Sorry another 'I'm considering buying this car' thread

[mag1caltrev0r]

OK, we really are buying a second car and it's either a boring Ford Mundane-o 1.8 petrol 2002 for £1500 (wife's choice) or a Ph1 172 (my choice).

It'll be for doing a 70 mile commute over winter so my wife can use the 1 series to get to work (in the cold/wet) and also so we don't put massive miles on it.

So I've had a good look round, and I've got a budget of £1500 but can spend a bit more if worthwhile. The Mondeo is £1400 so it'll take some convincing to spend the extra.

I've seen a Ph1 172 for £1600 near me in Somerset
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1910856.htm
and I've also seen 172 Cup in Wales but this rings alarm bells, maybe you can advise?
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2148741.htm
The Cup seems cheap to me and I'd normally steer clear, however I'd like some advice. The advert seems reasonably well put together and doesn't scream 'scammer' and he's mentioned some of the usual things that might go wrong that have been repaired. I can deal with the body panels (I don't mind some project work).

Maybe as part of the sale he'd put it through it's MOT and let me know what needs doing?

I'd love a 172 Cup but haven't bothered due to them being outside of the £1500 budget, this one potentially works for me.

Cheers in advance

 

[robo_#1]

Just my 2p here mate so dont take any offence, but If I was going to buy a car for the Missus to drive during the winter I wouldn't go for a Cup which iirc has no T/C or ABS? Personally im looking for winter tyres/wheels for my FF197 which has T/C ASR ABS for the GF for winter lol!

 

[Poopensharten]

Just my 2p here mate so dont take any offence, but If I was going to buy a car for the Missus to drive during the winter I wouldn't go for a Cup which iirc has no T/C or ABS? Personally im looking for winter tyres/wheels for my FF197 which has T/C ASR ABS for the GF for winter lol!

A Cup is no more dangerous to drive than any other RS Clio, a tradesman doesnt blame his hammer when he cant put a nail straight into wood

 

[Damo_Sport]

A Cup is no more dangerous to drive than any other RS Clio, a tradesman doesnt blame his hammer when he cant put a nail straight into wood

He does if there isnt any metal at the end of the stick.. where the hammer should be lol

 

[mag1caltrev0r]

Just my 2p here mate so dont take any offence, but If I was going to buy a car for the Missus to drive during the winter I wouldn't go for a Cup which iirc has no T/C or ABS? Personally im looking for winter tyres/wheels for my FF197 which has T/C ASR ABS for the GF for winter lol!

It'll be me driving it the 70 miles, my Mrs will take the 1er to work. She won't drive the 172 so I'm not too worried.
I'm an IAM Advanced Driver so I'm pretty confident that the lack of TC & ABS will be a problem

 

[Soot1e]

70 miles every day will be tiring in a Cup due to its crashy springs, buy something else. A diesel something should be better for you and save some fuel costs.

 

[mag1caltrev0r]

Spoil sport! LOL

I have a diesel BMW 120D M Sport right now with sports suspension and run flat tyres. You can certainly feel each pothole, that's for sure. I realise you're trying to help (and it's appreciated) but I'm trying to convince myself that buying at £2k 172 Cup is alright and isn't going to be mechanically knackered.

 

[scott9]

Spoil sport! LOL

I have a diesel BMW 120D M Sport right now with sports suspension and run flat tyres. You can certainly feel each pothole, that's for sure. I realise you're trying to help (and it's appreciated) but I'm trying to convince myself that buying at £2k 172 Cup is alright and isn't going to be mechanically knackered.

Looks like youve already made your decision and your looking to hear what you want to hear... so...

Go for it... buying a 2k 172 Cup is an excellent idea... it definitely wont have any faults... unlike every other clio out there and it will definitely be lots of fun! Go buy it!

 

[mag1caltrev0r]

Looks like youve already made your decision and your looking to hear what you want to hear... so...

Go for it... buying a 2k 172 Cup is an excellent idea... it definitely wont have any faults... unlike every other clio out there and it will definitely be lots of fun! Go buy it!

Please don't get me wrong... yes there is a certain amount of 'only hearing what I want' but I'm just saying that I think that harder suspension won't be a problem for me personally.
I realise the second part is meant to be sarcastic ( ) but is it a bad idea to get a £2k Cup? If people think so then I'll take that advice and avoid it, I'm obviously tempted by it but don't want to find that it's a shitter. I really don't mind if there is some work to be done. Maybe it needs belts which is going to be £500-600 which is sort of fine. According to the seller "the last owner did it but I can't prove that" which suggests that the chap is trying to get rid because of an impending £600 bill?

