio.net to look for alternatives, coordinated by Stephen from RTOC we arranged a group buy for 2 piece disks, the rotors are universal fast road/track disks. The overall result is great, they look fantasic the stopping power is much improved, only thing I don’t like is the red stuff pads which stick out like a sore thumb. But being picky there.
Disk cost - £450
The truth about the car
If you read this far, well done, the next bit is more about the overall ownership experience, I’ll remain unbiased and compare it to both the Reaultsport and other cars I’ve driven.
Performance
6/10 – in reality a car which weighs 1400+kg and has 250bhp is never going to set the world on fire. What I would say however is that the motor is very easy to live with, there is power from 2k revs, you can pull away in 2nd comfortably, you can rev it to the high side of 7k RPM, and you will struggle to find a more audible car from an interior point of view. It’s glorious it really is. The std exhaust is too quiet imo, it really needs both the IK and exhaust to get the best note out of the engine. hen I jump into the Vee, I do often thing Renault pussy’d out and should of given the motor another 50brake+, it’s simply not….punchy enough! It is MILDLY faster than the 172/200 range. More on par with a TB’d 172… but in reality is could have been better. A number of the members on V6clio.net have made engine modifications but as I said, the £ per BHP gain doesn’t merit. I would rather enjoy the noise and reliability than risk it all. For reference it’s still a sub 6sec to 60 car and I will do an GPS verified speed of 153 still pulling (170 on the speedo)
Handling
7/10 - I can’t comment really on the std set up, as the car came with federals on it. That said the car was still very well balanced and can more than punch it’s weight on the A/B roads. When I fitted the coils I completely changed the car…It beca,e so sharp and so precise, the damping was much improved and coupled with better tyres it was a completely different car. I have so much confidence in the car now it’s unreal. In the 3yrs I’ve had it I’ve never felt scared or had a moment that would risk the car or me. The negative press the car receives on handling isn’t warranted and I honestly believe they listen to what’s been said previously rather than assessing things from a fresh eyes perspective.
Here’s ½ a lap of Cadwell, before we got black flagged for using a camera, testament that the car is more than capable on the track!
[video]http://www.youtube.com/user/ajrmotorsport#p/u/16/nyj00CGybIM[/video]
Fuel
6/10 Stupid topic tbh! The car will do between 17-20 in town and 26-30 on the motorway. Like anything if you drive it hard it will do less. 6 laps of the ring emptied the tank for reference.
Space
3/10 lol, errr, it’s never been an issue for me, but I can see that if the car is to be your only car then space could be a factor. The front boot space isn’t watertight and if you put your shopping in there it’ll be bruised, battered and hot by the time your home. The space behind the seats is fairly good, and if you’ve not got a passenger then the footwell is as good a space as any. Long of the short of it is, if you need lots of space, this isn’t the car for you.
Problems
The v6 isn’t bomb proof, many people have had issues, and they range from: Lamda sensors, and coils, to clutch, boxes and waterpumps. In reality the motor’s not that highly strung, so it doesn’t need a lot of attention. If you drive it nice in town, avoid pot holes and let it warm up…there is NO reason why it shouldn’t be as reliable as your 172 etc. For me, I’ve only has one issue and that was that broken spring. She’s proven to be a good one…If sure at some stage she will break, she’s on 42k now on the stock box, clutch…
Winter/2nd cars
I drove the V6 all year round for the first 2yrs with no issues what so ever, the car is actually better in the snow that the BMW is, but I made a call in 2009 is garage it over winter and buy a cheap run around. I hated it from the first moment I drove it, it wasn’t a bad car by any means, but it was so dull, and when the car is physically the same inside, the joy of driving just went out the window. I kept the car till the snow had cleared and then punted it for the German tank. This way I’ve got a solid day to day car with all the toys, it’s supremely comfy and warm, it’s a far better car than the Clio, but still makes me want to drive the Clio from time to time…What I would say is, if you are buying the V6 as your 2nd car, ensure your day to day car is….not so much better, but ‘more’ solid, “German” basically. This’ll keep you entertained for work, commuting etc but still keeping you eager to drive the Clio on warm days or at the weekend.
