renaultsport 133 cup

[mattferrari]

Hi fellow PHers,
I'm currently looking to purchase a 133 cup as a first car (yes i know insurance will be a lot), is there anything i should look out for when looking at one?
thanks for any help!

[Tickle]

Hi mate try the 133 forum (http://www.twingo133.net/)
, im on the 197/200 and have had any questions answered and pretty much any info that I need can be found.

[mattferrari]

Tickle said:

Hi mate try the 133 forum (http://www.twingo133.net/)
, im on the 197/200 and have had any questions answered and pretty much any info that I need can be found.

Ah! Perfect
Cheers mate

[mattferrari]

Tickle said:

Hi mate try the 133 forum (http://www.twingo133.net/)
, im on the 197/200 and have had any questions answered and pretty much any info that I need can be found.

Ah! Perfect
Cheers mate

[AGK]

One of my mates who is quite young(18/19 iirc) has one and his insurance is pretty damn reasonable! I think he pays around £600.

[mattferrari]

Tickle said:

Hi mate try the 133 forum (http://www.twingo133.net/)
, im on the 197/200 and have had any questions answered and pretty much any info that I need can be found.

Ah! Perfect
Cheers mate

[Doodles19]

mattferrari said:

Hi fellow PHers,
I'm currently looking to purchase a 133 cup as a first car (yes i know insurance will be a lot), is there anything i should look out for when looking at one?
thanks for any help!

Ran one for two years.

Great car, but not fautless.

Pros:

• Really fun to drive when you're in the mood.
• Nothing else in class matches the Cup chassis for handling.
• Brakes are good.
• Seats are good.
• Gearbox is good but requires precision.
• Parking is an absolute doddle. The car is tiny, even if the turning circle isn't brilliant.
• Bags of character.

Cons:

• It's not a motorway car, really needs a 6th gear. A cruise will be as close to 4krpm as makes no difference. Long journeys will be tiring.
• The ride is VERY bouncy/hard. Unless you're used to the ride quality of a scene car slammed to the floor on coilovers, expect the ride to be very firm.
• They're not refined. There is lots of tyre and road noise, especially at high speed.
• I couldn't hear the stereo on mine at motorway speeds.
• The interior is plastic fantastic and the speedometer is rather marmite.
• Engine is typical Renault Sport. It is coarse when cold. You will kangaroo up the road for the first 30 seconds of driving.
• Engine feels gutless below 3.5krpm, after this there is sufficient power. IMO it could have done with 150 rather than 130 bhp. You have to get to know the gearbox and work with the engine to make progress. The engine however did seem to be pretty solid.
• 17" rims and weirdly sized tyres make replacements expensive and hard to source. An OEM conti sport contact 3 tyre will be about £110-130 depending on where you get it. As also said, they can be hard to get hold of.

I don't regret buying it all, that car taught me a lot. Just understand that it's a bit of a one trick pony. Also make sure you look at the alternatives. The Suzuki Swift Sport is a very good car and has more creature comforts, they can also be had for similar prices. An Abarth 500/Lupo GTi are both expensive to buy, but currently hold their values very very well compared to the Twingo, which wont do nearly as well. Also have a look at the Panda 100hp, they're also good fun, better specced and would save you a bundle on insurance. Again, this would be cheaper to buy also.


I'm not trying to put you off, by any means. Just be aware of both the positives and negatives of ownership before you take the plunge.

[mattferrari]

Doodles19 said:

Ran one for two years.

Great car, but not fautless.


I'm not trying to put you off, by any means. Just be aware of both the positives and negatives of ownership before you take the plunge.

Thanks, that's given me a lot to think about, very helpful!