New here :) after some advice on a sport please

[jdm yo]

Hi guys, im Andy from cornwall, currently driving a 106 gti which im looking to change within a month after its mot'd, always been mad on my jap cars, had 2 civic's but fancied a change so went for a 106 gti, however every other day i drive it a new noise or rattle occurs.

Just after some general info really on the clio's, reliability, economy (or lack of), build quality, what to lookout for when buying one, how it would compare to my gti in these areas,

Thanks in advance, Andy

 

[TimR26]

Main things to look out for are that it has been serviced regualrly and that belts have been changed at 72k or 5 years as this costs £400+ to do.

Have a look at Revel's thread as he's gone from a 106 GTi to a Ph1 172.
http://www.cliosport.net/forum/showthread.php?591291-RenaultSport-Clio-172-Costs-Diary.

 

[Martin_172]

Hi guys, im Andy from cornwall, currently driving a 106 gti which im looking to change within a month after its mot'd.

Just after some general info really, reliability, economy (or lack of), build quality, what to lookout for when buying one, how it would compare to my gti in these areas,

Thanks in advance, Andy

reliability generally they are good, pretty much on par with what your used to with a 106, you get ones that are better than others, look after them and they will look after you

economy - generally they are good on fuel for what they are, watch what ur doing on a long run and it will return 40mpg+ drive it quickly and it will still do low 30's

build quality - engine and other mechanical build quality is pretty good, interior quality isnt too bad they rattle a bit and some of the trim doesnt fit 100% especially when its been off, but above the 106 quality so thats a bonus for you

the main thing to look out for is Cambelt service history, they are due at 5 years or 72k miles what ever comes first and are a nightmare to get done properly and cost a fair bit - £500 is an entry level price for a specialist, maby more its a while since i looked into it, read up on this before you buy one as its a totally different thread in its own!

make sure none of the gears crunch and it doesnt jump out any gears, gearboxes arn't the best feeling in the world but they aren't as bad as they are made out to be and if not abused and had an oil change they are reliable.

the rest of the bits to look out for are cheap fixes really, or atleast cheapish
leaking rear dampers (shown by oil marks on them) under £100 for a pair of genuine ones
snapped coil springs, most people replace with a good 2nd hand one or aftermarket
noisy rear wheel bearings (pressed into the rear disc so most change them as new genuine ones come with them already pressed in)
check the boot floor for signs of crash damage
snapped handbrake cables

apart from that they are pretty good and its just the general stuff you would look out for on any car

 

[jdm yo]

Wow thanks for such helpful posts so quickly

As for rattles im sure itl be nothing compared to what im used to

Any idea on insurance differences from my gti? baring in mind im 18 but my policy considering my car is cheap for my age,

Thanks again

 

[TimR26]

Best bet is to get some quotes, I'd be surprised if you get any change out of a couple of grand though,

 

[jdm yo]

Yeh i might phone them tomorro, and at the mo its cheaper than what you'd imagine, low risk area in cornwall, multi car policy with parents vehicles etc and years ncb, but yeh think your right try that

What they like to work on for general repairs/servicing ok?

thanks

 

[TimR26]

Everything is fairly simple but some things in the engine bay can be a b**ch to get to. You need specialist tools to do the cambelt so only let someone who has changed lots of Clio 172 cambelts touch it.

 

[Martin_172]

try Admiral ive been with them since 18 on 172's im now 22. im like you, low risk area.

servicing is cheap for a performance car, 12k or 1yr which ever is first, i service mine myself, oil & oil filter for £45 or what ever you pay (its been a year lol) and a wash and oil of my pipercross filter.

discs and pads are cheap for oem replacements, even aftermarket stuff is resonable.

cambelt is your only expensive part of a service

clutches easily last 100k on the ones ive saw/driven

 

[jdm yo]

I'm with admiral i think good lads,

yeh id be servicing etc myself, what about recomended modifications? how do they handle as standard etc?

So it is safe to say about 33mpg driven normal is achievable?

thanks

 

[Martin_172]

yeah no problem to get that mpg, with a mixture of normal town and fast open road driving with loads of overtaking i get 33-35mpg in the ph1

they handle well as standard if the rear dampers are in good condition with fairly decent tyres on it. common mods are Eibach springs or coilovers.

if i was you, coming from a 106 you will want to change the steeringwheel for something smaller and possibly aftermarket seats that are lower as the big wheel and not the best driving possition makes it feel a bit strange at first, you will get used to it and learn to like/live with it but the 106 is much better in that respect

they are hard to get power from, most have aftermarket exhausts as the standard ones are crap and fall off after about 3yrs from new, genuine ones are expensive.

 

[DrR]

Service intervals are 12k 2 years, not 1.

 

[Goodj]

keep saving until you can get something that wont cost you it's worth oin parts every 6 months.

seriously, these things are made of cardboard and clingfilm. Once you've got one thing fixed you'll only have something else to contend with and becuase they're "a bit special" you can't get some random jabroni to tackle the jobs as they'll only make a hash of it

 

[olliewebbuk]

Goodj is jaded jdm yo, don't listen to him on this matter.

 

[Goodj]

Goodj is jaded jdm yo, don't listen to him on this matter.

I speak from expereince of ownership.
But JDM > French

its true, its damn true

 

[jdm yo]

Yeh thats what worries me, is the build quality, because my 106 quite honestly is incredibly bad.

Whereas both civics i have owned were flawless in every way,

Power wise i think 172 would be enough for me, what exhausts do people usually go for?

Any differences between ph1 and ph2's? i prefer ph2's for looks, also otherthan 10bhp any difference from the 182 cup's?

Thanks, sorry if these are simple Q's. Thanks

 

[Aluco]

keep saving until you can get something that wont cost you it's worth oin parts every 6 months.

seriously, these things are made of cardboard and clingfilm. Once you've got one thing fixed you'll only have something else to contend with and becuase they're "a bit special" you can't get some random jabroni to tackle the jobs as they'll only make a hash of it

I've had 3 RS clios over the last 4 years and the biggest problem any of them had was a leaking radiator.

And that was a Y plate Ph1.

 

[jdm yo]

Being french parts cheap enough on the whole?

 

[Goodj]

Exhausts: Well, you cuold throw a load of money at an aftermarket one, but you get similar results by just sawing off the OEM box and leaving it in the closest bin.


You can probaby buy a Clio that's had all the usual "modz" thrown at it for the same price as one that's been looked after, probably less actually, seeing as un-ruined RS mk.2 clios are getting rarer by the day

 

[Goodj]

I've had 3 RS clios over the last 4 years and the biggest problem any of them had was a leaking radiator.

And that was a Y plate Ph1.

I've had 1 RS Clio over the past 4 years and it is staring down the route of gearbox, shafts, bushes, mounts and a new clutch for good measure while it's all out. For a car barely worth £1500, what's the point in that. ('53 plate)

Of course, I could always change cars every 18 months to avoid such grief.

 

[Martin_172]

50k hard miles in 172s never given me a bit of grief.

well i did have a brake light fuse actually

 

[roystinho]

What's the budget? Then we can advise what to get