Which Clio should I get for my first car?

[Bozzeh]

Hi, I am looking to buy a Clio PH2 as a first (on-street) car. I have around £1000 - £1500 at the max to spend on one and I was wondering which is the best type and size engine for cheap insurance and petrol costs but I don't really want a 1.2 but I don't know how much 1.4's are dearer in petrol and insurance.

I do like fast cars ALOT, but I suppose as when I'm 17 (in a few months) i'm not going to get any better than a 1.2 - 1.4l.

I know quite alot about cars (I got my first car when I was 14) just to tinker around with and to drive it round my private road.

Which type and engine do you recommend? Thanks

 

[Bluebeard]

1.2 is the only engine you'll insure. Will still cost you double what you pay for the car though.

Clio's aren't great first cars imo, they're too dear on insurance.

 

[DanEdser]

clios are fine first cars! my clio is my first car and i love it!

my friend has a 1.0 yaris and he pays the same as me for insurance on my 1.2 clio

 

[McGherkin]

I wished I got a DCI. Probably about the same on insurance, but with more grunt.

 

[Bluebeard]

I sold a 54 plate 1.2 Extreme Clio today to a guy for £2289.

I then found out he was paying £2900 to insure it.....

His Dad said if he'd have bought a Corsa, it was 'only' £2400 to insure it but he was dead set on a clio.

 

[Bozzeh]

I got a decent price on a 1.2 Clio on gocompare by putting my nans name on it and adding me as second but main driver, she has like 25+ no claims

 

[coolasacucumber]

Try looking at 1.5 dci 65 Dynamique. You should find a reasonable example in your price bracket, and it should be about the same, if not a little bit more to insure. But - you'll save bundles in fuel & tax costs, so you could effectively knock that off your insurance costs.

Plus having a 'turbo' on your first car at 17 is pretty cool!!

 

[RobertB]

I suggest a 1.2. I'd love a car with a bit more beef in the engine, but I've got a 1.2 extreme for the next few years until I have the no claims and driving years needed to insure a 172/182. For a first car, a 1.2 Clio is really good, and the extreme/dynamiques come with sporty aspects, so there isn't much you would need to do to the car to make it look really good!

 

[Kane.]

If I could buy my first car again it'd be a DCi. More power, more economical, less tax (I think) and easier to sell.

 

[Joe#]

My 1.2 16v was one of the cheapest to insure when I was looking.

As above though, I'd go for a DCI probably.

 

[Fletcher]

My first car was a 172.

 

[Joe#]

Because baller

 

[Fletcher]

^^^knowsit

 

[TonkaTruck]

dCi for sure, same insurance bracket as a 1.2.

 

[Bobby.]

Another strong vote for the dci over the 1.2. The 1.2's are seriously turd, their not even economical really for a small little petrol. And the same for the 1.4, you get about the same mpg from the 1.4 as you do from the 2.0 in the 1*2's.

 

[Martin_172]

1.5 dci65

 

[DIDITNO]

I got a decent price on a 1.2 Clio on gocompare by putting my nans name on it and adding me as second but main driver, she has like 25+ no claims

If you do this and have an accident, the insurance company will look at it, see that youve probably fitted a cd player or ipod etc, maybe alloys etc, and figure out your the main driver. Then void your insurance and your stuffed. I speak from experience as a old college did exactly the same thing. Not worth the hassle.

 

[Crispy.]

If I could buy my first car again it'd be a DCi. More power, more economical, less tax (I think) and easier to sell.

Much less tax, around £30 for the whole year depending on the model.

I got a decent price on a 1.2 Clio on gocompare by putting my nans name on it and adding me as second but main driver, she has like 25+ no claims

NONONONONO! Don't do this! Insurance fronting is not the way forward. What you want to do is find a female friend who has no intention of passing her full uk licence in the duration of your years insurance and put her as a named driver. Works much better and you also (being the main driver) get the 1 year NCB - as long as you don't crash of course


I personally did get the 1.2 and love it. Dont really know much about the Dci's common problems, repair prices etc...

 

[RobertB]

If you do this and have an accident, the insurance company will look at it, see that youve probably fitted a cd player or ipod etc, maybe alloys etc, and figure out your the main driver. Then void your insurance and your stuffed. I speak from experience as a old college did exactly the same thing. Not worth the hassle.