The short lived 172, now Rory’s.
Kicking it with the Best
No matter where you go in the car people will always stop and stare, it’s a supercar through and through, it may be a Renault and a lardy one at that, but anyone who comes over from driving a Ferrari, Lambo, BMW etc and starts asking questions/taking pics can appreciate it for what it is… Some pics of the V6 mixing it with the best.
Summary
If you’ve made it right to the end, well done & apologies for the woeful spelling & grammar, what I’ve done below is summarise my costs for potential buyers over a 3yr period, please note this is a rough estimate and doesn’t include fuel. I hope some of the above can put some perspective into your decision on whether or not to buy a Clio V6.
They truly are a “Magnificently flawed gem and I love mine to bits!
Car: £15,000
Tax: £800+
Insurance: £4,500+
Bodywork (Bumper x4, Bonnet x2, Arches x1, Sills x1) £2000
Servicing: £500
Tyres: £500
Refurbs: £500
Seats: £800
ICE: £400
Harnesses: £250
Steering wheel &Boss: £200
Disks and pads: £500+
IK - £250
Coilovers: £1600
This isn’t so much a buyers guide but more-over a personal journey of mine and what I’ve done and how I’ve got on with it over the past 3years. I would always refer you to www.v6clio.net for more details; FAQ’s and advice on the running and maintenance of you’re V6.
So here goes, any questions please ask.
Ali
May 2007 – Sold 172.
After selling the ‘Pink Bus’ in May 2007, I was left in the position many on the forum face…Where to go next? I briefly considered the .:R32, GTA, S3, VX, 350Z route, but the lure of the Clio V6 was still there. It’s one of those cars you see as a boy and instantly want it. (Well it was for me) Few will be in a position to buy and scratch that itch and even fewer will be in a position to have it as a 2nd car/toy. Anyway, for the interim time before buying the V6 and being able to drive it, I was living at home, post university and had the ratty Williams to keep me mobile, or frequently not as the case may be.
One for memories!
No. 46 – SH53 UUR
For me Illiad blue was always the colour to have the Clio V6 in. That’s not said, because it’s often the cheapest and most common I might add, but more-over because it was the colour I saw in the press when it first came out, the contrasting high power silver O.Z wheels/vents work so well against the blue…Perfect!
So No.46. it’s a early 2004 car, it was on 3 owners, it was HPI clear, it was clear of finance, on 21k and owned by a Renault Commercial manager in Edinburgh. FRSH. Sounds good?........Hummmm, kind of, I’ll explain why. The car in question was kept in a lock-up in Glasgow, where it had sat for about 4months; Idle! The owner, the wife of the commercial manager had just had a baby and unfortunately had to sell. Great, I thought!
So the old boy and I made the 30min drive into Glasgow to see the car… We were met my James and partner and a rather dusty, poor looking Clio V6…I’m normally one for saying: “If it looks s**t on the outside, more often than not it’ll be a dog underneath” This fitted the saying down to the ground.
The car was dirty but given that it’s been locked up for months, not unsurprising, there was a small scrape on the bumper, where she had hit a kerb, a couple of the wheels were kerbed and the tyres were federals! The interior was a bit manky and the gear knob scratched from her rings! Couple that with swirly paint and you’ve got the most unattractive sale in the world.
Now here’s where it started looking up…At this point I was jobless and had the time to correct the faults, I was also keen at detailing and I was more than likely going to paint the front end anyway so, that eliminated the issues from a bodywork point of view. Sure the tyres were rubbish but they were brand new and they would do for a while before upgrading, likewise the wheels could be refurb’d for a couple of hundred pounds. The biggest selling point was that the car had just had the cambelt replaced; early I should add due to a water pump issue, under warranty. All paperwork was there and accounted for. Incase you aren’t aware, the cambelt job isn’t cheap and it would be due the end of the following yr.
