Clio 172 Cup As A Daily Driver?

[briers]

Mastodon2 said:

Sorry, this does not compute with me at all. A car does not need to sound like a Ferrari V8 to be worth hearing, a good exhaust system even on a 4 cylinder is a joy to listen to. Besides on the car in question, it's a 2.0L engine tuned to deliver 172bhp, it's going to have a bit of a zing to it, it's not a 1.0L Corsa wheezing out 50bhp!

Ermmm, no

Fanny Fart
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_lk-AybVEU&fea...

Multiple Orgasms
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlMgLh8NKkc&fea...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3puhbddN3pQ

Even a 6 cyclinder sounds 10x better
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjXJ3J2GMMg&fea...

Hell, even a 335d sounds better apart from at idle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsL7RrGMh3Q&NR=...

[TameRacingDriver]

John D. said:

Not with you there at all. The 172/182 is not that bad for a 4-pot at all. Elise R/ Type R do not sound that great in comparison.

Think you are all missing the point as far as day to day refinement (or lack there of) with regards the Clio. Its the road noise, wind noise, and 'alert' ride that will be more likely to grate/tire you out.

That and the irresistable urge to spank it absolutely everywhere you go! They do encourage you to drive like a loon

It might not sound that bad for a 4-pot, but it doesn't sound good either... and I'm sorry, but its well behind the noise you get from a DC2 Integra (I've owned both) or a Celica T-Sport, which I test drove while I owned the Clio - the Clio was the better drivers car, but the Celica sounded WAY better.

Actually, the Clio (at the time) was too refined for me, I wanted more rawness. The engine noise was certainly nothing special though, possibly better than most 4-pots but no way better than a VTEC or VVLTi, and a million miles away from something like a Focus ST, Golf R32, BMW Straight-6 etc etc...

Anyway as for the original question - the Clio is absolutely fine as a daily driver, stealthy and practical, reasonably economical and fun to drive hard. Its not as good as an ITR, no question, but then it can be had at half the price for something half the age.

Edited by TameRacingDriver on Thursday 3rd February 21:05

[Doniger]

briers said:

Hell, even a 335d sounds better apart from at idle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsL7RrGMh3Q&NR=...

Get out. It sounds like a bloody air compressor - and that one only sounds slightly bassy because of the quad fartcan attached.

Don't get me wrong - I think the Clio 172/182/197/200 engines are some of the most overrated ever in terms of aural pleasure, but to say a diesel sounds better....ugh, you make me feel dirty just saying it.

[briers]

I'm glad i make you feel dirty

I prefer the rasp of it at the higher rpm compared to the aural displeasure coming out the clio's oversized pea shooter

[briers]

Can i redeem myself with the LFA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6D7S2rcyIQ&fea...

Something happened in my pants when the down shift happened at 1min

[carmonk]

briers said:

Multiple Orgasms
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlMgLh8NKkc&fea...

Sounds like bolts in a blender, how embarrassing.

[Facefirst]

I ran one for about 6 months and 11k miles and it was a great little car. Noisy, slightly flimsy in terms of build, but it really did drive well.

Practical too, with a decent stereo. Moreover, being so light 40mpg wasn't an issue on a run.

If you can live with the slightly basic cabin, the noise, and the lack of AC, then I say it is a great choice.

FF

[marty77]

I was looking at one of these too. Currently have a Fabia VRS as a daily and while there is nothing wrong with it I feel like a change back to petrol. The only thing that worries me is the lack of ABS for the wife and the face its not exactly a "family" car.

[Chris71]

marty77 said:

I was looking at one of these too. Currently have a Fabia VRS as a daily and while there is nothing wrong with it I feel like a change back to petrol. The only thing that worries me is the lack of ABS ...

The 182 would solve that I'd imagine, and the early ones aren't that far off the price of a good 172 these days I don't think?

[anonymous-user]

Bit of a bump as I am looking at a 172 cup or ff

Glad I read this as I was getting put off by so many aftermarket zorsts, now I know why at least

The seating position though, is it that bad? I am 6'1 can you lower the seat?

[nightSpirit]

Probably late to this one...I bought a 172 Cup from Ebay 2 months ago.

Be VERY wary of any car you go to see that's cheaper than normal, I thought I'd got a bargain but as others have said, they've all been thrashed by now and as most owners are low on experience and low on funds be prepared for any work to have been skipped or bodged.

I'm 6'1 and the seating is fine even on long distances, I've just bought some bucket seats as I want to have some fun with the car when it's not constantly broken...

I may have had a bad ownership experience and should have walked away when I saw it and spotted some signs that it could have been a shed, but I thought as it was relatively new (53 plate) I could fix it up no problem.

