Evo Magazine Clio 172 Cup

[Andyano12]

Just seen this in Evo magazine,

 

[hopgop1]

Not sure about the 3 year cam belt change interval, or saying the Cup has a V6 spoiler. Nice to see these cars getting some love in the motoring journals all the same though.

 

[.Joe]

Phase 1 V6 had a smaller spoiler from what i remember, Phase 2 was the one that got the big wang

 

[hopgop1]

Phase 1 V6 had a smaller spoiler from what i remember, Phase 2 was the one that got the big wang

I thought the ph1 had the standard "non-cup" spoiler? The same as the regular ph1 172, but to be fair I don't know a ton about ph1s in general, let alone the V6.

 

[BenCup]

Is this the current edition?

 

[Daz.]

Just reminded me to cancel my evo subscription!

 

[Martin_172]

was the bespoke thinned glass ever a thing? i thought it just used the non RS, base model non UV reflective stuff?!

 

[Andyano12]

Is this the current edition?

Yep

 

[Andyano12]

was the bespoke thinned glass ever a thing? i thought it just used the non RS, base model non UV reflective stuff?!

Yes a friend had a 1.2 and we measured the door glass and the cup glass was thinner, can't remember by how much though.

Surprising as I can't imagine it adding much to the overall weight reduction.

 

[Adamm.]

Were they really £13k new? 😲

 

[Rich-D]

Were they really £13k new? 😲

Yup, I bought one

 

[Poopensharten]

Were they really £13k new? 😲

Madness when you consider what hot hatches sell for now.

Still remember seeing an illiad blue V6 for 25k in my local Renault😵‍💫

 

[Rich-D]

A full fat 172 was only about £15.5k from memory, in 2003

New car prices now are mental in comparison, but this was 21 years ago...

 

[Mr Underhill]

Were they really £13k new? 😲

When you look at what's happening in the market now, 20 years on, simply driving your vehicle without fretting over its depreciation seems far more sensible.

If you were to purchase a brand-new 172 CUP, stash it away, and refrain from ever taking it out on the road, would you truly recoup your initial investment?

While there may be a chance of that happening, it would ultimately render the entire endeavour pointless.

The common refrain of "It's a future classic, bound to appreciate...blah...blah" often touted by traders is nothing more than exaggerated speculation.

Instead, I prefer to prioritize the pleasure of driving and relishing the experience without worrying about future monetary gains.

Simply put: drive and enjoy the ride.

 

[Poopensharten]

When you look at what's happening in the market now, 20 years on, simply driving your vehicle without fretting over its depreciation seems far more sensible.

If you were to purchase a brand-new 172 CUP, stash it away, and refrain from ever taking it out on the road, would you truly recoup your initial investment?

While there may be a chance of that happening, it would ultimately render the entire endeavour pointless.

The common refrain of "It's a future classic, bound to appreciate...blah...blah" often touted by traders is nothing more than exaggerated speculation.

Instead, I prefer to prioritize the pleasure of driving and relishing the experience without worrying about future monetary gains.

Simply put: drive and enjoy the ride.

But it is entirely possible for manufacturers to give us those cars even now, unfortunately corporate greed, safety legislation and many other ways to profiteer now mean a Yaris can be sold for thirty seven thousand pounds.

Give me a Saxo VTS or 172 Cup any day, those memories were cheap and vivid!

 

[Adamm.]

I was too young to care at the time but when the Clio 172/182 etc was made was it clear the manufacturer industry was going down the path we're at now? I know they're a great car in their own right but I feel a lot of the appeal now is because you simply can't buy a new car and get the same experience and these were one of the last of that era.

 

[Mr Underhill]

But it is entirely possible for manufacturers to give us those cars even now, unfortunately corporate greed, safety legislation and many other ways to profiteer now mean a Yaris can be sold for thirty seven thousand pounds.

Give me a Saxo VTS or 172 Cup any day, those memories were cheap and vivid!

I completely agree with your sentiment.

