Which 172 to buy

[jonmurgie]

Hello to the Clio folks

Am just in the process of selling my E30 M3 (http://www.m3-power.co.ukwww.m3-power.co.uk) and quite fancy picking up a Clio 172 as the replacement. Intend to do a few track days like I do in the M3 but wanted something a little newer and a car my Fiancée will also like!

So, my question is, should I go for a Mk1 or is it worth spending a couple more grand on a Mk2?

Also, it does worry me slightly the number of problems that people seem to have had with 172s... have been reading through the topics on this forum and also on http://www.caarsurvey.orgwww.caarsurvey.org and it just concerns me....

So, any advice would be great

Cheers
Jon

 

[McBunny]

if you can find a non renault built one you will be fine only trouble is they are all built by renault lol lol

 

[KDF]

I have a mk2, but the cars are so simmilar it really down to what one you think looks better *cough*mk2*cough*

Remember that people dont post topics saying "hey guys, today Ive not had any problems with my car again"

You only hear about peoples problems on here.. the only thing thats went wrong with my car really is the aircon needed re-gassed.. and a headlight washer ball fell out (which I still havent replaced).

I dont even have any rattles in my car, although other people seem to have had them. There are common faults for every car out there. One thing I would say is that the customer service at dealers doenst seem to be up to much.

 

[viceroy]

As far as a good car with track day performance my opinion would be as follows

1 - 172 mk1 (has all the goodies, and more "kart" like than the mk2)

2 - 172 Cup (has no goodies, but slightly, very slightly better on the track than the mk1)

3 - 172 mk2 (has even more goodies, but more refined so not as "kart" like on the track)

 

[RobFenn]

Get a Cup, its the only one which has an edge, otherwise you may feel youve taken a step down in the driving experience stakes.

-Rob

 

[telford_mike]

lol @ dogmaul, welcome Jon!

Mk1 vs Mk2 is just a choice issue - both cars are great. Depends on your personal taste and budget really. Most of the problems are well understood now and dealers know how to respond.

 

[McBunny]

yes they respond with well it works fine for us or we dont know of that problem or its a design feature

 

[jonmurgie]

Wow... I only wandered off for 5 minutes and theres already a wealth of info!!

It is interesting getting people opinions and I totally know what _KDF means about you never hear people saying today that cars fine!

My budget once the M3 goes ia bout 9-10k so I guess I could just scrape in a 172 Cup for that... but viceroy, what do you mean the CUP doesnt have all the goodies?

Visually I think I prefer the Mk2 cause of the lights mainly, but then I guess a Mk1 has probably had all the little niggly faults driven out of it by now?

Really need to go down to Renault and waste their time and drive one.. then buy privately

 

[Daz]

Or get a Williams.. and have one of the best hatches ever made..

But if you do want a newer car, Id say 172 MkII.. personally..

 

[McBunny]

renault dont work faults out they hide them

like yesterday mine was in again there was a rattle in the boot lid they found a nut rolling around so what did they do !! they took it out as they didnt know where it went lol so im looking in rear view mirror now to see whats gonna fall off lol

 

[KDF]

Quote: Originally posted by jonmurgie on 15 August 2003


Wow... I only wandered off for 5 minutes and theres already a wealth of info!!

It is interesting getting people opinions and I totally know what _KDF means about you never hear people saying today that cars fine!

My budget once the M3 goes ia bout 9-10k so I guess I could just scrape in a 172 Cup for that...

You can pick up a 172 on import for 12,000 almost the same price as the Cup. I got my 2002 mk2 172 with 5600 miles on the clock for £9000 still had 2+ years manufacturors warranty.

but viceroy, what do you mean the CUP doesnt have all the goodies?

The cup has nothing, nada, zilch, no air-con, no climate, no leather/alcantara seats, no rear headrests, thinner glass, no heat reflective front windscreen, no spare tyre, no 3rd 3point seat belt in the back, no auto lights, no rain sensitive wipers, no lumbar adjustment on drivers seat.... the list goes on.

