I want my old car back

[Harry_manback]

I have wanted a 172 for some time now, about 4 years to be exact.
so a few weeks ago i bought one and chopped in my 1.4 16v which had served me for the best part of 100,000 miles.

firstly i noticed that yes it was faster than my 1.4.
i've had it on some long motorway type cruises and its turning out about 33mpg which dissapoints me as im driving really slow with it.

at speed the car drinks petrol where as the old car did 33mpg flat out all the time. the old car also cornered better, it was more stable and i felt confident with it.

so on the whole im tottally disapointed with my 172, even diesel bmws have ago at overtaking, and i just let them past as i cant be arsed stopping to fill up. i feel tottally demoralised.

normally id race anything and everything. i wanted to be first everywhere. its not even comfortable, my old seats were better and that was on a car lowered on crap springs on original shocks.

either im having a mid life crisis as 23, or this car is tottally overrated.
maybe i like being the underdog. the speeds become boring now, its not even THAT fast, i wanted the road to be dug up when i accelerated, all i get is rattles and fuel lights.

its not that i cant afford it, its cheeper on insurance than my 1.4 due to having no mods.

someone help me get into this car!!!

 

[Tom]

Im averaging 41.2 mpg at the moment (using the brim to brim method not the comp)

And while im not ragging the tits off it im not exactly going slowly.

Have you driven another similar car?
A friend of mine has a 1.4 and i can tell you performance wise AND economy wise we are worlds apart.

 

[TomTom]

172 FF by any chance? You sound like the sort of person that should have a cup

 

[vavazoom]

thrash the fuker more then!lol and remove the seats!sell um to me,and by standard 1.4 jobies lol

 

[Frasers Cup]

You shouldnt have bought a 2.0ltr car if u cant afford to run it.

I'd rather have a rs over a 1.4 anyday....

 

[Harry_manback]

its only got 28,000 miles on it (aparently) so i guess it could free up a little.
f**k knows, i have lost interest in cars!

 

[kully]

i've notice my fuel economy get better after certain mods , better exhaust

 

[Iain C]

pmsl!
The 172 IS the cheepest fast car ever!
Mine does 39 mpg and i dont hang about.
Try owning a proper sports car then watch the fuel burn.
My rx does 20 mpg on a good day. about 8 if your booting it.
Seriously if you have issues with the 172 running costs mabye you should get a diesel.

 

[Frasers Cup]

Oh and on a long motorway trip i can get 38+mpg by keeping to the limit, and I've seen as high as 44mpg on country roads with my parents in the car!!

You just need to learn how to drive it!

 

[Harry_manback]

You shouldnt have bought a 2.0ltr car if u cant afford to run it.

I'd rather have a rs over a 1.4 anyday....

i said i can afford to drive it!
i put £110 in juice in it last week
its just boring and i dont feel safe at speed.

 

[vavazoom]

^^^ dam u should of got that laguna!:approve: lol

 

[Tom]

its only got 28,000 miles on it (aparently) so i guess it could free up a little.
f**k knows, i have lost interest in cars!

My 182 is on 52,000

It flys.

Give it a decent service, change the plugs and get a decat.

 

[Martin_172]

from all the reviews i had read on here, the handling of the 172 didnt impress me at all when i was first in one, the speed did though. and they do look better.

but given the choice of a standard 172 or modded 1.6 dynamique id take the dynamique

 

[Kneel]

swap you for a 1.2

 

[Frasers Cup]

You shouldnt have bought a 2.0ltr car if u cant afford to run it.

I'd rather have a rs over a 1.4 anyday....

i said i can afford to drive it!
i put £110 in juice in it last week
its just boring and i dont feel safe at speed.

Your saying a 1.4 is more exciting than a 2.0 ltr rs and safer at speed?? What exactly have you been smoking???!!

 

[Frasers Cup]

from all the reviews i had read on here, the handling of the 172 didnt impress me at all when i was first in one, the speed did though. and they do look better.

but given the choice of a standard 172 or modded 1.6 dynamique id take the dynamique

pmsl.... We are comparing like for like here....

 

[fUbAr]

we're forgetting Harry was emotionally attached to his old car... and its hard letting go

get yourself a decent service on the car and book it onto a RenaultSport trackday. That should do the trick!

