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Newbie Here (Soon to be owner!)



H

hpbingham

  Renault Clio GT
So I'm 18, just about to (hopefully) pass my driving test, and looking for my first car, budget around 6k to 10k, so I'm looking at a 1.5 GT Clio (106.) I'm I car person, I love cars, when I play the Xbox, I play racing games (Forza - I stick to semi-realistic games, non of the Need for Speed bull*) no war games like CoD etc. But, my knowledge of cars isn't really that great (it's not bad,) but I want to learn so, any help is appreciated.

Would really love to get an RS, but I just can't get insured anywhere on one. (If anyone knows of anywhere that will insure an 18 year old on an RS let me know!) The GT insurance is coming in at around 1.9k which is very good for someone of my age. Was thinking of getting a few mods, but wanted to know what you guys thought.

First thing, and the main thing, 17" wheels. I think 16's dont look right. My first question regarding this: will they fit, is there any chance of me clipping the body work say or other issues. (I can imagine there's a chance some of you are now laughing at my inexperience haha.)

Second, a remap. if I can't get insured on an RS, I want more power than 106BHP. So far I've driven a 1.2 Corsa and a 1.4 Clio, and I know I'll get bored quickly of low powered cars. So I want to get the most out of the car I have whilst I build up some NCB. Is a remap a good idea? Who are the best people to go to? What issues may I have with the car/warranty.

Thirdly, would any other mods make sense, induction kits possibly. Like I say I want to learn. I'm hear for the long run, as soon as I can ill be getting an RS.

Thanks so much if you've even read down to here, I know it's a lot of questions and I really appreciate it!

Harry.
 
JON13S

JON13S

  A4 DTM/iceberg cup
Welcome along, I would be looking to buy a cheaper car and saving the money for a rs in a couple of years time.
 
H

hpbingham

  Renault Clio GT
JON13S said:
Welcome along, I would be looking to buy a cheaper car and saving the money for a rs in a couple of years time.
Click to expand...
The moneys not really an issue, im fresh out of college, and live with my parents. Decided to take a gap year, ended up landing a job at NatWest, and now I'm about to be promoted after having been there three months. I have enough expendable cash that I really don't know what to do with it, and whilst I'm good at saving and am already putting aside for a house deposit, I'd rather put my money towards something else that I'm gonna look after etc. rather than what the average person my age spends money on (going out and getting drunk.) Dont get me wrong I love a good night out haha, but I'm quite sensible with my money, and am looking to get a nice car. Thanks for the advice though!
 
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D

danward

ClioSport Club Member
  TTS
Hey :)

Thats a huge budget for a first car! Mine was a £400 Corsa B 1.2 8v and was utterly rubbish.
 
Matt W

Matt W

  Volvo XC60 T8
Welcome

As a first car I would spend £800 on a shed then save up for a year to get something tasty when the insurance price drops :)
 
T

The Fatty

  AB182, Audi A5 3.0
Have you considered a twingo 133? you might be able to get insurance on that and they are quite fun. Also with a budget that big, consider the clio Mk3 100TCE model as it can have quite a few things done to it to boast the performance to give 120bhp+.
 
H

hpbingham

  Renault Clio GT
The Fatty said:
Have you considered a twingo 133? you might be able to get insurance on that and they are quite fun. Also with a budget that big, consider the clio Mk3 100TCE model as it can have quite a few things done to it to boast the performance to give 120bhp+.
Click to expand...
My issue with the twingo is (please correct me if im wrong) but its a 1.6. The only place insuring me for a realistic price is LV as the accept my 2 years NCB from a motorcycle and graham sykes (if I end up modding.) LV wont insure me on anything over a 1.5... 1.6 seems to be the cut off, its a blanked no, wont even give me a quote. If you know anywhere I could get insured on the Twingo 133 let me know because I'd love to get one. And the reason I've gone for the Clio GT is I like the bodywork, looks slick. Not quite an RS, but it will do.
 
H

hpbingham

  Renault Clio GT
Is there anyone that can answer my questions haha. Rather than telling me not to get the car I want ;)

Thanks.
 
Budgie

Budgie

  330i. E30 Touring.
Matt W said:
Welcome

As a first car I would spend £800 on a shed then save up for a year to get something tasty when the insurance price drops :)
Click to expand...

Me too.

Concentrate on not stacking it. I'd be a much richer person had i not totalled a few cars when i was 18-19..
 
