To buy a Clio 200?

[RyanS182]

Hi all. Would like some opinions on a clio 200 from owners/previous owners?

Going to view and test drive next weekend, and I know i'll love it and end up buying but would like honest opinions on the car. I know performance wise it might not keep up with turbo'd cars in a straight line which i'm not bothered about with in the slightest but i've told not to expect to get too much gain from small subtle mods with it being a naturally aspirated engine?

 

[R-Sport.]

The 200 is a great car, as said not blistering in a straight line, however awesome around the bends & will make the drive exciting.

Spec to go for- I always say this but then if your laying out 10k you want the best car you can-

FF - not cup unless your going all out track. ( although there is a very nice 200 cup for sale on 197.net with mods )

Recaros- are a must.--- purely for the cabin feel & resale attractiveness,
Cup chassis
Speedlines

Nice to have-
Spoiler- cup is OK but KTEC sprint is the best
Projector lights
carbon soft touch pack.

Faults
Gearbox
Steering rack.


I sold this one just over 1 year ago- its a great car - I would buy that if you could squeeze it under 10k

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif.../radius/1500/page/1/postcode/da68bu?logcode=p

 

[withoutabix]

My overriding thought from the 200 I owned for 4-5 months was

MPG Just doesn't add up to the performance the car gives, found it woeful tbh

 

[Scotty-boi]

Get a ph1

 

[RyanS182]

I would be looking to buy a practically new one (less than 3k OTC), because they're going for dirt cheap with the release of the new clio sport imminent. I REALLY want a megane 250 but insurance is £1000 more and the insurance for the 200 is almost £2000 already!

 

[R-Sport.]

hum...

I wouldn't buy a 3k new one- ( 61/62 plate ) unless its dirt cheap.

a 10k one with a few miles & run in will lose less- however you may well need the warranty for the gearbox.

 

[Scara]

This is my own personal opinion so please read it as that. I have a 200 wish I had never bought it and to be honest as soon as I can afford to it will be gone. Reasons poor build quality, a lot of minor things but they all add up. Woeful fuel consumption for not a particularly quick car, the car is in for repair again, (now out of warranty) I don't think I can live with the uncertainty of more major faults developing out of warranty which I believe they are bound to going on the current track record of the car, (Renault didn't come 4th from bottom in the JD power survey for no reason). There are many will disagree with me but I have had 2 now a 197 and now the 200. I will not be buying Renault again. Please as I have said take a cross section of views as this is just my opinion.

 

[RyanS182]

The reliability is an issue to be honest.. My dad had a 182 and 197 brand new, both for about a year and a half and didn't have any problems.. However a lot of people seem to get problems which is why I would want one still under warranty. A local renault dealer has one with 6000 OTC for less than £12k. 61 plate.

 

[R-Sport.]

depends on spec- its cheap, but possibly low on options.

 

[Ed.200]

Had one for a year and love it. There are good and bad points to all cars, some have more niggles than others, but when you consider these cars as a package what you pay for is great value. If you are going to use it for a motorway commute, at higher speeds you will notice the mpg being on the low side. If you drive it sensible you can see decent figures.
Mine will be going up for sale soon, just due to a change of circumstances, if I could keep it I would but common sense prevails, but I know I will miss it!

 

[Daniel]

I bought a brand new one in 2010.

Pro's of owning mine...

Superb on a track day. Like, seriously good.
Great commuting car for around town.
Very comfy on a long drive. (Seats are superb)
Doesn't attract unwanted attention like a VXR does.

The Cons and the reason I got rid;

Uber uncomfortable in the back for my kids. Cup suspension is rock hard. Especially on motorways.
MPG is dire. I got the same out of my 285bhp Impreza and my impreza was lightening fast (in a straight line) compared to the clio.


All in all, two very minor negative points! The used ones have issues with weak gearboxes (It's a standard feature on a Renault!) and the steering Rack's are known for failure but apart from that, I cannot fault them. Especially on track! Straight out of the box with no mods, they are just superb!

 

[RyanS182]

Sorry it has 3k miles on! Being used as a demo car so room for haggling. No recaro's unfortunately.

 

[Inequality Street]

I own a 200 Cup, bought it from Steve coinsidently. Speedlines, Recaro's etc.

