Why do so many people on here not rate the Clio?

[Cup_Phil]

This is a genuine question, I'm not s**t stirring or trying to start a war..

Coming from 106owners people on there will defend 106's to the death, they destroy everything on track blah blah etc..
SaxP is the same and so is every other car forum I've dealt with, full of people passionate about their car and will defend it no matter what

But most threads on here recently you'll find a comment about "not worth doing", "not worth fitting" or "they're not really that fast a car to start with" or "not great value for money you could also have...."

It's so weird that this is such a massive busy popular club full of Clio owners but the majority seem to think the Clio is not that great a car, too expensive to mod and can't be made faster.

As I say don't want to start any fights just something I've observed that I find really weird

Friday thoughts?

 

[levaz]

i love my clio......... when it works

 

[Adam.]

Well a lot of things have been tried and tested and are a waste of money tbh. It's not all about speed at the end of the day.

P.S. everyone knows 172 cup's destroy everything in the bends.

 

[Jay.S]

I love them best car I ever owned was my RB 182.

 

[Cup_Phil]

I can see this is instantly going to be an "I love clios" thread and make me look an idiot haha

 

[Adam.]

Love/hate. They're addictive little motors. I vowed never to have another. I've since had 2.

 

[Gally]

Lols. I think people are just realistic mate. They are stunningly good cars but at the same time they are a cheap French Hot Hatchback. I've always said it, bang for buck they are almost unbeatable.

 

[182Turboo]

I love my 172 second one I've had and would easily buy again. Amazing cars and good for the money

 

[MarkCup]

Is it not that the majority of owners on here are more likely older/more mature than would be on those other forums.

Clios are falling into the hands of yoofs lately, but the mass of members on here have owned from way back when cost of ownership and/or insurance meant that teens couldn't get their hands on them.

Defending the brand? I think it's more that we're realists, and don't get a dewey tip at the thought of beating someone away from a set of lights...

 

[Aydon182]

It's because 106 owners and saxP are full of 16 year olds who haven't had anything but 106's and saxo's. it's a variant on this forum, there are a lot of members who own other cars than clio's or have experienced more cars and have come to realise that there are better cars than clio's. I don't think anyone on here who currently owns or has previously owned a RS clio and can say they are rubbish though.
They are great cars.

you hear the phrase a lot "it's not worth doing" a lot because as someone previously said, a lot of the tuning options for the f4r have been tried and tested, and they are simply just not worth doing. It's not a good engine to tune at all really. If you don't like clio's out the box it's never really going to be the car for you, and a lot of people have learnt that the hard way by pumping more than the value of the car on things like RS2 and ITB's with no real significant gain to make the £££ spent worth while.

 

[Aluco]

Because being over passionate about your car just makes you look a boring t**t.

 

[mantis946]

Lols. I think people are just realistic mate. They are stunningly good cars but at the same time they are a cheap French Hot Hatchback. I've always said it, bang for buck they are almost unbeatable.

Beat me to it, people are just honest with their perception - it's a great car for it's cost, it's difficult to go quicker for less - but it's not without it's flaws, such as tuning - it's already a highly tuned engine.

 

[Lal B3N]

I like that they are praised on here but at the same not made out like they are the best thing since sliced bread.

 

[Chip-mk1]

I think the 1*2 are great little packages, but im also realistic, Ive owned and driven enough other cars to have some realistic perspective, perhaps with the saxo and 106 being easier to insure they are more likely to be a first performance car for people and hence they havent experienced anything else so dont realise how many alternatives there are.

 

[Ol’ Tarby]

I think there's just a lot more realists on here, and maybe the average member age on this forum is higher than that of 106owners and SaxP.

The Clio is a very good car, and they're hard to beat for the money, but at the end of the day all 1*2s are getting on a bit now and people are becoming less prepared to spend a lot of money on them.

I personally love the Clio, I went from a 172 to a 3MPS and it didnt take me long to regret it. There's just something about them thats hard to get away from. I WILL own another one day

 

[Harpham]

You've got to bare in mind that a lot of people on here have owned Clios and then moved onto other things... I get the impression that SaxP etc are mostly still owners of the cars.

 

[Laura]

as someone mentioned, alot of us have previously owned the clios and moved on, this club is more than just a clio club so we stick about for the banter.

personally ive had 4 clios and i love them, i just wouldnt run one as my main car now, they are a cheap fun toy. in regards to tuning and what not, its all been tried and tested, there is alot to learn from the folk on here and if they say its not worth it then its because someone has done it and learn the hard way.

 

[Adamm.]

Clio is a fantastic car anyone who says otherwise is wrong.