If it was his name on the car documents though, surely they couldn't use mods as a reason that he is main driver? He could say he has been modding it in prep for when he becomes main driver. As the car is his, surely that is allowed?

 

[DIDITNO]

It was more to the point that when he did rear end the car in front, it was recovered, when they checked the car over they were suprised his "82 year old Nan" had a custom install in the boot, and alloys, and her informing the insurance that it was her grandsons car, she just helped him so he could insure it, wasnt the best start to a claim.

 

[Knuckles]

I had a 1.4 ph2 as my first car, cracking, nippy little thing... But if I was to do it again I'd have bought a dci100

 

[Crispy.]

Wow. Lots of people choosing the dci.. My current 1.2 mk1 which I bought/spent £400 on is about to die and I am about to buy another car. I was 100% sure to get a clio 1.2 mk3 but I might look into the dci. Around about 1,500 budget.

 

[Martin_172]

dci is the one to go for, 60mpg no problem even when driven hard, £20/£30 a year road tax, pretty cheap on insurance and servicing

 

[Knuckles]

dci is the one to go for, 60mpg no problem even when driven hard, £20/£30 a year road tax, pretty cheap on insurance and servicing

+20bhp remap was the selling point for me lol

 

[Martin_172]

agreed, better going for the 100 and getting the +25hp+ on the already 100hp

 

[Bozzeh]

There is a option on the gocompare site to add me as the second but main driver so it would still be valid. I really, really hate diesel cars.

 

[Martin_172]

not sure what there is to hate, nearly twice the mpg of the petrol, £30 tax over what ever a 1.2 costs £120 or something??, more torque than a 182 on the higher spec ones

noise isnt a valid reason as a 1.2 4 cylinder hardly sounds awesome lol!!

 

[Crispy.]

not sure what there is to hate, nearly twice the mpg of the petrol, £30 tax over what ever a 1.2 costs £120 or something??, more torque than a 182 on the higher spec ones

noise isnt a valid reason as a 1.2 4 cylinder hardly sounds awesome lol!!

And this is the reason I have this second got back from just buying my Dci 80 I was 100% sure the clocks were broken when I was giving it some and the mpg was still around 72ish. Found it alien to drive at first but I can see me getting used to it. Im used to the gear speed ranges in my mk1 clio, which are so low. In the Dci 4th gear deals with 40 no problemo with amazing mpg. LOVE IT.

Next to project it to make it look a lot better.

Btw Bozzeh, Get a dci.

 

[theduck]

Good choice mate. Cracking cars.

 

[iridebikes]

I actually found it was cheaper to insure a clio than the equivalent corsa (1.2) I presumed this was due to the extra airbags ect?

 

[glenn_adam_doble]

1.5 DCI 65/80 you would be daft not too. they are just as quick as a 1.2, can get easy/relatively cheap gains from a map, cheaper tax, great MPG, similar insurance

resale/depreciation is better

DCI > Petrol

 

[Ajcman]

I sold a 54 plate 1.2 Extreme Clio today to a guy for £2289.

I then found out he was paying £2900 to insure it.....

His Dad said if he'd have bought a Corsa, it was 'only' £2400 to insure it but he was dead set on a clio.

I bought a 05 plate 1.2 clio extremem 4 for 1900 and 1500 to insure as a first car....

 

[RobertB]

I bought a 05 plate 1.2 clio extremem 4 for 1900 and 1500 to insure as a first car....

^ +1.

 

[Crispy.]

I bought a 05 plate 1.2 clio extremem 4 for 1900 and 1500 to insure as a first car....

^ +1.

Its madness these days. I found a little trick that saved me a mahoosive amount of money.

http://www.cliosport.net/forum/showthread.php?623652-eCar-Insurance If you are interested.

 

[Jeff456]

Another strong vote for the dci over the 1.2. The 1.2's are seriously turd, their not even economical really for a small little petrol. And the same for the 1.4, you get about the same mpg from the 1.4 as you do from the 2.0 in the 1*2's.

I used to regularly get 50-55mpg out of mine, plus they don't cost anywhere near as much as the DCIs to buy (you would have to do a LOT of miles to make much of a fuel saving) although I admit the DCI would hold its value much better and be better to drive day to day.

 

[Dan@M.A.D]

I had a 1.6 16v for my first car, The insurance was only a few quid extra. If it was between the DCi and a 1.2 i would go down the DCi route any day!