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G'day from Adelaide!


Afkap

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G’day guys!

 

Been lurking on this forum for a while now. I live Eastern suburbs of Adelaide at the moment, although this may change soon, and may end up in Townsville or Sydney mid year for work. I love my cars, currently own an Alfa 156 GTA and a Mercedes C32 AMG. Have been a massive fan of the Renault Clio since I went for a ride in a mate’s standard Clio 1.6, many years ago. Am considering down sizing the number of cars I own, and moving onto a cheaper to run hatchback. My research has brought me back to the Renault Clio 172.

 

I’m hoping to run just a Clio as my daily to and from work (about 60kms each day, mix of stop start through Adelaide and freeway up north). Hoping the fuel bill will come down a bit, along with insurance and basic maintenance! Although I am familiar with quirky cars and appreciate that with something like the Clio, basic maintenance may be a bit more expensive. I’m not an idiot on the roads, but have always appreciated having some performance. The Clio seems to tick all my performance boxes. Yes the car isn’t going to perform as well as the Alfa and Merc, but I don’t care much these days for straight line raw power. From the reviews I’ve read, the Clio seems to drive quite well!

 

Guys, am I going to be disappointed in the Clio 172? I haven’t had the chance to look at any in person yet. I have seen a couple are up for sale in the forum, this one in particular has me interested: viewtopic.php?f=48&t=26219

 

Can anyone offer thoughts on it? It appears that the guy looks after his cars, which I like. Also, he's a member here, which I like! My biggest worry is its sitting at 208,000km. That’s getting quite high. Is this going to be a big issue soon? Is the engine going to blow up in another 10,000kms? Can anyone offer some advice on this one?

 

Thanks in advance guys, looking forward to hopefully becoming a contributing member soon!

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Welcome mate! I'm also in good old Adelaide. I've never had a Clio, but I'm just naturally wary of any car thats done that many km, especially a sports car of smaller capacity like a Clio. It's pretty fair to assume its been pedalled hard for a fair proportion of those km! It's not a total no no to buy something like that - service history and condition are a big indicator to what you're getting yourself into, just check it out thoroughly and be prepared for a few ongoing maintenance issues.

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Hi Afkap and welcome. I can't compare to your other cars but the Clio is a brilliant car to take on a drive day or just drive to work in. I've had mine a little while now and still look forward to getting in it and just driving any time I can make an excuse.

 

The Clio you linked looks pretty reasonable for the price. There are ones on here with over 250k on them and still purring. Generally the key seems to be good, consistent maintenance. The ad says the recent servicing has been done at a reputable place (maybe check the full history) ... and it seems to have some carefully selected mods.

 

Others have much more technical experience than I and maybe able to help with history of this car ... or what may benefit from a refresh given the Km's. For $3200 it isn't exactly a huge punt I guess.

 

All the best!

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Hey, I'm also in Adelaide, and drive my '03 172 to work every day. Do around 50km per day.

 

Regular maintenance is the key. The engines are strong if well kept, however other items will wear out just as much as on any other car. Rubbers on a car of that age/mileage will probably be up for replacement. Think Engine mounts, suspension bushes. Suspension may also need to be done as the shocks might be worn out.

Also, the rear wheel bearings are known to be a weak point on these - but that is a pretty minor issue.

Probably the biggest ($ value wise) issue likely to come up is the clutch. If it has already been done then you should be right, but at 200k, it will be nearing the end of its life. Fairly big (time consuming) job - which is where the cost is - parts aren't too expensive.

However, if you are willing to do some of your own maintenance, or keep a service budget, that will be handy.

What you save on low purchase price you can spend on keeping it running.

Oh - and running costs - I use around 8L/100km fuel (95/98 RON) going across town (NE to Airport). 15" tyres are around $120-135ea, so pretty affordable.

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That clio looks like a pretty good deal for $3500. The engines in these cars as you might already know are almost indestructible. The pas three cars that i have owned before the clio have all had 250,000kms plus and have been perfect. I think the motor on that clio would be fine but at higher kms you might have to look out for other things like bushes and suspension etc. I live in the Mitcham area and if your close i would be happy to come show you my 172 and take you for a drive. If you find a good example, you wont regret it.

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Thanks for the advice guys! As some have stated, the high kilometres the car has done is a worry. Based off the ad though, it looks like most of the big ticket items mentioned here were done about 14,000k’s ago. The clutch potentially being knackered is a good point. I recently replaced mine on the Alfa, not a cheap exercise!? It’s good to hear that the engine, if looked after, is a reliable one.

 

@ Icecup; Good to see a former 147 GTA owner likes the Clio.

 

@ Azz2811; Many thanks for the offer! I’m based in Norwood, expect a PM in the next day or two 

 

All help much appreciated guys. I’ll now start comparing some slightly more expensive ones on carsales.

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Thanks for the advice guys! As some have stated, the high kilometres the car has done is a worry. Based off the ad though, it looks like most of the big ticket items mentioned here were done about 14,000k’s ago. The clutch potentially being knackered is a good point. I recently replaced mine on the Alfa, not a cheap exercise!? It’s good to hear that the engine, if looked after, is a reliable one.

 

@ Icecup; Good to see a former 147 GTA owner likes the Clio.

