Now worried about buying a 172!

[ben89]

Hi guys.

I've had a good search through the forum as I am wanting to move from my 106 GTI to a 172. I love my GTI to bits but I'm after a more well made car for cruising to work and I'm 22 now so want a less 'boyish' car.

The 106 is such an easy car to work on though however reading through the forum I get the impression the clio's aren't! Auxiliary belt on the GTI I can do in 10mins, clio = 3hrs labour! And then there's the clutch, 7hrs labour, wow!

So should i be worried with the 172's? Am I letting myself buy money traps?

Cheers guys

 

[SimonR.]

I'm after a more well made car

And you want a clio?

 

[ben89]

And you want a clio?

Ever had a 106?

 

[Rexy]

Give it up, you have less room to work on with the clios hence the longer times. Its not exaclty difficult just awkward.

The big one is the cambelt...

 

[Rich_172]

I come from a 106 to a 172. The 172 is a more well made car. Aslong as you get one with good history with the belts done it should be fine. i had the cambelt done on mine when i had it and its a big job. The car has been great the 12 months i have had it

 

[ben89]

Yeah I'm looking at ones that have had the crucial cambelt service! Really prefer the looks of the Clios and with subtle cosmetic mods look great

 

[ben89]

I come from a 106 to a 172. The 172 is a more well made car. Aslong as you get one with good history with the belts done it should be fine. i had the cambelt done on mine when i had it and its a big job. The car has been great the 12 months i have had it

That's great info Rich as that's what i'm planning to do. Bit sick of 'playing' with my 106 now just want a solid example that will last really

 

[Narf]

iv come from a 106 gti to a 172, if you get one with a good history as mentioned above, then you will be ok.. i got sick of having my 106 up on axel stands every five minutes, even if it was so easy to work on it just got annoying. Do it! you'll love it

 

[Rich_172]

iv come from a 106 gti to a 172, if you get one with a good history as mentioned above, then you will be ok.. i got sick of having my 106 up on axel stands every five minutes, even if it was so easy to work on it just got annoying. Do it! you'll love it

Sounds familiar lol

 

[The Chubby Pirate]

And you want a clio?

Ignore this - its utter crap.

A well looked after Clio Renault Sport will last forever, Russ on here had a 172 which was on 130k on the original gearbox and clutch and on ITB's.

Yes the Clios maintenance schedule is more expensive but they are worth it.

Ive had a 106 GTi and a Saxo VTS, the JP4 engine is amazing for what it is, but the F4R in the Clio is just a cut above. Look for a well maintained example and you wont have any problems.

 

[M@tt_182]

I also came from a 106 into a 182 and it was a worthwhile move! I also wanted to come out the boy racer 106 scene as it was time to grow up a little bit but not to much. The Clio is a lot more solid and packs a lot of features for the money so its great. The cambelt changes are expensive but make sure you buy one with it done already and see the invoice (it's not an easy job and requires specialist tools).

 

[BonkersBman]

i would go for the clio anyday, i know renault is still french but from previous experience i have found renaults to be a lot more reliable than pug and citroen. if you get a good clio and you look after it it should do you proud, no matter what car you get you will end up having to work on it at some point, the clio sports just dont have a lot of room under the bonnet so jobs can be a pain in the arse.

 

[ben89]

Narf i know this exact feeling! Every weekend i had my head in the engine bay/underneath the car.

Danny and Matt that's great thanks, exactly what I thought was the case.

Happy to be on the search now!

 

[montana]

they are no more difficult to work on than any of my other cars, ( fiat, alfa, subaru etc) some jobs are simple some are more taxing when comparing similar jobs..parts (like with the 106) are freely available and this site is a fantastic resource for guides and advice

 

[Gouldy]

i had a VTS track car, i now have a 182 and a lowmilage VTR.

i feel the 182 is alot more sturdy and feels more luxurious than 106 / saxos. the 1*2s cant just be messed about with as easily as the 106s / saxos though.

 

[homer24]

As with all small sports hatches you have a glorified roller skate. The 172 is just a better class of roller skate. Quick ? yes..... comfortable ? so so.....reliable ? yes if looked after and u have deep pockets.....fuel consumption ? abysmal..... the market place ? its a buyers market.
Don't buy one without the belts having been replaced or service history and. Ask if the throttle pedal has been replaced { also the tdc sensor } and budget for one if not cos it will fail and check your insurance . Sit down while you do it xx

 

[Sir_Dave]

fuel consumption ? abysmal.....

