opinion on best performance clio to modify.

[Sir_Dave]

Not everyone has a mothers, sister, brothers, great aunty twiced removed mechanic in there back pocket though so id rather buy something where someone else has forked out for the work.

Tbh, i'd just buy a 172 that needed the cambelt doing (for £500 less than the others), then pay JMS £500 to do the cambelt.

Some proof of where it was done would be ideal, as you said not by any old monkey.

This is the risk though, even Renault have been known to bugger it up. I'd only want a cambelt being done by JMS, Fred, Birchdown, etc. Its pivotal to a cars health.

 

[jack_kemp]

Cambelt is specialist ONLY. Not somewhere that I want to 'save' money.
I bought my cup when it needed rear shocks and a cambelt, paid about £600 less than it would be worth with them done, cost me £350. Win.

 

[182ed]

With a 2K budget I wouldn't get a Clio.... I'd buy a Nizzan 300zx (provided you can find a manual one) and then you have a million tuning options.....

 

[teeCup]

Ive owned a Phase 1 and a 172 cup and IMO if your budget will stretch to a decent Cup, this is the one to buy. Having test driven a few full fat 172's before taking the plunge on the Cup I will agree that the throttle response in a phase 1 is drastically quicker than in a FF. I did not find the difference as noticeable between the ph1 and the Cup.
One thing that does set the cup ahead of the "hardcore" phase 1 is the handling. The cup is alot more agile with less roll, a sharper turn in and a more lively back end; the flip side of the more involved drive is that it can be a bit of a handful. I would say that the phase 1 is easier to drive fast (I also prefer the look of a nice ph1 over the cup), but the cup is a more rewarding and focused steer.

BOTH are great cars.