Should I buy a 172?

[si_from_earth]

I have £7k and want to buy a new car next week. I don't really know much about Clio's as have never owned one but the 172 has caught my eye. What are the pro's and cons?..Other cars in the running are Focus ST170 and Civic Type-R - so what do you reckon?. Are all the electrics ok on the 172 as far as reliability?..What is mid range acceleration like on the 30-70mph bracket?

Any advice would be welcomed.

Thanks

Si

 

[simonwwfc]

have ago with the search button fella .you will find loads on here

 

[FlameR]

pro's - nice cars, fairly fast for what it is (bear in mind its a 2.0 NA), cheap to run (32-40 mpg), few simple mods make them looks/sound much better.

con's - prone to a few common problems such as the std exhaust corroding and falling off, a few annoyng noises like rattles and whistling at high speeds etc.
Lack of tuning potential. The £:bhp ratio is crap due to it being an NA car.

Generally I've enjoyed my car since I've had it, but a few of the common problems will annoy u. Same with any car to be honest, but you tend to notice it more with a performance car as bits need replacing more often.

 

[Neil G]

Quick, fun and cheap to run...simple as that really.

Don't buy a 172 though if you want a soild/well built car

 

[gaz44]

A well sorted hot hatch. The way hot hatches are meant to be - light with a bit of power and handles fantastically! Cheap to run too.

 

[sh33n]

For 7k you'd get a 182 with Cup Packs, so forget a 172 and consider a 182.

 

[tillu11]

great car, great fun to drive, always puts a smile on your face and due to its bhp to weight ratio and handling, it 'punches above its weight' ie. can keep up with things that maybe you wouldnt expect it to. shame that there are a few rattles but meh.

 

[Steve2004]

You asked about 30-70 mid range. It's ok, not too great, but that's to be expected since it's a N/A engine, it's never going to be up to diesel standards. The mid range is (slightly) better in the clio than in the other two mentioned though (ST170 and CTR).

You won't get a good CTR for £7k I don't think and I'm not sure about the ST170, you'll have to look in the car ads. You'll get a nice clio for that money though.

As said, only real problem with the 172/182 is the build quality. Cheap to run though.