Greetings from Switzerland!

[alemaog4]

Hello there!

I am glad to be here and find so much information about this iconic car! I am Felipe and just bought a Clio 172 Ph2. These cars are VERY difficult to find here in Switzerland - it took me 2 years to finally find mine! It is a 2002 Clio 172 Ph2 with little km on it. All services done and very good condition for a 18 years old car. My plan is to enjoy it around the roads in Switzerland and give it little track prep for an occasional track day.

Looking forward to learn more!

 

[imprezaworks]

Welcome.

 

[stebat]

Any plans for it?

 

[Superwoman90]

Nice purchase Filipe, welcome to the club 👍

 

[Sunglasses_Ron]

Welcome to the club!

What a beautiful country you live in! I visited a few years back and stayed in a place called Mürren.

Car looks stunning btw!

 

[c4pob]

Welcome. Looks very nice. Bet it is great fun on the mountain roads!

 

[Greeny.]

Welcome to the club, plenty of info on here

 

[alemaog4]

Thank you all for the warm welcome! I will put together some thoughts and start a project tread soon!

 

[Darren S]

Welcome to the club!

What a beautiful country you live in! I visited a few years back and stayed in a place called Mürren.

Car looks stunning btw!

I agree. Drove back from Venice a few years back and went through Switzerland. Some of my best memories were seeing the location of various houses way up on hillsides - thinking 'how the hell have they built that up there?'. And of course, being overtaken in the several tunnels we drove through by various supercars.

@alemaog4 - you mention that a car like a Clio 172 is very difficult to get hold of Switzerland. What are the running costs over there like? Do you have yearly vehicle tax/duty based on emissions, engine size or age of the car?

 

[Typhoon]

Welcome to the club mate

 

[alemaog4]

I agree. Drove back from Venice a few years back and went through Switzerland. Some of my best memories were seeing the location of various houses way up on hillsides - thinking 'how the hell have they built that up there?'. And of course, being overtaken in the several tunnels we drove through by various supercars.

@alemaog4 - you mention that a car like a Clio 172 is very difficult to get hold of Switzerland. What are the running costs over there like? Do you have yearly vehicle tax/duty based on emissions, engine size or age of the car?

Switzerland is indeed a lovely place - lots of nature and awesome mountains... The only pity is the fact that racing is banned to some extend: we do have Hillclimb and other things similar, but no track days for example. Some options are around in Germany and France, but you need to cross the border and deal with any insurance issues if it happens.

As for your question: running costs are very high... First, tax and insurance average something like 1k a year... I am not even considering other stuff like parking - not even street parking is free in most places. Taxes are very much based on age (gets worse for older cars until they become classics - you can then register them especially) weight and fuel. The Clio is not the worse as it is light, but the big engine does not help. This is the main reason why you will see only a few big American trucks around

In terms of maintenance, well, it costs you a fortune to have your car serviced due to the high hourly rates everywhere. There are a few things one can do like DIY and ordering parts from abroad... Upgrades and changes are well regulated and all parts must be certified for CH. This means, for instance, that a cage built in the UK or a brake upgrade probably cannot be road legal in CH - unless the manufacturer applies for it... Simple stuff like pads and so can be used as long as they look like the OEMs

Clios 172/182 in Switzerland were sold in very little numbers and the majority (>85%) of the cars for sale are VERY used and abused over the years... It gets better for the 197 - these days, you can buy one 197 with <80k miles on the clock for the price of a reasonable 172/182... it becomes a matter of personal taste and purpose of the car

 

[Darren S]

Switzerland is indeed a lovely place - lots of nature and awesome mountains... The only pity is the fact that racing is banned to some extend: we do have Hillclimb and other things similar, but no track days for example. Some options are around in Germany and France, but you need to cross the border and deal with any insurance issues if it happens.

As for your question: running costs are very high... First, tax and insurance average something like 1k a year... I am not even considering other stuff like parking - not even street parking is free in most places. Taxes are very much based on age (gets worse for older cars until they become classics - you can then register them especially) weight and fuel. The Clio is not the worse as it is light, but the big engine does not help. This is the main reason why you will see only a few big American trucks around

In terms of maintenance, well, it costs you a fortune to have your car serviced due to the high hourly rates everywhere. There are a few things one can do like DIY and ordering parts from abroad... Upgrades and changes are well regulated and all parts must be certified for CH. This means, for instance, that a cage built in the UK or a brake upgrade probably cannot be road legal in CH - unless the manufacturer applies for it... Simple stuff like pads and so can be used as long as they look like the OEMs

Clios 172/182 in Switzerland were sold in very little numbers and the majority (>85%) of the cars for sale are VERY used and abused over the years... It gets better for the 197 - these days, you can buy one 197 with <80k miles on the clock for the price of a reasonable 172/182... it becomes a matter of personal taste and purpose of the car

Those running costs are similar to here, depending upon the insurance part. New drivers or those with convictions will likely to pay a lot more. Mine for argument's sake (and the fact that I'm 45 - lol) is almost a 50/50 split. The road duty (tax) for a 172 or 182 is currently £305 - around CHF 367 per year and my last insurance renewal was for £325. I did see a couple of places that dipped below the £300 mark (just) - but for the ease of renewal, I just kept it with the same company.

We do seem to have an almost endless supply of RS Clio bits over here. I did read a while back that the RenaultSport market was bigger here in the UK that it was in its native France. Maybe that explains it!

 

[alemaog4]

Those running costs are similar to here, depending upon the insurance part. New drivers or those with convictions will likely to pay a lot more. Mine for argument's sake (and the fact that I'm 45 - lol) is almost a 50/50 split. The road duty (tax) for a 172 or 182 is currently £305 - around CHF 367 per year and my last insurance renewal was for £325. I did see a couple of places that dipped below the £300 mark (just) - but for the ease of renewal, I just kept it with the same company.

We do seem to have an almost endless supply of RS Clio bits over here. I did read a while back that the RenaultSport market was bigger here in the UK that it was in its native France. Maybe that explains it!

Uau.. such high running costs is a surprise to me! One learns something every day... thanks for sharing that!

Indeed the parts market seems to be massive in the UK - there are specialized stores for these cars