RAC vehicle inspection on '03 mk2 172 (23k miles)

[DuncCup]

Hi, new to the forum, just wondering if i could get some advice, first of all i was wondering if i got this car at a good price, mk2 clio 172, 03 23k miles
£6800

also i am getting a rac 166 point inspection on the car before i do finally buy it, is there anything i should look out for, are there any usuall promlems that can come up with cars of this age and millage or should it come through with a clean bill of health

any help would be great

thanks alot

duncan

 

[TheCake]

Sounds a good price Duncan. Welcome to the club.

Theres a few things you need to watch out for aside from the usual including, leaking rear shocks and rattly exhausts.

Apart from that sounds good.

 

[Griff]

Seems a good price obviosuly dependant upon condition.

I presume the RAC will check these but looking for dodgy engine mounts, creaking noises when the steering is on full lock and a rattle from the centre section at 4k rpm. Obviously the last 2 pointers require the car to be driven.

 

[DuncCup]

as far as i know the rac check inlcudes a 10 mile test drive - if they find that the car deos have some of the promlems you just mentioned should i not purchase it or should i ask him to knock off some cash off the car??

and are any of the promlems really serious or could they be solved with a quck fix at the renault garage?

thanks all for you help

duncan

 

[Griff]

Creaking noise on full lock is indicative of the suspension mounts needing the modification. Normally done under warranty so no idea how much that would cost. Renault are aware of this problem though and have issued a technical note about it.

As for the exhaust rattle jus knock some off so you can get it replaced, same with engine mounts.

 

[Mr Melon]

The 24k service will be due shortly so that will cost £200+ iirc

 

[sneeks]

That's a good price, only £300 more than I paid for a 02 plate 172 with 33k miles. All depends on condition though.

 

[DuncCup]

Thanks for all the help, as far as i know the car is in mint condition but you can never be to carefull these days, it is still under warranty for anouther 4 months, so if they find that there are a few things that need replacing aslong as they come under warranty im laughing

i have an old astra that im selling for 350 to pay for the next service, if i have a bit of cash left over is there anything extra i should get done while getting the 24k service?

are there also any obvious signs that the car has been ragged?

sorry for all the questions!!

last one - in everyone's honest opinon could there be anyfault that the RAC inspection finds that should make me decide not to buy the car??

Thanks again (sorry for the essay)

Duncan

 

[clidge]

i am sorry to say this mate the rac inspection is not worth s**t!!! they tell you they are going to check everything on the check and when you get the report it states they cannot get underneath the car cos they were no ramps!!! i would get somebody you know who is familiar with these cars to have a look mate to be honest dont make the mistake of so many and rush in there are plenty of good examples out there for the right money...it sounds very good though with the price on condition i purchased my 51 plate 172 with 48 on the clock for 6100 with full service history etc etc which was right with the book price and everything for its age!! sorry mate i dont mean to be negative!!! lol

 

[DuncCup]

thats fine, i thought i should get the check done because at least it will give me some idea of the condition of the car, also the clio still has 4 months left on the warranty so if anything is in trouble and needs replacing apart from ware and tear parts then i should be able to get it replaced for free,

in you hounest opinon though, there cant be that much wrong with a car thats 3 years old and done only 22k miles?

or am i totally wrong on this?

cheers

Duncan

 

[Griff]

I can't see anything major being wrong on a car that age just the usual common faults as outlined earlier.

 

[Mr Melon]

Make sure the gear changing is nice and smooth, if 1st, 2nd or 3rd are hard to select then you will need a new gearbox, mine went around 25k ish.
I had a suspension leak found by dealers who where doing the 24k service.
Also test the car to see if it makes a knocking / clunking noise when performing a full lock u turn and accelerating out of it. I also needed a new exhaust at 24k which made a knocking noise when accelerating.

All the stuff above happened to my 2003 172 with 24k miles but i managed to get them all fixed under warranty apart from the suspension which cost £80 iirc!

I have all the above sorted now and im loving the 172

Also check for wheel locking nuts, cd changer under seat and factory fitted alarm if it doesnt have these then its an import and shud be slightly cheaper!

 

[Richy123]

Well i had an RAC inspection of a clio williams off ebay and am grateful for it as the car was dangerous. The bloke said the car was mint but after inspection it was revealed it had a bad accident (kept of the register somehow) and the repairs were just to hide the damage.

 

[sneeks]

The car seems to be selling well below the price most dealers are selling 172s for at the moment. 2002 cars with 35k miles were selling for between £7300-£7999, I was surprised at how cheap I got my 172 at so you've done well to find another so cheap. If it's an import then it's probably priced about right (or slightly below book), if not then you've got a bargain.

 

[Fletcher]

That sounds like a good price to me.

Apart from checking the main points, that have already been covered above, i'd look for little things like the headlamp washer balls, check there both in there, and if they check there not leaking.

Good luck Fletcher.

 

[DuncCup]

I have just got results back from the rac inspection:

mechanically the car is completly sound, the guy said that there are no signs of major wear on any of the parts, tires and brakes both have lots of life left,

he did say however that there was a small trolly dent on the drivers door, the alloys were curbed and there was a palm size dent on the bonnet, other than that - nothing wrong with the car!!

i spoke to the guy who was selling the car and has agreed to knock 150 off the price making it £6650 - should i have asked for more off?

is it still a good price for what i am getting? (03 172 23k miles)

thanks alot

Duncan

 

[Griff]

Any car thats not been wrapped in cotton wool will have the odd stone chip and car park mark on it and atleast you've got £150 off the price.

As you've found one thats apparently mechanically sound and I presume you like the colour etc.. I'd go for it rather than start the process all over again with another car.

 

[DuncCup]

thanks for the advice, does anyone know how much it would cost to get a dent out of the bonnet and drivers door knock out as well as getting the alloys back to new?

cheers

duncan

 

[Cupster]

Did you know that on the RAC inspection they are not allowed to take anything off of the car or jack it up!! Its a visual inspection and a drive nothing that you can't do yourself with a bit of guidance (like the info you got from all these peeps)

I would find out how much the repairs would cost first, but if you are happy then go for it. Like Griff says, you dont wanna start the whole process again for the sake of 100 quid or sumink.