2010 Clio RS200

[nickfrog]

It's only half mine as it's my son's first car, lucky boy. But having paid half of the £6,600 price and managing the project, I feel a certain ownership responsibility.

I am hoping to buy back his share off him when he predictably wants something German. It could then become a track car to complement the M2.

The aircon didn't work which I was expecting. This seems to have done the trick https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Car-AC-Aircon-Air-Con-A...

It will have the cambelt, aux belt and dephaser done next week at the Clioman which is conveniently near us.

I have started replacing gear knob, some weather seals and the side wrap between the windows.

Next jobs:

Steering wheel retrim (Royal)
Sub frame / rad support will need doing as rusty, which is a known fault. Trying to get it done under warranty but very little hope...
Wheels needs refurbishing

The gearbox (other weak point) doesn't crunch at all so maybe that's another bullet dodged...

I will overhaul the suspension eventually but it drives very well without any noises or apparent issues, perhaps the 36k miles are genuine.

Paintwork / bodywork in fantastic condition.

[smifffymoto]

I hated mine,cross country on French C roads my kidneys would ache.I sold it for a Ford B-max.

I hope you enjoy yours more than I did mine.

[roadie]

Nice car, I love these! The proportions are fantastic and I really enjoyed my test drive although I ultimately ended up in a Megane 265 Cup a few years back.

[Cambs_Stuart]

That's an amazing first car. Mine was an MOT failure Mk3 escort.
These 200s are great. Hugely capable on the track too.

[nickfrog]

Cambs_Stuart said:

That's an amazing first car. Mine was an MOT failure Mk3 escort.
These 200s are great. Hugely capable on the track too.

I hope he appreciates how lucky he is. I started with a 48hp Renault 5 1.1. Awful.

In fairness he has been good at saving money, he is doing well at Uni and has just started a well paid internship. Although he was quite quiet when paying the £315 tax and is a bit shocked at the cost of fuel... even though he knew all that.

[nickfrog]

smifffymoto said:

I hated mine,cross country on French C roads my kidneys would ache.I sold it for a Ford B-max.

I hope you enjoy yours more than I did mine.

Honestly the ride is better than I thought but remember this is a non Cup with a few miles on the springs...

We wanted a Cup or a Full Fat but no regrets as it handles incredibly well as is.

[nickfrog]

roadie said:

Nice car, I love these! The proportions are fantastic and I really enjoyed my test drive although I ultimately ended up in a Megane 265 Cup a few years back.

Same, I had a 275 Cup S. We looked at early 250s but I am happier he starts with this while the insurance was high on the Megane. He only pays £470 on the Clio (he is 21).

[nickfrog]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Cheers George, that's really useful stuff.

The cross member seems to be £185 but your indy probably passed on the trade price they buy at. Even at £250 all in I would be happy actually (particularly here in the SE). People seem to suggest to powder coat it before fitting but not too sure...

B14s sound good. Who makes the adjustable top mounts and how much camber do your run ? 2 degrees?

A quality wheel refurb is around £350 here but we might wait until he has had more parking practice - the turning circle seems massive.

Not sure how much the wheel retrim is from Royal, I will go the exchange route, simpler.

Edited by nickfrog on Thursday 8th July 21:44

[nickfrog]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

I was very surprised although our post code normally yields low quotes and he is on 4k miles only.

[cerb4.5lee]

That is a belting first car for sure.

I've always really liked these, and I bet that it is a lovely thing to throw down a nice twisty road.

My first car had a mighty 49bhp!(Skoda Estelle 120).

[nickfrog]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Great stuff, thanks. I'll contact Sean.

If I can get 1.5 deg out of the OE top mounts then I'll stick to that and run AD08Rs, what with their stiff sidewalls that protect the outer shoulder. They're under £100 each fitter with the Blackcircles occasional code and are OK for the road. I might wait until he has moved to something else though...

[nickfrog]

cerb4.5lee said:

I've always really liked these, and I bet that it is a lovely thing to throw down a nice twisty road.

In some ways it's as exciting, dare I say more exciting, than the M2 on the road. I suspect the 300kg difference may explain it but the format is also spot on as it fits on the road., handy.

I reckon it will also be a nice Ring trip car... in a disposable kind of way

Edited by nickfrog on Friday 9th July 20:42

[nickfrog]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Yes, that engine probably deserves it. Will add to the list, ta very much. My son is at Bournemouth Uni so very convenient for KTR stuff.

[Jonstar]

Love these, test drove 3 before getting a Mégane rs, incredible cars to drive and what a first car!

[cerb4.5lee]

nickfrog said:

In some ways it's as exciting, dare I say more exciting, than the M2 on the road. I suspect the 300kg difference may explain it but the format is also spot on as it fits on the road., handy.

I loved my Cooper S for similar reasons.

[nickfrog]

Cambelt, aux belt, water pump, dephaser pulley, camshaft hardware kit, misc seals, new coolant, oil+filter etc done today - the entire kit was £375, I saw the invoice, plus oil and coolant, so perhaps £175 labour is sensible considering how much experience Gary aka The Clio Man has and that no corners are cut. £600 every 6 years is not too bad.



Needless to say this is not our car but a Meglio he is building, including Gaz suspensions.

Edited by nickfrog on Thursday 15th July 15:55

[Koolkat969]

nickfrog said:

Cambelt, aux belt, water pump, dephaser pulley, camshaft hardware kit, misc seals, new coolant, oil+filter etc done today - the entire kit was £375, I saw the invoice, plus oil and coolant, so perhaps £175 labour is sensible considering how much experience Gary aka The Clio Man has and that no corners are cut. £600 every 6 years is not too bad.



Needless to say this is not our car but a Meglio he is building, including Gaz suspensions.

Edited by nickfrog on Thursday 15th July 15:55

You can't do any better than Gary in my opinion in terms of labour costs and quality of work.

He's looked after my 182 for nearly 3 years and I travel each time from Kent to Littlehampton for everything that needs doing aside from if I'm only doing oil and filter change.

Edited by Koolkat969 on Thursday 15th July 16:13

[Networkgeek]

Lovely looking Clio OP.

I've just bought an RS200 recently as well. Initial impressions weren't great, to be honest. I didn't understand the hype and was looking to sell it ASAP. But, I then took the car out for a few proper drives, the kind of drive where you aren't going anywhere, instead, you're driving just for the fun of it.

Wow! These are cracking cars. Mine has a few mods already -

KTEC manifold
200 cel sports cat
19mm spacers
KTEC remap

Best of luck with your car and I'll keep an eye on this thread

NG

[nickfrog]

Networkgeek said:

I've just bought an RS200 recently as well. Initial impressions weren't great, to be honest. I didn't understand the hype and was looking to sell it ASAP. But, I then took the car out for a few proper drives, the kind of drive where you aren't going anywhere, instead, you're driving just for the fun of it.

Cheers.

My feelings exactly. It's very bipolar in a good way. In town it is like a Clio owned by Gladys.
Used as intended, it is quite literally a different car. I can't wait to track it too.

[nickfrog]

Koolkat969 said:

You can't do any better than Gary in my opinion in terms of labour costs and quality of work.

He's looked after my 182 for nearly 3 years and I travel each time from Kent to Littlehampton for everything that needs doing aside from if I'm only doing oil and filter change.

Agreed. He is a really nice guy too. I only found out about him after buying the car so really lucky that is less than 10 miles from us in LA. He will do the rad support for £200 too although he reckons it's still solid. He kindly assessed the brake calipers and suspension and couldn't find anything wrong so all good news. Doing various jobs tomorrow so will update. I love retirement