Its an absolutley superb car. Don't let people put you off. The reason I bought one was because I like the way it looks, I like the attension it draws, I like the fact I dont have to pile money in to mods to make it track capable, and its fun as.

If you're looking at a 200, I am assuming you dont have a 100 mile commute everyday, or if you do this will be a second car. So wont bother talking about MPG.

Also, about gear boxes etc, find me a car that doesnt have a 'common fault' Go for it, you'll love it.

I'd personally wait until the new RS is out, price will drop as its an old car then. I'll never sell mine.

 

[Matt W]

Mine is the opposite of the bad ones above. It's the best car i've had and has been faultless

 

[Tommo.]

Such a shame about the MPG on the 200's. I'd love one if it wasn't for that!

 

[Inequality Street]

Such a shame about the MPG on the 200's. I'd love one if it wasn't for that!

MPG isnt that bad! I get between 24 and 28 MPG. Im assuming your 182 get around 34? Not exactly breaking the bank!

 

[RyanS182]

RyG, I'm guna play that card about the new Rs200T coming out and try and haggle. Looking to get at least £8k back for mini. And as for MPG, i'm not arsed. It's not a car you buy for good econemy! Girlfriend will be driving 6-7m round trip to work every day and then i'll do the same for gym.

 

[Daniel]

MPG isnt that bad! I get between 24 and 28 MPG!

I think that's the point though. Cars with 100bhp more and double the torque are getting the same mpg!

Don't get me wrong, i'm on your side, I love the cars, but the MPG is dreadful in comparison to the performance.

 

[Tommo.]

MPG isnt that bad! I get between 24 and 28 MPG. Im assuming your 182 get around 34? Not exactly breaking the bank!

Trip computer is always between 37 - 40 MPG (I know they are not 100% accurate). I usually see around 400 miles to a tank.

I know if you do the maths, it probably isn't a HUGE saving, it's just a shame the 200 couldn't match the 182 in that respect.

 

[RyanS182]

Like I said, MPG is no issue. I was expecting less than 25 to be honest. The mini we have at the minute (girlfriends choice ) is only getting around 32-34 around the doors. I've told her that it will be much different and she can't just fly over speedbumps as she does. But all in all, my old man says it drives like a normal car up to about 4000 revs and then it turns into a machine? If that's correct she won't have any problems getting used to it!

 

[r&skxa]

Better off asking and looking around clio197.net (it's 200.net too)

 

[andyclio200]

In all honesty I have no regrets at buying mine, it is a year old and just hit the 12k mark.... faultless apart from my steering wheel is starting to melt. But will be sorted under warranty. I use my car like its been built for, it gets driven and used on track and the MPG is still quite good. Round town its pretty pants. If ya want comfort and economy then a diesel S-Type will achieve it. But if ya want fun and smiles to the gallon not miles to the gallon, then go have a drive and see how you rate the car. Recaro's and Cup chassis was a must on my list and they do seem to make a more desirable used car too, but they are just personal choices, I've never heard anyone say "I wish I didn't have recaro's" but I've heard plenty on the look out to get some!

I've heard plenty of people complain about the ride of clio being harsh and fuel economy low, but no car is perfect. I have a winter car thats a V6 X-Type 4x4, really comfy to drive, great in snow but worse than clio on fuel...... everything has its downsides. Concentrate on the positives and don't look too hard to find a fault. Many people do and it shadows all the good points!

 

[marshall878]

Ive never been in something "normal" that generates the attention my 200 does. People love it. I love it. Despite the list of problems the length of my arm, i still melt everytime i look at it

 

[Chapppers11]

I've had a fully spec'd 200 since March of last year, bought from Steve on 12k miles and it's just out of warranty this year.

Some of my thoughts are mentioned, but I'm happy overall with my 200. It's now on 28k and the only thing that makes me dislike it is the running costs and MPG. Keeping a Renault service history is expensive and it's easy to overlook costs of times like now when the 30k service and brake pads are due!

The car itself has so much presence on the road and yesterday for example, I had one guy in a megane straining his neck to get a second look and two complete strangers at different times telling me "Nice car mate", which is nice if you don't mind that kind of attention.

I'm running at about 26-28 mpg atm, which I don't think is good enough for the power, but I don't do that many miles to quibble too much.