LukeW

LukeW

  Racing Blue 182
Matt W said:
Welcome

As a first car I would spend £800 on a shed then save up for a year to get something tasty when the insurance price drops :)
Click to expand...
^^ I agree. I had a £900 106 for my first car, had that for a year and now I have a RB182! If you have that much money now straight out of college, think about how much you'll have in a years time ;)
 
H

hpbingham

  Renault Clio GT
LukeW said:
^^ I agree. I had a £900 106 for my first car, had that for a year and now I have a RB182! If you have that much money now straight out of college, think about how much you'll have in a years time ;)
Click to expand...
In a years time I'd have a lot more than if I do go along with my intended purchase. However, you could say the same about anything. Im young, I have no commitments, I'm gonna make the most of it. Now if someone could answer my questions about the mods id really appreciate it haha.
 
MarkCup

MarkCup

ClioSport Club Member
Sorry, but I'm with all of the above.

You want to enjoy a nice car, and really want an RS Clio...you could likely afford insurance on one in a year's time...but in the meantime you want to suffer a huge depreciation hit and likely massive cash loss through loads and loads of mods to a car that no matter what you do to it, and from what you've written above, is never really going to get you excited.

Be patient, wait, and do it properly.
 
W

Webby.

  RB 182
Don't listen to them, my first car is the sx and I'm glad I did it... Ill px next year for an rs and probably lose money but I won't regret it as I've had fun with it :)
 
H

hpbingham

  Renault Clio GT
MarkCup said:
Sorry, but I'm with all of the above.

You want to enjoy a nice car, and really want an RS Clio...you could likely afford insurance on one in a year's time...but in the meantime you want to suffer a huge depreciation hit and likely massive cash loss through loads and loads of mods to a car that no matter what you do to it, and from what you've written above, is never really going to get you excited.

Be patient, wait, and do it properly.
Click to expand...
The GT might not "get me excited." But it will make my arse nip more than the 1.2 limited edition corsas that all my mates drive around in do. I don't mind about the depreciation. It's not like I've bought the car new, im not going to loose too much of its value. And if i do, I can take a hit in the department anyway. I appreciate the advice your all giving me, and heck, in a years time I might look back and think I wish I'd listened to you all. But I dont want to be driving round in a £600 Corsa for a year. Half of the reason I like the GT/RS is due to the looks. I can't get the looks I want from a Corsa B. If I can't get my questions answered here then I'll have to look elsewhere and I thank you all for the input you've given, but I didn't come here to be told not to buy the car I want. In all fairness I expected the exact opposite.
 
liam-vtr

liam-vtr

  Trophy
Buy a 172 for 2k, surely you can find someone to insure you for less then 4k!

Put your details into Compare the meerkat etc, that will give you a list of companies at least willing to insure you on the car that you can subsequently ring to try and reduce the premiums.

In regards to mods, you will not be increasing power - only noise, (except the remap which will give it abit more poke, maybe 15-20 bhp more, noticeable but will get boring pretty quickly)

Honestly spending 6-10k on your first car (not including insurance etc) is pretty ridiculous (unless mum and dad are rich), you are set-up to lose a fair whack of money over the next few years which could have been put towards an even better car later on. There is a reason quite a few people have already piped up here!!

As already stated the most sensible and least costly way would be for you to buy a sub 2k car, use it for a year and when premiums are down get the RS.
 
H

hpbingham

  Renault Clio GT
My parents wealth has nothing to do with it. They're contributing nothing to my car whatsoever. And thats the way they've brought me up. I might not pay board, but I've never had pocket money/allowances or anything of the sort in my life. I've had a job since I was 12 and since then have always been employed. (Part time up until 18 as I was at school/college.) But the point is, I'm spending my own hard earned cash. I value money, and they've brought me up to do so. So regardless of their wealth, this is my purchase. Its my money, and I'd appreciate it if people would stop being so opinionated and what seems to be jealous. Seriously, I've just found a post by another lad who was 18 and had just purchased a 200. And 90% of the responses were negative. I've been on many forums in my life and never had such an awful response from members. Your meant to be Clio enthusiasts and your trying to persuade me out of getting one. Just for the record, I've made my decision and I'll be getting a 1.5 Clio GT unmodified, so I'll be sticking with the 16's rather than upping to 17. But whether I'll be sticking round here is a completely different question. Thanks to everyone who contributed positively to this thread, and the first couple of guys that posted about other options (i.e. not getting one,) there's no hardship against you. But once I'd made it clear I wasn't gonna drop down to something else, you should have all piped down. Rant over.
 
