RENAULT Clio 1.5 Dci 80 - any good?

elrasho

elrasho

elrasho

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I'm looking for a cheap to run Diesel car that gives good MPG. After searching some forums and websites I found the RENAULT Clio 1.5 Dci 80 can be picked up for under £3k (which is my budget).

Just wanted to know of any OCUKer has one and what their experience has been?
 
Do you do high milage per annum?

If yes, then why would you want to do that in an uncomfortable, loud, slow, unrefined little French can?

If no, then why would you want a diesel?

Small diesels... why, they make no sense at all.
 
My commute to work is just 10 miles, I just searched for an affordable diesel car that has good MPG and found the Clio to fit the bill. I don't know much about cars, all I know my budget is £3k lol
 
the diesel will offer good economy but modern ones are complicated under the hood, you'd benefit from a small petrol more as it will still be frugal and less likley to go wrong.

edit* just checked Auto trader and there are thousands of 1.25 Ford Fiestas for 3-4k all over the UK, defo look a petrol over a diesel, it'll be cheaper should the worst happen and it may with it being out of warrnty
 
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elrasho said:
I'm looking for a cheap to run Diesel car that gives good MPG. After searching some forums and websites I found the RENAULT Clio 1.5 Dci 80 can be picked up for under £3k (which is my budget).

Just wanted to know of any OCUKer has one and what their experience has been?
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Mate had one for his wife

It had numerous electrical gremlins, ie radio randomly turning itself off, intermittently wouldn't start, strange error warnings that would appear then disappear. This was all while under warranty and renault didnt have a clue

It also developed a leak somewhere that let water in every time it rained that was never found.

Needless to say he got shot of it.
 
The missus has one. The engine itself is ok. Its reliable, but slow.

The rest of the car however.......

The sunroof leaks, the suspension is rubbish, bushes and ball joints have worn out stupidly quick. It rattles and creaks like nothing else. The ABS sensors are in the most stupid place in the world and will break at some point.

I could go on but I really cba.
 
elrasho said:
My commute to work is just 10 miles
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So, assuming 4 weeks holiday a year, your monthly fuelbill with a 65mpg Clio:

£18 a month

A 47mpg 1.2 Clio:

£27 a month

A 25mpg Mercedes Benz S500:

£44 a month.

Now, on a 10 mile trip you wont be getting the combined figure so these figures will be higher, but the differential will remain largely the same.

Seriously, your commuting mileage is 2200 miles a year. Don't buy a small rattly diesel for that! They cost more used anyway.
 
I had a 1.8 Mk1 Focus, loved it to bits. But as I now work closer to home I rather get a smaller engine to save on petrol... by he way why don't people like diesels? are they harder to maintain?
 
elrasho said:
But as I now work closer to home I rather get a smaller engine to save on petrol...
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I don't get it. You live closer to home so you are saving on petrol anyway. I also drive 10 miles a day to work - I do it in a huge 3 litre car and it still only costs me 60 quid month or so!

It's pretty hard to spend loads on petrol if you do so little miles.

If you loved the Focus, just get another one? Perhaps a 1.6 if you are that bothered, but really, it makes no real difference.
 
To be honest you might as well buy a 2 litre, as I keep explaining if you really do only drive about 10 miles a day the difference in fuel costs wont be noticeable.
 
Yeah but on the weekends I might be going out of town, say 200 mile round trip so a 2L wouldt do. Think a 1.6 is fine, are Astras any good?
 
elrasho said:
Yeah but on the weekends I might be going out of town, say 200 mile round trip so a 2L wouldt do. Think a 1.6 is fine, are Astras any good?
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Well now you're changing the criteria.

If you regularly do 200 miles on the weekend, then fuel costs will matter, as that's now nearly 1,000 miles per month.

Can you just tell us how many miles you ACTUALLY do and then some kind soul will tell you the savings you'd get by going diesel rather than petrol.

I assumed the Astra comment was a joke, so I have ignored it.
 
Exactly, 10 miles a week is a complete irrelevence if you do 200 miles every weekend! Thats 800 a month just in 'going out of town' at the weekend :eek:
 
I knew you'd get a negative response on here so here's a little balance.

I bought mine in March 2008. It's the Dynamique 100bhp model.

I bought it with 80k on the clock and it now has 159,900.

I have only done routine maintenance and replaced wear and tear items. The major ones being a new timing belt and clutch. Lots of suspension components.

Slow is a relative term. Mine is 10 seconds 0-62mph and in gear is better than that would suggest.
Certainly capable of mixing it with your average rep mobile, problem is you'll always get tailgated in a clio.

I find it very comfortable as long as you don't intend to cruise above 80. Refinement is ok, my pal with a 57 plate Golf GT diesel reckons it's more refined than the pd engines.

70mpg is a real possibilty if you drive carefully cruising at 65. Cruising at 70-80 you are looking at 60+mpg still.

As mentioned, the sunroof surround lets in water once perished...easy fix for pennies.

I bought it originally as a 3rd car to do miles in. Apart from the wifes golf we had a V8 Audi S4 so on that basis would pay for itself in 18 months. Since then the other cars have changed, I now have Mercedes CLS and my VX Turbo went in November. Planning to run only two cars for now, so thinking of a four seat diesel cabriolet. The fact that money is not an issue but I haven't been desperate to get out of the Clio speaks volumes.

There is a.strong argument however that.if you dont do many miles then your options are greatly increased. People get too hung up on car tax and fuel economy when they do low miles. In the Clios defence it drives far more like a petrol than other diesels I have driven. The torque delivery is quite even right up the rev range.
 
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Ben Cole said:
I knew you'd get a negative response on here so here's a little balance.

I bought mine in March 2008. It's the Dynamique 100bhp model.

I bought it with 80k on the clock and it now has 159,900.

I have only done routine maintenance and replaced wear and tear items. The major ones being a new timing belt and clutch. Lots of suspension components.

Slow is a relative term. Mine is 10 seconds 0-62mph and in gear is better than that would suggest.
Certainly capable of mixing it with your average rep mobile, problem is you'll always get tailgated in a clio.

I find it very comfortable as long as you don't intend to cruise above 80. Refinement is ok, my pal with a 57 plate Golf GT diesel reckons it's more refined than the pd engines.

70mpg is a real possibilty if you drive carefully cruising at 65. Cruising at 70-80 you are looking at 60+mpg still.

As mentioned, the sunroof surround lets in water once perished...easy fix for pennies.

I bought it originally as a 3rd car to do miles in. Apart from the wifes golf we had a V8 Audi S4 so on that basis would pay for itself in 18 months. Since then the other cars have changed, I now have Mercedes CLS and my VX Turbo went in November. Planning to run only two cars for now, so thinking of a four seat diesel cabriolet. The fact that money is not an issue but I haven't been desperate to get out of the Clio speaks volumes.

There is a.strong argument however that.if you dont do many miles then your options are greatly increased. People get too hung up on car tax and fuel economy when they do low miles. In the Clios defence it drives far more like a petrol than other diesels I have driven. The torque delivery is quite even right up the rev range.
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The responses aren't negative. They are not a reflection of the car itself more asking the OP whether he really needs a small underpowered diesel when he does so little mileage.

There is a train of thought that diesels automatically save you a ton of money. That isn't always the case as Fox proved above.
 
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