 

[kully]

from all the reviews i had read on here, the handling of the 172 didnt impress me at all when i was first in one, the speed did though. and they do look better.

but given the choice of a standard 172 or modded 1.6 dynamique id take the dynamique

interesting theory ..... prefer to mod the quicker car imo

 

[Frasers Cup]

I cant believe this thread....

 

[Harry_manback]

i said i can afford to drive it!
i put £110 in juice in it last week
its just boring and i dont feel safe at speed.

Your saying a 1.4 is more exciting than a 2.0 ltr rs and safer at speed?? What exactly have you been smoking???!!

dunno mate. this is why im so confused.
i have even written to the previous owner to see if it has even been in an accident or had any majoy engine work which might cause it to feel so bad.
i think its because the 1.4 was never going fast enough to get me into something i couldnt get out of. this obviously can and handles worse.

f**k knows. i used to go out at night for a trash round the country lanes but i dont incase i bin it.

 

[Iain C]

dont feel safe at speed??
What tyres have u got? ditch finders?
Take it on a track day. Youll soom learn its better than you are

 

[Harry_manback]

we're forgetting Harry was emotionally attached to his old car... and its hard letting go

get yourself a decent service on the car and book it onto a RenaultSport trackday. That should do the trick!

sounds like a plan, how do i book one?

 

[Harry_manback]

dont feel safe at speed??
What tyres have u got? ditch finders?
Take it on a track day. Youll soom learn its better than you are

conti's which are ditch finders if you ask me.
i cant throw it about like i could the old one. maybe just been hyping this car up for all this time and turned it into something its not.

 

[Frasers Cup]

Chop it in for a cup or a trophy then!! The handling of my car isnt anywhere near an elise I've tried but it gives me quite close to the same thrill...

I paid just over £10k for mine new and appart from loads of crappy build issues with my car its great...

How many miles have you covered in your car in a week?? I put about £40 in tops and I use it for work!!

 

[Iain C]

get some pe2s.
remember the nervousness is what makes tha car change direction so quickly.
Its a hell of alot quicker than the 1.4 so its gonna take a bit of time to get the hang of it.

 

[Ex-User (19928)]

Tell me about it. Went to a dealership with a 172 (FF) and 197 at the weekend.

Yeah it's faster than the Dci, but a lot of things are, it certainly didn't live up to the hype I imagined by reading on here. Sure it's a nice hatchback, but I can't be bothered "affording" insurance these days.

Just going to keep my car (it still wipes it's arse with 1.6's ) until I get this company car I've been promised for so long, then sell it, and pull something together for something silly.... I mean a house

That's the plan anyway, BTW, I thought the 197 was lovely, I think it felt much nicer all round really. Haven't been in a cup or trophy so can't comment on those mind. Perhaps that's something to look at next year (trophy...)... Ah well, time will tell.

P.S. Loving the BMW diesel comment You know what they're made of really son

 

[Harry_manback]

Chop it in for a cup or a trophy then!! The handling of my car isnt anywhere near an elise I've tried but it gives me quite close to the same thrill...

I paid just over £10k for mine new and appart from loads of crappy build issues with my car its great...

How many miles have you covered in your car in a week?? I put about £40 in tops and I use it for work!!

dunno how many miles. just put £20 every day.
filled it on friday, done 270 miles at 33mpg b4 the light came on. mostly on the a1.

 

[Tom]

dont feel safe at speed??
What tyres have u got? ditch finders?
Take it on a track day. Youll soom learn its better than you are

conti's which are ditch finders if you ask me.
i cant throw it about like i could the old one. maybe just been hyping this car up for all this time and turned it into something its not.

Im assuming your 1.4 was on apex or similar?
My 1.2 16v was much the same, very low and felt very planted.

However the 1*2's require a little more trust and skill to get the best out of them, contis are ok but need heat and they have a weird lifespan.

 

[Ex-User (19928)]

BTW, not condoning that I prefer a DCi to a 172.

It's just I save so much with this car. 550+ miles a tank, free tax (£50) and I don't fancy giving that up willingly.

Last service was £150 which was at an independant specialist and they even washed/waxed it (which is more than I've done for 3000 miles..)

 

[kully]

lol @ thread .

