Is buying a CUP wise

[scooby stu]

My Cup is due to be delivered in less than 2 weeks. Ive only been following the threads on this site for a few weeks, but Im very concerned about whether its the right move and Im considering pulling out.

I know you only ever read about the bad stories (rarely do people start shouting about great experiences), but the number of bad reports, the serious nature of some of them and the abysmal level of after sales service has got me really worried.

Any thought/comments, whether they calm my nerves or not, would be welcome.

Cheers.

 

[007]

Hmm - I dont have a Cup so cannot really comment on the actual car although my Renault dealer has made some mistakes they have bent over backwards to sort my problems out.

If you read scoobynet you would never buy a Scoob for fear of the engine blowing up but I agree there does seem more problems than most forums on here.

 

[Chris n nic]

Ive had a few niggles but IMO its worth putting up with for the fun factor. Obviously some people have had massive problems but most will be happy I would think.

Based on my experiences with mine, and the fact Im still enjoying driving it, I would say still get it

Chris

 

[RobFenn]

Its a Renault..you have to be prepared for a bit of hassle, but you have 3 years warranty so i dont see the problem unless your some top flight exec where you cant afford to lose a second..

-Rob

 

[Pete]

What you have to remember is that no one posts on here saying my car didnt have a problem the last two months etc, you will always find people will post about the problems they have with their cars.

 

[Dash]

There does seem to be quite a few quality issues with the Renault Clio range. However the 172 and Cups do offer a fast ride for a very few quid.

If you want more luxuries, then the 172 is for you, but remember it may well have a fair amount of rattles etc. The Cup is your more bare bones oldish school pocket rocket, but again with it being a lot emptier the rattles could possibly echo louder.

Should you be the kind of person who expects flawless quality and a noise free environment, then the Clio would be a wrong choice.

Let me know if you find a car with absolutely none of the above faults, and more importantly how many tens of thousands more you need to fork out.

I am almost certain there are hundreds of posts we dont read that speak of just how good the 172/Cup are. Same goes for most car forums I suspect.

 

[stevo20]

hi mate

as the old story goes, bad news travels faster than good, thats exactly the same situation with the clio, ive had quite a major problems with my original 172 but after about 2 weeks of sh*t i recieved a replacement 172, the problems ive had havent made me want to get rid of the car, i love it to bits, it puts a huge smile on my face when i put my foot down and not many small cars do that for me, trust me when i say, youll love it and youll never look back.

if your the type of person who likes luxury and is willing to give up 0.2 secs 0-60 and obviously pay a little more., then i would get the 172 on the other hand if you like track days and dont mind not having the bits and the bobs then the cup is the car for you, good luck anyway.

 

[MIKE-CUP]

scooby stu,

You have said exactly what Im thinking and Im hoping to god that I dont have too many problems. As you say it is a concern when your forking out thousands of pounds, but I think it will be worth it. Mine is due for delivery in January and I cant wait.

Some re-assurance may come from the fact that EVO Magazine have just got rid of their long term Clio Cup and in 32,000 extremely hard track and road miles in 12 months, it only had a loose rotary switch, a faulty centre section of the exhaust and a faulty clutch plate which were all replaced under warranty. Not too bad considering the punishment it must have had, and it averaged 34.1mpg during its 12 months with them.

It would appear that most cars these days have niggly faults, and spending more money or buying a superior make of car does not mean that it will be fault free or that you will be treated better by the dealer.

Chin up mate! Heres hoping for some happy trouble-free motoring

 

[GR7]

scooby stu

Just get it - you know you want to!! As Rob said, you have a three year warranty and even BMWs which cost two or three times more dont come without the occasional problem. I have had my 172 since Jan 2002 and I had a small niggle on day one which was some water in the spare wheel well which was sorted by Renault with no problem and they gave me a new car to drive for the time mine was in. Mine was imported but the garage didnt even ask me where it came from, they only asked for the reg plate.

If you saw Watchdog two weeks ago you will have seen that all Rovers with the type K engine have head gaskets made of the same lightweight material which has caused many of them to blow and have cost some Rover owners thousands of pounds because of massive damge done to some cars. Apparently until this was revealed to be a huge problem, Rover refused to admit there was a problem. Now it has been exposed, it will cost them a lot of their profit to sort!!

Ihave never heard of anything like this with Renaults!!

Also Nissan has recently issued recalls to over two million of their cars.

As far as I am aware, there has never been any recalls for the Clio and there have been no major problems. If there are any major things wrong with your car, you have the chance to reject it within a certain length of time. But the norm is for the dealer to sort anything out, which they will do. But it must be only a tiny minority that has anything wrong as there are millions of Clios on the road. Up here in Scotland, where there are not as many company cars as down south, the Clio has been the top selling car for about nine years. Loads of people I know, have Clios as second cars, young and old alike love Clios, for the money, there is nothing else with so much standard equipment and they look modern too.

