RE: Renault Clio 172 Cup/Megane R26: PH Fleet

[Ahbefive]

I'm not generally a big fan of French cars but the R26 is a tempting proposition. I think they have aged well.

Edited by Ahbefive on Tuesday 21st February 22:44

[neil-935ql]

Great cars , I have one and it's not even been remapped yet , perhaps I should get this done after reading the positive comments , anyone recommend someone in the south / Berkshire area ?

[Speed Badger]

BenLowden said:

I'm just outside of Sevenoaks in Kent if you're ever in the area, more than happy to take you out. But I'm a bit biased...

Be afraid! I might actually take you up on that offer - I'm leaning towards an R26 and I'm not too far from you - near Cuxton, Kent.

[Danith]

Had 3 172s and now an R26. If I'm honest the more fun car is definitely still the clio, ive got an itch to get another for track/fun. The megane is certainly more capable though and probably got the edge over the clio in terms of speed. I'll always prefer n/a though, I still have an ep3 thats hard to beat for hooligan factor. Turbo just feels a bit cheaty! Brilliant cars though the R26 with the lsd and a real bargain at the moment, if you can cope with the rattles and lack of any sort of charismatic engine sound!

[BenLowden]

diluculophile said:

But now you've got me thinking that a megane could be a viable daily...
Tempting.
How many bikes can you get in the back of an R26?

If I could only have one of them as a weekend toy, it would have to be the Clio. I read about so many people going back to a 172/182 from a Megane, and now I've got both I understand why. But as a daily, the Megane is definitely easier to live with.

I haven't tried putting any bikes in the back yet, but it'll easily manage two!

Kosy said:

Nice work Ben, enjoyed reading that. The RS bug has bitten bad!

Get the R26 along to Paul at RS Tuning in Leeds for a remap.

Thank you! I have spoken to Paul already and it's certainly something I'm considering. I want to get the car right mechanically before going down that route, but I haven't ruled it out just yet.

Ahbefive said:

I'm not generally a big fan of French cars but the R26 is a tempting proposition. I think they have aged well.

If you'd asked me two years ago, I would have said the same thing. But how things change once you drive one!

Speed Badger said:

Be afraid! I might actually take you up on that offer - I'm leaning towards an R26 and I'm not too far from you - near Cuxton, Kent.

Drop me a PM if you want to come down, always happy to help out a fellow enthusiast

[RobR26r]

That's my old car. ,,I was the second owner. Owned it for 5 years. Only sold it to buy an R26r. Good to see it's still about..

[John D.]

neil-935ql said:

Great cars , I have one and it's not even been remapped yet , perhaps I should get this done after reading the positive comments , anyone recommend someone in the south / Berkshire area ?

Go to RS Tuning in Leeds. Seriously, its well worth the trip by all accounts. Has been the leading name for 10yrs for Renault Sport remaps.

[BenLowden]

RobR26r said:

That's my old car. ,,I was the second owner. Owned it for 5 years. Only sold it to buy an R26r. Good to see it's still about..

Awesome! Thanks for taking such good care of it. I feel a twin test coming on if you still have the R26.R and you're up for it...

[Feirny]

RobR26r said:

That's my old car. ,,I was the second owner. Owned it for 5 years. Only sold it to buy an R26r. Good to see it's still about..

And then you sold the R26R, you plonker.

[culpz]

That's a nice little fleet you've got going there Ben. Coming along nicely.

I've always preferred the fast Clio's to the Megane's but i can imagine that the latter is much more suited for doing the daily stuff and being a more pleasant experience on the whole.

The best of both worlds having the 2 anyway

[RobR26r]

BenLowden said:

Awesome! Thanks for taking such good care of it. I feel a twin test coming on if you still have the R26.R and you're up for it...

It still looks the same, even the stereo lol.
I've just sold the R. Still have an R26 as a daily though. Although that's soon going up for sale.

[neil-935ql]

John D. said:

Go to RS Tuning in Leeds. Seriously, its well worth the trip by all accounts. Has been the leading name for 10yrs for Renault Sport remaps.

I am sure they are excellent and I wish I lived closer but a 8 hour round trip ( without traffic) and then time to do the work just not really viable , oh and I have a 2 year old to look after !

[Darren61]

I used to own an R26 just like this. In Liquid Yellow too, it was my first 'proper hot hatch' and first step into performance motoring. What a car, what a sense of occasion, the colour, the brakes, the seats, the diff, the stickers all over it, twin exhaust, the power, the list goes on and on. And genuinely a great car to drive. I found that lots of other enthusiasts would see it and ask questions in car parks and you'd get the 'nod' whilst out driving it, but I do remember it also attracting some unwanted attention.

Ended up selling up and getting a 182, only in standard form but loved the rawness and character of the engine and chassis. Since then I've gone back to a Megane, a 175 DCI, which doesn't get much press considering how well set up the handling is and the fact I get over 500miles to a tank.

And finally I've just bought a 182 Cup as a track toy. So the daily is the 175, with 5 doors and the comfort and the Clio will
Be getting lots of the same toys as your 172!

Love this article! Good Job! Lots of people dismiss French cars, but RenaultSport are an entirely unique experience.

[TrivsTom]

Motorrad said:

TrivsTom said:

F**k me, £3,300 for the 172 cup? Paid £1000 for my 172 on a 53 plate with 86500 miles and FULL service history in December last year. You were ripped off my friend..

It depends on what state it was in. Recent belt/dephaser has to add a few hundred to the price, likewise tasty aftermarket parts and cups are on the up! It also has 34K miles on it according to the article.
Cheapest nice looking cup in the classifieds stands at 100K+ miles, is 2K pre-haggle and it looks like a cracker. I could see one with decent upgrades going for 3 and a bit.

Here's a 4.5K example!http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/renault/renaultsport-clio/renault-clio-renaultsport-172-cup-16v---------2002/6847673

Edited by Motorrad on Tuesday 21st February 15:02

The PH classifieds tend to be a tad more expensive than market value. Mine's had everything done to it and had 11 months MOT at the time of purchase. A friend has a cup that was £600 plus the price of a new clutch. Paying much more than £2k for a 172 is silly.

[whythem]

After the previous article I ended up buying a standard phase two 172 for scrap money with no MOT. Although belts done the year previous and a good gearbox. Then my mate turns up in a R53 Cooper S with GGT 240BHP kit on it, so starting a bit of an arms race.

My suspension needs refreshing which is presenting me with a problem, do I spend the money and upgrade the standard 172 I've got? Pro's its got a great engine and gearbox. con's, its not got the cup suspension and a little heavier or am I better off buying a 172 Cup and spend the money refreshing that. Decisions

Got to agree though, even in standard form with tired bits, the Clio is a blast down the lanes, and I'm very pleased I took the plunge.

[Speed Badger]

BenLowden said:

Drop me a PM if you want to come down, always happy to help out a fellow enthusiast

I seem to have test driven and put a deposit on an R26...

Black, 57k miles, 2 owners, full history, immaculate and lots of gaudy stickers all over it, marvellous!

[BenLowden]

whythem said:

After the previous article I ended up buying a standard phase two 172 for scrap money with no MOT. Although belts done the year previous and a good gearbox. Then my mate turns up in a R53 Cooper S with GGT 240BHP kit on it, so starting a bit of an arms race.

My suspension needs refreshing which is presenting me with a problem, do I spend the money and upgrade the standard 172 I've got? Pro's its got a great engine and gearbox. con's, its not got the cup suspension and a little heavier or am I better off buying a 172 Cup and spend the money refreshing that. Decisions

Got to agree though, even in standard form with tired bits, the Clio is a blast down the lanes, and I'm very pleased I took the plunge.

Glad to hear it! Tough decision there. If you've already got a solid base to work from, you could look at the car parts for sale section on Cliosport.net, there may be some coilovers on there for the standard 172. Otherwise (you'd need to confirm this) but it might be an option to fit Cup hubs to take the Cup dampers. Bit of a faff I know, but new Cup dampers front and rear will be £160 I think which isn't too bad!

Speed Badger said:

I seem to have test driven and put a deposit on an R26...

Black, 57k miles, 2 owners, full history, immaculate and lots of gaudy stickers all over it, marvellous!

Great news! We'll definitely have to meet up in that case; I came very close to buying a black one but someone else snapped it up before I could get to it.