I really do appreciate the advice chaps!

 

[hilldawg172]

cup belt change is quite abit cheaper than FF ones. sideways_danny is doing them for £220 this month, then back to 240 next for aux and cam

Make sure you get it done by a specialist off here though as normal garages are likely to f**k it!

 

[Finny]

get a clio mate will be fun for the days with no snow just be prepaed for the normal s**t clio's bring lol...mind saying that i had my last ph1 all through last years bad winter and it never once missed a beat...as for the bmw wont that be rear wheel drive and w**k in the snow or is that why your giving her that and u the clio lol

 

[robo_#1]

A Cup is no more dangerous to drive than any other RS Clio, a tradesman doesnt blame his hammer when he cant put a nail straight into wood

I get your point, but not every driver is 'fully skilled tradesman'..... oh forget the metaphor.. all I was getting at is that If the only reason I was buying a car was to use it throughout the winter I'd simply just buy the FF with the added safety features. Besides when the weathers crappy your not gonna be ragging it all the time surely?

Like I said just my opinion

 

[azzman87]

RWD + SNOW = USELESS! if u decide on the 172 cup just make sure belts have been done in the past. the funnest car u can buy for that budget. or a 106 gti also fun. clios the better car though

 

[Joeh]

It still staggers me that grown men can't handle a renault clio in our pathetic winters
''it has no abs''
jesus christ get a grip son, its a clio not an f1 car

 

[hilldawg172]

It still staggers me that grown men can't handle a renault clio in our pathetic winters
''it has no abs''
jesus christ get a grip son, its a clio not an f1 car

+1

 

[bill]

+1

agreed, i dont get all this crashing in the snow b****cks just because you dont have abs, what happened before abs? did we all crash and burn?

simple, dont drive like a dick!

 

[hilldawg172]

agreed, i dont get all this crashing in the snow b****cks just because you dont have abs, what happened before abs? did we all crash and burn?

simple, dont drive like a dick!

abs makes me panic in the snow hahaha, just makes fucked up sounds and does absolutely nothing, its not exactly hard to pump the break is it!? I like to class my self as a proper driver, so i really not a fan of computers telling me how to drive, abs and traction control are for house wifes

 

[Marc.]

I love how you say the lack of ABS/TC in the snow is a worry for you if your wife is driving, yet you're letting her loose in a RWD car

 

[GiT]

RWD + SNOW = USELESS!

It's "annoying" as you go nowhere quickly, but each corner sideways is an absolute hoot! MK1 MR2 in the Snow gave some of the best smiles in miles!

 

[Jon.G]

for winter, i'd get the mondeo. Just a nicer place to be when your stuck in traffic in the dark gloomy weather. You want to be comfy, if it snows again your gonna be fucked in the cup, mondeo will just cruise.

 

[Soot1e]

Spoil sport! LOL

I have a diesel BMW 120D M Sport right now with sports suspension and run flat tyres. You can certainly feel each pothole, that's for sure. I realise you're trying to help (and it's appreciated) but I'm trying to convince myself that buying at £2k 172 Cup is alright and isn't going to be mechanically knackered.

No, I don't want to spoil your fun, it's just that it IS a tiring car to drive over any distance, my Cup is purely a runaround and trackday car only used at weekends. For £2k. yes you can have something worthwhile have a look at my thread, no minter by any means, http://www.cliosport.net/forum/showthread.php?524285-Project-£2k.-Cup-for-Track-and-Road.&highlight= .
If you really set your mind on a Cup ( and don't rule out the Ph1 172's, some bargains there) and are handy with the tools you can sort out someones disaster like the one you seen in Wales. Hope you find what you arelooking for.

 

[16v_paddy]

It still staggers me that grown men can't handle a renault clio in our pathetic winters
''it has no abs''
jesus christ get a grip son, its a clio not an f1 car

Why this grown man drives a proper clio, Mk1 FTW! :approve:

 

[mag1caltrev0r]

Interestingly I always turn the TC off and really can't stand ABS in the snow (when I had a Mk5 Golf GT). It only snows for a couple of days a year so no biggie.

Anyway, I've done a HPI check and it's Cat D, not a big deal. I've emailed the seller and there was bonnet and roof damage caused by the bonnet catch failing. Not sure if this is why it was Cat D but it happened in 2004, before the current seller bought it.
For £1800 it could be alright...

 

[16v_paddy]

I'm guessing it was just a case of laziness on the insurance companies part perhaps? Quicker & easier to sort by writing it off instead of getting it fixed by them?

 

[mag1caltrev0r]

It would seem that way, although you never know!

