rhauri

Yes - OP wants a car to take a Mountain Bike.

Donforce

If not a hatch, something like this? (as an example)

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...01404012976145

Mpg might not be as good as hot hatches but something different to a supermarket runner with a quick engine . But it's all about what makes us happy, even if its an A3 2.0 TDI!

emc

Clio wouldn't be as fast in real terms as the GTi, but it would feel faster I think. I've driven the GTi and it did feel like a bit of a barge to me even if it is a hot hatch. This is the kind of car I'd look at: http://www.pistonheads.com/classifie...xperiment=true

rhauri

Another thing worth noting about the Renaultsport Clio's is, they're all hand built in Dieppe, opposed to the mass produced Dynamiques (and the like). You can feel the difference even in opening and cclosing the door of the aforementions - it's night and day and incredibly bizarre!

Renaultsport Clio's generally suffer from leaky dampers after 80 / 90k, but then replacements are cheap, and the odd electrical gremlin like the boot release not working, butthen another one of those is £20 and takes 5 mins to DIY.

Its cheap and easy motoring. And they don't drink a drop of oil between services no matter how hard you smash em. The engines are so strong, than many people remap their cars and raise the rev limit by 800 RPM (to 7800) and have ran them like that on multiple track days and for 10s of thousands of miles of hard driving.

For what they are, and how much the cost - they're incredible. Bang for buck at its best.

Don't get me wrong though... I prefer and love my S2000 (hence I came back to them!)

Russ_16v

Actually, the Ph1's were hand built, the ph2 172 and 182's were not.

They are very good fun, I am a moderator on Cliosport (Been a member for 10 years) as I have had 21 172/182's now, most of them being track cars, and have broken countless others so I know them pretty well and agree with the rest of the above, as long as you get one that has been looked after they will last forever.

My highest mileage one was a black ph1, which I fitted Jenvey throttle bodies to, and got it running and mapped on the standard ECU (which apparently couldn't be done) and that made a genuine 200bhp even on 144,000 miles - I did 65,000 miles in that personally, and it was tracked at least once every 2 months for 65k and it never put a foot wrong.

A big thing with them is cam timing - you need the correct tools and know how to do the timing right - if not it WILL be mistimed and you will loose 25bhp or so - I bet half the 172/182's out there have incorrect timing.


I would be looking at 2 cars if you look at Clio's:

Either what is known as a 'full fat' 182 with both cup packs - you could get the 182 as a standard car, which came with lots of toys such as HID lights, cruise control etc, or you could get a cup which has normal lights, no cruise etc - then you could spec a 'full fat' 182 with the cup packs - this gives you all the extras plus the extra toys that the cups have - being lower suspension, different hubs for a wider track and better camber, darker coloured wheels, bigger boot spoiler and front bumper splitter.

OR:

the trophy. The trophy has Recaro trendline seats on custom subframes (with thetrophy number on) and the infamous dampers - Sachs remote reservoir dampers which cost a huge amount new (C. £1500) but thankfully there are a handful of specialists who will refurbish them for a much lower cost (usually well under £400) and they will need refurbishing roughly every 25-45000 miles depending on your driving.

The normal 182 will be cheaper to buy, but the trophy will hold it's value better


Anything else you need to know, just drop me a PM mate

aston19uk

Your probably laugh lol but I am going to keep my s2000 and get a Vespa 125cc lol 135mpg or so he he. saves me using the s2000 going to work to crappy London. S2000 back to being a Sunday car.
For me I would need something like a 911 or a 30 - 40 thousand pound car that would beat the s2000 to replace and be on the next league up. maybe a massarati or a jag,skyline.