Picked this up last Friday, bought it from Simon. off the board.
I downsized from a Volvo 850R estate, great car and I really regretted selling it, but I was getting itchy feet and fancied something a bit cheaper to run for a few years. Bit of a downgrade in a few areas, but the both have their pro's & con's in different areas. The upside is I made a decent profit on the 850R which helps soften the blow!!
I finished replacing the auxiliary belt & tensioner/idler Wednesday (2 hours of daylight a day is nice!) as French Car-Nection only replaced the belt at interval and the car is now on 81k. Just about had enough time to give her a quick clean. Wanted to machine polish (paint is pretty good but does have a few minor swirls), but ran out of time. Got a minor run on the rear quarter that wants sorting as well, but I think I'd rather borrow a PTG before I look at correcting that.
Should have taken some pics yesterday when it was sunny, but oh no, I chose today which was damp & misty!! Oh well! At least it's still fairly clean!!
RenaultSport Clio 182 interior by Hallsy01, on Flickr
RenaultSport Clio 182 interior by Hallsy01, on Flickr
2004 RenaultSport Clio 182 by Hallsy01, on Flickr
2004 RenaultSport Clio 182 by Hallsy01, on Flickr
2004 RenaultSport Clio 182 by Hallsy01, on Flickr
'RenaultSport' by Hallsy01, on Flickr
2004 RenaultSport Clio 182 by Hallsy01, on Flickr
So far I'm loving in it!! I agree with Clarkson, depsite the few french issues it has, it's a car that puts a smile on your face!! It's quick, comfy, great handling & turn in, well specced and looks good (imo). Sure in places the build quality is a bit tinny, closing the tailgate makes me wince, and the central locking motors sound like bombs going off in the lightweight doors - but to be fair the interior is pretty good for a french car and the mechanicals appear to be pretty good.
Just nice to have a car that performs well out of the box without having to go crazy with mods. The Cup chassis definitely feels better planted than a non-cupped 172 for me.
Comparable to my Eunos really, not quite as settled in the bends, but nowhere near as uncomfortable or skittish on rough roads - obviously has a lot more grunt though.
First mod - new boots!! The Michelin Pilot Exaltos are getting low and unfortunately Simon had a wrong wisth 195/45 P-Zero fitted to rear. The rest are PE2's which are getting low. I know many sing the praises of the replacement PS3's, but at £200 cheaper a set I've gone for a set of V12 Evo's to try, seem to get pretty good reviews on here & elsewhere.
Might source a set of 15's for winter tyres as well as the missus will be using it to commute in the winter rather than the 330ci. Will see what's available come pay day!!
I downsized from a Volvo 850R estate, great car and I really regretted selling it, but I was getting itchy feet and fancied something a bit cheaper to run for a few years. Bit of a downgrade in a few areas, but the both have their pro's & con's in different areas. The upside is I made a decent profit on the 850R which helps soften the blow!!
I finished replacing the auxiliary belt & tensioner/idler Wednesday (2 hours of daylight a day is nice!) as French Car-Nection only replaced the belt at interval and the car is now on 81k. Just about had enough time to give her a quick clean. Wanted to machine polish (paint is pretty good but does have a few minor swirls), but ran out of time. Got a minor run on the rear quarter that wants sorting as well, but I think I'd rather borrow a PTG before I look at correcting that.
Should have taken some pics yesterday when it was sunny, but oh no, I chose today which was damp & misty!! Oh well! At least it's still fairly clean!!
RenaultSport Clio 182 interior by Hallsy01, on Flickr
RenaultSport Clio 182 interior by Hallsy01, on Flickr
2004 RenaultSport Clio 182 by Hallsy01, on Flickr
2004 RenaultSport Clio 182 by Hallsy01, on Flickr
2004 RenaultSport Clio 182 by Hallsy01, on Flickr
'RenaultSport' by Hallsy01, on Flickr
2004 RenaultSport Clio 182 by Hallsy01, on Flickr
So far I'm loving in it!! I agree with Clarkson, depsite the few french issues it has, it's a car that puts a smile on your face!! It's quick, comfy, great handling & turn in, well specced and looks good (imo). Sure in places the build quality is a bit tinny, closing the tailgate makes me wince, and the central locking motors sound like bombs going off in the lightweight doors - but to be fair the interior is pretty good for a french car and the mechanicals appear to be pretty good.
Just nice to have a car that performs well out of the box without having to go crazy with mods. The Cup chassis definitely feels better planted than a non-cupped 172 for me.
Comparable to my Eunos really, not quite as settled in the bends, but nowhere near as uncomfortable or skittish on rough roads - obviously has a lot more grunt though.
First mod - new boots!! The Michelin Pilot Exaltos are getting low and unfortunately Simon had a wrong wisth 195/45 P-Zero fitted to rear. The rest are PE2's which are getting low. I know many sing the praises of the replacement PS3's, but at £200 cheaper a set I've gone for a set of V12 Evo's to try, seem to get pretty good reviews on here & elsewhere.
Might source a set of 15's for winter tyres as well as the missus will be using it to commute in the winter rather than the 330ci. Will see what's available come pay day!!
