fifth Posted 29, March 2021 Report Share Posted 29, March 2021 Hey there, thought it was time to at least say g'day. Picked up my 197 late last year and absolutely love it to bits. Already got a lot of good info from searching this and other forums, tonnes of great knowledge out there so thank you. Looking forward to getting out to some meetings, cruises and track days. Never been on a track in my life and seriously looking forward to testing the limits of the Mk3, although more likely the limitations to be found will be my own rather than the car haha. Anyway it's been a long time between performance cars for me and I'm new to Renault in general but I can really see why people like them so much, the brand does seem to have a bit of a bad wrap out there, maybe just in terms of the general euro vibe of expensive parts etc coupled with the French factor, but I say anyone who knocks a Renault Sport has never really driven one. One drive will change your mind. Besides all that I kinda enjoy the exclusivity, compared to some other makes which seem to be a very common sighting. My own story is that my girlfriend actually has a 225, I didn't realise what she had at first but didn't take long to start putting things together and realised that her Meg is a genuine performance machine! anyway, we went for a picnic date up Mt. Nebo one day and she let me drive it back down, mistake! haha. One drive and I was hooked, I spent a lot of time trying to find something (anything) that could rival the Megane for a similar price point and I couldn't find anything, at least nothing that suited my taste, not without spending several thousands more and that just wasn't an option for me. A few months later and this 197 popped up on CarSales and how could I refuse, even though it made no financial sense to be getting a new car during a pandemic I made it happen and I've been in love ever since. I've had the cam belt done and I've just got a couple little bits to iron out before I'd happily give it a proper hard drive around a track but that hopefully won't be too long now. Picture is from the day I picked her up, took the long way home over Mount Glorious and through Mount Nebo.... Must do that again soon! 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woot woot Posted 29, March 2021 Report Share Posted 29, March 2021 Welcome. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tripleturbo Posted 30, March 2021 Report Share Posted 30, March 2021 congrats on the purchase! you will have a lot of fun with your car. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Friedchicken Posted 30, March 2021 Report Share Posted 30, March 2021 Welcome. Great choice! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apu Posted 13, April 2021 Report Share Posted 13, April 2021 (edited) I know it’s not been long but any more news? What are your plans for this little thing?! I happen to have a silver 197 as well, so keen to compare notes. Edited 13, April 2021 by Apu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fifth Posted 14, April 2021 Author Report Share Posted 14, April 2021 Hey @Apu! Not much news, although I did take her out for the first time on a track over the weekend. Addiction confirmed! haha I have a long list of things I'm chipping away at but basically I'm looking to keep it pretty standard, it's a very fine machine as it was from the factory, although I might look into mapping out the flat spot in the low end of the RPM. I don't have truck loads of cash to spend unfortunately so my long list is basically just servicing costs and restoring things like the steering wheel and drivers seat bolsters for example, also not happy with the paint job on the wheels (It's actually pretty good but I'm very pedantic haha) so I'm going to look into removing that back to the standard alloy. There is a bunch of little things like I need a new lens for the interior light and I'm missing the magnet for the centre seatbelt. Might sound silly but I'm actually really enjoying going through and slowly checking things off. Once the restoration side of things is completed I might do some OEM style mods like Cup Chassis and wheels. How long have you had yours? and what are your plans?? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apu Posted 14, April 2021 Report Share Posted 14, April 2021 12 hours ago, RSI97 said: Hey @Apu! Not much news, although I did take her out for the first time on a track over the weekend. Addiction confirmed! haha I have a long list of things I'm chipping away at but basically I'm looking to keep it pretty standard, it's a very fine machine as it was from the factory, although I might look into mapping out the flat spot in the low end of the RPM. I don't have truck loads of cash to spend unfortunately so my long list is basically just servicing costs and restoring things like the steering wheel and drivers seat bolsters for example, also not happy with the paint job on the wheels (It's actually pretty good but I'm very pedantic haha) so I'm going to look into removing that back to the standard alloy. There is a bunch of little things like I need a new lens for the interior light and I'm missing the magnet for the centre seatbelt. Might sound silly but I'm actually really enjoying going through and slowly checking things off. Once the restoration side of things is completed I might do some OEM style mods like Cup Chassis and wheels. How long have you had yours? and what are your plans?? I’ve got a wreck I’m parting out if you are interested in parts. Have a look at my thread “Little Troublemaker 197” I think I’ve done all i want...for now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fifth Posted 15, April 2021 Author Report Share Posted 15, April 2021 15 hours ago, Apu said: I’ve got a wreck I’m parting out if you are interested in parts. Have a look at my thread “Little Troublemaker 197” I think I’ve done all i want...for now Oh yeah!! I literally just read through that thread the other day. Some nice work there man. I'd love to hear your thoughts about the LSD and any more detail about the "refresh" process on the gearbox would be informative. I've got a slight vibration/noise under deceleration on mine which I believe is coming from the diff, going to start by seeing what some fresh oil in the gearbox does to it, it's only slight but noticeable all the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apu Posted 15, April 2021 Report Share Posted 15, April 2021 Keep an eye on my thread for a post-track day review! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fifth Posted 15, April 2021 Author Report Share Posted 15, April 2021 Will do mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackJack Posted 17, April 2021 Report Share Posted 17, April 2021 Awesome car! It's always nicer to start with a Clio 2 first but the Clio 3 is definitely the one. Will you be taking it to Lakeside? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fifth Posted 17, April 2021 Author Report Share Posted 17, April 2021 @JackJack Definitely mate! My first ever time on a track in any car was last weekend Euro Day at Lakeside. So. Much. Fun. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldPacStig Posted 7, May 2021 Report Share Posted 7, May 2021 On 18/04/2021 at 9:11 AM, RSI97 said: @JackJack Definitely mate! My first ever time on a track in any car was last weekend Euro Day at Lakeside. So. Much. Fun. Yikes is this a track day or peak hour traffic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fifth Posted 8, May 2021 Author Report Share Posted 8, May 2021 @OldPacStig hahaha! So true, just a cruise day. I fully intend for my next experience to be under a bit more of controlled conditions so I can really start to push my own boundaries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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