[rachwinslett23]

Hi guys

I'm currently having driving lessons and have saved up for a small car, I've decided to go for a Renault Clio (new-ish, 51/02/52 reg) and need some help with what to look out for!

I went to see one on sat, 51 reg Expression 1.2, 65,000 miles and it looked fine (but I'm certainly not mechanically minded) so I was just like 'Yeah it looks nice'!

Any tips on what I should be checking/asking?

Thanks!!

[char_student]

Check the engine for oil leaks, check for rust, check for mileage (look in service history and see if genuine mileage) also ask for a hpi or do one yourself (its a certificate that says if the car been in any accidents etc). Also, check if the clio your buying has had the bonnet catch fixed? There is an issue on some clios where the catch was faulty and the bonnet would fly open.

Good luck with your lessons and test

[rachwinslett23]

Yes I saw about ther bonnet catch issue on Watchdog and checked that out on Sat, it seemed fine. What's HPI?
I checked through the V5 document and looked at the MOT certificate to check the miles were genuine, they were fine.

The car has non-standard alloy wheels fitted and i noticed when looking through these at the wheel itself it looked a bit rusty. is this a big issue?

I figured that with the car being 8ish years old it was probably just due to age?

No rust or bumps anywhere else, and the guy was only asking for £1,800 so i thought it was a pretty good deal.

Thanks for those pointers though char_student!!

xxxx

[David (2)]

go for a test drive, and on the test drive...

check the handbrake holds the car on a hill.

On a back road, get upto 30mph in the normal way, select 4th gear and floor it. If the car pulls away slowly, everything is fine. If the engine "spins up", but the speed doesnt, then the clutch is failing.

Check the tyres are ok - no bald tyres.

[Rebel MC]

"Buying a used renault Clio 51 reg - need advice!"




Buy something else!!!!

Apart from anything else, £1800 for an 8 year old poverty pack Clio is way too much money, you can find newer, better spec cars on Autotrader.co.uk for much less.

Other than that, they suffer from potentially very expensive electrical problems, like immobiliser control units stopping you from starting your car (£500+ to fix), earthing/corrosion faults causing your lights to go up the cock (usually around MOT time), the interiors are pretty flimsy and virtually every spare part is double dear, even from non genuine suppliers.

I wouldn't touch an old Clio (or even a new one) with a ten foot pole, and especially not for that price.

[Ellie82]

I agree that it is a bit expensive for the mileage etc, cars are dirt cheap right now, so you could def get something newer/less milage for £1800...

I am sellin an 02 Saxo for £2300 if you're interested... only 29k on the clock... brand new cat converter, brakes and windscreen wipers... lol

[Rebel MC]

Originally Posted by Ellie82

I agree that it is a bit expensive for the mileage etc, cars are dirt cheap right now, so you could def get something newer/less milage for £1800...

I am sellin an 02 Saxo for £2300 if you're interested... only 29k on the clock... brand new cat converter, brakes and windscreen wipers... lol

Good luck with that then.

I just did a National Autotrader search for Saxos of the same age, and I got 24 pages of cars that were cheaper......

[Ellie82]

Originally Posted by Rebel MC

Good luck with that then.

I just did a National Autotrader search for Saxos of the same age, and I got 24 pages of cars that were cheaper......

Yeh I know, but there are also pages that are more expensive... I'm not in a huge rush to sell it, I'll hold out. And I got a proper valuation of it too, so I know what it's worth, not by comparing it to others on AutoTrader

[Rebel MC]

Originally Posted by Ellie82

Yeh I know, but there are also pages that are more expensive... I'm not in a huge rush to sell it, I'll hold out. And I got a proper valuation of it too, so I know what it's worth, not by comparing it to others on AutoTrader

So what's a 'proper valuation', if not one that compares it to other similar cars?

[Ellie82]

Originally Posted by Rebel MC

So what's a 'proper valuation', if not one that compares it to other similar cars?

One that's done by a real life person looking at the mechanics, body etc, and not at pictures on a website...

[Rebel MC]

Originally Posted by Ellie82

One that's done by a real life person looking at the mechanics, body etc, and not at pictures on a website...

Then it must be the best one on the planet; I'm a bona fide trader and I wouldn't be pricing a Saxo of that age at anything over 2 grand, assuming I wanted to sell it within my lifetime.

