Clio 182 - hit me with your thoughts

[jedi-knight83 0]

OK.. since loosing the s3 to the scrap yard in the sky i have changed my mind daily about the next car to have.

 

some days i think i'll stick with the pug and save some money... other days i am getting loan and insurance quotes for the e46 m3 i promised myself.

 

this week though... i am mainly wanting a clio 182.

 

So firstly.. im sure you all gonna give me a hundred reasons why i should by one... made from recycled bog roll i think is mr haywire favorite expression when talking about a non VAG car.... :wink: but if anyone shas actually been in / driven / or owned i would be interested to hear some well rounded advice.

 

secondly.. which colour.?? girl in the office thinks the blue is girly and my girlfriend thinks the orange is girly

 

personally i like the orange best as it seems to be the less common.

 

Inferno orange (what a cool name :roll: )

 

 

Arctic Blue (imangine it with the anthrcite wheels as thats what i would be getting)

 

 

 

DISCUSS :!:

[Timo. 0]

Its French......... jury rests.

 

T.

[Blue_Joe 0]

Personally for me - Neither, I just don;t like it. They're good cars but I just don't like it!

[chrishill 0]

orange certainly is less common, but IMO theres good reason for that! looking past personal tastes, I reckon it'd be harder to sell on an orange one when you wanted to. I've driven a new clio, albeit not a 182, and it was alot nicer inside than I expected, they seem fairly well put together these days, and by all accounts are more reliable, which could be something to do with the nissan involvment.

 

I 'had' a couple of 172's in my old VR quite convincingly, although it was on the motorway, i doubt i'd have walked all over them on a back road.

 

its a large wedge of cash for a small hatchback though.

[Trig 0]

It's no Corrado! Or S3. :)

[jedi-knight83 0]

true.... but then variety is the spice of life.... i have been driving 6 years and this will be my 6th car! I'm going to test drive one on saturday so i will know more then if it is a car i could really own.

[dazzyvr6 0]

if it was the V6 beasty then it wouldnt be so bad

[GrahamU 6]

I work with a guy who has a Blue one, lowered a bit only. Looks like the standard 1 it parks next to but it does go and handle well. He loves it but he is a Renault man through and through.

 

Another guy is looking for 1 to replace his Saxo (sorry to swear).

 

With the list of cars you've had, surely you would be disapointed with a renault and its a big step backwards from an S3.

 

Go for an RS4 or 6, that would be more of a natural progression...

[ZippyVR6 0]

the 172 I raced against handled better in the wet than mine. I was slipping about till a staight then it was shown what for. Cant comment on 182 other than it looks a bit bland and a bit girly, even in burn your eyes orange.

Sorry but I just think it is a bit shopping trolley, especially when compared your your previous.

[jedi-knight83 0]

rs4 and rs6 while a nice thought are a bit out of my league at the moment.... well the rs6 especially.

 

i want something for under £10k now that will still give me loads of fun. I dont mind so much if it doesnt do 160mph and 0-60 in 6 like the S3.. just want something that is pretty nippy and bags of fun. i think the clio.. although it is french... might provide that. I dont really care what badge is on the front either... im no snob.. i like any car that car provide the fun and satisfaction you should feel at the end of each journey.

[H8RRA 0]

DON'T BUY ORANGE!!!! Its the nugget yellow of the future!!!

 

 

I'll not say don't buy one - i quite like the fat ass megane model - but don't uy orange.

 

Blue is cool

[joebloggsVR69 0]

What about a fully specced Fiat Coupe 20v Turbo? :wink:

Not to everyone's tastes, but they've got around 220bhp as standard and can be chipped to 250+

 

They're dirt cheap nowadays

 

Or how about something Japanese?

[chrishill 0]

sub 10k and fun? well, if you're not fussed on practicality, you could get a nice lotus elise for that money, and the cheapest vx220's seem to be arond 10k these days...

[jedi-knight83 0]

hmm. i knew i would get this sort of response... one thing this forum is very bad for is being very narrow minded when it comes to other cars. Where is the fun in owning the same car your whole life.

 

Look back to the stick i got when i was gonna buy the s3... 'dont do it, its all soft and rolls around to much'... and it ended up being the best car i have owned.... miles better than the corrado could have ever been.

 

The fun part of life is trying new things!!!

 

after all.. i'm only planning on keeping it for a year and then swapping and trying something else... maybe an elise or a tvr... i want to have a new car every year! im a car enthusiast... not just a VAG enthusiast.

