Looking at getting a clio 172

The_One · 24 Jul 2006 at 00:28

The mark 2 Clio 172's are notorious for eating gearboxes

triggerthat · 24 Jul 2006 at 00:28

Am sure that was just a particular car which had those problems which certainly doesn't imply that all 172's will have that problem.

Hate · 24 Jul 2006 at 10:14

Gilly said:
Certainly not in the handling stakes.

Was it you that managed to shear the front suspension on the 172?

Gilly · 24 Jul 2006 at 10:32

Hate said:
Was it you that managed to shear the front suspension on the 172?

How would one manage to do that?

Hate · 24 Jul 2006 at 10:40

i have no idea, i don't drive one - but i seem to remeber a 172 on this forum with a collapsed suspension

Gilly · 24 Jul 2006 at 10:44

Yes, thats me. You made it sound like I'd been messing with the car and done it. It happened while I was driving.

It didn't shear though, the ball and socket joint came apart.

Hate · 24 Jul 2006 at 10:46

either way, not confidence inspiring.

Gilly · 24 Jul 2006 at 10:48

Absolutely not, but it was the first time VOSA had heard of it.

Nathan · 24 Jul 2006 at 10:58

If you want to see how reliable they are check the cliosport site

Threads pop up weekly such as "gearbox gone" and "iv got a clunk when changing gear". I would sadly have no confidence in buying one, especially how much money they are losing at the moment. They seem to be going down in value at a very fast rate. Good car when it works though

triggerthat · 24 Jul 2006 at 12:26

The_One said:
oh and like clio 172's dont get ragged do they

I was taking in consideration the 16v is a very old car.

triggerthat · 24 Jul 2006 at 12:34

Have you considered a Golf or a TDI?

Scrutinize · 24 Jul 2006 at 12:58

The 172 is the best bet. You can pick them up quite cheap now, I have seen Mk1s with 40k on the clock go for 4k from dealers down here.

dean_ham · 24 Jul 2006 at 15:33

Yea the 172 isnt appealing to me as much now with all these problems... golf gti doesnt do it for me to be honest.

Any other suggestions? im swaying towards a mini cooper but isnt there a new model coming out soon?

Gilly · 24 Jul 2006 at 15:36

Do you mean a recent Cooper? The BMW mini?

They're a lot more expensive...

The_One · 24 Jul 2006 at 17:10

Ibiza Cupra for the win

L0rdMike · 24 Jul 2006 at 17:34

Nathan said:
If you want to see how reliable they are check the cliosport site Threads pop up weekly such as "gearbox gone" and "iv got a clunk when changing gear". I would sadly have no confidence in buying one, especially how much money they are losing at the moment. They seem to be going down in value at a very fast rate. Good car when it works though

You get that on every car forum.

You always read problems.

Ev0 · 24 Jul 2006 at 19:04

The exhausts are rubbish, but other than that never had a real problem just consumables, and it gets driven hard everyday

Gearboxes are fine if treated properly, one of the guys who knows these cars inside and out for his business has said that the boxes are fine it's the drivers lol.

I don't mind people hating them and prices going down, means you can pick them up nice and cheap and you get a decent motor

[TW]Fox · 24 Jul 2006 at 19:25

triggerthat said:
Have you considered a Golf or a TDI?

He's after a hot hatch, which presumably means he want a car thats fun to throw around not something that'll give your girlfriend some kudos when she parks at the local health club.

triggerthat · 24 Jul 2006 at 19:45

They can be considered a hot hatch providing the right model.

[TW]Fox · 24 Jul 2006 at 19:52

triggerthat said:
They can be considered a hot hatch providing the right model.

Only if its a Mk1, a Mk2 or a Mk5. All of which are either too old or outside the budget.