Renault Clio 1.0 TCe (2021)

[RVB]

Looking for a runabout.

A couple of 2021 Renault Clio 1.0 TCe 90 at a main dealer have caught my attention.

Tell me why I would be making a mistake to buy one......

Thanks!

[Alfa Pete]

I had one of these as a rental car last year.
I actually quite liked it.
Nice styling inside and out, sweet little 3 pot, economical and deceptively spacious.
It was a lot more inspiring than the Polo I drove a couple of years back.

[Martyn76]

We've had 2 Clios although not the current new model (2014 & current one is 2018) with the 3 cylinder 1ltr (99?cc) TCE engine and they have been great, used for school runs and commuting, etc, engine is punchy when the turbo kicks in and has a nice thrum to it when you work it, will probably go for another 1 in a year or 2.

[georgeyboy12345]

Nothing wrong with 'em, go for it. Reliable cars.

[CrippsCorner]

2021 seems like it'll cost a lot for a runabout! But each to their own. My mum just picked up a 2013 version of these, I assume they're the same engine etc. seems pretty sweet so far, and for £4k

[RVB]

CrippsCorner said:

2021 seems like it'll cost a lot for a runabout! But each to their own. My mum just picked up a 2013 version of these, I assume they're the same engine etc. seems pretty sweet so far, and for £4k

I thought I was cheapskating on a 2yr old Clio, especially compared to the cost of, say, an Audi A1 which seems a popular car of similar size.

Over the years, I've generally found the best value for money was to buy a 2yr old 'approved used' car from a main dealer, so someone has already taken the worst of the depreciation but so it still has a year of manufacturer warranty in case something goes badly wrong.
Then sell it on when it's about 10-11yrs old before all the reliability issues and big bills start to come in.

Due to the overcomplexification of modern cars and only main dealers being able to fix the faults, cars seem to become money pits as they age and the cost and hassle of getting older cars fixed doesn't seem to save much.

[RVB]

Thanks for all the replies so far.
I didn't expect many positive comments - I was expecting lots of reasons why I shouldn't buy one.

[RVB]

CrippsCorner said:

2021 seems like it'll cost a lot for a runabout! But each to their own. My mum just picked up a 2013 version of these, I assume they're the same engine etc. seems pretty sweet so far, and for £4k

Let me explain my maths.

I buy a 2yr old Clio for £15k and run it until it's 11yrs old and worth perhaps £1.5k. I've lost £13.5k in 9yrs, or £1.5k/yr.
or
I buy a 10yr old Clio for £4k and run it until it's scrap, with the average car being scrap at age 14. I've lost £4k in 4yrs, or £1k/yr.

So my annual loss is about £500 more per year if I buy the newer car compared to the older car.

But the newer car shouldn't need major/expensive jobs doing, should be less likely to have reliability problems and hasn't had several previous owners bodging various repairs.