Clio 172 (Phase 2?)

[pmanson]

Afternoon All,

This is slightly pie in the sky at the moment (as I need to pay some uni debts off!) but my office is moving in November to only 3 miles from home instead of the 20 odd miles it currently is!

I'm also moving in with my good lady in under 2 weeks so things are looking good.... all except my car!

Its a good car which has served me well (40k miles in just over 2 years) but its starting to show its age - 136k and the steering rack is failing etc.

My better half's Clio will be paid off in March at which time she wants to change to a MX5 but I quite fancy a 172 for me! So we'd still have 2 cars.

I'd probably have 5-6k to spend on one and a high miler wouldn't be a problem due to the fact i'm going to try and cycle to work etc and just use if for fun!

So is it a silly idea? Should I be looking at something different? Can I get my Golf clubs in?

I'd be downsizing from a Golf which would be a pain but I think I could get used to it

Edited by pmanson on Tuesday 15th August 16:41

[Tripps]

pmanson said:

...I quite fancy a 172 for me! So we'd still have 2 cars.

I'd probably have 5-6k to spend on one and a high miler wouldn't be a problem due to the fact i'm going to try and cycle to work etc and just use if for fun!

So is it a silly idea? Should I be looking at something different? Can I get my Golf clubs in?

A £6k budget will get you a number of Mk2s and almost all Mk1s out there, mine 2003 172 Cup was much more than that and was 28.5k miles when I got it a few months back.

I've found mine a lot more fun than expected and even when giving it some (which I've not got bored of doing yet) it's giving me 35 MPG+ on longer routes and that's with a chip, so a standard one would likely be better still.

The only thing I'd say it watch out for high-mileage ones, as the interior is not the best built or made of particulary good plastic, so I think the older ones could look quiet scruffy.

pmanson said:

I'd be downsizing from a Golf which would be a pain but I think I could get used to it

Size wise you won't see a huge difference between the Clio and your Golf, mine's a good bit bigger than my MkII Golf was and the boot is as big or bigger than the Mk1 Focus we had a few years back - so Golf bats won't be a problem to fit in.

Space in the back isn't great, but as long as you're not a six footer other folks will be able to sit in there alright.

One thing worth checking is the seat and driving position, it's quite high and the pedals offset a bit, I don't find it a problem, but if you're of different proporations you could find it uncomfortable I'd imagine - so get out there and drive some if you can, there are plenty at dealers you can test drive.

[pmanson]

Thanks for that Tripps. I'm only 5ft 7 and can drive my better halfs 1.2 16v without any problems.

I was thinking about trying to find a 2002 car with slightly above average miles (the idea being I could average that out over my two years of ownership and minimise the depreciation hit)

Any colours to avoid? I like the look of the blue, silver and dark red.

Not too worried about the cup packs (it would be nice though), i'd like air con etc.

How are you finding the insurance?

[pmanson]

Just had an insurance quote for £656.25 FC. Not bad at all!

£586 if I have Churchills home insurance (which i'm about to take out on our new place)

Not bad at all for a 23 year old, 4 years NCD, 1 convinction (TS10 - 12/02/02) and insured for 5000 miles a year

Edited by pmanson on Tuesday 15th August 23:34

[pbirkett]

Cup packs only applies to the 182 which has it as an option, and theres not much difference even then apparently.

I'm not sure I agree with tripps - I came from a Golf Mk2 GTI, and in no way is the clio bigger than it any respect. Less space inside, and it IS a smaller car. Smaller boot too. My mate had a focus and that definitely has a bigger boot as well. Golf clubs? No idea, dont play it. However, i am surprised your asking about size when your lass has one!

[Tripps]

pmanson said:

I was thinking about trying to find a 2002 car with slightly above average miles (the idea being I could average that out over my two years of ownership and minimise the depreciation hit)

That makes sense then, the 172 of thay sort of age seem to be bottoming out depreciation wise now, so you hopefully won't lose too much.

Watch out for the 36k/72k (3/6 year I guess) belt changes that are needed when looking at the older cars, as changing both belts can work out at a few quid.

pmanson said:

Any colours to avoid? I like the look of the blue, silver and dark red.

I'm not a fan of the standard, darker blue myself as it looks a bit subdued (compared to the blues of the Cup cars), I fancied the Black myself when I was looking.

pmanson said:

Not too worried about the cup packs (it would be nice though), i'd like air con etc.

As stated elsewhere the Cup pack was only for a 182, I beleive there were various options, some for handling and some aesthetic to make a 182 like a 182 Cup.

The 172 (phase 2) just had a Cup model, which from 2003 could be had with climate control, which is nice

pmanson said:

How are you finding the insurance?

Insurance on mine was about £700, but it only gets my second (small) NCD and is parked outside, and as its a Cup that adds quite a bit to the premium, as they supposedly claim more due to the lack of ABS - some companies would not even offer cover! That's with my missus's six points (SP30s), and a non-fault accident in my name.

[panthro]

I cant get my golf clubs in the boot of mine. Need to take the woods out and put them in the bag seat to stand a chance.

[pmanson]

pbirkett said:

Golf clubs? No idea, dont play it. However, i am surprised your asking about size when your lass has one!

It was because I was feeling lazy and I couldn't be bothered to go outside and check!

I know we can get 3 sets into my mates Punto if we fold the rear seat down half down (are they a 60/40 split in the 172?)

[Yugguy]

Yep, the seats are 60/40.

Go for it, the 172 is an absolute hoot to drive and IMO a lot better looking than the new 197. I had a new 2004 model for 18 months with no problems beyond a broken cd player.

If you get one I can sell you two part worn contis for it for a very good price.

Oh, and regarding the seat height, yep, it's weird cos Renault decided to put spacers in ??!?!?! But you can unbolt the front seats and remove these spacers.

Edited by Yugguy on Wednesday 16th August 09:25

[Tripps]

Yugguy said:

Oh, and regarding the seat height, yep, it's weird cos Renault decided to put spacers in ??!?!?! But you can unbolt the front seats and remove these spacers.

Interesting... Will investigate and rectify that over the weekend perhaps

[pmanson]

Thanks Guys I think a test drive might be in order!

Regards,

Phill

[Yugguy]

Tripps said:

Yugguy said:

Oh, and regarding the seat height, yep, it's weird cos Renault decided to put spacers in ??!?!?! But you can unbolt the front seats and remove these spacers.

Interesting... Will investigate and rectify that over the weekend perhaps

You actually access the bolts from beneath the car.

[pmanson]

pmanson said:

Just had an insurance quote for £656.25 FC. Not bad at all!

£586 if I have Churchills home insurance (which i'm about to take out on our new place)

Not bad at all for a 23 year old, 4 years NCD, 1 convinction (TS10 - 12/02/02) and insured for 5000 miles a year

mmmm I'm moving house at the end of the month and the premium is nearly £850 if I have the car at my new address. Its only 3 miles down the road!

Apparently HP22 is cat B while my new postcode HP21 is cat C so that ups the price. I think it'll have to go in the garage as planned! Need to ring Churchill at the end of the month and see how it affects the policy on my current car.

Edited by pmanson on Thursday 17th August 10:10

[Tripps]

pmanson said:

pmanson said:

Just had an insurance quote for £656.25 FC. Not bad at all!

mmmm I'm moving house at the end of the month and the premium is nearly £850 if I have the car at my new address. Its only 3 miles down the road!

Apparently HP22 is cat B while my new postcode HP21 is cat C so that ups the price.

Jeez, a £200 different for one castegory - I guess you should just be thankful it's not a cat E, otherwise you might be looking at £1250!