 

H8RRA, i hear what your saying about the nugget... i wouldnt touch one with a barge pole.... but the blue is just to boring for my liking and the orange isnt that 'burn your eyes' in the flesh. Auto trader is already over run by blue ones.

[jedi-knight83 0]

What about a fully specced Fiat Coupe 20v Turbo?

Not to everyone's tastes, but they've got around 220bhp as standard and can be chipped to 250+

 

it'll brake down. end of story ;)

 

Or how about something Japanese?

 

thought about an integra type r..... maybe next year though as i would want the DC5 version and there still a bit pricey

 

well, if you're not fussed on practicality, you could get a nice lotus elise for that money, and the cheapest vx220's seem to be arond 10k these days...

 

i'm 6'4" and although i would love an elise there just too bloody difficult to get in and out of. Maybe as a second car in a few years when i have a house and a garage.. so i can keep the roof off it and just jump in the top

[ChrisL 18]

I'd say don't do it.

 

We had an old clio 1.8 16V which we sold and bought a denim blue S3 which was fantastic after a year we changed it for a 225 bhp TT but eventually leg room became a bit tight for my daughter so we exchanged it for a clio 172 for my wife and with the remaining money I was going to buy a Corrado.

The 172 looks nice but we had nothing but trouble with the electrics. Compared to the audi's it was rattly and felt cheap. The plus side was the acceleration, it was chipped I think because it was faster then the S3 and TT!!

 

Stick with a German car! we sold the clio after 6 months and bought an Audi A4 1.9 TDI Sport.

[Jim 2]

Well going on my experience of the Clio 172, they are an absolute hoot.

 

They are nice and fast, handle like they are on rails, and are quite comfortable. Downside is not particularly good gearing for motorway driving (high revs and noisy at speed) and the worry of it breaking because its French. My mates only let him down once in about 16 months of ownership though, and that was thanks to rain that had come through and leaked onto relays.. quick and cheap to fix.

 

It might not be in the same league as RS4's etc but thats why it doesn't cost anywhere near that. Try and take one for a test drive.. I doubt you'll be dissapointed! A nice blue one on Speedline Turini's looks superb and i'd certainly consider one in the future if I wasn't so biased towards VW's :)

 

Build quality didn't seem to bad either.. infinately better than the Shitroen I owned at the time.

[JoeNose 0]

Give it a try. If it's no good you can always get shut afterall.

 

182s are worthy of great respect, read Evo or Autocar if you disagree. I just wish they looked somewhat less sh*te...

[jedi-knight83 0]

and also bear in mind im currently in a 406 hdi as a temp car.... so if anything it will be a step up!!

[Jim 2]

I personally love the styling of the 182.. its just the factory fit alloy wheels I cant bear! As I say - a nice set of Speedlines on them and they look about 15x better!

[veeDuB_Rado 0]

What about a Supra, Skyline or Rx7?

[H8RRA 0]

hmm. i knew i would get this sort of response... one thing this forum is very bad for is being very narrow minded when it comes to other cars.

 

I'll not say don't buy one - i quite like the fat ass megane model - but don't buy orange.

 

:shock: :cry: - i'll shut pu, then :wink:

[Ronan 0]

Get the cup version instead.

 

I like the look of them, never been in one or know anyone with one (apart fom one round here that I keep seeing, I don't ever see him on a straight bit of road though so haven't had the chance to have a go at him) so I don't have an opinion on them.

 

Yeah, they ARE French, but I think they are built better than old Renaults and perhaps even New Citreons, they still fall apart.

 

Have a test drive, but buy a Cup.

[G60Jet 1]

Hairy Wheel Arch Cars!! yuck yuck yuck.

[iow_corrado_g60 0]

hello my friend currently owns a lowered one i love it handle well and goes well but i just wouldnt buy one he gives it a beating and nothings going wrong to date his is a very subtle burgundy colour seats are nice, i've only had a few races with him and can beat him but then i've beaten an integra type r through 2 round-abouts and 2 stretches of dual carriageway i've never driven an integra but the handling is supposed to be top notch!

 

you could go for something outrageous you could buy a TVR Chrimera for under 10k

 

or what about a mint audi s2 theyre awesome £6kish

 

or can you afford an R32 MK4 GOLF

 

or even buy a mint C and put a big engine in it for £10k you could have one of the best in britain and it would make everyone on the forum happy!