As you said yourself, £1800 for an 8 year old Clio is too much, £2300 for a 7 year old Saxo is in a different universe.

What a real person should always be aware of is, what the market can stand; it's the most important part of valuing a car and goes beyond condition, history and what bits have recently been renewed (which have no value at all, beyond whether a car is worth buying or not).

[Ellie82]

It isn't the price I'd get from a trader tho, it's what I have in a written quotation as to a recommended private selling price. I only bought it 8 months ago and paid a bit more than that. I know prices have come down a lot, but I don't want to lose any more money on it.

[Rebel MC]

Originally Posted by Ellie82

It isn't the price I'd get from a trader tho, it's what I have in a written quotation as to a recommended private selling price. I only bought it 8 months ago and paid a bit more than that. I know prices have come down a lot, but I don't want to lose any more money on it.

Then, I'm sorry to say, you probably paid too much for it and you could be in for a very long wait.

On the other hand, if you paid too much for it, there's going to be another one along in a minute, so you might get lucky.

My real reason for my original posting on this thread was to stop the OP spending far too much money on a car, but I still wish you luck with finding another mug punter for yours.

[Andy Carlton]

Clio's are vastly over-priced for what they are and they are definately not the best car to buy. (Clio's are a newer version of the renault 5!) Similar parts...same reliability.

[mildredhubble]

Originally Posted by Andy Carlton

Clio's are vastly over-priced for what they are and they are definately not the best car to buy. (Clio's are a newer version of the renault 5!) Similar parts...same reliability.

Yeah, the 10 years and no major repairs I've got out of mine are pretty good. TBH the 8k I paid for it new was a little over priced but I'd say I've got my money back ten times on what I've not had to spend.

[novae]

I ran a W-reg 1.2 Clio for 3 years, most reliable car I've ever had. Apart from routine servicing, it only ever needed a new CV boot. That said, it was only 2 or 3 years old when I bought it, and I understand that after 5 or 6 years they can start to deteriorate. If I was buying one again, it would have to be a newish, low mileage, 1 owner car which would obviously cost a fair bit more. You'd also have to check that the cambelt/tensioners have been changed, I think they're due around 60,000 miles on the Clio.

If I was in the market for a reliable small car for around £2000, my money would be on an older Yaris. Slightly more pricey than the competition but they are mega-reliable, economical and fun to drive.

[haynat1]

Ok I bought a Y reg clio in March, (still 2001 just first half of the year). The mileage was higher at 72 000 but it was only £950 which i know is cheap the man wanted rid but i would go no where near £1800!

It is a great little car though, a few things i looked at (well not me, my dad, his hobbie is cars so knows a bit)

The timing belt was recently changed, check the tyres (not a biggie though a new one is around £40) I replaced my front brakes, £15 from halfords, flirt with the guys at the garage and they will fit them free or if your a guy send your missus.

I had a leak in my my power steering fluid connector wwhich cost £53 from renault parts, again garage fitted it free.

Also had to replace front wheel bearing, £15 from a car parts shop in the town, down to the garage, fitted for a fiver.

Handbrake adjusted (for free, whilst they done the brakes)

Thats about it, garage reckon it will pass MOT with flying colours, it really is a nippy wee car. I used to have a 1.4 megane so i thought going for a 1.2 would be horrible but i love it, miles cheaper on petrol - filled up for £38 and it lasted 3 weeks, could not beleive it as i drive a fair bit!!

I would recommend it but i would be advising to go for a lower price!

[rachwinslett23]

Hi everyone, thanks for all your advice. My partner has a 51 reg Clio and has never had any problems, his milage is higher on his too so that's why I was interested in getting one. I probably will try and get the price down a bit, because I also need to pay quite a high insurance premium with me only being a learner and having no claims!!

I wouldn't be interested in getting a Saxo becuase I heard they're not very safe, and I went for a test drive in a Yaris but really didn't like how the control panel thingy (with the speedometer etc on!) is in the middle of the dash, not in front of the steering wheel. I know that might sound like a trivial thing to base buying a car on but with it being my first ever car I want it to be perfect!

So what sort of price do you think I should haggle it down to?

Thank you!

xxx

[QuothTheRaven]

When you start it up, make sure the car idles right. It should sit somewhere between 700-1000RPM. If it is less, and there is a lot of vibration coming from the engine, do not buy it.