To date:

top end rebuild due to follower coming free and lodging under cam, 16 valves, HG and new cams.
cambelt change with all pulleys (no record of it from the last owner)
front nearside spring corroded and snapped, replaced with Eibach Prolines all round, massive improvement
both balljoints gone, new heavy duty arms from Renault
dogbone mount bushes shot, replaced with powerflex (much stiffer but constant cabin vibration now)
new steering wheel due to airbag failure
new gearbox linkage (bought a shorter one) as 2nd and 4th just stopped working one morning...nice
new cat and full exhaust system as the last chavtastic effort had more holes than a teabag
new airfilter and all pipework as again, some chavver had cobbled something together with bathroom sealant
full service
new arb bushes (powerflex)

That adds up to around 2k ontop of the price I paid (under 2k), absolute disaster.

the car still has a MAJOR oil leak that I need to attend to.

All in all, I'd never ever buy a Renault again...imo they're cheap and st. But and this is the annoying thing, it returns around 44mpg combined and when it isn't broken the handling is sublime.

[s1rallyemark]

I'm pretty sure you have probably just brought the worst example ever made! Generally if you make sure the servicing and cambelt have been done the engines are pretty bulletproof so god knows what happened to yours. The best way to buy is through the owners club because you can track its history, i've had mine for 10k now and nothing has broke bar one front spring in the winter but i did pay for a good example.

[matt1269]

Same as above, I got mine for a bargain price but ended up replacing nearly everything on it in the first few months. It has been spot on ever since though, just changing the oil every 6k

[Porkie]

Amazing little cars the 172cup. 100000% reccomended.

If I wasnt gonna track it though... I would get a 182. You get cruise and A/C climate control (super rare on 172cups) nicer looking seats etc.

[Chris71]

Chris71 said:

Squirrelofwoe said:

My housemate has used his 172 Cup as a daily driver for over 4 years with no complaints at all. I don't consider it comprimised in any way what so ever (except perhaps seating position), certainly not in terms of comfort.

But then I find my DC2 ITR a nice place to be on the daily commute so like someone said, it depends what kind of car your used to!

How would you rate the Clio versus the ITR for creature comforts? Those are the top two candidates for my next daily driver.

Well, it took me nearly three years to get round to it, but I have indeed bought a 172 Cup.

Picking it up next weekend, but based on the test drive I can imagine the ride will be quite interesting on the potholed roads near me. Felt pretty firm (on recently renewed OE suspension). Suits me fine, though, I like my hot hatches on the more hyperactive side.

Just Googling something I wanted to check online and this thread came up...

[aka_kerrly]

nightSpirit said:

Probably late to this one...I bought a 172 Cup from Ebay 2 months ago.

Be VERY wary of any car you go to see that's cheaper than normal, I thought I'd got a bargain but as others have said, they've all been thrashed by now and as most owners are low on experience and low on funds be prepared for any work to have been skipped or bodged.

I'm 6'1 and the seating is fine even on long distances, I've just bought some bucket seats as I want to have some fun with the car when it's not constantly broken...

I may have had a bad ownership experience and should have walked away when I saw it and spotted some signs that it could have been a shed, but I thought as it was relatively new (53 plate) I could fix it up no problem.

To date:

top end rebuild due to follower coming free and lodging under cam, 16 valves, HG and new cams.
cambelt change with all pulleys (no record of it from the last owner)
front nearside spring corroded and snapped, replaced with Eibach Prolines all round, massive improvement
both balljoints gone, new heavy duty arms from Renault
dogbone mount bushes shot, replaced with powerflex (much stiffer but constant cabin vibration now)
new steering wheel due to airbag failure
new gearbox linkage (bought a shorter one) as 2nd and 4th just stopped working one morning...nice
new cat and full exhaust system as the last chavtastic effort had more holes than a teabag
new airfilter and all pipework as again, some chavver had cobbled something together with bathroom sealant
full service
new arb bushes (powerflex)

That adds up to around 2k ontop of the price I paid (under 2k), absolute disaster.

the car still has a MAJOR oil leak that I need to attend to.

All in all, I'd never ever buy a Renault again...imo they're cheap and st. But and this is the annoying thing, it returns around 44mpg combined and when it isn't broken the handling is sublime.

That just sounds like a combination of buying a neglected car (that you knew was cheap) combined with a bit of bad luck and then you paying a garage to sort it out.

Aside from the head rebuild as a result of a component failure all the other jobs are standard consumables and jobs that could have been done for free on the drive so for *some* of us those would just be minor inconveniences.

To be honest this whole thread just seems bonkers with two extreme views, one that a 172 CUP version is so hardcore it will rattle/shake you to death after deafening you and the other that they are "only" lukewarm and driven by girls.

Fact is there is no reason why you can't use one daily just be aware of what you want from a car and manage your expectations of what a light weight hot hatch is like.

The only way to find out is a test drive...

[ShaunFlucker]

Is it blue?