halfmo Posted 30, May 2012 Report Share Posted 30, May 2012 new to this forum, new to frogs been a ford falcon man forever, even had a manual XR6 turbo ute at one point, which got modified to lots of extra power...had to trade down to a smaller engine due to fuel costs & other financial dramas, wound up in a 2003 Clio 2mk2, purely for the sake of the wallet...and then fell in love with this little frenchie...the handling & build quality surprised the hell out of me, like many/most with experience with only jap & aussie cars i lumped renault into the same category as any other little crappy hatchback...not any more i didn't think a car with 100-ish hp could make me happy, but this clio is fun i get a giggle whenever a see another clio, never got that with the taxi's i've been driving the last decade i look foward to seeing things around here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My Name is Earl Posted 30, May 2012 Report Share Posted 30, May 2012 Welcome to the forums halfmo! Great to have you on board. I went from a 172 to a falcon ute and the difference is light and day. Doesn't matter how hard i hit the ute- it just lacks soul. I miss the Clio. I find myself obsessively looking at Renaultsports on carpoint everyday, so it's inevitable I'll be in one again. So what Colour is it? What greats drives you had in it? AND.... Where are the pictures!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griffyn Posted 30, May 2012 Report Share Posted 30, May 2012 Welcome aboard. Fun is a hard concept to explain to most of Australia's driving public, glad that you've found some. I take it that you've got a 1.4 after the 100hp comment? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nemz Posted 30, May 2012 Report Share Posted 30, May 2012 Welcome! Glad you're enjoying the little French hatchback. Griff, after a modded XR6T, maybe the Clio feels like only a 100hp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BUSGO Posted 30, May 2012 Report Share Posted 30, May 2012 Welcome halfmo! Usable power is what it's all about. Clios have hidden talents.lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rado Posted 31, May 2012 Report Share Posted 31, May 2012 Welcome! Glad you love it Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny Posted 31, May 2012 Report Share Posted 31, May 2012 Take it from someone with 2 FG work Utes, an XR6T and an F6310. Bar the sh*tyerself awesomeness of the straight line grunt in the F6, the XR6T feels pretty normal compared to the Megane, but neither are anywhere near equal performers when shown corners, as for reliability, the Utes have had their fair share of issues and problems left right and centre where both my renaults have been relatively free of trouble. I also duck in to FordForums AU from time to time and usually vociferously opine what I think of supposed Falcon build "quality" in comparison to anything else in the world let alone French cars. Most of the guys there have intelligence but there are some absolute yokels who will quickly rag out a French car while in another thread complaining about how the door handle and wheel fell off their shuddering farting falcon when they hit the horn. Today while backing out of the garage my XR6T flashed a "System Comms Fault" error on the screen, now the engine light is on. So that will be the 5th problem in about a year and a half.. They're not bad cars, it's that they are not polished cars, and I disagree with anyone who deludes to their being a "world class" vehicle whilst bagging out hatches/French cars/Korean cars/German cars. If they were, we'd be seeing them all over the world, and they'd have the build budget to suit being a world car. Anyway rant over. Welcome. Glad you too saw the light. The Clios are a ripper drive! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halfmo Posted 31, May 2012 Author Report Share Posted 31, May 2012 warm welcome...thanks guys, not used to that after the ford forums, old boys club that place i've had it nearly 4 months now, and while i do miss the power of the big units sometimes...pulling onto the highway for example, but this thing is still a cool little car it's a bit neglected in the paint, probably never had a wash in it's life...but a good detailing did that a favour ...plenty of little scrapes & such, no biggie...it's mechanically sweet as, flawless log book servicing few pics... man, that's a good sight after seeing double that in recent years...or more like triple that in a modded XR6T this was the day i got it...still just under 60k now...not bad for a 2003. the only issue it has is...the a/c blower fan is non-operational, except a once in a blue moon 5 minute 100% operation, but online research has told me this is a very common renault problem, i'll get that fixed that one day...i like having the windows down anyway anyway...i've realised how keen on it i am recently, and thought finding more online hangouts like this. and like i said, thanks for the warm welcome...i look foward to checking this place out more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommo Posted 31, May 2012 Report Share Posted 31, May 2012 Wait till you get a ride in a "Sport" model! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halfmo Posted 31, May 2012 Author Report Share Posted 31, May 2012 i was looking at the sport ones when i got this...but they were all like twice the kms of this one. i've said it a few times already, this one handles so well, and it's not the sport one...i can only imagine how good that cup chassis must be to drive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ccrowe795 Posted 1, June 2012 Report Share Posted 1, June 2012 Hey there and welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamR Posted 1, June 2012 Report Share Posted 1, June 2012 Welcome to OZRS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griffyn Posted 1, June 2012 Report Share Posted 1, June 2012 warm welcome...thanks guys, not used to that after the ford forums, old boys club that place i've had it nearly 4 months now, and while i do miss the power of the big units sometimes...pulling onto the highway for example, but this thing is still a cool little car We please to aim. Renault engines like being driven hard (once they're warm, etc), and love to rev. Keep giving it a bootful every now and again to make sure the engine stays happy. Another tip: there's an inbuilt diagnostic available - keep the button on the end of the wiper stalk pressed in next time you turn on the ignition. The dash should light up and you can then cycle through a couple of pages of info including how much fuel's left in the tank. Hitting the trip meter reset button (in the dash itself) will then reset one or two things and might get you back a little more oomph Does your 1.6 have the same "grumpy" patch the RS Clios have when you start it from dead cold? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dish Posted 1, June 2012 Report Share Posted 1, June 2012 Welcome aboard! Nimble things Clios, no matter which model. I'm sure you'll enjoy it more and more as it begins to show you its many layers. Who wants to wager a fiver as to how soon we'll see you in a Sport Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halfmo Posted 1, June 2012 Author Report Share Posted 1, June 2012 Does your 1.6 have the same "grumpy" patch the RS Clios have when you start it from dead cold? damn right...had me bloody worried the first time it did it. but now i see it's just another little froggy eccentricity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halfmo Posted 1, June 2012 Author Report Share Posted 1, June 2012 Who wants to wager a fiver as to how soon we'll see you in a Sport i wish mate, but no chance...not without the lotto fairy doing me a favour i've made some silly moves with my cash in the last few years...careless spending, enjoying the luxuries too much...took me time, but i've learned my lesson now...i hope. in any case consolidated my debts into a single loan...could almost buy a new clio sport with all my shennanigans, got about 6 years to pay it off...sigh but everything happens for a reason...if i wasn't a financial idiot i never would have found out how good a clio is Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bacchus Posted 1, June 2012 Report Share Posted 1, June 2012 Hey Halfmo, I bought a 2002 1.6L Clio Privilege a couple of years back and loved it. There is definitely something about Clio (& maybe Renault) handling that is different to other cars I'd driven, including many a Japanese hatch. I think, at their best, the French put feel into their cars. Clios are chuckable, grippy and zippy. Anyway, I liked my little Clio so much - and I gave it plenty like Griffyn says - that I eventually moved on to a Sport model. Best car move I ever made. Some things are very similar, like the steering being very direct in both, the heavy clutch and of course the rattles, but the Sport eliminates so much body roll on cornering (something I didn't really notice until I drove it & could compare) and of course the 2.0L engine just gags for revs. My 182 has a much grumpier patch when cold than my other Clio did! As for reliability issues with both cars, I really haven't had any (touch wood). Anyway, enjoy your little undiscovered gem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halfmo Posted 2, June 2012 Author Report Share Posted 2, June 2012 thanks Bacchus...we know the same feeling then, that's for sure...the shock of how good a 1.6L clio is but i know what you're saying about the body roll...that's about the only negative thing about the non-sport models, my 100kg a*** doesn't have much room to move in a little clio cabin anyway...not much leaning into a corner room, lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf Posted 11, June 2012 Report Share Posted 11, June 2012 i was looking at the sport ones when i got this...but they were all like twice the kms of this one. i've said it a few times already, this one handles so well, and it's not the sport one...i can only imagine how good that cup chassis must be to drive Don't fear the Kms. Just make sure it has a good history and documented. No probs with the 1.6 - light and nimble too. ...but eventually, you may have to succume to the dark side Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiapoco Posted 12, June 2012 Report Share Posted 12, June 2012 she looks nice! welcome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian-Bstar Posted 12, June 2012 Report Share Posted 12, June 2012 Welcome mate. Isn't there someone in the uk that dropped the 2.0 donk into a 4door? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halfmo Posted 13, June 2012 Author Report Share Posted 13, June 2012 Welcome mate. Isn't there someone in the uk that dropped the 2.0 donk into a 4door? that would be a nice idea...be even more of a sleeper then the factory made sports Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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