It can take some getting used to driving with the less-forgiving, heavier clutch and the power below 4k is woeful. Like your dad said, it is a different animal above 4k; properly impressive.

My suggestion would be buy the best spec at the best price, forgetting mileage (within reason).

Hope that helps.

Better off asking and looking around clio197.net (it's 200.net too)

Definitely worth the ask, but take with a pinch of salt as they are obviously going to have a slight bias.

 

[Inequality Street]

As above, the amount of randomers that are interested to see what the cars about is impressive! I had one of the car washers ar sainsburies ask what was in it once I sarcastically said 4ltr V8 and he still waves at me to this day. People seem to have no clue what a 200 is haha

 

[Advikaz]

I absolutely love mine but they aren't for everyone!

The problem with the 200 is a lot of the pro's are cons for certain people,

The ride is pretty hard, but not terrible.

I've driven a lot of exotic machines over the years & the Clio is well up there with the best of them for fun.

It isn't the fastest in a straight line but that's not what it's about.

MPG isn't ideal.

People say they are unreliable but compared to what!? a VXR is certainly no better built & that is probably it's main rival.

 

[Martin_172]

mine was an absolute heap, but it was just a dodgey car.

id have another one no problem, what I will add is I agree with people above, the MPG vs performance is not good at all, HOWEVER... MPG vs fun? they are brilliant

 

[andyclio200]

Just to add.... the reason I looked at a 200 was because both the salesman at Vauxhall when I was test driving a VXR 'burg and the salesman at Peugeot when I was looking at a RCZ thing said that the 200's were awesome cars to drive, they was in my opinion a total unbiased person as they couldn't supply me with a new 200

 

[200 Alex]

I'm on my second 200 now.

First one was Pearl White, cup chassis, bluetooth and speedlines. That car was faultless other than a gearbox that just made a lot of geartrain noise off the throttle and a melted steering wheel. Both changed under warranty no quibbles.

I now own an Ultra Red one with Recaros, cup chassis and Speedlines. Only problem I have had is an intermittent airbag light. Turned out to be a loose connection.

They are great cars, don't let people put you off. Both i've owned have attracted a lot of good attention and the performance vs running cost is certainly impressive. On a twisty b road it will have you grinning, no doubt.

As Daniel has said, they are an absolute machine on track. So responsive and the mid corner adjustability is incredible. This is me in my old Pearl White one at Castle Combe;



You won't regret buying one mate. I'm itching to get on track in mine again, French Car Show looks like the next oppurtunity!

 

[Advikaz]

/\

Hand positioning tells me ex karter

 

[200 Alex]

/\

Hand positioning tells me ex karter

You genius, you

Junior Rotax, yeah. Then we ran out of money haha!

 

[Advikaz]

You genius, you

Junior Rotax, yeah. Then we ran out of money haha!

Mini, Juniors & seniors for me....

Then ran out of dollar haha. Although I'm likely to be back in a car next year tho, in the form of a formula ford, Hopefully.

 

[rja cup]

Just sold a 197 cup. I've owned several RS clios (172 cup, 182 trophy and mk1 v6) and have now gone back to a 172 cup. The reasons I liked the 197:

* Recaro seats are the best seats I've experienced
* The looks of the car are impressive, (for me) especially in white with cup spoiler, the red callipers and anthracite wheels
* The handling of the car is excellent, I found it on par with my old 182 trophy but with stronger brakes the 197cup is perhaps a better package
* Relatively cheap to service/maintain (oil and oil/air/cabin filters can be had for under £60 and plugs every 3 years only cost £25 on ebay)