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Matt W

Matt W

  Volvo XC60 T8
£10k car backwards into a hedge. On fire.

£800 car backwards into a hedge. On fire.


Up to you.
 
Matt W

Matt W

  Volvo XC60 T8
Nope. But I was the only one of my friends to not crash in the first year of driving, so it's likely.
 
H

hpbingham

  Renault Clio GT
Tbh I'd more likely put an £800 car backwards into a hedge because I wouldn't care about it and would probably drive more recklessly.
 
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H

hpbingham

  Renault Clio GT
Sunglasses_Ron said:
Yeah take your hat off and put a crash helmet on would be my advise.
Click to expand...
Yes, because in the 1.5 GT with 5 star NCAP safety that, (as pointed out by many on these forums) is low powered and not exciting, I will need to wear a helmet for my own safety. An idea you have denoted from the small amount of posts I have made on these forums. It may be safer, and more convenient to all, if I were to drive sensibly (which I have never stated that I wouldn't.) And before you mention my statement about driving "more recklessly." I would like to put emphasis on the word "more." If i were to be the safest driver in the world. Driving "more recklessly" could still mean I am a safe driver. That aside, I feel I am unlikely to crash a 1.5 diesel, anymore than if I were to drive any of the cars that I have had suggested to me in this thread.
 
MarkCup

MarkCup

ClioSport Club Member
Such a shame. People here were trying to help you by giving you the benefit of their own personal experience.

This is a discussion forum, for discussions, so to get irate over the course a discussion might take just because you don't agree with it or it's not what you want to hear means that this place isn't for you.
 
B

B00mer

  Cup, Lude & Z
The lads made his mind up, we were all 18 once :p

He seems pretty straight laced to me, saving up that sort of cash at an early age. You've done the saving kidda buy the car you like :)

Bare in mind, even though some of the previous comments aren't what you want to hear, these lads aren't telling you any lies ;)
 
H

hpbingham

  Renault Clio GT
I apologise for how I've come across, and I appreciate that some of you, if not all of you disagree with spending that much on a car at my age. And as I said earlier I may look back in a year and wish I hadn't done it. But it's my bad decision to make. It wasn't that I was hearing what I didn't want to hear, it was more I had some specific questions and had none of them answered. Anyway, apologies for getting irate. And I guess I'll have to find my answers else where. Thanks anyway.
 
H

hpbingham

  Renault Clio GT
B00mer said:
The lads made his mind up, we were all 18 once :p

He seems pretty straight laced to me, saving up that sort of cash at an early age. You've done the saving kidda buy the car you like :)

Bare in mind, even though some of the previous comments aren't what you want to hear, these lads aren't telling you any lies ;)
Click to expand...

I understand that haha, it's just more the fact I've had it drilled into me. They've told me something I didn't necessarily want to hear. I've replied with something they didn't want to hear. And its escalated from there. Didn't want the thread to get out of hand and I know I've contributed a lot to it getting that way, and as I say, I apologise for that. But I just thought I'd be able to get some clear cut answers to my questions baring in mind from looking around the forums, you guys seem to know your stuff. (Just not about how much I should spend on my first car.) ;) Also, if I ever do crash it. I promise I will post pictures in this thread so that everyone of you can say "I told you so." Thats my part of the plea bargain.
 
kerry-w

kerry-w

  Jap Box
Taken a look at the higher spec DCI MK2's?

1.5 as far as I know, apparently they go pretty well with a map too. And shouldnt be too bad with insurance.

Regarding the warranty/insurance I dont think a Map would void that as I highly doubt they would even know its been done, but leave someone double check that for me :)

Gold alloys id look at Clio Williams wheels, their 15"'s so will look in place on a MK2 if the car colour is decent :rasp:

Car would be around £4kish for a newish one and id have thought insurance would be well below £2k, leaving you with £4k to use as you wish modding/whatever.
 
Sunglasses_Ron

Sunglasses_Ron

ClioSport Admin
hpbingham said:
How you've developed the skill to determine someones driving ability from what is written on the internet I do not know. I take my hat off to you sir.
Click to expand...




hpbingham said:
So I'm 18, just about to (hopefully) pass my driving test, and looking for my first car,

a remap.

I want more power than 106BHP.

I know I'll get bored quickly of low powered cars.

Is a remap a good idea?

would any other mods make sense, induction kits possibly.
Click to expand...


Need I say more?
 
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