Hi, Possible new Clio owner

[pandp]

Hi,

I have just been to view a clio but wanted to get some info from you guys before i go ahead with the purchase.

The car is a clio 1.2 16v, 2003 with 72000 on the clock. The car has been damaged repaired, panel damage i think but the car looks good. The problems i found are as follows so any advise would be greatly appreciated.

Car is a 3 door and the drivers seat does not break forward.
Service light stays on but i don't think the car is due a service.
Clutch biting point is very high up.
quite a bit of mayo in the oil filler neck and on the inside of the cap. This is my main worry as i don't want to buy it and then it needs a head gasket.

The car was offered to me for £750 as a favour repaid so to speak. I like the car but don't know, as i have never owned a clio if the above faults are common. The car has been VIC checked and has a full years MOT.

Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

[seb]

Hello and welcome from the ClioSport Admin Team

 

[pandp]

Thank you seb, hopefully i will be joining you very soon, if the car is ok of course.

 

[Rob]

Hi,

I have just been to view a clio but wanted to get some info from you guys before i go ahead with the purchase.

The car is a clio 1.2 16v, 2003 with 72000 on the clock. The car has been damaged repaired, panel damage i think but the car looks good. The problems i found are as follows so any advise would be greatly appreciated.

Car is a 3 door and the drivers seat does not break forward.
Service light stays on but i don't think the car is due a service.
Clutch biting point is very high up.
quite a bit of mayo in the oil filler neck and on the inside of the cap. This is my main worry as i don't want to buy it and then it needs a head gasket.

The car was offered to me for £750 as a favour repaid so to speak. I like the car but don't know, as i have never owned a clio if the above faults are common. The car has been VIC checked and has a full years MOT.

Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Hi, welcome to the club.

The drivers seat not going forward is normally a broken/disconnected cable, seats are cheap as anything so you could pick up a second hand replacement for <£100 easy.

Service light can be reset very easily, should be done if you get the car serviced.

Clutch biting points are normally quite high on the Clio, worst case is a new clutch which on the 1.2 isn't a great deal of money, but as long as the car doesn't slip in gear, I'm sure it's fine. To check this, just stick it into second at around 35 and floor it, if it makes a lot of noise but doesn't go anywhere, it'll need a new clutch.

Mayo under the filler cap is very common on the 1.2 16v, it's normally caused by a lot of short journies. Is the coolant a decent colour (i.e hasn't been constantly topped up with water?) If it's fine chances are it's just the normal running of the engine.

Hope that all helps.

 

[McGherkin]

Car is a 3 door and the drivers seat does not break forward.

Probably due to the cable inside the seat being snapped. Not done it myself but apparently it's fixable.

Service light stays on but i don't think the car is due a service.

You'll probably find that the airbag light is on too. It's a VERY common fault with Clios, due to a poor connection under the seat.

Clutch biting point is very high up.

AFAIK this is normal. Mine's like that anyway, and there's loads of life left in the plate.

quite a bit of mayo in the oil filler neck and on the inside of the cap. This is my main worry as i don't want to buy it and then it needs a head gasket.

Is the car used for short journeys? If so, this may be the reason.

EDIT: Damn you Rob, you threadsniper. :rasp:

 

[pandp]

Cheers guys. I know nothing about the car as today is first day i have seen it. It drove very nice. I can do the small jobs as for the price it's offered it doesn't bother me. The mayo was my main concern but as stated it could be down to short journeys, also i don't think the car has been used very much. The coolant does look a normal colour so hopefully it's nothing bad.

 

[pandp]

I ran acheck last night on the car. It was a cat C in Feb2011 then VIC checked Nov 2011. A few people have said to steer clear of a cat C which has sort of put me off but part of me is still tempted as i do like the car.

 

[16valver1988]

ive had plenty of cat c's mate, nothing to worry as long as they are repaired to a good standard. the only downside is they are not worth as much and yes it does put people off, but there are people out there who will buy them!700 sounds a steel to me! you will easily get that back when you sell it. sounds a bargin!

 

[pandp]

ive had plenty of cat c's mate, nothing to worry as long as they are repaired to a good standard. the only downside is they are not worth as much and yes it does put people off, but there are people out there who will buy them!700 sounds a steel to me! you will easily get that back when you sell it. sounds a bargin!

Cheers mate for the comments. No going back now, sold my astra anyway lol. I liked it so i'm going to go for it :approve:

 

[16valver1988]

Welcome new Clio owner
Get some pics up!!

 

[pandp]

Thank you, hope to pick it up this week.

Not a great pic, just a snap to show the mrs when i went to view it.

[/URL] Uploaded with ImageShack.us[/IMG]

 

[16valver1988]

Looks good mate same wheels as my 172 !
Any future plans?

 

[pandp]

Well still not bought it yet. So many people telling me to walk away and as i have never owned a cat C, it's hard to get my head around it.

If i do get it, not sure if i will keep it as is, just a major tidy up. I spent years modding cars my last two being a saab 9000 and a xsara vtr. I think i have the modding bug out of my system lol.

Anyway the mrs will be using it mostly as i have my two wheels and given she has not passed her test yet, i would not like to mod too much and the insurance goes sky high.

 

[GoldenMonkey]

Looks ok, only thing I will say is you're likely to get crap from the police for the window tints!

 

[Rob]

Well still not bought it yet. So many people telling me to walk away and as i have never owned a cat C, it's hard to get my head around it.

If i do get it, not sure if i will keep it as is, just a major tidy up. I spent years modding cars my last two being a saab 9000 and a xsara vtr. I think i have the modding bug out of my system lol.

Anyway the mrs will be using it mostly as i have my two wheels and given she has not passed her test yet, i would not like to mod too much and the insurance goes sky high.

I'd still walk away in all honesty, it'll be a pig to sell if that time ever comes around.

 

[The Fatty]

Looks good mate same wheels as my 172 !
Any future plans?

Your 172 has those wheels?! :S are you sure?!!

Also I wouldnt touch it if its cat C, its not like its a rare model!

 

[pandp]

The front windows look darker than what they really are in the picture. The back windows are dark but i am going to pop into the local police station and find out if the front windows are a problem.

I know so many of you said walk away but i trust the guy i bought it from. He deals with insurance repair cars and has a very large well established business. He told me the car has not suffered any structural damage, he knows i will be driving my children around in it and i am certain he would not sell me anything unroad worthy. I plan to keep the car for a few years as my partner will be driving it 80% of the time as i use the two wheels.

In all honesty i do not have £750 to throw away but IF the car is perfectly fine and lasts me a few years then i have saved quite a bit of cash on the market value of the car.

 

[GoldenMonkey]

In that case I would think the only problem is insurance, may cost more an some insurers won't touch em if they're cat c/d etc

 

[Rob]

The front windows look darker than what they really are in the picture. The back windows are dark but i am going to pop into the local police station and find out if the front windows are a problem.

I know so many of you said walk away but i trust the guy i bought it from. He deals with insurance repair cars and has a very large well established business. He told me the car has not suffered any structural damage, he knows i will be driving my children around in it and i am certain he would not sell me anything unroad worthy. I plan to keep the car for a few years as my partner will be driving it 80% of the time as i use the two wheels.

In all honesty i do not have £750 to throw away but IF the car is perfectly fine and lasts me a few years then i have saved quite a bit of cash on the market value of the car.

But you haven't, have you?

CAT C car's aren't worth a great deal anyway, so I don't really think the bloke's doing you any sort of favour if I'm honest.