Is buying a 172 Cup the right thing?

[rob893]

If this is in the wrong place, it is quite a general thread so assumed this is in the right place

I'm very motivated for a 172 Cup, viewed one the other day and was very impressed. Got the money to buy one now, just going to wait until I have enough to comfortably run and insure it. A few of my friends have doubts about the car, so I was going to run them over to this forum just to put my mind at ease a little.

As I'm driving a 10 year old French car at the moment, most of the "French" aspects of the car such as the cheap interior do not bother me.

The main point I'm worried about is the car not having ABS. I have read in numerous places that the brakes are very good, but these are quick cars, so no ABS is a little concerning to me. I don't drive like a dick, but that still doesn't discount for the fact that someone could pull out in front of me resulting in an emergency stop. One of my friends said that buying a car with no ABS in this age is ridiculous. What are your thoughts? or am I just being a wuss?

The other thing is that I can't thing of more bang for your buck in the world of hot hatches other than a EP3 Type-R snotter?

Looking forward to 172 Cup ownership!

Cheers

 

[-J-]

The only downside to not having ABS is that some insurance company's are picky and won't insure (Greenlight for example) otherwise I have driven mine rain, sun and snow for the last 4-5 years without missing ABS once.

 

[mitch1503]

If this is in the wrong place, it is quite a general thread so assumed this is in the right place

I'm very motivated for a 172 Cup, viewed one the other day and was very impressed. Got the money to buy one now, just going to wait until I have enough to comfortably run and insure it. A few of my friends have doubts about the car, so I was going to run them over to this forum just to put my mind at ease a little.

As I'm driving a 10 year old French car at the moment, most of the "French" aspects of the car such as the cheap interior do not bother me.

The main point I'm worried about is the car not having ABS. I have read in numerous places that the brakes are very good, but these are quick cars, so no ABS is a little concerning to me. I don't drive like a dick, but that still doesn't discount for the fact that someone could pull out in front of me resulting in an emergency stop. One of my friends said that buying a car with no ABS in this age is ridiculous. What are your thoughts? or am I just being a wuss?

The other thing is that I can't thing of more bang for your buck in the world of hot hatches other than a EP3 Type-R snotter?

Looking forward to 172 Cup ownership!

Cheers

Having no ABS isnt a problem mate... iv had quite a few miss haps with people pulling out and iv always stopped the only time i had and accident was when the idiot was coming head on at me on my side of the roasd round a blind bend... I broke but he didnt ieven use mine in the snow etc and never had any problems

 

[tom172cup]

your being a girl about the abs get one bought

 

[Christopher.]

It will be fine mate, just go and buy it.

 

[Nick172Cup]

If you drive like you say then having no ABS is fine, in dry conditions I think its better than ABS. In the wet just be cautious like you already should be, also if someones going to pull out right in front of you then the likelihood is even a 172 with ABS wont help.

EP3 is a good value car, though having driven both my prefered car is the Cup.

 

[Simon@SprayShack]

The whole point of the CUP is that its a raw drivers car, no driving aids etc, if you want safety features then it definately isnt the car for you. ABS is definately useful, but you learn to simply lift off the brake slightly when it skids, when i first got my cup it did catch me out in the wet once.

 

[rob893]

Thanks for confirming that I was being a wuss. I Will have one soon enough, just waiting for the right one to come along. Can't wait!

 

[GSKingsbury]

Where abouts are u from Rob i see your in Wiltshire !!

 

[Iain C]

I had a cup for years and i didnt die once. Tru factz

 

[Knuckles]

Test drive one, take it on a fast, empty road and see if you s**t yourself/die... If you don't. Buy a cup. If you do, Buy a normal 1*2








/trophy

 

[Day]

I had a cup for years and i didnt die once. Tru factz

And I've not died in it after you either...

 

[jenic]

How often does ABS kick in for you atm?

Rarely I'd guess, mine only ever kicks in when it's icy and is actually a hindrance most of the time.

 

[Martin_172]

even when your abs is kicking in on your road car you generally find you can brake much harder on a car with no ABS before it skids, just watch yourself on wet roads, over bumps etc, imo most cup owners probably dont even realise they dont have it

if it concerns you though go for a normal 172 or a 182, cups are awesome cars but dont let the marketing lead you to beleive you will be missing out on anything if you go for a normal 172/182.

edit: valid point above about insurance, i found them quite a bit more expensive to insure over my 172 when i was looking at one

 

[Stephenx77]

I bought my cup 3 months ago and have no regrets at all, best purchase of my life. I've never had a car with ABS, so it was nothing new to me, the only thing I would say is be careful using the brakes downhill, they lock up quicker than you might think.

As to waiting for financial comfort in insuring/running it: get a credit card and buy one now

 

[Advikaz]

As long as you understand certain vehicle dynamics & have a feel for whats going on you should have no issues without ABS at all.

My experience of Cups are just be careful with lying water & don't tail gate people on the motorways in these conditions because you could get caught out.

Other than that ENJOY!

 

[J.B.]

No ABS is fine in the dry, you'd have to bury the peddle to lock them on good tyres. In the wet, just be more alert and remember to pump if it does go!

