Bought something different - Clio 182
Discussion
At least, something different to me.
I've never had a hot hatch, it has never really been my thing. I actually started off looking for a yellow 225 F1 team which is one of those dream cars that whilst completely obtainable, and slower than other things I own, has always been an itch I hadn't scratched (as has a Impreza Sti.. one day..). But whilst searching, a chance came up to buy a very cheap clio that I couldn't pass up. And there really aren't many of them out here which made it even more of a special find.
It isn't mint, far from in fact. The roof has a baked on bit of tree sap which I'm worried about what might now lie beneath.
First mod had to be an appropriate licence plate which again came up at just the right time. when stars align..
The roof is faded but hopefully salvagable
The driver's seat is ripped
The dephaser is clicking a little - it's done 160k kms (99k miles) and I don't know that the cambelt has ever been done (at 16 years old and with the mileage, I'd assume it was at least once in its earlier years but can't find any evidence)
It's a 2004 182 Cup, F1 team 13/300 in French Racing Blue which I think just suits these down to the ground and it gets the larger spoiler which is a nice touch.
I viewed it in the dark so actually thought it was a lot rougher than it was when I got it in the light.
A quick spin and it's obvious why people love these. It's lighter than my 911, not far off half of the weight of the GTR and it literally feels like a go-kart.
First and foremost the aim will be to get it back to as close to looking like it rolled out of the factory as possible. I'll give it a paint correction and refurb the wheels firstly. Next I'll decide if to restore the seats or not - leaning towards some lighter, sportier seats.
From there it's a case of making it even more track capable by shaving a little weight (nothing too extreme but I'd love to see it under a tonne - it weighs 1090kg, the two seats gone should save 45kg or so, so will have to find the other 45kg somewhere - want to keep it road legal so it won't be a severe diet.
From there, potentially planning:
Brake upgrade (I remember from a friend's 182 the brakes lasted a couple of laps before fading like the night sky..)
Front brake ducts/fog light intakes
front strut
rear cage/harness bar
remove rear seats and carpet the rear
The idea is for a very capable but not too extreme road car. Looking forwards to it, it's a nice novelty having basic parts not costing a fortune although everything I've found has been in the UK - so some might have to wait until I visit home again and bring back some full suitcases
I've never had a hot hatch, it has never really been my thing. I actually started off looking for a yellow 225 F1 team which is one of those dream cars that whilst completely obtainable, and slower than other things I own, has always been an itch I hadn't scratched (as has a Impreza Sti.. one day..). But whilst searching, a chance came up to buy a very cheap clio that I couldn't pass up. And there really aren't many of them out here which made it even more of a special find.
It isn't mint, far from in fact. The roof has a baked on bit of tree sap which I'm worried about what might now lie beneath.
First mod had to be an appropriate licence plate which again came up at just the right time. when stars align..
The roof is faded but hopefully salvagable
The driver's seat is ripped
The dephaser is clicking a little - it's done 160k kms (99k miles) and I don't know that the cambelt has ever been done (at 16 years old and with the mileage, I'd assume it was at least once in its earlier years but can't find any evidence)
It's a 2004 182 Cup, F1 team 13/300 in French Racing Blue which I think just suits these down to the ground and it gets the larger spoiler which is a nice touch.
I viewed it in the dark so actually thought it was a lot rougher than it was when I got it in the light.
A quick spin and it's obvious why people love these. It's lighter than my 911, not far off half of the weight of the GTR and it literally feels like a go-kart.
First and foremost the aim will be to get it back to as close to looking like it rolled out of the factory as possible. I'll give it a paint correction and refurb the wheels firstly. Next I'll decide if to restore the seats or not - leaning towards some lighter, sportier seats.
From there it's a case of making it even more track capable by shaving a little weight (nothing too extreme but I'd love to see it under a tonne - it weighs 1090kg, the two seats gone should save 45kg or so, so will have to find the other 45kg somewhere - want to keep it road legal so it won't be a severe diet.
From there, potentially planning:
Brake upgrade (I remember from a friend's 182 the brakes lasted a couple of laps before fading like the night sky..)
Front brake ducts/fog light intakes
front strut
rear cage/harness bar
remove rear seats and carpet the rear
The idea is for a very capable but not too extreme road car. Looking forwards to it, it's a nice novelty having basic parts not costing a fortune although everything I've found has been in the UK - so some might have to wait until I visit home again and bring back some full suitcases
up_shift said:
First and foremost the aim will be to get it back to as close to looking like it rolled out of the factory as possible.
I'm in. up_shift said:
potentially planning:
Brake upgrade (I remember from a friend's 182 the brakes lasted a couple of laps before fading like the night sky..)
Front brake ducts/fog light intakes
front strut
rear cage/harness bar
remove rear seats and carpet the rear
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand I'm out. Brake upgrade (I remember from a friend's 182 the brakes lasted a couple of laps before fading like the night sky..)
Front brake ducts/fog light intakes
front strut
rear cage/harness bar
remove rear seats and carpet the rear
Rensko said:
Fellow Aussie FRB Clio owner here. You'll find that yours is 1/30 and not 1/300 which were brought to Australia.
From memory, there were bugger all sold in WA so quite a rare car. Enjoy it and jump on the OzRenaultSport forums - plenty of solid knowledge and advice over there!
Ah even better From memory, there were bugger all sold in WA so quite a rare car. Enjoy it and jump on the OzRenaultSport forums - plenty of solid knowledge and advice over there!
I think it was 13 actually, with a flat battery it was hard to see in there! frayz said:
Awesome.
Fellow 182 owner here, following with interest.
Fellow 182 owner here, following with interest.
heisthegaffer said:
My sister in law lives in Perth and I used to have a blackgold 182.
Loved freemantle when I went there. Brilliant place.
Fremantly is amazing, I'm from London originally so fell in love with it as one of the first places in WA that I visitedLoved freemantle when I went there. Brilliant place.
p4cks said:
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand I'm out.
haha - I legitimately can't decide - due to there not being many here I suppose factory would be a good move, but can't shake the idea of having some intense track fun with it.I suppose it's a case of restore first, have some fun and then decide if more fun can be had
Talk2Dave said:
Good find on the number plate!
Nice to see a FRB without the stripes. There's an inferno orange one around Fremantle i've been lusting over. Don't see many of them out on the road.
Yes my initial reaction was 'ooh I could add stripes' but it looks very clean without and the paint is good so I think I'll shy away from decals! Nice to see a FRB without the stripes. There's an inferno orange one around Fremantle i've been lusting over. Don't see many of them out on the road.
I genuinely believe that these will be future classics, but only in standard form.
I suppose if you do modify it, you'll in effect be helping residual prices of those that have left their standard.
I had a couple of 172s (one being a Cup which I loved) and thought they were great cars, and still do!
I suppose if you do modify it, you'll in effect be helping residual prices of those that have left their standard.
I had a couple of 172s (one being a Cup which I loved) and thought they were great cars, and still do!
So Day one:
Mostly today was a case of seeing how bad it all was.
The chair unfortunately isn't salvagable but I have found a mint 172 seat that matches. It's a passenger seat so I'll have to remove it and see if I can re-bolster the driver's - ultimately the trophy recaros are what I want here though.
It's funny how things happen - a very good condition RS Megane 225 came up for sale today annnnd I had to grab it. Rather than have a seperate thread, I'll include it here too I suppose.
Unsure ultimately how long I'll keep either but will have some fun in the meantime.
The 225 is in good knick - with 135k kms on the clock which is pretty low really. FULL service history including belts, head gasket and major service 9k kms ago. Needs an air con compressor but otherwise it was an utter steal.
Mostly today was a case of seeing how bad it all was.
The chair unfortunately isn't salvagable but I have found a mint 172 seat that matches. It's a passenger seat so I'll have to remove it and see if I can re-bolster the driver's - ultimately the trophy recaros are what I want here though.
It's funny how things happen - a very good condition RS Megane 225 came up for sale today annnnd I had to grab it. Rather than have a seperate thread, I'll include it here too I suppose.
Unsure ultimately how long I'll keep either but will have some fun in the meantime.
The 225 is in good knick - with 135k kms on the clock which is pretty low really. FULL service history including belts, head gasket and major service 9k kms ago. Needs an air con compressor but otherwise it was an utter steal.
Day one on the clio as I said was a case of finding how good or bad things were..
The roof had a huge bit of dried tree sap on which worried me.
Headlights were as yellow as a pint of stella.
Wet sanded them down with 1500 then 3000 and polished
I then worked off the tree sap with some auto finesse obli-tar-ate, leaving it to soak through a small saturated cloth for a few minutes. Then eased it off from the top, injecting more remover as I went. Very slow process but slow and steady saves the top coat.
It had only minor etching, so it must have been relatively recent but it polished off eventually.
50:50 showing the faded paint and a single stage polish.
The roof had a huge bit of dried tree sap on which worried me.
Headlights were as yellow as a pint of stella.
Wet sanded them down with 1500 then 3000 and polished
I then worked off the tree sap with some auto finesse obli-tar-ate, leaving it to soak through a small saturated cloth for a few minutes. Then eased it off from the top, injecting more remover as I went. Very slow process but slow and steady saves the top coat.
It had only minor etching, so it must have been relatively recent but it polished off eventually.
50:50 showing the faded paint and a single stage polish.
p4cks said:
I genuinely believe that these will be future classics, but only in standard form.
I suppose if you do modify it, you'll in effect be helping residual prices of those that have left their standard.
I had a couple of 172s (one being a Cup which I loved) and thought they were great cars, and still do!
You're not wrong, there are very few over here, haven't found actual numbers but it gives them all the more potential imo even if there is less of a love for hatches traditionally here.. If I mod, it will be reversible stuff only (hence only a bolt in cage etc) but it's a big if. Like you say I can see them being future classics personally, especially as the 197 got a bit lardier coming in at 1,200 kgs and then turbos happened. I've only driven it briefly but it feels like such a sweet spot between simple hot hatchery and modern feel (i.e. a few somewhat modern mod cons).I suppose if you do modify it, you'll in effect be helping residual prices of those that have left their standard.
I had a couple of 172s (one being a Cup which I loved) and thought they were great cars, and still do!
And personally - I think they look great
keo said:
As for the brakes I had Ds2500 pads, race fluid and Brembo discs on my Trophy it stopped really well! Always liked RB miss my clio they are good fun.
Great, will do a bit of research! if I can avoid changing out the stock setup that would be great, maybe throw some braided lines into the mix. I suppose it's one of those things, Whilst I have the cambelt to do, I'm not driving it at all - which means being in the position of not being able to take her for a spin to really gauge how bad or otherwise the brakes are and whilst I'm doing the bigger jobs I might as well knock out some lesser ones
Started sprucing up the interior today.
Funnily enough the Clio is the only car I've worked on where the bolts for the seats are under the car. Awkward but not difficult, chair out and the base given a clean - you can see the difference between the front section and the rest of the seat, so this side should clean up nicely.
Under the seat was surprisingly clean for the age of the car and considering I doubt it's had a thorough clean under there. Was expecting MUCH worse although yes that is mold next to the handbrake.
Wet extraction to take out the worst then some soaking and scrubbing
[url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/sel35Wi7[/url
A few of the plastics need replacing as does the gear knob, everything else should clean up or I may have to spray.
Funnily enough the Clio is the only car I've worked on where the bolts for the seats are under the car. Awkward but not difficult, chair out and the base given a clean - you can see the difference between the front section and the rest of the seat, so this side should clean up nicely.
Under the seat was surprisingly clean for the age of the car and considering I doubt it's had a thorough clean under there. Was expecting MUCH worse although yes that is mold next to the handbrake.
Wet extraction to take out the worst then some soaking and scrubbing
[url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/sel35Wi7[/urlA few of the plastics need replacing as does the gear knob, everything else should clean up or I may have to spray.
Edited by up_shift on Thursday 30th April 15:20
p4cks said:
I genuinely believe that these will be future classics, but only in standard form.
I suppose if you do modify it, you'll in effect be helping residual prices of those that have left their standard.
I had a couple of 172s (one being a Cup which I loved) and thought they were great cars, and still do!
I can't speak for Australia, but in the UK there are still so many of these on the roads that we're still a long way from the scarcity required for prices to significantly rise. That doesn’t include the 182 Trophy or 172 Cup, prices for which are indeed rising quickly. For other variants I think it's safe to mod away...and unlike some cars which are simply better left standard there are certain mods which are widely accepted to improve the mk2 Clio and which add value upon resale - an example being Recaros or buckets which sort out the driving position. There is also a huge market for these among track drivers who specifically want the mods. I paid top dollar for a 182 FF which was stripped, caged, cammed with expensive coilovers, and expect to get top dollar when I sell it.I suppose if you do modify it, you'll in effect be helping residual prices of those that have left their standard.
I had a couple of 172s (one being a Cup which I loved) and thought they were great cars, and still do!
plenty said:
I can't speak for Australia, but in the UK there are still so many of these on the roads that we're still a long way from the scarcity required for prices to significantly rise. That doesn’t include the 182 Trophy or 172 Cup, prices for which are indeed rising quickly. For other variants I think it's safe to mod away...and unlike some cars which are simply better left standard there are certain mods which are widely accepted to improve the mk2 Clio and which add value upon resale - an example being Recaros or buckets which sort out the driving position. There is also a huge market for these among track drivers who specifically want the mods. I paid top dollar for a 182 FF which was stripped, caged, cammed with expensive coilovers, and expect to get top dollar when I sell it.
It's strange here, on the market at any given time there will be 2 or 3 in the country for sale. There are two on the biggest ad site for $4500 with high kms and needing a belt change and one for $12k in a cleaner state - I paid less than both Thing is here, there aren't as many 'pureists' anyway so functional, reversable mods won't be the end of the world. In fact, it's so hard to get mods for a lot of euro cars here that by default it doesn't have the same impact
With any mods I make I'll be trying to go for a really OEM look to get a good middle ground (if I go that route).
heisthegaffer said:
Always found the red wine bottle/flask holder really useful. Except for the time a colleague didn't screw the flask of coffee up properly and it leaked. In summer I would smell coffee even a couple of years later.
Oh dear god, I hope it wasn't a milky coffee, I'm not sure there's much worse. That said that could well explain the mould!
Have been giving the Meg a once-over so might as well throw it in this thread too (is it possible to change the title? meh)
So I picked up this Megane the day after the Clio - again a car that I wanted when I was younger.
Paint needs attention which is what I do most so that's good. It's actually pretty well kept, better than the clio and was about the same money.
has about 75k miles on her, and needs a new air-con compressor and possibly replacement injectors (hard starting when cold and needs a bit of throttle, and a very slight miss every now and then)
Working my way through the masses of receipts and it's got more history than any car I think I've bought.
Cambelt changed around 5k miles ago, as was head gasket, leak tested.
Talking with the owner, she said that the fuel regulator was changed from 70psi to 40psi (stock) which says to me it probably had a bit of tuning done (and also that it might not like being pushed too hard just yet). Wiring to fuel pump has also been played with so it's possible it has had an uprated pump.
Drives cleanly, brembo's stop nice and firmly, steering is surprisingly sharp and it's generally in good nick.
I'm not sure what the plan is with this one either - impulse buy as I always wanted an F1 when I was younger and couldn't afford it so I think I just wanted some seat time!
Speaking of seats, impressed with the seating position of the stock seats, comfy but a good fit for me.
I'll give it a full paint correction and ceramic coating, and again get it looking like new - then I can decide what to do from there. Wish it was a 3-door as I Think they look better personally but it's a solid buy.
As far as I can tell:
- Owner A still owned the car in 2018 when Tie rod ends and discs were replaced and calipers serviced.
- Air con compressor was diagnosed as seized in 2017 , second opinion was that the clutch has gone
- MArch 20 it was bought, throttle body serviced, brakes serviced, vehicle inspected, engine flush, compression test done and cylinder 2/3 low compression.
-same time the head was stripped and serviced, 8 new lifters provided, new head gasket and coolant pressure tested.
So in the last 10k kms its had
plugs,
oil flush and service
filters
comp test
new head gasket.
cam belt.
and the value of that little lot was more than I bought the car for
Edited by up_shift on Friday 1st May 02:40
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