RSi ???

[TonyWinter]

Hi there,

I'm new on here coz I was looking at buying an 'L' reg RSi that I saw advertised. I dont know much about her cept the MOT is till late next year and that she's cheap! Can anyone give me a quick idea of things I chould be looking for when I go have a look tomorrow?

I used to have a Mk I 1.2 many years ago as my first car but knew bugger all about cars then (and not much more now!) and I can hardly remember anything about owning a Clio so any pointers would be greatly appreciated, cheers!!

Tony.

 

[Scott]

rusty rear arches and sills can be a pain, as with the tailgate on the inside, seen when open

 

[theduck]

you'll regret not buying a valver

 

[matty w]

you'll regret not buying a valver

why's that then the rsi is a bit of a sleeper i bet there not much slower than a 16v if not as quick

 

[theduck]

As much as i love sleepers, i dont think the rsi is one. Now an rsi with heavy modification is an excellent sleeper. Anyway, just my opinion, if i was buying a mk1, and didnt know about the 16v and bought an RSi I would be gutted when I found out for the ssame kinda money I could have had that.

From www.parkers.co.uk
RSi - 1.8 RSi 121bhp - 0-60 8.6seconds
Valver - 1.8 16V 137bhp - 0-60 7.7seconds

 

[edde]

Rust will be your biggest problem.
Drop Lunner on here an PM he owns an RSi so is probaby best to know what to look for.

 

[Has]

Quote:
From www.parkers.co.uk
RSi - 1.8 RSi 121bhp - 0-60 8.6seconds
Valver - 1.8 16V 137bhp - 0-60 7.7seconds


Those figures are wrong.

RSI is 110 BHP with a top speed of 121mph
8.6s 0-60 is correct tho

Also being 8v gives it low down torque of 150nm

BUT

the valver is

137bhp with a reasonable 158nm of torque
being 7.7s 0-60

which is not bad considering the car is only 1 insurance group higher at 12


Parkers quotes "1.8RSI is a good budget warm hatch whilst the 1.8 16v offers similar speed to its legendary bigger bro the clio williams"

 

[cat171]

Tbh, i'd buy a valver. You can still buy mint examples, I sold my minter a few months back so mint ones are out there!

 

[Has]

^^ yup there cheap enough and as u say there are some nice ones left out there

 

[Bec_RSi]

hey
i bought an 'L' reg Rsi a few weeks ago, needs some work doing to it but I'm having a really good time with it. Good little car.
Pulls away really nicely

 

[RSi Dave]

reason i bought an RSi over a valver was purely the cost reason.

For the 1100 i paid i got an N reg RSi with 62k on the clocks, and No rust in sight. Only bad thing with my car was the alloys really.

For that money i could only find Older Valvers with a lot more miles on the clock and with a lot more rust, and after owning a K reg nova for just over a year i didnt want rust.

Mine is pretty quick with only light mods, however yes its not as quick as a valver which is understandable due to it only having 8v's. However at pod mine kept up with Scotts 16v clio so its no all bad. On the roads you will outpace most cars, even the bigger cars such as 2.0 Astras etc.. (Non Turbo of course).

Performance wise mine has an Green Cotton Single Cone Induction Kit, a Full S/S Magnex Exhaust (3" tail pipe), De-Cat pipe and its lowered on Gaz Suspension about 50mm, it now cornering wise on its 195/50/15 Tyres it handles really well, and with the low down power you can simply leave it in a high gear and hammer most around corners.

Problems to look out for are:

1. Rust (Engine bay, arches, boot, sills - however hard to check due to the side skirts)

2. Leaking sunroof - common problems on MK1's. It can f**k up the Imboliser too.

3. Interior marks, especially the drivers side bolsters... they tend to go if the drivers a bit on the lardy side.

4. When driving the car the clutch will feel heavy, this is common and you get used to it however make sure you dont hear any clunky noises when changing gears.

5. Also when driving check for Humming noises, bearings shouldnt go but ive just had to replace one of mine and the other is on its way too.

6. Brakes - they will feel good however they wont be amazing. Ive recently just bleed mine and it feels better but not amazing which i think is normal due. Check the pads and Discs all round.

Other than that just check the usual, Oil, Water etc...

Good Luck