As said though you have to be realistic, just because it's a great car doesn't make it the best car

 

[Howell]

I've got a 106gti and a 172 at the moment, both great fun to drive but give me a Clio anyday! There not the greatest cars out there but what you get for the money you pay I can't think of anything else out there that competes

 

[M@tt_182]

It's a great all round package however the tuning capabilities are limited unless you spend 2k+. I wouldn't say I love or hate my Clio it's just good for the money. I'm actually looking at selling the Clio for an Impreza Wagon and a 106 Rallye so I'm not that attached to it.

 

[r0ss172]

Lols. I think people are just realistic mate. They are stunningly good cars but at the same time they are a cheap French Hot Hatchback. I've always said it, bang for buck they are almost unbeatable.

+1

Had a ph1 172 and fancied a change so gave it to my mum and got an Evo, then a mini cooper s, ended up back in a clio 182 FF and havent looked back, very fun car to drive and cheap to run/maintain (compared to the Evo lol)

 

[Cup_Phil]

Is it not that the majority of owners on here are more likely older/more mature than would be on those other forums.

Clios are falling into the hands of yoofs lately, but the mass of members on here have owned from way back when cost of ownership and/or insurance meant that teens couldn't get their hands on them.

Defending the brand? I think it's more that we're realists, and don't get a dewey tip at the thought of beating someone away from a set of lights...

I think the 1*2 are great little packages, but im also realistic, Ive owned and driven enough other cars to have some realistic perspective, perhaps with the saxo and 106 being easier to insure they are more likely to be a first performance car for people and hence they havent experienced anything else so dont realise how many alternatives there are.

You've got to bare in mind that a lot of people on here have owned Clios and then moved onto other things... I get the impression that SaxP etc are mostly still owners of the cars.

I guess that makes sense - the people with saxos/106s etc.. generally are their first fast car, not many buy something better and then go back to be honest
This place does seem to have a lot of people who've owned clios, gone onto something else and then come back.
It's still a bit weird though that most people have responded saying they've had other cars that are better so have a realistic attitude - yet they are still on here and own a clio LOL

Addictive little things I guess, I certainly tried to sell mine last year and couldn't quite do it

 

[Chip-mk1]

Ive never owned any other car that is a better all round package than a 1*2 clio, by that I mean a compromise of:
Straightline pace
MPG
Handling
Comfort
Reliability
Looks


VERY easy to beat on a few of them but I cant think of a single car that does every single one better TBH


The things I think they are poor on here:
Awkwardness of basic maintenance like cambelt change or clutch change
N/A tuning in terms of bhp gained per 1K spent
Cost of uprated diff
Availability of a very strong gearbox



So I think they make a massive amount of sense to buy and lightly modifiy, but I dont think they make a great basis for a big power project and I would never choose to go for much more than about 240bhp N/A or 300bhp Turbo, the reason being the engine doesnt lend itself well to further N/A tuning and the gearbox doesnt lend itself well to more Turbo tuning.

 

[Cup_Phil]

The cost of things is a huge issue and I have no idea why

ITB's on a clio - £2.5-3k, ITB's on a 106 £1500
Roll cage on a clio - £800+, Roll cage on a 106 £200
KW V2's on a clio - £1k+, top spec coilovers on a 106 £500

They're both french cars from similar eras - I really can never understand why clio stuff is such a premium.
It's a lot lot cheaper to mod Japanese cars too

 

[Aydon182]

It's because they're isn't massive demand for it like there is with 106's and Jap cars.

 

[Aydon182]

Clio is a fantastic car anyone who says otherwise is wrong.

As said though you have to be realistic, just because it's a great car doesn't make it the best car

It's good that a thread can be compiled with like minded realistic people. Unfortunately some (a lot) of CS members genuinely believe they're clio's are the best cars in the world, and if you try to tell them otherwise "you were clearly molested as a child".

Rofl. Good ol' CS. Gotta love it.

 

[Smnwllms172]

I've owned (from 17 in chronological order)

Fiat Uno 55 with a Super Strada 130bhp, fuel injected and turbo'd engine
Fiat Uno Turbo i.e.
Renault 5 GT Turbo
Citroen AX GT500
Various Ford Transits (company van)
Peugeot 307 XSI 2.0 HDI (company car)
Renault Laguna 2.2 DTI Initiale
Ford Focus 1.6 Zetec (company car)
Peugeot 407 2.0 HDI (company car)
Suzuki Samurai 1.3 off road beast
New Beetle 20v Turbo version
Citroen Saxo VTS
BMW e46 Compact 2.0td
Renault Kangoo 1.5 dci van
Ford Ranger 4x4 XLT 2.5td
Renault Clio 1*2

plus I've driven most other cars for between a few days or a few weeks. I think I've had a varied experience of cars and I can safely say that the 1*2 is my favourite. My VTS and the BMW come a close second. I'd have all of my cars again except the Focus. God that's a dull car! For the money, there's nothing better than a 1*2. I look forward to driving it every time I leave my house.