Reasons I wont miss the 197:
* Mpg in the 197 is scandalous for a the power it delivers (my 172 cup averaged 46mpg doing 70mph on the M4 last week, id be lucky to get 34mpg out of the 197 plus the 172 cup I have is on par with my 197 up to the legal speed limit ) - my previous 300bhp mk1 Focus RS was better on fuel around town than the 197
* Gearbox synchros (common fault) went on my 197 at 22k miles, the car was out of warranty by 2 months but I managed to get 97.5% contribution from RUK - I know others have not been so lucky - who knows how long the replacement box will last!?
* The recaro seats wear far to easily - my bolsters were replaced under warranty but many 2nd hand cars for sale now have worn/torn seats.
* A real ball ache to replace headlight bulbs - why has the car been designed so poorly that Renault remove the front bumper to change a bulb? I managed to do it myself without taking off the bumper but others may not have the mechanical nous to do this and end up forking out £90 in labour
* Had a boot leak - although not a common fault, others on 197.net have suffered with it and a rear bumper off job to sort out
* Door seals perish - a cheap replacement but why does this happen on a modern car
* Suspension and steering is excellent but very expensive to fix/replace the parts when compared to a 172/182s
* The 197/200s are now starting to come down to very reasonable 2nd hand prices but (my opinion again) to replace steering and suspension parts will be expensive when compared to the value of the car plus to replace a gearbox (via Renault) could cost 50% of an early 197 cars value

Overall (and this is my opinion) the cons out weigh the pros - im glad its gone and wouldn't recommend one to a friend. As an overall package I am glad to be back in a 172 cup - 90% of the 197 thrills at 50% of the costs

 

[MonkeyKnifeFight]

I knew I wanted a 200 after watching this video

 

[James1470]

Mate, drive it you'll love it and buy it, mine has everything except Recaros - which as much as I'd love, do nothing for my back, and it's bad enough as it is, every time I drive it I have a massive grin on my face, and I'm always getting " i love you car" comments - which is a cool plus haha,

spec it to how you want, at the end of the day it'll be your car! Let us know what happens, but they're awesome!

 

[Inequality Street]

Mate, drive it you'll love it and buy it, mine has everything except Recaros - which as much as I'd love, do nothing for my back, and it's bad enough as it is, every time I drive it I have a massive grin on my face, and I'm always getting " i love you car" comments - which is a cool plus haha,

spec it to how you want, at the end of the day it'll be your car! Let us know what happens, but they're awesome!

I find Recaro's lovely for a dodgey back! Very flat and straight Not soft mind..

 

[Knuckles]

Although mines a (prettier) 197, I don't think you'll be disappointed in the drive of the 200, I drive mine so placidly I'm still surprised at how it handles when I put my foot down the mpg is a bit s**t but I don't care, I love the car.

The most annoying thing I get is people complimenting me on my 'Megane' FFs lol. But nobody would confuse a 200 with a meg


​i once had someone ask me if Christopher's 200 was a special edition, I told him its just a 1.2 with big wheels

Mate, drive it you'll love it and buy it, mine has everything except Recaros - which as much as I'd love, do nothing for my back, and it's bad enough as it is, every time I drive it I have a massive grin on my face, and I'm always getting " i love you car" comments - which is a cool plus haha,

spec it to how you want, at the end of the day it'll be your car! Let us know what happens, but they're awesome!

recaros > your back

 

[RyanS182]

Alright fellas. There's a few i'm going to look at over the weekend. None have recaros, but the only one round my way which has them also has 49k on the clock and is around about the same price as some of the ex demo's with 3-7k miles on. I'm sure I can live without them for the sake of 40k miles!! Guna take my dad along and let him do all the talking to get them down to cheapest possible price. Hopefully have a test drive and fall in love, i'm sure i will!!

 

[Inequality Street]

Alright fellas. There's a few i'm going to look at over the weekend. None have recaros, but the only one round my way which has them also has 49k on the clock and is around about the same price as some of the ex demo's with 3-7k miles on. I'm sure I can live without them for the sake of 40k miles!! Guna take my dad along and let him do all the talking to get them down to cheapest possible price. Hopefully have a test drive and fall in love, i'm sure i will!!

I had a sit in Dan at 519's 197 with normal seats in, they're still really supportive and a lot more coumfy. Thats a point you could use the get price down too.

​You'll never look back!

 

[fdog]

if your not bothered about below average mpg (i average 29) then defo buy one, i had never done a track day until i bought mine and now im hooked, and i can honestley say after owning mine for 6 months its the best car ive ever owned and that includes cars that i paid double what the clio cost me, id say cup chassis and posh seats are a must. watch out for the gearbox i may be paranoid but i was sruggling to select 3rd gear at times yesterday at anglesey but its only 12 months old and still under warranty so i not gonna lose much sleep but if it does get worse its pretty average after just 14,000 miles, buy one upgrade the pads book track day, enjoy.