Compared to what, a diesel moped?

My Trophy gives 35mpg day to day, 30 thrashing & 25 on track. Better than my old vts/106 gti's anyhow. Compared to them though, better built, comfier, harder to work on, more expensive to fix/modify. However, the prices of the latter are dropping as more parts become readily available.

However, itb's on the 106 gti = £1k, clio = £2.5k. Madness when you consider they both use AT Power bodies ....

 

[The Chubby Pirate]

As with all small sports hatches you have a glorified roller skate. The 172 is just a better class of roller skate. Quick ? yes..... comfortable ? so so.....reliable ? yes if looked after and u have deep pockets.....fuel consumption ? abysmal..... the market place ? its a buyers market.
Don't buy one without the belts having been replaced or service history and. Ask if the throttle pedal has been replaced { also the tdc sensor } and budget for one if not cos it will fail and check your insurance . Sit down while you do it xx

This hurts my eyes.

What are you talking about with the throttle pedal? Ive had 2 Renault Sport Clios driven over 60k in them and the only thing ive replaced with the two of them is a lambda sensor and coil pack?

Also, the fuel consumption is probably of the best you will get from any hot hatch.

 

[The Chubby Pirate]

Oh and, diesel moped? FLOL!!!!!!!!!

 

[Fletcher]

I wouldn't buy a 172, they're rubbish TBH.

 

[ben89]

Thanks for your advice homer but why are you assuming it will instantly fail MOT's just because the throttle pedal hasnt been replaced? :-S

Insurance compared to a 106 GTI, considering 106's are probably a higher risk category for insurers, i cant see there being a "sit down" worthy difference.

 

[Goodj]

Insurance compared to a 106 GTI, considering 106's are probably a higher risk category for insurers, i cant see there being a "sit down" worthy difference.

Try asking insurance companies

 

[ben89]

Try asking insurance companies

Oh god. Maybe i should plant my arse firmly on the settee when making the call then ha

 

[ch!ppen]

Came from a VTR. Loved my VTR to bit's but the Clio is the better car in the real world.

Built better, quicker than the VTR, handles well, less of a chavvy image, comfortable, more toy's and still fun.

 

[Danith]

Yeah I'm looking at ones that have had the crucial cambelt service! Really prefer the looks of the Clios and with subtle cosmetic mods look great

buy mine just had the belts and dephaser done in feb.

 

[jack_kemp]

As with all small sports hatches you have a glorified roller skate. The 172 is just a better class of roller skate. Quick ? yes..... comfortable ? so so.....reliable ? yes if looked after and u have deep pockets.....fuel consumption ? abysmal..... the market place ? its a buyers market.
Don't buy one without the belts having been replaced or service history and. Ask if the throttle pedal has been replaced { also the tdc sensor } and budget for one if not cos it will fail and check your insurance . Sit down while you do it xx

Most of what you just said is utter shite. How many mpg would you like from your 2.0l hot hatch? In my books, the possibility of getting 40+ is more than reasonable.

Maybe yours is bad because your throttle pedal is broken.

 

[Goodj]

Oh god. Maybe i should plant my arse firmly on the settee when making the call then ha

Or you could just used one of the many on-line comparison sites, seeing as you have the internet.

 

[daddycool]

aux belt on the cup is 10 minutes too (plus 10 minutes to get the bumper off)
gearbox can be a mission though. me and budgie from here did get it out the top in 3hrs, but took me a day to put it all back in by myself (first time and we disconnected alot of stuff when removing).
taking it out the bottom i reckon it can be done in alot less than that.

 

[Soot1e]

aux belt on the cup is 10 minutes too (plus 10 minutes to get the bumper off)
gearbox can be a mission though. me and budgie from here did get it out the top in 3hrs, but took me a day to put it all back in by myself (first time and we disconnected alot of stuff when removing).
taking it out the bottom i reckon it can be done in alot less than that.

Why do you take the bumper off? Not necessary.

As for the OP , Both the 106 and Clio are French so he should know the drawbacks in owning either.

 

[daddycool]

good point, forgot i did the pas pump at the same time!