Hi all,

Further to my recent post regarding a an 20v turbo Leon over a Civic type R I am now going to have a look at a clio 172 cup this week.

Couple of concerns though...

Always had jap and so have never lived with the pitfalls that buying french has. worried that it feel too cheap. after all it only cost 12.5k new?!

whilst it shouldn't bother me I am a little worried about the image. whilst people who know cars will appreciate its not just a shopping trolley with a loud exhaust. the average joe will 'poss' think its a chav car. Saying that the alternatives are civic/integras with loud exhausts lol.

the particular model i'm going to look at has trophy seats and coilovers so will be a touch nicer than your average clio.

i've done a search but alot of posts relating to these cars are from a few years ago. just after some up to date owners opinions.

cheers guys

 

It will feel cheap compared to the likes of a Civic. For example the boot lid feels really flimsy and the front wings flex when you just use a finger and lightly push them. There will be rattly bits inside aswell.

Parts do not last as long as they should and some suffer from some frustrating gremlins in the electrics.

We had a 172 non cup for 4 years and I wouldn't have another french car if we wanted something reliable. Got rid before things got really silly and bought a DC5. Utterly reliable and solid in comparison.

If you can put up with fixing a car more often than average and be prepared to go without while its getting fixed, then they are great fun to drive. They were that cheap new for a reason.

 

I decided on one, as it would be perfect for my short commute, wanted a bit of fun, handling, not to big.

Thought it was a big disappointment, felt slow, I was used to turbos so its peakiness didnt suit, it handled ok but the build quality was patchy, the driving position was rubbish.

I don't think the image is bad, far from it if left standard, the minute you mess with it things take a turn for the worst.

 

This is my major problem with them.

My brother has the 182 cup and it's a fantastic car, handles like a go cart and if you're willing to thrash the nuts off of it's pretty fast. But that driving position... awful.. just awful, especially if you are tall.

 

Another no-no for the driving position. You sit on it, rather than in it. Wouldn't have one purely for this reason

 

A lot of owners think it's a plus, however I owned a 182 Cup rather than the 172 Cup for this reason. The 172 does not have ABS. Although we are all obviously as talented as Colin McRae (RIP), ABS is there for that panic slam on in the wet. I am trained in defensive and advanced driving so would not need ABS, but the wife would

Steve

PS My Cup was fairly reliable but the dealers were shocking. I fancy a 197 Cup but the thought of having to deal with Renault again puts me right off.

 

I had a 172. Though not a Cup.

TBH I couldn't wait to sell it and move on. Worst car i've ever owned.

Build quaility was beyond a joke. Dealers lied to my face. Warranty repairs took several visits to be repaired to a satisfactory standard. Dealers thought they were selling ferrari's rather than Renaults. Parts/service costs are stupidly high.

As for driving it........ I thought it was pretty gutless, and the handling was nothing special. Quite dissapointed really. It understeered far to easily and fartoo often.

Mine you, I had just come from owning for the previous 3 years a 106 GTI, which is probably what made the 172 seem just, well, sh*t.

 

well not some very positive responses there. kinda things I already knew but its good to get other folks views.

Hopefully the driving position in this one should be a bit better with the recaros.

Regards reliability though the last thing I need is something thats always in and out of the garage.. a perfect recipe for spoiling any car ownership.

I guess I will view the car and go from there, 6k for a 5year old 172 even with the 'tasteful' mods and low mileage seems a little high.

 

hay mate my missis has a 182 cup been reading through some of previous and the wings do bend when you press them buts thats because they made of plastic so they would wouldnt they
They engine is not guttless its a fast small car with no turbo so how can it be guttless
I find the car fun to drive and corners really well as reviews on top gear and fifth gear said
We have not had one problem with it and she uses it every day had it a year
renault are crap though but its an older car your looking at so you wont deal with them anyway
I would say a honda is a better car though
If your getting a second hand car you got to pick a good one whatever you go for
Hope this helps good look

 

I had one for three years, had a few problems sorted under warrenty.
Without doubt the best handling car I've owned great fun and better in many ways to the jap stuff. But the dealers let them down with the service they offer, would i have another. YES
The new Cup looks awesome IMHO.

 

That just reinforces the point about it being poor build quality though. I did think they felt like plastic, but couldn't quite believe they would be.

 

I owned a 182 cup after having three imprezas. Tried to convince my self it was fast.... it wasnt. It cornered okay and you seem to get alot for your money. Climate, rain sensitive wipers, auto headlights, etc. I had mine for 4 weeks. If i had my time again i would go type r. And lets be honest which ever way you look its a girls car.

Dan.

 

There is a way to fix the driving position:



Also, don't pay £6k for a 172 cup!!! What a con.
I paid £5k for a normal 172 with only 23k on the clock.
I'd totally recommend the normal version over the cup. The interior is much better, you get many more toys including xenons and air con.
I've had no reliability issues at all with mine. It is so much fun to drive and handles amazingly well. How anyone can dispute that baffles me.
I have a little bit of rattles but not as bad as my 94 WRX was.

 

Thing is for the money, the Clio's a better drivers car.

Its not so much the faults its how there sorted.

Like for like my mates CTR was at the dealers lots more than the clio, for a gear box, wheels and electrical probs.

Mine only had electrical probs because the windowscreen was badly sealed causing water in the main control ecu (it fried it a few times before they figured it out). Poor dealers. LOL

 

lol. From the dealers i wouldnt expect anything less. Odd that the civic had those problems though, normally there bullet proof.

 

My 172 had various issues (cam belt noise, water leaks, paint bubbles on roof! etc) and I bought it new! It didnt take me long to sell the thing and buy a CTR.

 

I really really wanted one, was a big disappointment, I suppose the speed thing depends what you are coming from, its a logical step after say a Saxo VTR, in that case it will feel rapid, coming from 200 plus bhp turbo cars it wont seem so fast, it might not be that far off in reality but that shove from a turbo is hard to give up, strangely, my Saab 2001 9-3 LPT, a faithful old Pipe and Slipper mobile felt more lively in a straight line, so I went for another Saab, perhaps I am just too old ?

 

yup lol

 

Wasn't the case with my CTR. The worst built car i've ever come across. Mine fell apart from new within 12 months/10,000 miles. Was virtually a new car when I sold it due to the amount of new parts fitted. The dealers were absolutely rubbish aswell.

All in all, not a pleasant experience

 

I currently own a 172 cup and it suits me perfectly. I think its pretty quick and certainly very raw. We are talking about a very basic car here though s- in short its a right laugh while also managing to feel quite scary.

I owned a Sti ppp for sometime and of course this was a lot faster in straight line and a very stable handler, but i always felt bad about thrashing it or not letting it cool down properly, hang on whats that another tank of petrol required... The clio you can grab by the scruff of the neck, thrash the **** out of without feeling bad, go plently fast enough and still do close to 40mpg on an 80mph motorway cruise.

If you like a tight fun little car for short journeys and regular thrashes its perfect.