Renault Clios have a problem with the coil packs. These are devices that send current to the spark plugs. They commonly break on the Clio, and need replacing. They are very expensive.

We had to replace them twice on my Mum's 1.4 MKII (Facelift) Clio. I know this problem also affects the 1.2. Maybe others but I'm not sure.

Other then that, check the oil level. Look for leaks. If the engine is really clean, the owner might be hiding something.

Don't buy a car in the rain, you can't looks for scratches.

Look at the log book, make sure the car has been serviced regularly.

[JustSarah]

Well I have got a 04 Clio. Had 16,000 miles on clock and bought it for just under 4000.
I love it never had any bother with it at all except some moron who decided to steal my back wipers
Love it so much...maybe am biased with it being my first car but it suits me down to a tee

[Knuxs7]

Originally Posted by rachwinslett23

Hi guys

I'm currently having driving lessons and have saved up for a small car, I've decided to go for a Renault Clio (new-ish, 51/02/52 reg) and need some help with what to look out for!

I went to see one on sat, 51 reg Expression 1.2, 65,000 miles and it looked fine (but I'm certainly not mechanically minded) so I was just like 'Yeah it looks nice'!

Any tips on what I should be checking/asking?

Thanks!!

I loved my first car, which was a Clio too!

Loved it, until the problems started. Lets just say eventually the final straw was the cam belt breaking and effectively writing off the car. In total over the 9 months I had it repairs etc cost more than the 1.5k I paid for it. (62k on the clock).

That said I still liked it! A full service, which involves all the inspections of common failures is a MUST IMO, all the problems would have been spotted and could potentially still be driving it around today.

[rachwinslett23]

Originally Posted by JustSarah

Well I have got a 04 Clio. Had 16,000 miles on clock and bought it for just under 4000.
I love it never had any bother with it at all except some moron who decided to steal my back wipers
Love it so much...maybe am biased with it being my first car but it suits me down to a tee

Thanks Sarah.
I know a lot of people who don't have any bother with them so I'm feeling quite positive about getting one. I just really want to get a good price and a car that has no major problems!!
I've heard that you can get an AA/RAC guy to go with you when you test drive the car, does anybody know how this works?

Thanks peeps!

xxx

[rachwinslett23]

Originally Posted by Knuxs7

I loved my first car, which was a Clio too!

Loved it, until the problems started. Lets just say eventually the final straw was the cam belt breaking and effectively writing off the car. In total over the 9 months I had it repairs etc cost more than the 1.5k I paid for it. (62k on the clock).

That said I still liked it! A full service, which involves all the inspections of common failures is a MUST IMO, all the problems would have been spotted and could potentially still be driving it around today.

Do you think I could ask the vendor to put it through a service before I buy it?

xxxx

[haynat1]

I have no idea about the AA guy, but my dad took mine to a garage while we were test driving it and explained we were thinking of buying it, the mechanic gave it a once over for a tenner, might be worth trying.

The coils are a problem for renaults, although i have yet to experiance this with the Clio, had it once a year with the megane and they did cost a fortune. Then i found a brilliant renault forum on the web and asked anyone if they knew the part number, went on ebay and bought 4 for £40. Now i am no mechanic but these things were simple to replace, they are like big pens , unclip old ones, take out bolt, lift them out, put new ones in, screw in bolt and put clip back on, honest its a 10 min job, tops.

[rachwinslett23]

Originally Posted by haynat1

I have no idea about the AA guy, but my dad took mine to a garage while we were test driving it and explained we were thinking of buying it, the mechanic gave it a once over for a tenner, might be worth trying.

The coils are a problem for renaults, although i have yet to experiance this with the Clio, had it once a year with the megane and they did cost a fortune. Then i found a brilliant renault forum on the web and asked anyone if they knew the part number, went on ebay and bought 4 for £40. Now i am no mechanic but these things were simple to replace, they are like big pens , unclip old ones, take out bolt, lift them out, put new ones in, screw in bolt and put clip back on, honest its a 10 min job, tops.

Thank you so much!!
I think I'm definitely going for a clio so that's a bit of invaluable advice for me
Could you perchance give me the part number so I can keep it in my diary in case I have any problems??
thank you!!