 

[Peperami]

Once you get used to the car, you'll love it.

Takes a while to learn the handling, and how and when to apply the engine, and then when you do, will be fast as fudge cross country. At times my car still scares me.

If you ever go back, and drive your old car, it'll feel soooo slow, you'll wonder how you coped before.

I did a similar move, from a 1.2 dynamique, and was slammed 60mm on springs and dampers.

 

[Harry_manback]

Tell me about it. Went to a dealership with a 172 (FF) and 197 at the weekend.

Yeah it's faster than the Dci, but a lot of things are, it certainly didn't live up to the hype I imagined by reading on here. Sure it's a nice hatchback, but I can't be bothered "affording" insurance these days.

Just going to keep my car (it still wipes it's arse with 1.6's ) until I get this company car I've been promised for so long, then sell it, and pull something together for something silly.... I mean a house

That's the plan anyway, BTW, I thought the 197 was lovely, I think it felt much nicer all round really. Haven't been in a cup or trophy so can't comment on those mind. Perhaps that's something to look at next year (trophy...)... Ah well, time will tell.

P.S. Loving the BMW diesel comment You know what they're made of really son

lol bmw drivers lol.


lowered on 60mm gmax or something crap 2nd hand too.
were £30 off ebay. was never near crashing even at the most rediculus speeds.

think the 172 feels heavier. so when i change direction i feel the weight shifting about more. especially when i try and tease lift off oversteer out of it, obviously its all gonna take some time to get used to.
i just expected to be more enthsiastic than this, i cant believe i find it so dull.

 

[Frasers Cup]

Dont mess with the cup's.... Supercar slayers...

 

[Frasers Cup]

think the 172 feels heavier. so when i change direction i feel the weight shifting about more. especially when i try and tease lift off oversteer out of it, obviously its all gonna take some time to get used to.
i just expected to be more enthsiastic than this, i cant believe i find it so dull.

Thats cos its a ff

 

[Tom]

Theres your problem stop lifting off.

Apex - Power.

LOL!

Cup Cup Cup.

Its the same car. cups arent magic super vairants.

 

[Peperami]

Get a set of coilovers for your 172?

Will have the same planted feeling as you did in your slammed 1.4 then, but with a decent engine to pull you out of the corners.

Very difficult to compare a slammed car, to one on standard sus.

 

[Harry_manback]

Once you get used to the car, you'll love it.

Takes a while to learn the handling, and how and when to apply the engine, and then when you do, will be fast as fudge cross country. At times my car still scares me.

If you ever go back, and drive your old car, it'll feel soooo slow, you'll wonder how you coped before.

I did a similar move, from a 1.2 dynamique, and was slammed 60mm on springs and dampers.

i hope your right. even though i know from a meet we had a few weeks ago i could carry loads more speed through a series of motorway roundabouts than a 182, so much so i was up the arse of the 182 to the top of 3rd b4 it even started to pull anything.

not saying my car was faster in a straight line. just that i found it very easy to drive through corners with no correction.
with this it feels like im always having to make adjustments to the steering. always readjusting the throttle to stop it spinning the wheels up on corners. that sort of thing.

i just wanna take it back at the minute.

 

[_Kenny_]

should've got a CTR I was always planning to get a RS after my 1.4 Clio but after certain issues arose decided to go Jap instead. Will keep the 1.4 alongside for a while

 

[Graham Gooch]

its only got 28,000 miles on it (aparently) so i guess it could free up a little.
f**k knows, i have lost interest in cars!

My 182 is on 52,000

It flys.

Give it a decent service, change the plugs and get a decat.

Lol I'm on 51k in my 182 now, only mods are bolt ons (awt inlet,decat and system,itg panel filter and remap) and it flys! More enjoyable than any car I've owned and that list includes gt turbos and imprezas!

Neither of my imprezas was slow very far from it and tbh I don't miss the power or torque that much.

The 182 is my first proper NA car after about 4-5 performance turbos and I'll tell you this, I don't want to drive a turbo car anymore, revving the tits of an engine is soooo rewarding and auralling pleasing too.

It returns a healthy average mpg I've never been lower than 35mpg and its higher than that most of the time when pootling down the motorway with the Cruise control.

 

[Tom]

CTR's are so boring.