Looking to buy a Clio 172

[newbiemelody]

Hi, I'm looking to buy a renault clio 172 in Melbourne. Unfortunately all of them have over 200,000 km on them. Are these still a decent purchase around 3k? What should I be looking for when I go for an inspection?

[vaughan]

IMHO pay a bit more (closer to $5,000) and get one with a good service history that's been well maintained -- brakes and pads, fluids (brake, coolant, power steering), both belts including tensioners, water pump etc, engine mounts, and tyres well suited to the Clio like PS3 or RE003s. Their famous handling and character is very much dependent on tyres.

Otherwise whatever you buy you'll need to spend another $3,000 doing the engine mounts, belts, tyres, brakes and fluids to get it up to scratch.

Edited 14, March 2019 by vaughan

[Chison007]

^ + 1

Would be very difficult to get a low kms one for that price.

But you never know, with a bit of luck and patience.

[newbiemelody]

There are only 3-4 around me, all with high km. Do they start to have a lot of problems around 200km? If not and granted they were serviced properly, do they last much longer reliably? How often do new 172 pop up for sale?

Sorry for the bombardment haha, just keen to get something fun for cheap, open to other suggestions too if you guys have any.

Cheers

[jim60t]

It's commonly said that they have more horsepower the older they get haha 

 

The Kms is not what would scare when choosing the car. A car with a known history and service record is what matters most.

 

For reference, my Clio is at 237,000kms and it's a track toy. I go to the track regularly (I drive the car to and from the track also) and the car has been nothing but reliable. My older Clio that I sold to my mate is now at 270,000kms and that too had been nothing but bullet proof also. 

[ttimbo]

My 182 is close to 190,000km and is solid as a rock. Has a virtually perfect service record as well, and is still on the original clutch (which has plenty of bite, too). Well cared for by its previous two owners.

I wouldn’t hesitate to buy a high mileage 1x2, provided it has a decent service history and has been looked after — indeed, worth paying a bit more for that service history.

[newbiemelody]

Thank you guys so much for the great responses

What should I look for when checking the service history?

[RBFR]

Always buy the best you can afford* especially if you want to keep it as a nice streeter. 

*- unless you can do the work yourself and it's very very cheap. I bought a 182 that needs a fair bit of work and had 250k but it was $2600 and it still pulls like a train. These are very simple cars so don't be scared of doing some work yourself. I'll also be racing it, so we kinda have an obligation to not trash nice examples on a track. 

But there's no substitute for good paint, intact trim and impeccable service history. You might pay 6-8k for a minter, but you'll pay more than that at workshop rates bringing a scruffy car up to standard. It'll take as long to bring a poor car up to standard as saving up a bit more $ too... Food for thought. 

You'll want to look for replaced cambelt and VVT pulley, some suspension and engine mount bushes by 200k, and brakes in good condition (check disks for grooving and pads for meat). This on top of evidence of regular servicing. Also good tyres will be @180+ per corner, so if it has worn tyres or weirdarse Chinese brands, factor that in too.

👍

[RBFR]

Regarding Km, a car can do 300k gentle km or 50k hard (poorly treated and maintained) km. A road test and thorough file of service history will tell you more than the odometer. Good luck. 

[lachlan8]

I'll vouch for all the above re good history. I got my 182 cheap but have spent 2.5k ish bringing it up to standard plus the faffing around really! But I will say 180km and she's strong as an ox as others have said.