You buy a Cup if you want a raw sports car with non of the luxuries, purely built for racing, not sitting in traffic.

Visually I think I prefer the Mk2 cause of the lights mainly, but then I guess a Mk1 has probably had all the little niggly faults driven out of it by now?

I wouldnt count on it

Really need to go down to Renault and waste their time and drive one.. then buy privately

 

[Roamer]

If you want a car the other half will like then get the 172, not the cup, aircon etc always goes down well, you dont want a sweaty Fiancée do you?

 

[RobFenn]

Dont listen to Dogmaul hes bitter and twisted!

 

[visceral]

Today I had no problems with my car!

UNTIL the SERV light came on, stopped switched off, back on, indicated problem was oil level (funny as I check it regularly and it was still OK). Drove a bit, stopped again engine off, SERV light with oil level warning again! mmmmm

Drove all the way to Renault Altrincham with the kids, waited 15mins for a guy to check it guess what.....fault had gone.

But I still luv the car, and would still buy another!!

 

[JonC]

They are all pretty much similar performance wise and on the roads youre not going to feel a huge difference between the different 172s. Cup is a "stripped" out road/track racer, Mkii fully loaded, bar sat nav, hot hatch, Mki same as Mkii but older. In general all the versions are well received in the motoring press. Its basically down to whether you want luxuries or more raw driving experience. Which one best meets your requirements?....

 

[jonmurgie]

Blimey, I didnt realise the Cup model was so basic... defo wont bother with that cause I want newer with more toys!

Another quesitons.. are the very early 172s worth considering cause Ive always been worried about the very first versino of new cars and any faults that are then recfitied with later releases.. do you get what I mean?

 

[McBunny]

oooh also they fixed my 4 k rattle yay

but the other week they told me it had never had it done before thats why there was a sleeve welded over the joint lol they then said they would never do it like that guess what i get it back and there is another sleve welded over the join lol so that means i have to cut the exhaust again to get it of and fit my new one grrrr

 

[KDF]

Quote: Originally posted by jonmurgie on 15 August 2003


Blimey, I didnt realise the Cup model was so basic... defo wont bother with that cause I want newer with more toys!

Another quesitons.. are the very early 172s worth considering cause Ive always been worried about the very first versino of new cars and any faults that are then recfitied with later releases.. do you get what I mean?

The Cup is basic, but its 89kgs lighter for it... and comes in the nicest blue you can get.. and has nicer alloys and a bigger rear spolier, and slightly lower suspension..and a 20mm wider track.. are you confused as to which to get yet

Well they changed over 50% of the parts between the mk1 and the mk2 172s so rather than fix existing faults they probably introduced some new ones

Personally I bought a mk2 cause it was newer and IMO looked much better.

 

[maxxx100]

If they are all so close it maybe worth considering value which one will be worth more when you come to sell it maybe the newer model will still be a fairly new shape But to be honest as a new clio owner the other guys would be better suited to tell u which model seems to hold its value best !

Do Renault plan any more clios models and if so when ?

 

[Viv172]

Quote: Originally posted by _KDF on 15 August 2003


Remember that people dont post topics saying "hey guys, today Ive not had any problems with my car again"

Today Ive had no problems with my car......apart from not being able to look at it and drive it at the same time!!

Go test drive as many as you can before making your choice....I did, it was loads of fun

 

[rt172]

Sound like you need a MK2. MK1 doesnt have a great deal more than the Cup in terms of goodies (no xenons, no auto lights, no climate control, no autowipers). The interior of the MK2 looks and feels better too (but rattles exactly the same).

Theres not a great deal separating the 3 models performance wise. If you can afford a new £12k imported MK2 172, then get one. If you are on a budget, get a mk1 as it had the leather seats, air con and, erm....white dials which look good! And have lost about 50% of their value in 3 years and I reckon represent a pretty good purchase.

