Renault Clio Renaultsport (2001 - 2005) 2.0 16V Cup (172bhp) 3d (2003/53) Owner Review

What does this car say about you?

Boy racer who has finally been able to afford a faster car.

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

Nice colour and better than the Saxo. Still a boyracer.

Would you buy this car again and why?

Yes It is fun, efficient and cheap.

What are you likely to buy next?

Another Renaultsport but one with ABS. The Cup wheelbase and suspension is great but I do want ABS.

Type of dealer you bought from?

Didn't buy from a dealer

Did you buy this car new?

No

What price did you pay?

£2,000

When did you buy the car?

January 2014

Did you get a good deal and why?

I realised afterwards it wasn't as good a deal as it could have been. I paid £2,000 for a 92k mileage clio with part service history. Did just pass an MOT though and had a couple of modifications so it wasn't too bad.

Is there any special reason why you bought this car?

I wanted to upgrade from a Saxo VTS. My filtered choices were "blue" "2 litre" "3 door" and it was a choice between a Renaultsport and a Fiesta ST. Much preferred the Clio, and the cup had the fastest acceleration on paper so it was the winning choice.

What was the dealer like?

Never met him. Only communicated via texts. He bought cars and sold them on. Bought the car via his family. He wasn't reliable and he never posted me the service books afterwards despite me trying to contact on numerous times.

What's it like to drive?

Very good handling, you can throw it into bends and corners and it corners like it's on rails. Little bit of oversteer though as I realised in the first couple of months. Using Continentals on the front and Rainsports on the back now.The 1050kg and 2Litre engine ensures fun acceleration 0-60 in 6.7 seconds. Always a smile on my face The MPG is very good for a tuned 2L petrol. I typically get 38-41mpg on a week of driving to work (52 miles minimum a day). The seating is too high, I've tried to resolve this with bucket seats but will need lower rails. The brakes on the cups are sketchy, not a proper adjustment mechanism and locks up easily, no ABS either. A pain when trying to slow down on a wet hill :(.

What's it like to park?

A small car, with huge windows, light steering and electric mirrors make this simplistic to park. I mainly reverse park and it's near enough correct the first time in. Parallel parking is easy too! The turning circle isn't too great, other hatchbacks e.g, polo 6n have a smaller one. Small front/bonnet is good though.

Have you had any problems with the car?

Generally no, only parts worn over age. Track abuse and an accident were the only reasons that the car needed replacements. I ended up in an accident and decided to replace the parts myself. I didn't tighten up the alternator enough so on track the belt slackened and took out the cambelt - engine. Other than that, the car has been very good. I have only replaced parts to get them feeling brand new. New suspension is better than 10 year old suspension and all that..

What's most practical about your car?

It's small and light. Fits in loads of spaces so very easy to park up around town in spaces others can't quite fit in, and the seats fold down to create a fair amount of space. My favourite part is the 2Litre engine in a car weighing 1050kg.

Favourite gadget, option or accessory?

The car is poverty spec and the light weight version so there's nothing fancy. It's nice having heated wing mirrors though.