Hi everyone, I finally sold my Ph1 Clio 2 1.4 8v for around £2,000. This is what it looked like:
It had 117 500km's (73 000 miles). I loved this car, but it obviously lacked in the oomph department, so I sold it in hopes of getting something more thrilling.
I've been looking around, but it's slim pickings in SA for anything decent and quick under £3,000. I found a 197 on FB Marketplace listed for around £2,500 (pricing on everything will of course be different to the UK, but this was definitely cheap for a 197), and the listing looked good, with a lot of engine/gearbox/suspension work listed as done and the mileage sitting at 101 000 miles, but when I went to look at it in person, the car that looked good from afar had actually been in a serious accident that was poorly repaired, as the gap between the bootlid and body when closed was big enough on the right side for one's entire finger to fit through! The paint was clearly resprayed, and badly I may add. To top it off, according to the owner, this 197 was a 2009 model, which he suspected was actually a 200 that had been face-unlifted back to a 197. And the front panels didn't line up perfectly, so I assume the car was in a front collision too. Engine and gearbox did seem healthy though, but it would cost way too much to bring the chassis back in line that it just wasn't worth it even at £2,150 he wanted after pointing out its flaws.
I recognise now that a 197 in decent shape is most likely well out of budget for me, so I'm mostly just looking for 172/182s (as they aren't as costly as they are in the UK) that may need some TLC, but are otherwise mechanically sound and not crash-damaged. I'm also considering other hot hatches, such as the Corsa OPC (VXR in the UK), Fiesta ST150, and similar. VAG cars of that class are off the table as they are way overpriced compared to the competition, so no Golf's, Polo's, A3's etc.
It had 117 500km's (73 000 miles). I loved this car, but it obviously lacked in the oomph department, so I sold it in hopes of getting something more thrilling.
I've been looking around, but it's slim pickings in SA for anything decent and quick under £3,000. I found a 197 on FB Marketplace listed for around £2,500 (pricing on everything will of course be different to the UK, but this was definitely cheap for a 197), and the listing looked good, with a lot of engine/gearbox/suspension work listed as done and the mileage sitting at 101 000 miles, but when I went to look at it in person, the car that looked good from afar had actually been in a serious accident that was poorly repaired, as the gap between the bootlid and body when closed was big enough on the right side for one's entire finger to fit through! The paint was clearly resprayed, and badly I may add. To top it off, according to the owner, this 197 was a 2009 model, which he suspected was actually a 200 that had been face-unlifted back to a 197. And the front panels didn't line up perfectly, so I assume the car was in a front collision too. Engine and gearbox did seem healthy though, but it would cost way too much to bring the chassis back in line that it just wasn't worth it even at £2,150 he wanted after pointing out its flaws.
I recognise now that a 197 in decent shape is most likely well out of budget for me, so I'm mostly just looking for 172/182s (as they aren't as costly as they are in the UK) that may need some TLC, but are otherwise mechanically sound and not crash-damaged. I'm also considering other hot hatches, such as the Corsa OPC (VXR in the UK), Fiesta ST150, and similar. VAG cars of that class are off the table as they are way overpriced compared to the competition, so no Golf's, Polo's, A3's etc.
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