RedDog Posted 2, December 2016 Report Share Posted 2, December 2016 Hi, I'm enjoying the forum and learning a lot. What I would really like is to buy a 172 here in Melbourne. I have few mechanical skills, so if I can find one, would then like recommendations on who I should see to look after it. I'm in Caulfield South. I wanted one before I bought my last car, but couldn't find one and had to buy something quickly for transport. That Alfa just died. I've tried driving a couple of Peugeot 180s the last fortnight, but I REALLY want a Clio. I had a look at a repairable write-off yesterday, but it is way beyond my knowledge and probably budget! So if anyone was tempted to sell before Christmas, please let me know. I'm on holiday til Jan 3rd, so can happily meet any time that suits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckovski Posted 2, December 2016 Report Share Posted 2, December 2016 Hi and welcome, great choice If you're willing to travel there are a few for sale in the classifieds section depending on your budget. You'll have to drive it back I'd imagine so one that's had its timing belts done within the last 4 years would be a must. There are several for sale on the forum in there classifieds section. There's a 182 f1 on Melbourne for sale but it's a bit up there in $ though it's justified. There's one in Canberra that is well known on the forum that people are well impressed with but pretty pricey, and a couple in Sydney. Best value is Alastair's red 172 but the belts aren't done hence he's asking for offers around $3K. It's got a lot of extras though. There's one in WA that is reasonably low km with coil overs and what not but i don't know if that's too far or not As for mechanics, Virage has been mentioned but can't remember other names I'm afraid. Timing belts have age and km requirements and some people leave it to the km which isn't ideal. They're the biggest thing that I'm aware of to look out for. Good luck hunting! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clixx-io Posted 2, December 2016 Report Share Posted 2, December 2016 Hey, you broke your Alfa and want a Renault to fix that. You will only find sympathy for that here. You might be interested in some trivia on swapping to a Clio from an Alfa.. Lets compare the wheelbase of the AlfaSud to the early Clio's: Alfasud - 2,455 mm x 1,610 mmClio . .- 2,472 mm x 1,616 mmHuge, huge, huge differences there.. [not]. Were early Renaults just Alfa copies ? it makes you wonder Hope you find the Clio that you're after. Look in the Classified Section I'm sure they have what you want. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chison007 Posted 2, December 2016 Report Share Posted 2, December 2016 Bought mine a few months and haven't looked back. Came from a VW golf R and the Clio is so much more driver orientated though it's significantly less power. Good luck! Though cup holders are typical French design ???? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaughan Posted 2, December 2016 Report Share Posted 2, December 2016 (edited) Good to see the 172s are getting a some love and recognition. Spare tyre and rear tow hook FTW! 172s can be found reasonably cheap so there is no need to look for write-offs -- they aren't cheap enough IMHO. Almost all will need belts changed (and pulleys, possibly the water pump too) straight away. Allow $1,500 which will be a significant portion of the purchase price but belts and pulleys are THE maintenance item with the F4R engine. After that, get good tyres. Michelin PS3s are excellent in dry and wet and probably best for daily driver. Not expensive in 15 inch either. Other choices like Hankook R-S3 and Bridgestone RE003 (as examples of tyres with "3" in their name) offer better dry grip at the expense of wet grip and more road noise. Edited 2, December 2016 by vaughan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedDog Posted 3, December 2016 Author Report Share Posted 3, December 2016 Thank you for the kind replies. A generous member of this site has offered me a car at a very reasonable price, in Sydney. I am very pleased and may have trouble sleeping tonight. It requires some work which he is organising prior to purchase, including belts. I hope to report back very soon, and thank him properly publicly if he is happy with that. I wouldn't be happy driving back in my special, new car from Perth. I'm from there and have driven back and forth quite a few times, including in short wheelbase cars. It is also a great added expense. I test drove an Alfasud in my early 20s, before buying a Mazda Rx5 - that was a very exciting car. I can remember my father's Golf Mk 1. It's wheelbase I note was 2 400 x 1 610. They sold a few of those too. It is obviously an ideal platform size. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chison007 Posted 4, December 2016 Report Share Posted 4, December 2016 Congrats on the purchase , enjoy! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaughan Posted 4, December 2016 Report Share Posted 4, December 2016 Wheelbase is like engine capacity: can't have too much. (In sailing the expression refers to waterline length of the hull.) The trick with smaller cars is to get as much wheelbase as possible, which is why the "wheel at each corner" look came about. Hatchbacks seem to suit this design well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckovski Posted 4, December 2016 Report Share Posted 4, December 2016 Congrats! Looking forward to hearing more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt205 Posted 22, December 2016 Report Share Posted 22, December 2016 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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