Newbie hello & advice please?

[marnold]

Hi all,

New on here so I thought I would say hi firstly and then ask for some advice/opinions from the more experienced clio owners out there!

I'm currently using the new tdci fiesta as a run around for commuting etc and have some free £££ to get myself a pocket rocket project car.

I am wanting to spend up to 5k on a decent clio and then plough some money into making it even better than it already is!

I have been looking at the 182 Cup for some time, umming and ahhing really - I have owned a clio in the past and it was, without doubt, the worst car I have ever owned for reliability, the common TDC/ECU/Wiring loom/tapping issues. But saying that, I am willing to take the plunge and go for it as it is not going to be my everyday car.

First question ... is 5k enough to get a really nice example 182/cup. If so, which variant would anyone suggest? It is going to be used for fast road/occasional track use (eventually).

Secondly, I have been researching the k-tec itb's etc and would like to know if they are worth the money they cost? Any experiences of them would be gratefully recieved.

Anyway, that's enough for now! Thanks for reading and I look forward to any replies

Cheers!

 

[richo]

In answer to your first question yes you can quite easily - there are plenty good ones between 4k-5k.

Worth searching the forum regarding the ITB's and you can make your own decision if you think its worthwhile - all depends what you want from the car.

Welcome to cs!

 

[Struggler]

if youre going for the fun factor, id say the ph1 172 is by far the most fun,
plus they can be picked up for very little,

of course they may need some more attention but they are exactly the same engine bar a few bits.

also, what kind of route do you want to go down?? buckets, rollcage and coilovers?
or full cloth with lots of power?

 

[welshname]

If you are willing to spend 5k on the car then go for a decent ph1 172. Then you have plenty of cash for ITB's or maybe even a turbo/SC.

 

[marnold]

Thanks for your replies so far!

Hi Struggler, I'm open to any ideas really, I have found this on auto trader http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201125392110957/ which looks like it could be a good bet, but I'm still deciding over the 172 or the 182.

From what I've seen so far, I was intending to get the 182 then go for the throttle bodies, remap and AC delete and then start stripping the interior to remove some weight - love the recaro trendlines in the trophy so will be replacing the stock seats.

Any pointers greatly appreciated

Cheers, and thanks again for your replies!

 

[Goodj]

Hey there, welcome aboard.

One thing, you say you had reliability issues with your last Clio, dont expect any different, bolting on aftermarket ITB's wont help matters either.

But as it's not a daily, I can't imagien it's that much of an issue now.

 

[marnold]

Hi Goodj, thanks for the welcome.

At the time when I had my last clio - 4 years ago now - it was my only car and I was at Uni which wasn't much fun with an £1100 bill from mumfords for a new wiring loom etc, but I am not so worried now that I won't be using it every day and can afford for it to be off-road. My old clio needed time and money I didn't have, but now is the time to have some fun, and with the car you get for the money, I don't think I can go far wrong.

Thanks again

 

[Goodj]

That's alright then.

Typically it's at this point I wade in with "get an MX-5 instead".... but I'm trying to resist

 

[marnold]

A quick question then please... I have had a few people comment that a ph1 172 is favourable over the 182 Cup. Could anyone please help with why this is? Many thanks

 

[welshname]

A quick question then please... I have had a few people comment that a ph1 172 is favourable over the 182 Cup. Could anyone please help with why this is? Many thanks

cable throttle which is think is needed for the ITB's (probably wrong), slightly lighter, cheaper to buy, same engine, leaves you more cash for modifying. also, they arent nick-named ph-quick for nothing

 

[marnold]

A quick question... I have had a couple of people reccomend a ph1 172 over the 182 Cup. Could anyone please advise why the 172 is a more recommended choice? Many thanks

 

[Goodj]

He who owns Ph.1 will say it's best
He who owns 182 with cup packs will say theirs is best
He who owns a 1.2 with coilovers and a bodykit will say theirs is best.

I'm sure you get the idea.

Try out a few, make your own mind up.

The Ph.1 is genesis and for that reason is always going to be a good shout.
Ph.2 piled on some weight, so they took away all the civility (air con, xenons, ABS!) to make the Cup, just so the new car is as quick as the old.
The 182 range then decided to complicate matters with "cup packs", "cups" and "full fats"
If you can get a Trophy though, you're winning.

Ultimately, a 1.8 Mk2.5 MX-5 makes a much better weekend toy

 

[welshname]

He who owns Ph.1 will say it's best
He who owns 182 with cup packs will say theirs is best
He who owns a 1.2 with coilovers and a bodykit will say theirs is best.

I'm sure you get the idea.

Try out a few, make your own mind up.

The Ph.1 is genesis and for that reason is always going to be a good shout.
Ph.2 piled on some weight, so they took away all the civility (air con, xenons, ABS!) to make the Cup, just so the new car is as quick as the old.
The 182 range then decided to complicate matters with "cup packs", "cups" and "full fats"
If you can get a Trophy though, you're winning.

Ultimately, a 1.8 Mk2.5 MX-5 makes a much better weekend toy

i own a 1.2, and i still think ph1 is a much better car.

 

[marnold]

Ok, thanks all! I'm looking at a couple over the weekend so I'm hoping to have something sat in the garage asap (heated and carpeted!?!? - the former house owners had a pristine show condition Lotus Europa JPS Special sat in there - shame they wouldn't include it with the house!!!). Looking forward to starting a project thread!!

 

[Goodj]

i own a 1.2, and i still think ph1 is a much better car.

You are, indeed, the exception

Looking forward to starting a project thread!!

Dont get a Ph.1 then, there aren't many clean ones left as is

 

[.Andy.]

One thing Ill add is when buying a car think about the belts, that link you posted up from Autotrader didn't mention anything about the aux or cam belts being changed.

Welcome to CS

 

[welshname]

Dont get a Ph.1 then, there aren't many clean ones left as is

Yeah if you're going to get a ph1 and strip it get one in titanium please. leave the iceberg, pearl black and oddesy blue (think thats right) ones for me when I can afford the stupid insurance.

kthnxbai

 

[Goodj]

Just leave the Ph.1's be, altogether.

The titanium one is the classic 'poster' 172, the others may be rarer, but no-one outside of owner forums gives a toss.

Same goes for genuine 172 Cups, they get chavvercised or barrel-rolled far too frequenttly.

If you must ruin something, ruin a ph.2 172 with the xenons, climate and leather.

 

[marnold]

It's not my intention to ruin the car or 'chavvercise' it. I would just like to spend some time and attention on a nice example. Many apologies if you feel I am going to ruin it goodj. Many thanks

 

[Goodj]

Keeping tidy is good

As you know, Clio's demand money, so you'll have plenty to keep busy with anyway.

Good luck!

 

[welshname]

OEM + is ftw. ITB's/Turbo/SC all add to that too. Too many people make track prepped cars that never see the track and then get broken for spares.