 

[S22 JGS]

to be honest, if someone told me that buying a car without ABS is rediculous, i would no longer value their judgement on buying a car, as they clearly dont understand driving in its purist forms.
apart from anything else, not having ABS can only serve to make you a better driver and better understand car handling

i hold the same opinion for all these silly 19-21 year olds who buy turbo engines cos turbo is cool innit, and then brag that they manage to get their traction/esp light flashing all the time.

 

[is1]

Lack of ABS is not ideal and I can understand someone saying that they wouldn't advise buying a car that doesn't have ABS.
That said, there is a reason the Cup doesn't have ABS, it is obviously a highly focused driving machine and experienced drivers of performance cars probably prefer a vehicle without ABS.
For a normal driver, it is a judgment call for you. Why not a regular 172 or even a phase 1 172 if you want something raw?
If you go for the 172 Cup for whatever reason, I would make sure that it has very good wet-performance tyres or be willing to put them on if it hasn't. If it has budget tyres to get the car sold, I wouldn't fancy planting my foot on the brake pedal downhill approaching a roundabout in the wet!
With a good set of wet-performance tyres, you probably won't notice it doesn't have ABS.

 

[partybish]

I just picked up a 172 Cup yesterday and I'm very impressed. I'm not overly concerned about the lack of ABS but the braking is much heavier than my Mondeo and I'm finding I have to adapt my driving to allow for it. As you said if you don't drive like a d**k but gradually get used to the cars limits I don't think you'll find it a problem.

If you're having trouble deciding whether to get a Cup one thing I would say is to think seriously about what you want from the car, if you find a 182 or 172 in good condition then I'm sure they'd be equally as good but my intention was always to take mine to some track days and use a second car so I was happy not to compromise as I wanted something lighter with a wider track as standard. The long drive home after collecting the car wasn't particularly comfortable and I don't plan on using it for long trips again.

All of the EP3's I looked at for the same money

 

[Chip-mk1]

I dont like the cup poverty interior or the lack of aircon if its for a daily.

Personally I reckon the best combination for a daily is:
cup with aircon, and fit some decent (ie non cup) seats
or:
non cup 172 and fit the cup suspension, you get the xenons etc too this way

 

[Chip-mk1]

Lack of ABS is not ideal and I can understand someone saying that they wouldn't advise buying a car that doesn't have ABS.
That said, there is a reason the Cup doesn't have ABS, it is obviously a highly focused driving machine and experienced drivers of performance cars probably prefer a vehicle without ABS.
For a normal driver, it is a judgment call for you. Why not a regular 172 or even a phase 1 172 if you want something raw?
If you go for the 172 Cup for whatever reason, I would make sure that it has very good wet-performance tyres or be willing to put them on if it hasn't. If it has budget tyres to get the car sold, I wouldn't fancy planting my foot on the brake pedal downhill approaching a roundabout in the wet!
With a good set of wet-performance tyres, you probably won't notice it doesn't have ABS.

172 ABS is pretty rubbish anyway TBH, you have to drive completely without talent to ever engage it IMHO

 

[VR46-G@Z]

I'd get a normal 172 over the cup as the half leather interior is so much nicer and the Xenon headlights look so much smarter too! If you don't drive like a dick then a cup will have no advantages being more raw anyway! Having said that the cup wheels are much nicer than the normal 172 wheels but that's the only plus point of a cup as far as I can see! But either way you're get a 172 so jobs a good un!

 

[Chip-mk1]

I'd get a normal 172 over the cup as the half leather interior is so much nicer and the Xenon headlights look so much smarter too! If you don't drive like a dick then a cup will have no advantages being more raw anyway! Having said that the cup wheels are much nicer than the normal 172 wheels but that's the only plus point of a cup as far as I can see! But either way you're get a 172 so jobs a good un!

My mrs has a black phase 2 172 with cup wheels, cup suspension and an Rs2.
I nick it quite often (well its kind of ours as we always pay halves on stuff for it etc, but she normally drives it) and I absoultely love it as a road car, ours is a leggy (over 140K miles) example and the paints a bit tatty etc, so would be nice to start over with a low mileage minter but I wouldnt change the spec at all, I really do think its the perfect combination now pretty much, its absolutely epic fun on the A and B roads of somerset and really good on track too.

 

[-J-]

If you don't drive like a dick then a cup will have no advantages being more raw anyway!

I lol'ed

 

[mitch1503]

I lol'ed

so did i

 

[16v_er]

if you can drive, you don't need abs. As for ep3 's i had the jdm ep3 and i can honestly say my 172 cup was better as was my teg dc2.

 

[MonkeyKnifeFight]

Buy a Cup, master threshold braking. You'll be well on the way to becoming a hero!!

 

[realnumber 1]

172 ABS is pretty rubbish anyway TBH, you have to drive completely without talent to ever engage it IMHO

If it doesn't interfere too much then surely that makes it good then?:S

 

[Chip-mk1]

If it doesn't interfere too much then surely that makes it good then?:S

No a good abs system is one that works very well to improve brake performance but you don't even notice is there.

