Renault Clio Hatchback (2001 - 2008) 1.6 16V Dynamique 3d (AC) (2003/03) Owner Review

What does this car say about you?

I've never really thought about that.

What do your friends / family / neighbours think of the car?

Some said the ride was too hard but others said it looked very nice as it was painted in gold. Some found the seats very supportive and comfortable but became frustrated with having to fold the seats to get in the back.

Would you buy this car again and why?

I would never buy this car again. I've had two now, although the second one was much better. There were too many faults to contend with and it very soon became a chore, rather than a pleasure, to own. Parts were very expensive and the warranty wasn't worth the paper it was written on. I was almost afraid to drive it fearing that something else would go wrong. I even had the car serviced by another Renault dealership because I lost confidence in the dealership I bought it from.

What are you likely to buy next?

Most likely not a Renault. My advice if you are going to buy one is to make sure the warranty you get does actually cover everything. My warranty didn't, even though I was told it did. Check and make sure you don't make the same mistake, it could save you a lot of money.

Type of dealer you bought from?

Franchise

Did you buy this car new?

No

What price did you pay?

£5,000

When did you buy the car?

October 2007

Did you get a good deal and why?

With all the problems I've had with this vehicle it would appear not.

Is there any special reason why you bought this car?

I wanted to upgrade from my 1.2 Clio Extreme.

What was the dealer like?

Friendly but didn't really seem that interested. He was obsessed with selling me options which I just simply didn't need. The salesman assurred me that the car was so good that I "wouldn't have to spend a penny on it for at least a year". How wrong he was going to be.

What's it like to drive?

The engine was very responsive and would reach 60mph in no time. No matter what gear you were in, if you pressed the accelerator you were thrown back into your seat, even at higher speeds. The driving position was very awkward and sometimes uncomfortable during longer journeys. It also had sport suspension on the front, which gave it fantastic handling in bends and on motorways. Unfortunately it also gave a very firm ride and pot-holes were very noticeable.

What's it like to park?

Considering the Clio is a small car, parking it can be very difficult. The steering was quite heavy and was probably more suited to a race track rather than a town centre car park. Visibility was very good, though the rear-view mirror takes some fine tuning to get a good view of the rear.

Have you had any problems with the car?

At first everything was fine. It was only after 4 months that faults started developing. The ECU became faulty and had to be replaced at a cost of nearly £600. Unsurprisingly it wasn't covered by the warranty that "covered everything". The car had a service and MOT before I collected it, but I ended up paying for new brakes a few months later as they were almost illegal. The boot lock also became faulty and had to be replaced at my expense. Servicing costs were also expensive, which cost me over £500 with an MOT. An oxygen sensor in the exhaust system also failed, which added about £100 to my service bill. The headlight bulbs would also fall out of their holders when driven over rough surfaces or speed bumps. I spent over £1500 having faults put right in less than a year.

What's most practical about your car?

The headroom was good considering the size of the car, though the same can't be said about the rear. The boot was also quite small and I struggled to get some uniform bags in it. The back seats used to become part of the boot on many occasions!

Favourite gadget, option or accessory?

The automatic headlights were a nice touch. The car also had automatic wipers,which worked on the intermittant setting, but would often fall asleep as the rainfall became lighter. It also didn't recognise spray from other vehicles and I ended up having to turn the wipers on and off manually. Overall the specification was very good. Everything was electric and it had a CD player and air-con as standard.