high mileage

[JamieD]

Should I buy a valver with 112k miles on the clock?

Or should I pay more for a lower mileage car?

I was thinking that the 80k mile mark seams to be where all the major part need replacing. For the price im looking at cars arounf 80-90k miles. If these parts havent been replaced then im going to have to do it myself. Now if I buy an older car its more than likley going to have had all of these parts replaced already. There for I will get a cheeper car and have more money left over to spend on it.

Is this a good thing to do or not?

 

[scotty16v]

I got my valver at 111k and its fine apart from the usual where the sparks leads dist cap and rotor arm were all worn.

Check the service history to see that it had a cambelt change at around 70K, if it didnt then walk or lower the price dramatically, also the shocks around that age are likely to be a bit dodgy if they have not been done recently.

 

[Ben H]

Guess how many miles this car has on the clock:

http://images.cardomain.com/member_img_b/286000-286999/286766_25_full.jpg

http://images.cardomain.com/member_img_b/286000-286999/286766_22_full.jpg

Give up? OK, its mine and its on 103,000 and rising fast. Those miles have been from fun - not motorway miles. Most people whove seen the car agree its mint and its mechanically spot on too.

... but then theres the catch! Between about 60k and 90k, this car was a nightmare. Cost thousands upon thousands to fix it. Not so much because of expensive parts or loads of things breaking, but because of the high labour costs and high parts prices for what did break. Dont get the idea that Valvers are all bottomless pits that suck in your hard earned - loads of bits (like the shocks, unlike what Scotty found) are still doing fine even with the extra stress of tuning and lowering.

Id look for a Valver which had all the jobs done, rather than lower miles. For example, a car with 60k on the clock will, almost without question, cost more in future bills than a car with 120k that has all the jobs done. Its just a question of finding a mint high miler in my opinion.

The basics will last for literally millions of miles. Engine wear should be of little significance until 250k miles; there are plenty of 19 16Vs (same engine) with those sorts of miles.

 

[RobFenn]

Nice car Ben

 

[JamieD]

thx guys,

So...................

What jobs should have been done on a 90k+ valver? What must have been done or I should walk away and what would be nice to have been done but is not essential?

Cheers

 

[Ben H]

Id want to see all the receipts really - even if theyve done the work themselves. The cambelts will have been done by 112k as theyd have snapped anyway by those miles if not done! Ideally, youd want to see a new or rebuilt gbox, new diffs/driveshafts, new alternator/starter and maybe some new rear arches (unless they were perfect). Theyre the expensive jobs.

 

[RicH-]

my valvers done 111k , and is still running sweet as a nut,but ive had a lot of work done to it , i bought the car when it had 90k on the clock and the engine had been rebuilt at 70k , but after a few hundred miles things started to go wrong , i had to have athe gearbox rebuilt , new steering rack , new alternator, cam belt change while the engine was out,disks and pads all round 3 new tyres, i got a new clutch when i got the box rebuilt,and ive done other things every 5-10k like oil change spark plugs leads , and i just today fitted a new dizzy cap and rotor arm, i think it must if been the origonal one still on the car because the dizzy cap was so worn down the metal points were all crumbled away !

 

[RicH-]

you car looks mint ben ,what engine mods u done mate ? im thinknig of gettin a set of piper cams and a chip , but is it worth it seen as tho my cars done 111k ?

 

[aaronc]

A minority of the high mileage clio 16vs are in very condition but there are alot out there that are right dogs.

Mine has done 112k exactly and its running like a dream, quicker than ever before, pulled a 15.9s 1/4mile at 100k and i would expect that to be even quicker now in a straight line.

The engine has been cared for although it hasnt needed to be rebuilt.

Iv had in the last 60k:


cambelt at 65k
new gearbox at 70k
new clutch at 70k
fan belt at 80k
wheel bearings replaced at 80k
steering rack at 100k
2 alternators in the last 60k
Sounds alot, but im sure BenH would agree with me that its normal things to go wrong.

The rear arches are still perfect, not one bit of rust or corrosion anywhere.

The bodyworks still in good nick too: It just proves the high mileage clios can still be like new cars if they are looked after.

http://members.lycos.co.uk/aaronchap/car/10.jpg

http://members.lycos.co.uk/aaronchap/car/9.jpg

http://members.lycos.co.uk/aaronchap/car/2.jpg

 

[RicH-]

nice ! how low is that aaronic ?

 

[wongy008]

buy on condition

if ya lucky enough to buy from someone whos maintained there cars well then its no problem regardlesss of mileage,

the 1764 engine goes on for space ship mileage if looked after

yup

aaron and ben h after two of best example of high mileage vavler that are like new and go well too

 

[Ben H]

Quote: Originally posted by I2ich16v- on 12 August 2003


you car looks mint ben ,what engine mods u done mate ? im thinknig of gettin a set of piper cams and a chip , but is it worth it seen as tho my cars done 111k ?

Go for it - the bottom end and head will probably be fine. Bear in mind though that a 2.0 F7R bottom end would probably make a more flexible drive and would cost about the same to do overall. Having said that, you do lose the turbo-like kick and driving character of the 16V in the process and it can be a bit hit and miss buying a block youve never seen running.

Cams etc tend to give their increase in a limited band - they just accentuate the character of the regular 16V.

The previous owner of my Valver sent my car to a small Renault 19 16V specialist in Wiltshire who did some work to the head and cams, fitted Verniers and a chip and I think did some porting to the manifolds. When I bought the car, he claimed it made 171bhp on an engine dyno, though I got 128bhp at the wheels at a recent RR day (more like 155bhp at the fly?). I guess it could have been down a bit as the ignition was shot at the time, the exhaust was blowing and it was the first time the car had been used in three months, but I still doubt that lot would account for the loss of 15bhp! The real difference compared to a standard Valver is that it continues to make the peak torque right until the redline (dies off normally after 5000rpm) and it makes more power in that 5000 to 7000+ range.

It definitely out-accelerates standard (inc. zorst, IK etc) Valvers from a standing start and really pulls away in 4th (no idea why).

 

[Mike Wright]

112k isnt high as long as its been serviced and the cambelt has been changed. These engines are very strong and go on and on if looked after. You should see how well the car has been looked after from the overall car. CAMBELT is a must!

Dont forget these cars werent made for long and a realy realy low milage one will cost serious money to buy! plus you cant gurantee it wont need new. So should buy a higher milage with everything done or a low milage? Personally I would get the higher milage with everything done

 

[aaronc]

+-Quote: Originally posted by I2ich16v- on 12 August 2003





nice ! how low is that aaronic ?

Its around 50mil rear and 40mil at the front. One notch on the torsion bar (i think).

 

[weight]

People have a strange logic IMHO

Buy a high miler so all the jobs have been done???? WTF

Cambelt change isnt the end of the world!

Lower the mileage the better!

If you need any bits you have 200 valver owners here selling stuff day in day out!

 

[funkimic]

mines done 90k.

cambelt - 62k

rad - 75k

2 front springs 75k

wheel bearing 50k

thats it apart from pads, tyres and service stuff.

its lasted well as its 2 lady owners with a lot of motorway mileage which dont nacker the car like drag racin down dual carrigways. the way a cars driven determines how much stuff gos wrong.