Renault Clio 1.2 RL Paris 3d (96) (1996/N) Owner Review
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Economy
Value
They're going for peanuts right now, the build quality inside isn't too good, it seems to have been thrown together. Other than that it's an excellent car for the money, but if you can stretch your insurance a little further, get the 1.4RT.
Costs
Apart from general wear and tear problems, I have shelled out extra money on other items such as the dash clocks out of the 1.4RT (I wanted a rev counter), 16v seats and colour coding the bumpers and wing mirrors to improve its look.
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On the road
Driving
It's a pretty nippy car around town and has excellent fuel economy. Not to good on motorways and generally screams in 5th if taken over 70. No PAS so a few manoeuvres are a little difficult at times.
Performance
It beats a lot of others 1.2s and a few 1.4s but that's about it. It's nippy round town but is very crap at overtaking unless at high revs (Generally need to be in 2nd gear to overtake quickly).
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Living with it
Reliability
Starts every time and has never let me down once. Very reliable Renault Energy engine.
Image
The black bumpers and wing mirrors look very bland and cheap. I paid a body shop to colour code mine and it made a hell of a difference. Cost me £150 too, which wasn't bad in my book, seeing as it completely transforms the car.
Comfort
Seats are badly designed and will hurt your back on longer journeys. You could upgrade the seats off a higher model. This model has no sunroof (Clio ones generally leak). The rear windows don't open on the 3-door model and sadly has manual windows.
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Security and Service
Security
Mine has an alarm, I don't know if it's standard or not. No central locking on these models, everything is manual. Has a nifty flip cover to hide your head unit too, which is a nice feature, not seen on the recent Clio's.
Service
I've never used Renault, as I generally do a lot of work myself, as apparently Renault are very expensive.
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Problems and Ownership
Problems
Engine
It's slightly whiney but that's down to the Energy design as my friends Clio and my old Renault 19 make the same noise. They're very reliable and even if neglected they still fire up first time in the cold winter mornings.
Other
Ownership
Did you buy the car new?
Used
Would you buy the same model again?
Yes
Did you buy from the same manufacturer again?
Yes