Taing into consideration the sellers eagerness to sell the car, the conditions and the cambelt being done already, we settled on a silly low price. 15k, approx 2k less than market value. I had due concerns over the reliability given the condition but took a major risk and overlooked it. To date, this has proven to be a good move.
The Journey & Refurb work.
So back home, the refurb work commenced on No.46. Given my age, 21, the insurance was crazy so I opted to leave the car off the road until I was 22. Insurance premium difference of about £400!! Plus with all the ongoing refurb work, there was little point.
Insurance
Whilst we’re talking about insurance here’s the premium’s I paid
· Yr 1 @ 22yrs old - £1476, 1k excess and 2yrs NCB, 3 points and Aberdeen Postcode
· Yr 2 @ 22yrs old - £1100, 1k excess and 3yrs NCB, 3 points and Aberdeen Postcode
· Yr 3 @ 23yrs old - £941, 1k excess, clean licence, Aberdeen Postcode
Post yr 3 I started running the policy for 12 months and only for the summer months. Part of a multi-car agreement with Admiral.
2009 summer – 23-24yrs old, £670, 1k excess, same as above. Half premium reimbursed in November time.
2010 currently – 24yr-25yrs old, £505, 1k excess, same as above.
Now the excess may seem high but at the cost of panels, you’re not likely to have a cheap repair bill anyway…That’s my rationale anyway.
Tax
Given that’s it’s a 2004 car, in band K, its fortunately falls into the cheaper tax classification. £245 P/a or £134.50 for the half yr.
Step 1 - Stripping the car
First port of call was to address the front end!! If you’ve ever had the pleasure of taking the bumper off the v6, you’ll know what a b**ch of a job it is…fortunately it does get easier the more you do it. I think I’m down to about 20mins now! – Done it enough over the years.
With the bumper, bonnet and plate off the damage with a lot worse than I thought…The Car may well be HPI clear, but we reckoned it had seen paint once, maybe twice before.
Step 2 - Arches and Brakes
What a state the brakes were in, even though we drove the car home, the pistons were seized on 2 of the pots. With pads down to the metal and a small groove on the disk, I had them machined and replaced. Good as new, for reference disks are £500 a pair and pads over £200! So it stands to reason why I went for aftermarket pads.
http://www.cliosport.net/forum/showthread.php?238950
Step 3 - Interior
Again, more time spent deep cleaning the interior, polishing and steaming the seats. Came up pretty much new, with just a few scratches left on the gear knob.
http://www.cliosport.net/forum/showthread.php?236011
Step 4 - Under Bonnet
Once the front end was off, the access to the inner arches, sub-frame etc was much better. With the same process as the arches, I blitzed the front end in preparation for getting the bumper and bonnet back for refit.
http://www.cliosport.net/forum/showthread.php?238804
Step 5 – Refit & Detail(s)
With the reconstruction work done on the front bumper and the bonnet also freshened up, the refit work was done. The cost to refurb the bumper and bonnet was £350 cash, or £200 for the bumper alone. This is an annual cost.
August 09 detail
http://www.cliosport.net/forum/showthread.php?427224
Step 6 – Wheel refurb
The last remaining step was to refurb the wheels, unfortunately we/they got it completely wrong, the wheels should be a high power silver, but the colour I got back with a dullish silver which when on the car looked crap, I was mega disappointed with the result so had them done again (Albeit 6months later)
http://www.cliosport.net/forum/showthread.php?269629
Modifications Made
It’s no secret that the V6 is a bit lardy and underpowered, but the looks and personality of the car far out weights the 0-60/100 time. Over the past 3yrs I’ve made a number of mechanical based changes to the car, some purposeful, some cosmetic and of course some to enhance the noise.
1 - Pipercross Evo
Options for intakes for the V6 are rather limited, infact generic 3.0l application is the only intake you can buy! That said, the pipercross is one of the best mods I’ve done, the noise before was supreme, but the noise after is simply exquisite!!
