Clio II dci purchase - alarm bells?

[B19GRR]

Hi,

Thinking about getting one of these as a runabout for the gf. One's just cropped up with what appears to be a very good spec, ad states this though:

Ad said:

JUST HAD:- FULL SERVICE INCLUDING, CAMBELT KIT, WATER PUMP, FRONT DISCS AND PADS, ANTI - ROLLBAR BUSHES, NEW TURBO AND 3 NEW TYRES

VEHICLE IS SOLD AS SEEN, CASH ON COLLECTION, COLLECTION WITHIN 7 DAYS

So other than the anti-PH capslock 'NEW TURBO' is worrying as it's got under 70k, no mention of FSH so possibly a neglected example? Price is definitely on the low side. Normal cause for turbo failure is oil starvation right? Wondering if they fixed the root cause or just bunged a new blower on to get it going again, would there be any obvious way of checking that?

Also '3' new tyres, why not 4? Hmmm.

The sold as seen caveat I guess is fair enough for a private sale but it just makes me wonder if it's a dog they're looking to get shot of as you don't really need to put that in an ad.

Any thoughts?

Cheers,
Rob

[C.A.R.]

How cheap is cheap?

I've not had much experience of the Clio II 1.5 DCi, other than once having one as a courtesy car for a week. Whisper quiet!

I would phone and ask for receipts / proof of work.

The model I had did exhibit a strange steering habit where it would pull quite hard to the dead centre, like it was over-assisted or had too much of a caster angle going on. Oh and they don't much like motorways

[B19GRR]

C.A.R. said:

How cheap is cheap?

I've not had much experience of the Clio II 1.5 DCi, other than once having one as a courtesy car for a week. Whisper quiet!

I would phone and ask for receipts / proof of work.

The model I had did exhibit a strange steering habit where it would pull quite hard to the dead centre, like it was over-assisted or had too much of a caster angle going on. Oh and they don't much like motorways

Smidge under £2k for an 04 plate. It's the 80bhp Dynamique model. Got MOT until November too. How bad was it on motorways, just underpowered or...?

Cheers,
Rob

[The Boosh]

B19GRR said:

Smidge under £2k for an 04 plate. It's the 80bhp Dynamique model. Got MOT until November too. How bad was it on motorways, just underpowered or...?

Cheers,
Rob

If you buy a looked after example they are cheap cheap cheap motoring. They do 50 mpg everywhere, no matter how you drive them. They aren't bad on the motorway either, torque is reletively good and once you're up to speed they are fine. Also cheap to fix in comparison to their German equivilents.

All in all i'd recommend one as a run about. Just don't buy a st one. The one that you mentioned sounds a bit sketchy judging the section of the ad you posted, however don't rule it out until you've viewed & driven. If it's too far away to TD, i'd look for another example.

[C.A.R.]

Just felt under powered at anything over 50mph, sort of ran out of 'puff' I suppose.

I didn't get much more than 40mpg from mine because the engine was just not gutsy enough for the motorway commute I was using it for.

[Swervin_Mervin]

The Boosh said:

B19GRR said:

Smidge under £2k for an 04 plate. It's the 80bhp Dynamique model. Got MOT until November too. How bad was it on motorways, just underpowered or...?

Cheers,
Rob

If you buy a looked after example they are cheap cheap cheap motoring. They do 50 mpg everywhere, no matter how you drive them. They aren't bad on the motorway either, torque is reletively good and once you're up to speed they are fine. Also cheap to fix in comparison to their German equivilents.

All in all i'd recommend one as a run about. Just don't buy a st one. The one that you mentioned sounds a bit sketchy judging the section of the ad you posted, however don't rule it out until you've viewed & driven. If it's too far away to TD, i'd look for another example.

This. Bought an '02 plate in '03 with 18k on the clocks ex-demo. Mum bought it off me 12mths later and it's still going strong. Regularly gets used to travel down to Cornwall from Manchester.

[B19GRR]

Ah well, the car's gone so I guess I don't have to worry and hopefully someone else got a bargain. So search continues, what's the longevity like on these engines - if serviced sensibly of course?

Cheers,
Rob

[jagracer]

B19GRR said:

what's the longevity like on these engines - if serviced sensibly of course?

Cheers,
Rob

We've had a 2004 65bhp one for about 6 years and engine wise it's fine, the problem is with all the bits bolted on or near it. Ours has about 120K on the clock now. Things that have gone wrong and seem to be common problems are alternator pulley at 70K, turbo to inlet manifold pipe (modified replacement), EGR valve (modified replacement), horn push linkage ribbons behind steering wheel (modified replacement), boot lock, lower wishbone ball joints (modified and you need to get a complete wishbone and arb bracket from Renault but you can buy a pattern part ball joint for about a tenner) and it seems to go through trackrod ends quite often. Economy is fantastic around town but drops a bit on motorways if you push above 65-70mph. When you change the cam belt make sure the tensioner is done plus the drive belt and tensioner at the same time.

[B19GRR]

Job jobbed as they say. Just back with this motor:



http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281046059252

It's an Extreme 2 (ooooo) 80bhp model, 77k, FSH with recent belts done. Obviously been sat on the forecourt for a while as the interior was very damp with a touch of mildew other than that it's in respectable shape, will get it valeted and should be good then. Screen price was £2295, was on fleabay for £1995 for a few weeks until this morning when it dropped to £1795. I paid £1700. After the 50odd mile drive home - cross country, getting lost in Thetford one way system and a crawl through Bury St Edmunds, the dash said I'd achieved 69.7mpg with around 750miles left to the tank, bloody marvelous. BTW there's a Total garage in Bury selling diesel for 137.9, bargain - well in the current climate!

Need to get used to driving a manual again, seems to have slightly odd ratios - or I'm just used to bigger engines - definitely needs to be in 3rd when trundling at 30, 2k seems to be a fairly sweet spot for the engine. Hopefully it'll do Ms Grr alright.

Cheers,
Rob

[jagracer]

That looks like a nice car. Check for dampness on the headlining by the sunroof as these can leak, this could cause problems with the remote locking as the sensor is by the interior light. The other thing to keep an eye on and an ear open for is the alternator pulley which can go at around 70K miles. Apart from the fuel economy you should only be paying £30 a year to tax it.

[Mr Jenks]

jagracer said:

That looks like a nice car. Check for dampness on the headlining by the sunroof as these can leak, this could cause problems with the remote locking as the sensor is by the interior light.

Yes, the sunroof may well leak but there is no reciever in the roof on this age Clio. It`ll be integral to the UCH

[B19GRR]

I've read up on the leaky sunroof, will be keeping my eye on it once I've cleaned the interior out and hopefully got a dehumidifier in there for good measure.

Tax is only £20 on the 80bhp - win! It's got tax and test until the end of November, happy

Cheers,
Rob

[jagracer]

B19GRR said:

I

Tax is only £20 on the 80bhp - win! It's got tax and test until the end of November, happy

Cheers,
Rob

Bastid, my wife's Clio is a 65bhp one and its £30