Phase 1 Clio 172 as a daily?

[CarefulNow]

Hi all,

I'm new here! Just joined as I recently purchased a Clio 172 ph1 to go alongside my NB Mx-5.
It seems like a well looked after car, low mileage, no rust, small leak from the Gearbox and that's about all that I can see wrong with it. Drives great, was all polybushed some years back too which helps.

I'm getting the Cambelt done in a couple of weeks as it's coming due on time and I'm going to put on more suitable exhaust for daily driving.

I'm an apprentice Plumber and was planning on splitting the daily driving duties between this and my Mx-5. It's only after buying it that I thought about how it's quite similar to the Mx-5 in a few ways (being old and arguably not the best choice of a daily driver), but I also know with work I finish up covered in dust and some times glues, expanding foam or god knows what. So I'm now slightly worried about wrecking the interior..

Am I mental to daily drive a Phase 1 Clio 172?

 

[TC.]

If it’s silver crack on

 

[Bleu]

Just get a £500 Peugeot 107, basic mk2 Clio even or similar if you can afford one. You won’t enjoy daily driving in it and it sounds like you’ll wreck it. Also unless you properly clean and rustproof the underside and inside the sills then it will probably be rotten after a winter or two. Ph1s seem to get a lot more rust issues than ph2s. Just enjoy it on nice days.

 

[hopgop1]

Stick a cover over the drivers seat, do some rustproofing and clean the underneath and especially the sills and their drains and rear wheel wells regularly. I dailied my 182 for a few years and it was fine, it got uncomfortable on longer journeys for me and the lack of another gear made motorway speeds a bit tiresome. Admittedly I don't have a job where I need to get too dirty and I was only doing a max of probably 8k a year, but I found it fine. Was nice to get back into an auto though I must admit.
If you're to terms with the fact it'll probably gain a few rust bubbles from winter use, you'll be fine, as long as it's not a rare colour you'll struggle to replace anyway.