Std:
PiperX:
The latter gives a bit of clout to what I’m going to address later, Re. Performance, the DC5 is 242Bhp, 1up and over 200kg lighter stock! The “lardy hippo” does ok in my opinion.
2 – KW V3 Coilovers
Mid was through 2008 I broke a spring, being honest I never even felt it; it was picked up at an MOT. I ‘stupidly’ replaced the springs with a custom set to avoid cost, but they raised the car and made it very harsh!...They didn’t last too long.
Shortly before FCS in 2008 I replaced the whole suspension set up with a set of KW V3’s, supplied by Yozzasport, fitted by Stoddie and I and set up at Falkland and latterly IF motorsport at Knockhill. The different the coils made, not only on a cosmetic level but on handling and balance was mind blowing. I changed the set up further, before I went to the ring as I was concerned over rideheight (More so for the ferry, than track)
The KW’s were about £1500 plus set up, so £1700 all in, trust me, they are worth their weight in gold.
Before:
After:
3 – Recaro Pole Position Seats & Sabelt Steering wheel
Again, it’s not a secret that the driving position in the clio is poor, the hold the seat gives you and the position ruins the overall driving pleasure of the Renault Sport range, I admit the latter 200 is a marked improvement.
Anyway, I bought a set of Recaro Pole Positions off ColinG for the tidy sum of £800, whilst he fitted them, I PC’d his TT240. Good times!
Overall the PP’s are great seats, not the most comfy for long trips and with the recaro sidemounts they don’t sit any lower than std….I may address this at somepoint. I also have new harnesses to fit but unlike the 172’s etc the fitting is a little more complex as you need to weld them into the rear bulkhead…I’ll get clark motorsport to do that at some point.
To compliment the seats I decided to bin the bus sized steering wheel for the Sabelt cup racer wheel, it’s much better but unfortunately you lose the CC function, never really cared about that tbh!
4 – Remap
Now then, I didn’t actually map the car myself, when I bought it I was lucky in that the previous owner put an aftermarket exhaust on it and mapped it at Falkland Performance. With a trip back, Kevin confirmed that the map was no longer on the car and he offered to put it back on for £50, done! The overall effect was ok, it didn’t increase the power but what it did do was smooth the curve and give me a little more rev’s to play with! We had immense fun trying to tie the car down!
[video]http://www.youtube.com/user/ajrmotorsport#p/u/18/8rGfVxNh5P8[/video]
http://www.cliosport.net/forum/showthread.php?259340
5 – 2 piece disks
One of the last things I’ve done is to replace the front disks, as mentioned above, renault’s idiotiotic prices forced the members on v6clio.net to look for alternatives, coordinated by Stephen from RTOC we arranged a group buy for 2 piece disks, the rotors are universal fast road/track disks. The overall result is great, they look fantasic the stopping power is much improved, only thing I don’t like is the red stuff pads which stick out like a sore thumb. But being picky there.
Disk cost - £450
The truth about the car
If you read this far, well done, the next bit is more about the overall ownership experience, I’ll remain unbiased and compare it to both the Reaultsport and other cars I’ve driven.
Performance
6/10 – in reality a car which weighs 1400+kg and has 250bhp is never going to set the world on fire. What I would say however is that the motor is very easy to live with, there is power from 2k revs, you can pull away in 2nd comfortably, you can rev it to the high side of 7k RPM, and you will struggle to find a more audible car from an interior point of view. It’s glorious it really is. The std exhaust is too quiet imo, it really needs both the IK and exhaust to get the best note out of the engine. hen I jump into the Vee, I do often thing Renault pussy’d out and should of given the motor another 50brake+, it’s simply not….punchy enough! It is MILDLY faster than the 172/200 range. More on par with a TB’d 172… but in reality is could have been better. A number of the members on V6clio.net have made engine modifications but as I said, the £ per BHP gain doesn’t merit. I would rather enjoy the noise and reliability than risk it all. For reference it’s still a sub 6sec to 60 car and I will do an GPS verified speed of 153 still pulling (170 on the speedo)
Handling
7/10 - I can’t comment really on the std set up, as the car came with federals on it. That said the car was still very well balanced and can more than punch it’s weight on the A/B roads. When I fitted the coils I completely changed the car…It beca,e so sharp and so precise, the damping was much improved and coupled with better tyres it was a completely different car. I have so much confidence in the car now it’s unreal. In the 3yrs I’ve had it I’ve never felt scared or had a moment that would risk the car or me. The negative press the car receives on handling isn’t warranted and I honestly believe they listen to what’s been said previously rather than assessing things from a fresh eyes perspective.