Ive seen MK1s with 6 to 18k on the clock for around £8000.

Rhys

 

[viceroy]

Just get a blue one...youll love it

http://home.imaginet.co.za/viceroy/smallblue.jpg

I personally chose the mk1 because there were only about 50 imported to SA, and at least 5 have been written off so provided I can keep mine in good nick, it is a very rare car, gets more attention than the mk2 172...

Both mk1 and mk2 cars have the same problems (if you get a problem car) I was lucky with mine, and so far only have the 4k rattle.

I love my car...

In fact I love it so much Im gonna go drive it ... bully for me

 

[cerbera4.5]

i second that ,,BLUE MK1 172 (like mine),no they dont have the £400 a pop headlights on,watch out in super market carparks,crunch.

mine was 3 years old and cost me 9k with 12k miles,and therefore you would be daft to pay 12.5k for a new one and it be worth (according to the above) half that in 3 years,let some one else pay the depreciation,and get yourself a car thats nicely run in (many people agree the 172 gets better with miles),and mechanically sound-ish!.

the mk2 i think looks too much like the bog standard cars apart from the tasty alloys!,interior a little more upmarket ill admit,and a fraction slower(no arguments but its true),but handles better.

save the money,pay for your insurance,more trackdays and plenty of optimax!!

 

[steveV6]

Hold fire and get the new clio180, out begining of next year!

Ooooopps! I dont think I should of let that slip

 

[paddymph]

eh? thought that wasnt for UK release? whats goin on?

Anyway, yeah it sounds like youre after a 172, u need a red one really:

http://erc.qmuc.ac.uk/cliosport/file.php?image=1060975906__trafford.jpg

 

[cerbera4.5]

must admit if id have had the cash a flame red mk2 would have been my choice!!

 

[jonmurgie]

Popped into a traders today and have a look at a few 172s they had there... One silver, one blue (not cup) and one black... gotta say the Silver did look best to me

I loved the interior but the other half thought the silver stripe that looks a bit carbon fibre like was a bit nasty and overall the car looked plastic but fook it, its not for her, its for ME and I thought it was very very nice!!

So, Im now totally gonna buy a MK2 172 and have the money right now but really want to sell the M3 first otherwise there is a risk it will just sit on my driveway while Im merrily driving the 172 about!!

 

[maxxx100]

Good choice m8 u wont regret it i havnt (well ok ive only had it a week but but i dont regret it so far )

And as for your other half shell soon come round when u r leaving most other cars standing at the lights!)

 

[jonmurgie]

Right, M3 sold tonight so the hunt begins on the weekend

 

[Viv172]

Quote: Originally posted by jonmurgie on 17 August 2003


I loved the interior but the other half thought the silver stripe that looks a bit carbon fibre like was a bit nasty and overall the car looked plastic

Of all the cars in that price range, the 172 has got to have one of the best interiors around!!!!!! Luxury compared to every other car I’ve owned, it makes traffic jams a tolerable experience…..as a fellow female, I cant see her problem???

 

[Leah172mk2]

Have to say as another fellow female i agree with VivJ, although am slightly biased in thinking that reds the best

 

[Martin172]

mate - just read through the whole post and LOVE the conclusion you have come to!!!!!!



I have a MK2 172 Iceberg Silver and think it is the best of the bunch that ive seen. Black is cool but cr*p to keen clean. silver is all class.



top decision.

 

[KDF]

Quote: Originally posted by Leah172mk2 on 18 August 2003

Have to say as another fellow female i agree with VivJ, although am slightly biased in thinking that reds the best

Have to say.. as a femenine male .. I also agree

 

[jonmurgie]

Im sure shell come round.. shes into Jap cars (drives an MR2 Turbo) but Ive had a few french cars.. dodgy build quality but totally fun and fast!!