My initial post aimed to underscore the £13,000 price tag of this vehicle two decades ago. Let's fast-forward to recent sales on platforms like Collecting Cars for real-world examples. I've often argued the need to relish these cars while we have the chance, especially considering the lacklustre offerings currently hitting the market.

That's why I fully restored my RB and then daily drive it. People often tell me to stash it away and invest the potential fortune I could make towards my retirement fund.

 

[pepinosport]

We had only 172 cars with that spec in blue in Spain and many were directly converted into rally cars. It was called the "172 S". But then we also had an unknown number of silver "S" or "Light", that you could spec with climate control as the only option, and I think they had ABS, contrary to the blue 172 S. I confirm they were raw, buying a new car in 2003 without ABS was something special. And yes, they were fast. 🫶🏻

 

[Darren S]

A full fat 172 was only about £15.5k from memory, in 2003

New car prices now are mental in comparison, but this was 21 years ago...

£12,200 for my full fat 182 in December 2004.

But they were circa £16k typically in dealerships.

 

[MarkCup]

My 172 Cup bought new in 2003 was only £10,800 from new-car-discount.com!

 

[Advikaz]

Car manufactures have lost their way imo.

There’s barely a new or recent model I can think of from any manufacture that I’d actually want to buy.
Seems to be the same for many from what discussions Ive had/have heard.

Everything is bloated and looks pretty samey. Numb driving experience.

 

[sam55]

A full fat 172 was only about £15.5k from memory, in 2003

New car prices now are mental in comparison, but this was 21 years ago...

If you account for inflation, it's not as different as we probably all think. The corrected below price is about what you'd have paid for a nicely-specced Fiesta ST before they killed the model off last year 😣

And that's dispite the amount of tech, safety features and literal car (they're all bigger, of course) being way more these days.

 

[bashracing]

I took the Cup for a early morning drive this morning, there's still nothing that can touch them for driver engagement sub £10k.

 

[ex-Chinese Dave]

I paid £10.5k for a pre-registered car with 9 miles on the clock.

 

[PerthRS]

A clio 182 cup (full fat) in Australia was $34,500 ( ~£15,000 with the exchange rate at the time).
In today's money thats ~$55,0000 (average inflation of 2.7% for the last 18years).

Not sure what prices are like in the UK. But for $55k here today you can get yourself a highly specced i30n, nearly a GR yaris or a i20n with $16k left in the pocket.

 

[Rich-D]

£12,200 for my full fat 182 in December 2004.

But they were circa £16k typically in dealerships.

Friends & family scheme?

I paid 10 something for my 172 Cup in 2003 as my mate's parents owned our local Renault dealership!

 

[Rich-D]

I took the Cup for a early morning drive this morning, there's still nothing that can touch them for driver engagement sub £10k.

306 Rallye / GTi-6 has a better chassis, but the Clio feels quicker.

 

[Darren S]

Friends & family scheme?

I paid 10 something for my 172 Cup in 2003 as my mate's parents owned our local Renault dealership!

It was with Lloyds-TSB, CarSelect scheme, which I believe is no more.

We had our mortgage with them at the time and there was an incentive with Renault for car finance. They originally offered my 182 at £13,500 to me - then called the following Tuesday to say that if I signed the paperwork by the end of the week, that I could have it for £12,200.

Bit of no-brainer for me.

 

[Rich-D]

It was with Lloyds-TSB, CarSelect scheme, which I believe is no more.

We had our mortgage with them at the time and there was an incentive with Renault for car finance. They originally offered my 182 at £13,500 to me - then called the following Tuesday to say that if I signed the paperwork by the end of the week, that I could have it for £12,200.

Bit of no-brainer for me.

Definitely a no brainer

 

[yeecup]

Were they really £13k new? 😲

i haggled mine down to £10500 new

 

[Advikaz]

I've always had new cars really. Pretty much every year or 2.

That is coming to an end now though. I am keeping cars a lot longer and am not really looking at anything new. Some of the used cars are absolute bargains in comparison to new ones that I don't even like.

As said, modern cars suck ass.