Here’s ½ a lap of Cadwell, before we got black flagged for using a camera, testament that the car is more than capable on the track!
[video]http://www.youtube.com/user/ajrmotorsport#p/u/16/nyj00CGybIM[/video]
Fuel
6/10 Stupid topic tbh! The car will do between 17-20 in town and 26-30 on the motorway. Like anything if you drive it hard it will do less. 6 laps of the ring emptied the tank for reference.
Space
3/10 lol, errr, it’s never been an issue for me, but I can see that if the car is to be your only car then space could be a factor. The front boot space isn’t watertight and if you put your shopping in there it’ll be bruised, battered and hot by the time your home. The space behind the seats is fairly good, and if you’ve not got a passenger then the footwell is as good a space as any. Long of the short of it is, if you need lots of space, this isn’t the car for you.
Problems
The v6 isn’t bomb proof, many people have had issues, and they range from: Lamda sensors, and coils, to clutch, boxes and waterpumps. In reality the motor’s not that highly strung, so it doesn’t need a lot of attention. If you drive it nice in town, avoid pot holes and let it warm up…there is NO reason why it shouldn’t be as reliable as your 172 etc. For me, I’ve only has one issue and that was that broken spring. She’s proven to be a good one…If sure at some stage she will break, she’s on 42k now on the stock box, clutch…
Winter/2nd cars
I drove the V6 all year round for the first 2yrs with no issues what so ever, the car is actually better in the snow that the BMW is, but I made a call in 2009 is garage it over winter and buy a cheap run around. I hated it from the first moment I drove it, it wasn’t a bad car by any means, but it was so dull, and when the car is physically the same inside, the joy of driving just went out the window. I kept the car till the snow had cleared and then punted it for the German tank. This way I’ve got a solid day to day car with all the toys, it’s supremely comfy and warm, it’s a far better car than the Clio, but still makes me want to drive the Clio from time to time…What I would say is, if you are buying the V6 as your 2nd car, ensure your day to day car is….not so much better, but ‘more’ solid, “German” basically. This’ll keep you entertained for work, commuting etc but still keeping you eager to drive the Clio on warm days or at the weekend.
The short lived 172, now Rory’s.
Kicking it with the Best
No matter where you go in the car people will always stop and stare, it’s a supercar through and through, it may be a Renault and a lardy one at that, but anyone who comes over from driving a Ferrari, Lambo, BMW etc and starts asking questions/taking pics can appreciate it for what it is… Some pics of the V6 mixing it with the best.
Summary
If you’ve made it right to the end, well done & apologies for the woeful spelling & grammar, what I’ve done below is summarise my costs for potential buyers over a 3yr period, please note this is a rough estimate and doesn’t include fuel. I hope some of the above can put some perspective into your decision on whether or not to buy a Clio V6.
They truly are a “Magnificently flawed gem and I love mine to bits!
Car: £15,000
Tax: £800+
Insurance: £4,500+
Bodywork (Bumper x4, Bonnet x2, Arches x1, Sills x1) £2000
Servicing: £500
Tyres: £500
Refurbs: £500
Seats: £800
ICE: £400
Harnesses: £250
Steering wheel &Boss: £200
Disks and pads: £500+
IK - £250
Coilovers: £1600
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