 

@ Azz2811; Many thanks for the offer! I’m based in Norwood, expect a PM in the next day or two 

 

All help much appreciated guys. I’ll now start comparing some slightly more expensive ones on carsales.

 

No worries mate. Let me know when your free and ill try and work out when i'm not working or at uni :)

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I get my car serviced by a bloke called Dan Norman who owns a shop called Garage 91. Although he isn't a Renault or European car specialist he's always been very good to me. Iv'e had my last three cars serviced through him. Charles Street Auto is a very good Euro workshop I believe, I haven't personally taken any cars there.

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Do a search for Matt205's car 'dimples' on here if you want a bit of entertaining banter about a Clio that's had a rather chequered history and is running around with 266k+kms on the clock.

 

+1. Worth a read. You'll learn a lot about a high mileage Clio. And Matt writes the script beautifully.

 

You will NOT be disappointed with a Clio in comparison with a 156 Alfa. Not dissin the Alfa. I actually love em !

 

As for servicing. Manta racing in Mile End I think is worth a consideration for more in depth servicing. But he is pricy. I mentioned him based on others feed back (very good reviews), haven't been there myself. But may do for my next major service.

 

Oh ! I'm also from Adelaide (western subs). I've had mine since new (172), and have no plans to sell it (62k on the clock), Love this car !

 

Welcome ! :D

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One other question guys, where are Adelaide people getting their cars serviced? I refuse to use main dealers. I'll only go through specialists.

 

As suggested, Manta Automotive at Richmond (Mile End) are very good, but tend to charge a lot.

 

I have returned to Main North Renault. Prices there are pretty reasonable (for a dealer) and actually cheaper than Manta (for the same work to be done). They have a number of enthusiasts - from Dame in the showroom (forum member) to Barry who turns the spanners who is super knowledgeable, and is always helpful - it's hard to fault them. However, DON'T go to Unley :evil: .

Enough said. :news:

 

(PS - MNR will also help you find parts, and even let you BYO I gather - so imported parts for the win. Speak to Todd in their spares department - he was very helpful for me getting my part numbers, pricing, etc recently).

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First time I've ever heard a dealer recommended, but great to hear themarvel2004, thanks. Can anyone shed any light on basic servicing costs? Sorry for all the questions!

 

Unfortunately i haven't really had my car serviced by a normal specialist. All my servicing was done through my friends shop, so i'm no use there. Although just before i bought my Clio, it had the timing belt, water pump, and new rear brake pads which totalled just shy of $2000.

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Sorry - I've not had them do basic servicing as I can do the majority myself. I have used them for the more complex stuff such as water pump replacement, air con regas, drive shaft boot replacement, etc.

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Sorry - I've not had them do basic servicing as I can do the majority myself. I have used them for the more complex stuff such as water pump replacement, air con regas, drive shaft boot replacement, etc.

 

@themarvel2004, sorry slightly off topic but were you driving up Fullarton road just before lunch time today? I saw a nice flamer and thought it could have been you.

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Very handy to know someone who can service your car Azz! And themarvel, one thing I like about the Clio is it looks a bit easier to work on. I'll no doubt eventually start doing some of the work on it myself, or at least try to?!

 

They are actually surprisingly easy to work on, from what i have seen. My mechanic said he was expecting much worse!

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Very handy to know someone who can service your car Azz! And themarvel, one thing I like about the Clio is it looks a bit easier to work on. I'll no doubt eventually start doing some of the work on it myself, or at least try to?!

 

They are actually surprisingly easy to work on, from what i have seen. My mechanic said he was expecting much worse!

 

Yeah. First tip here… Check n see if you have the correct little key to undo the caps to get to the wheel nuts, if/when you plan to take a wheel off. If not it gets a little tricky. But doable. If you don't have one, then it might be a good idea to grab one from Renault. Just ask the guy your buying the car from if he has the right (original) key for the caps. Makes life a little easier lol

 

Also, the sump plug requires a unique socket. So don't go trying to do an oil change yourself unless you have that socket ! Beyond that, I haven't ventured too far. Brakes are fairly straight forward.

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Bugger, the car sold just as I was about to contact him! Hehe, that's life. Pain in the a*** trying to organize getting over there and getting it back to SA made me delay. Back to the drawing board.

 

I saw that it had sold, I was hoping that you had snapped it up! there are two on carsales in Adelaide, neither seem that appealing in my opinion!

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Yeah, the cheaper one looks a bit tatty inside and doesn't have much history provided. Plus not a fan of the amp stuck in the boot... The other one is expensive and a fairly long drive to the South. The hassle of getting the car back to SA was worth it for the one I was looking at in NSW. Not sure it is for a more expensive one. Plus I could swing getting a third car with the missus if it was cheap, not so sure she'll bite on a $5000 one :D

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  • 3 months later...

Hey guys,

 

Just found out I'll be moving mid next month to Sale in Victoria for work... Anyone know of a mechanic down there who can work on Renaults? Part of me is saying getting a French car and taking it out into the country may be a bad idea. Can a normal mechanic work on a Clio or am I pushing my luck?

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  • 1 month later...
Hey guys,I'm also new to the forums.ilive in adelaide and have bought myself a 172.

Just wondering if anyone had a set of stock turinis rims and tyres for sale?

 

I believe turinis are pretty hard to find, if you search speedline turini on ebay you might be able to find a set, could be overseas though.

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