 

[Laura]

No better cars there, like everyone says, for a sub 2k car you cant go wrong but alot of people on here have much bigger budgets and so get "better", nicer, newer, cars.

 

[MarkCup]

Really?

1.6 Zetec Focus...dull?

Loved mine, would happily pound around the Southdowns in it all day long.

 

[Addicted]

106/saxo's etc mods to gain bhp are much cheaper than Clios, end of thread.

 

[DanFreemanPhoto]

When mentioned about the 'it's not worth fitting that etc', I think those comments are mainly because the prices of RS Clios have plummeted, especially since I bought one in 2008!
In those days, a decent 182 was circa 6k. So adding 2k worth of ITBs wasn't as scary sounding as now, where a 182 almost costs that itself.

 

[Rob]

What a silly thread.

You've pretty much answered your own question along with adding in some rubbish for good measure.

People don't rate modify the Clio's like they do the Saxo's/106's because they don't respond aswell. Spend £500 on a 106 and you'll see a real difference, do the same on a Clio and you end up with some shiny inlets and a remap that doesn't notice on a graph but honest, makes it "so much more drivable".

Everyone on here rates the Clio's, bar none, we may be negative to new users when they ask about mods because that's the truth, it beats "sally" turning up, asking what mods to do, doing them, then coming back complaining because she gained 0.68bhp from spending £200 on a maxogen and a cat back exhaust.

We all know that they're great cars, even those that have moved onto some serious metal still rate (and often own) Clio's and I think that says it all.

 

[len_beach]

As has been said, a Clio is a great initial package for what it is but it's still just a 2.0 shopping trolley at the end of the day.

Mark hit the nail on the head, alot of us have been on here for years and have been owners since the cars were much more expensive to buy and run but have since moved on. With that we've experienced more than some of the 18 year old Ned's on SaxP and the like who'll happily challenge an RB8 to a dual carriageway duel.

I couldn't say my Clio is the best car in the world as my BMW proves it's not. Similarly, I couldn't say to a Gallardo that my BMW is the best in the world.

It's all relative as they say...

 

[Laura]

We all know that they're great cars, even those that have moved onto some serious metal still rate (and often own) Clio's and I think that says it all.

This, Id run a ph1 172 along side the aston, my ebay watched list is full of them haha, dont need one now, maybe i never will but that itch is still there.

 

[Chris205]

Not sure why it comes accross that way, maybe the ones who had clio's and have progressed onto better cars are very quick to slate clio's and anything you plan to do with them
I think they're great cars, they have their problems like anything else, people on here are more realists than on the saxo/106 forums. I met someone yesterday who had a vtr with 180 bhp.....I had to laugh as it's only mods were a cam and a backbox....what a guy

 

[Cup_Phil]

Everyone on here rates the Clio's, bar none

Simply not true, if I had the time I'd pull out some quotes, but things like "It's not a very good engine to start with" are thrown around quite a lot aswell as people saying there are much better cars for the money.

Maybe it's just the impression I get because I mainly talk to the same group of people on here - but to say it's a stupid thread is a bit harsh.

As for the argument that £2k bodies on a £2k car is not as appealing as £2k bodies on a £6k car... I'd say the opposite - you can build a 200bhp Clio these days for £5k including the car - 3 years ago you couldn't have bought the car for that much... surely that should make it more appealing?

 

[Clart]

much better cars for the money? like what?

 

[Lal B3N]

Ive never owned any other car that is a better all round package than a 1*2 clio, by that I mean a compromise of:
Straightline pace
MPG
Handling
Comfort
Reliability
Looks


VERY easy to beat on a few of them but I cant think of a single car that does every single one better TBH


The things I think they are poor on here:
Awkwardness of basic maintenance like cambelt change or clutch change
N/A tuning in terms of bhp gained per 1K spent
Cost of uprated diff
Availability of a very strong gearbox



So I think they make a massive amount of sense to buy and lightly modifiy, but I dont think they make a great basis for a big power project and I would never choose to go for much more than about 240bhp N/A or 300bhp Turbo, the reason being the engine doesnt lend itself well to further N/A tuning and the gearbox doesnt lend itself well to more Turbo tuning.

I think this comment sums this thread up perfectly.

 

[Darren S]

Love mine. It gets the TLC it needs and has served me really well - including some epic journeys and trips out. The 182 simply ticks so many boxes, that I think it's a cracking little all-rounder.

I also think that there's something quite special about the 2.0litre N/A engine. It's a dying breed - what with everyone in this market segment switching to forced induction. It's type will unlikely to be seen again.

D.

 

[Lal B3N]

Really?

1.6 Zetec Focus...dull?

Loved mine, would happily pound around the Southdowns in it all day long.

Great car and engine. Love driving my girlfriends around. The heated leather is great :approve: