Clio Williams as a daily driver: am I mad?
Discussion
As per the title really. I've wanted a Williams Clio since I was 8 years old and started getting into cars properly. Now I'm 21 and have 4 years NCB behind me, I can finally afford the insurance too! I'd have around £3000 to spend on one although I could be tempted to part with a little more if the car was good enough. My question is: this would be my only car and in use every day, am I mad to consider doing such a thing? I have no qualms about minor repair jobs, as I'm lucky enough to have a dad who taught me rather a lot about how to fix broken cars, mind you having had 2 Fiats on the trot it was kinda necessary!
My folks think I'm insane for even thinking about having a 17 year old French hatch as a daily driver, my mates, being petrol heads, think it's a fabulous idea, and the OH took some convincing (in her mind the gold wheels are on the chavvy side, perhaps a new OH is needed!) but agrees I need something faster than a 1.2 Panda! But what's does PH reckon?
My folks think I'm insane for even thinking about having a 17 year old French hatch as a daily driver, my mates, being petrol heads, think it's a fabulous idea, and the OH took some convincing (in her mind the gold wheels are on the chavvy side, perhaps a new OH is needed!) but agrees I need something faster than a 1.2 Panda! But what's does PH reckon?
No your not mad they are great fun cars mate i ran mine for years before i got rid of it with 198 thousand miles on the clock. It was still going really well just needed a bigger car been thinking of going back to one. Just a few points they are a pain to work on engine wise as it is very tight in there and they do like to rust mate oh on the williams 3 the sunroof will leak no matter what you do to the dam thing. PM me mate if you want to know more
cheers James
cheers James
Rust is your enemy. Even on "well made" top of the line models of older hot hatches you will still be looking at rust on a daily basis. I wanted a Golf GTi MK2, and after going to see some it was not a case of "will there be any rust?", more a case of "How much rust will there be?". Even had I had used all of my budget to buy a garage queen for £5000, I was really thinking, how long could I use it as a daily driver before it marched into oblivion like the rest of them?
There is a lad on here drives an old Golf of the same vintage, he is a professional car detailer by trade and cleans his, with professional skills and products, twice a week to keep it looking good. Even with that level of care, constant undersealing etc, it will happen sooner or later.
If you can find a good one, and afford to keep on top of rust as it occurs (replacing corroding parts, getting paint touch ups as soon as you spot imperfections etc) then you'll have an absolute hoot. Clio Williams are very, very good cars - I've wanted one for a long time.
What I really want to see now, is a the marques bringing out their classic hot hatches, built to the same levels of performance and 100% identical in terms of looks, but with modern build and paint quality, and properly galvanised bodies. That would finish me off I think
There is a lad on here drives an old Golf of the same vintage, he is a professional car detailer by trade and cleans his, with professional skills and products, twice a week to keep it looking good. Even with that level of care, constant undersealing etc, it will happen sooner or later.
If you can find a good one, and afford to keep on top of rust as it occurs (replacing corroding parts, getting paint touch ups as soon as you spot imperfections etc) then you'll have an absolute hoot. Clio Williams are very, very good cars - I've wanted one for a long time.
What I really want to see now, is a the marques bringing out their classic hot hatches, built to the same levels of performance and 100% identical in terms of looks, but with modern build and paint quality, and properly galvanised bodies. That would finish me off I think
Hey...
Did it myself about 4 years ago for about a year.
Things to watch for:
Rust on rear arches.
If you can get a non sunroof version then do - not critical, but slightly more sought after.
Make sure its belt has been done.
Check the powersteering - if you need a new pump or rack, its not an easy job.
Check the exhaust - oem is prone to falling to bits (well mine did)
The clutch cable on mine snapped twice in 2 month cause it was not united correctly, so watch for that, and that the clutch is not worn, pain in the bum to replace.
Saying all that, it was the most fun commuting I have ever had, through the middle of London a couple of times a week and the rest batting to Portsmouth. Go for it but find the right car.
Cheers
Steve.
Did it myself about 4 years ago for about a year.
Things to watch for:
Rust on rear arches.
If you can get a non sunroof version then do - not critical, but slightly more sought after.
Make sure its belt has been done.
Check the powersteering - if you need a new pump or rack, its not an easy job.
Check the exhaust - oem is prone to falling to bits (well mine did)
The clutch cable on mine snapped twice in 2 month cause it was not united correctly, so watch for that, and that the clutch is not worn, pain in the bum to replace.
Saying all that, it was the most fun commuting I have ever had, through the middle of London a couple of times a week and the rest batting to Portsmouth. Go for it but find the right car.
Cheers
Steve.
While I have not run a Williams as a daily driver I have had 3 x 1.8 16v Clio's as daily drivers. I would say run the williams every day but expect the odd problem here and there, from memory the following items were particular weak points; (bearing in mind the williams uses the same bottom end as the 1.8 16v (F16 F7R compared to a F7P IIRC??)
The sunroofs leak - not sure if the williams shell has a sunroof?
Engine mounts need replacing when they start to get worn - dont ignore the clunk as if its the gearbox mount it will strip the threads and only a modified mount of replacement gbox will fix it.
The starter motors tend to need replacing every 2 years - again I dont know if this is a weak point on the williams engine.
The coolant temp sensor is worth changing as a precaution when you get it.
The throttle position sensor gets gunked up, easy fix just a quick clean (usually hunting on idle).
There is NO space in the engine bay.
Its a proper hoot to drive through, lovely induction sound and pops and bangs like a good un when decatted.
Watch out for rust on the rear arches (fibreglass front arches) and on the boot lid. If the sunroof does leak its usually the drainage channels into the front arches that are blocked. (welding rod or similar to poke them clean).
Alloys may need a refurb the speedlines tend to bubble with age. Which mark of williams are you looking at?
The sunroofs leak - not sure if the williams shell has a sunroof?
Engine mounts need replacing when they start to get worn - dont ignore the clunk as if its the gearbox mount it will strip the threads and only a modified mount of replacement gbox will fix it.
The starter motors tend to need replacing every 2 years - again I dont know if this is a weak point on the williams engine.
The coolant temp sensor is worth changing as a precaution when you get it.
The throttle position sensor gets gunked up, easy fix just a quick clean (usually hunting on idle).
There is NO space in the engine bay.
Its a proper hoot to drive through, lovely induction sound and pops and bangs like a good un when decatted.
Watch out for rust on the rear arches (fibreglass front arches) and on the boot lid. If the sunroof does leak its usually the drainage channels into the front arches that are blocked. (welding rod or similar to poke them clean).
Alloys may need a refurb the speedlines tend to bubble with age. Which mark of williams are you looking at?
As above - definitely do it if you can! 
I owned 0062 for a couple of years and it's still to this day the best car I've had! Definitely do a thorough check for rust, that was 0062's death sentence a couple of years after I sold it..
Engines are strong and simple although slightly awkward to work on as there's not much space under the bonnet! Belts and clutches are the expensive parts if a garage is doing the labour.
Have a look on williamsclio.co.uk if you haven't already & good luck finding a good one. You'll love it.
I owned 0062 for a couple of years and it's still to this day the best car I've had! Definitely do a thorough check for rust, that was 0062's death sentence a couple of years after I sold it..
Engines are strong and simple although slightly awkward to work on as there's not much space under the bonnet! Belts and clutches are the expensive parts if a garage is doing the labour.
Have a look on williamsclio.co.uk if you haven't already & good luck finding a good one. You'll love it.
But the outside is rather good looking and they cost peanuts to run, so get on with it!I run a Williams 1 as a daily runner, i enjoy every minute of the commute in it, it still cheers me up and makes the mundane run a lot of fun.
Remember a few things however, The car will be at least 15 years old, so expect a few things to go wrong, parts are still available for the mechanical side of things, interior parts are becoming few and far between however.
If you do get one join the Williams clio club,you will find any info or advice you want from a very knowledgable bunch of friendly people.
Now get out there and buy one.
PS Get a 1, it's the original and doesn't rust as much.
Remember a few things however, The car will be at least 15 years old, so expect a few things to go wrong, parts are still available for the mechanical side of things, interior parts are becoming few and far between however.
If you do get one join the Williams clio club,you will find any info or advice you want from a very knowledgable bunch of friendly people.
Now get out there and buy one.
PS Get a 1, it's the original and doesn't rust as much.
Cheers guys, great to see I'm not alone in thinking it's a good idea. The OH now understands that gold wheels are not chavvy on one of these, unlike on her brother's 1.1 Saxo! Im slowly converting her to being a petrolhead, next up is teaching her how to drive properly! Ideally I would want a Williams 1, but seeing as mint examples seem to be a little more pricey, I would settle for a 2 or 3. I am aware they're quite prone to rust, most of the ones I've seen advertised have rust somewhere on them, and many look like they could do with the wheels being refurbished. If the sunroof models tend to leak I'm probably best avoiding them seeing as I live in Aberdeen!
This is tempting, under budget too! http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2768714.htm
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