Another thing in Renaults favour, is that their cars are pretty tough when it comes to being hit by another vehicle. I have seen Clios which have rolled several times and have retained their shape pretty well, protected their occupants unlike some other flimsy cars, many of which cost much more. I like to know that the car I drive will hopefully protect me and any passengers in the case of an accident!

Also, we have some members here who work for Renault and who would bend over backwards to help you if the need arises (which I doubt it). Jeremy Townsend is Product Manager (?) and Bob RTE is ClioSports Resident Technical Expert, so just feel confident that with these guys on here, help will be available if required!!

I think I should get a job for Renault after this post!!

 

[GR7]

Gosh, I hadnt realised I had typed that much!!

 

[compocup]

Ive had absolutely no problems with mine so there must be some good ones out there.

The only problem I get is Saxo drivers trying it on - which is hilarious lol

(no offence to Saxo drivers for trying however)

 

[GR7]

I would rather be hit whilst driving a Clio than a Saxo!! They dont appear to be that strong, especially when hit from behind or when rolled over!!

 

[CUP80Y]

Ive had my cup for 22,000 miles (in 8 months!), some of those are business, the rest are purely enjoyment because the car is a hobby and I enjoy driving it sooo much!! I would certainly Recommend it.

The problems I have had are 2 niggly rattles, exhaust fault, and clutch fault, but the car has never failed to start or caused me any major problems. On the subject of dealers, I think there is a communication problem, its not that they are unhelpful, and in my experience they always get things done in the end (it just takes longer and is more frustrating than youd like!)

For the money - nothing comes close, if youve got more money and want more refinement but still the raw old school responsiveness and urge then Civic Type R is better than the 172 for the money IMO.

 

[boycie]

If youve heard some bad things about Renault and their dealers you should try owning an Alfa 156 , i got rid of my 2.5v6 after 15 months and bought a 172

 

[Essex_lads_bro]

Ive had my cup about 3 weeks and have enjoyed every second of it!

Have had no problems with it so far!

Its a great drivers car and would recomend anyone who enjoys the thrills of driving to have one!

Blimey i sound like a motoring journalist lol, will shut up now!

Geoff.

 

[CHRIS172CUP]

My cup has been fine, it did go in for an alternator tensioner bolt, which fell out, but apart from that nothing.

 

[wilf]

Mines been fine 11k now without mishap. Theres plenty out there that are reliable you just hear about all the bad ones.

Just to add Im really impressed with the car as a package. Much better VFM than my previous scoobs

 

[christimson]

6000 miles and fine for me. It thrills everyday going to work and back.

 

[Mike@Rentech]

My 172 has been great, had no real problems with it, and it must be one of very few without any rattles, it drives very well and fuel consumption is ace.
Ok if you read the posts on the forum most of the time its for annoying things (knocking/rattles etc) rather than breakdowns.
I have got the best customer service in the world from Renault (But I do any repairs myself at work)hence not having to deal with booking in, receptionist etc.
Customer service varies from dealer to dealer, you get some good, you get some bad but thats the same with any retail industry.

What I would say is to make sure you have your spare key with you as clio keys do have a tendancy to fail.

Dont back out the deal they are great cars, and excellent fun

 

[pete_pete]

I kinda wish Id gone for somthing else Ie CTR or Cooper S but part from that its ok.. cups do seem to have more probs cos I think there more RAW tho

 

[JAY172]

SCOOBY STU,

HAD MY CUP FOR ALMOST A YEAR NOW.HAD A FEW NIGGLES BUT ON THE WHOLE IM PLEASED WITH IT,THERE MAIN LETDOWN IS INTERIOR RATTLES BUT THEY WILL GET SORTED UNDER WARRANTY IF YOU HAVE ANY.

 

[Neil82]

9000 miles in 8 months and no problems.

 

[D-CUP]

CUP is a lot cheaper than a CTR or Cooper S.

 

[sparkles]

7500 miles in 6 months - no problems yet apart from a couple of squeaks and rattles from the dash - but hey its french! The Cup is absolutely fantastic to drive - nothing else for the money can touch it (Im talking new here) watch it in the wet though! Also if you like to drive hard dont expect your front tyres to last very long (mine lasted 6500 miles - oops!!)

I dont know what Id replace it with (for the same money) If they are still available in a few months I may get another one - or perhaps the soon coming Clio 182 with Cup suspension option!

 

[mikeherts]

Just to add to the people with no real problems (seeing as people dont post to say "Ive got nothing at all wrong with my car"!). Interior is a bit rattley as youd expect from a french car and used to have a little electrical problem with the ESP light which went away, but aside from that I havent needed to visit Renault once in the first year.

I "only" have a regular 172, and although a little disappointed at first with the performance (coming from a turbo car), I soon grew to love it. Mine took a long long time to run in and loosen up due to low mileage and short slow journeys. It is finally run in (7000 miles later) and really goes well. I used to think I had a dud but not any more. Just dont underestimate how much better they start performing once run in - mine is like a different car.

The Cup can only be even more fun than a 172, so Id say dont cancel the order!

 

[zeemax]

scooby stu, buying that cup is a very bad idea. BUY MY NITROUS V6 INSTEAD!!!!