 

[realnumber 1]

A good abs system is one that doesn't start twitching away at the slightest touch of the brake and only does in the event of an emergency stop and the like.
Imo the clio achieves this quite well.

 

[Chip-mk1]

if you can drive, you don't need abs. As for ep3 's i had the jdm ep3 and i can honestly say my 172 cup was better as was my teg dc2.

While you might not "need" ABS if its a good system you will be quicker with it than without it.

Lap times in F1 tumbled when it was introduced, and those guys can certainly drive ok.

 

[Chip-mk1]

A good abs system is one that doesn't start twitching away at the slightest touch of the brake and only does in the event of an emergency stop and the like.

Thats one factor, another is that if you turn into a corner hard and then need to stand on the brakes it shouldnt unsettle the car and should still steer well, clio setup isnt as good in this case as some of the more modern setups.

If you were building the ultimate car, it wouldnt have clio ABS on it, but its not bad enough to worry about trying to change it for what we are all doing with our cars.

 

[jhot80]

If this is in the wrong place, it is quite a general thread so assumed this is in the right place

I'm very motivated for a 172 Cup, viewed one the other day and was very impressed. Got the money to buy one now, just going to wait until I have enough to comfortably run and insure it. A few of my friends have doubts about the car, so I was going to run them over to this forum just to put my mind at ease a little.

As I'm driving a 10 year old French car at the moment, most of the "French" aspects of the car such as the cheap interior do not bother me.

The main point I'm worried about is the car not having ABS. I have read in numerous places that the brakes are very good, but these are quick cars, so no ABS is a little concerning to me. I don't drive like a dick, but that still doesn't discount for the fact that someone could pull out in front of me resulting in an emergency stop. One of my friends said that buying a car with no ABS in this age is ridiculous. What are your thoughts? or am I just being a wuss?

The other thing is that I can't thing of more bang for your buck in the world of hot hatches other than a EP3 Type-R snotter?

Looking forward to 172 Cup ownership!

Cheers

Your can stop quicker without ABS. It takes a bit of control compared to ABS where you can just stamp on the pedal and not think about it.

Its a nice safety net but i havent had abs in any of my cars for the last 4 years. You get use to it.

 

[Chip-mk1]

Your can stop quicker without ABS.

Not if its good ABS you cant, as the ABS system can individually manage each wheel, so if one wheel is low on traction just that wheel needs the braking force taking away from it, a good ABS system can do that, a driver cant as you only have 1 pedal not 4.

 

[BrianB]

i was thinking the same about the lack of abs before i bought mine, never had an issue thb and very glad i opted for the cup now

i personally think they'll retain or even appreciate in value providing its kept tidy as the numbers that are getting split for parts rise

 

[DominicJeans]

I reckon i use my ABS weekly. Wouldnt be without it. I do , however, drive like a dick.

If this is in the wrong place, it is quite a general thread so assumed this is in the right place

I'm very motivated for a 172 Cup, viewed one the other day and was very impressed. Got the money to buy one now, just going to wait until I have enough to comfortably run and insure it. A few of my friends have doubts about the car, so I was going to run them over to this forum just to put my mind at ease a little.

As I'm driving a 10 year old French car at the moment, most of the "French" aspects of the car such as the cheap interior do not bother me.

The main point I'm worried about is the car not having ABS. I have read in numerous places that the brakes are very good, but these are quick cars, so no ABS is a little concerning to me. I don't drive like a dick, but that still doesn't discount for the fact that someone could pull out in front of me resulting in an emergency stop. One of my friends said that buying a car with no ABS in this age is ridiculous. What are your thoughts? or am I just being a wuss?

The other thing is that I can't thing of more bang for your buck in the world of hot hatches other than a EP3 Type-R snotter?

Looking forward to 172 Cup ownership!

Cheers

 

[jhot80]

Not if its good ABS you cant, as the ABS system can individually manage each wheel, so if one wheel is low on traction just that wheel needs the braking force taking away from it, a good ABS system can do that, a driver cant as you only have 1 pedal not 4.

True but that still be tuned to perform in any condition ie ok in the wet and ok in the dry. You can adjust your foot for the road and the conditions so i think you would still be better off without. Bit of swings and roundabouts but the slip that abs allows isnt enough to get the best in the dry.

 

[Chip-mk1]

True but that still be tuned to perform in any condition ie ok in the wet and ok in the dry. You can adjust your foot for the road and the conditions so i think you would still be better off without. Bit of swings and roundabouts but the slip that abs allows isnt enough to get the best in the dry.

No its not tuned for one condition, a decent ABS system will process data live to decide with each few degrees of turn on each wheel if more or less pressure is required, no human being ever born can get close, even if you had 4 pedals and did nothing with your hands and feet other than brake and got someone else to steer and accelerate.
People cant do so because they have no wheel of feeing what an individual wheel is doing even if they had individual controls to use, where as the computer has a speed sensor on each wheel.

 

[MarkCup]

Never found the lack of ABS an issue on my 172 Cup.

The ABS on my 200 has impressed me so far...it allows a fair degree of threshold slip before it engages, enough to get the front tyres howling on a dry road anyway.

Always thought it would cut in before that point but seems as though Renault have got it right to me.