 

[joebristolgym]

For the price and if you're planning to keep it a while (and the repair has been done properly) then I wouldn't get too upset about it being a Cat D. If it was a much more expensive car that you'd want decent money for when you sell it on, then I'd avoid Cat D like the plague.

Personally I wanted a car for £1500 and picked up a Saxo Vts with full service history, and HPI clear with 79k on the clock for bang on that price. Pretty clean at that, although not perfect given the frenchness/cheapness.

For £1500, instead of the Mundano 1.8, why don't you look at an ST24? A lot of them are cheap these days - my mate picked up one for that price a few years back - it had about 100k on the clock, but as long as you get one that has had the expensive service out the way and isn't in imminent need of a new clutch then it could be a good option. My mate had it a couple of years with no problems and it was fun for a big practical car.

 

[16v_paddy]

Come to think of it, when did Renault finally admit there was a problem with the bonnet catches? I'm thinking that might have something to do with it being written off, if the damage & resulting claim happened before Renault admitted the problem existed & done the recall, it was easier for them to just write it off. Where if it happened after the recall, would the insurance company have been more inclined to repair the car & pursue Renault for some of the cost as technically they'd be at fault?

Just a thought, could be feasible or bullshit, who knows

 

[joebristolgym]

Don't think Renault have paid out to anyone to help fix damage from the bonnet catch - haven't they said they only fail if not properly maintained/serviced (despite the recall to change rusty/faulty ones).

 

[Edd]

If my budget was 1500 I'd stick to trying to find a clean, standard PH1 that was HPI clear. I'd have thought you could run one for a year, look after it and not lose any money.

 

[mag1caltrev0r]

I'm thinking the same now, I think I was drawn in by the 'bargain 172 Cup', it's not MOT'd which may suggest there is something to hide which concerns me. If I was selling a car then I'd make sure it was MOT'd first.

Anyway, I've continued looking and seen:
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1989429.htm
and
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2065742.htm

I like the black one, not been 'chavved' up and a bit different to the usual silver Ph1s.

 

[azzman87]

It's "annoying" as you go nowhere quickly, but each corner sideways is an absolute hoot! MK1 MR2 in the Snow gave some of the best smiles in miles!

VERY true an absolute hoot and Dangerously Fun!! last winter all the beemer and mercs were pulling over up the big hills round da area couldnt make it up lol! Also i drive in winter with T/C off it cuts away power and tries too stop you making it up the hills!!

 

[mag1caltrev0r]

Thanks guys for all your help. I viewed the Black Ph1 172 and also the Silver one with black wheels, both appeared mechanically sound but preferred the black one ... And I'm picking it up on Saturday

I lost faith in the 172 Cup, I couldn't help thinking that without an MOT there was something being hidden.

 

[Bluebeard]

I'd have gone for a Xsara VTS for theat money.

£1500 will buy you a really really nice one and they are uber comfy to drive and quick too.

 

[Daz_RT_04]

Didnt really read the whole thread, but just a heads up on that Ph1...its a Cat C write off

Id be inclined to agree with Daniel, a mate of mine bought a Xsara VTS for £1000 a month or so back. Cant fault it really, and they are fairly quick!

 

[mag1caltrev0r]

Thanks for the heads up. I'm fine with buying a Cat C (quite a few are) so it's not a deal breaker but I will be sure to ask him about the repairs.

I've checked using 'mytextcheck' (which is of course a relatively cheap check) and it reported no write offs or indeed anything untoward. Strange, if you don't mind, could you advise where you discovered it was Cat C and I'll check there as well.

Cheers

 

[Daz_RT_04]

It was a friend of mine that done the check, as he was looking at it himself (He bought something else...)

Personally for the price It wouldnt bother me, its got quite a good look with a few nice bits on it I've seen it in the flesh and it looks alright.

 

[chris_182]

Do you have winter tyres for the 1 series?

 

[mag1caltrev0r]

It was a friend of mine that done the check, as he was looking at it himself (He bought something else...)

Personally for the price It wouldnt bother me, its got quite a good look with a few nice bits on it I've seen it in the flesh and it looks alright.

Cheers, It seems like a nice tidy motor. Well looked after (with loads of receipts). I couldn't tell if the airbox had been replaced but it has a Ktec stealth exhaust and a different CD player.

I've also seen it in the flesh and I've also bought it

 

[mag1caltrev0r]

Do you have winter tyres for the 1 series?

I was considering it, either that or chains/snow socks. TBH, if the snow is that bad then I can just work from home

 

[chris_182]

Just wondering cos my msport d is utterly shocking in the snow, I'd imagine yours to be the same.