Advice for next car 206 GTI - Clio Sport - MG Zr / Rover 25 GTi.

[George-Roper]

Looking ahead to next year  which will be here soon! I am thinking about my next car. A new job comes with a van so as I wont need a car every day I am considering cheap "GO" and not mpg. What's an the knowledgeable views and what to look for on the Peugeot 206 GTI - Rover 25 GTI / MG ZR VVC / Renault Clio Sport?. Any other recommendations on this smaller size I may have missed?. Gen me up fella's.

[Cavcraft]

Nissan Micra

[gdhaydock]

Horsey horseless?

Renault 20?

[Honey Badger]

Civic Vti?

 

https://www.gumtree.com/p/honda/red-honda-civic-vtec-reg.2000-1.8-5-door-manual-1yr-mot-v.good-working-order-%C2%A3900-o.n.c.o/1144561052

[320touring]

Clio 172 here.

 

we paid 900 for it.

 

timing belt is a bugger at approx £450 every 5 years. its a bumper off job.

 

Spark plugs are a 70k service interval £50 a set(still cheaper than an alfa t-spark)

 

everything else is fairly straightforward - pads/discs dampers etc are cheap and easy to do.

 

Tyres are cheap - £75 for 2x uniroyal Rainsport 3s (195/50/15)

 

 

Its fucking brilliant! really nice to drive, ok to work on, does 30mpg round town, 43 on a run and will happily go like fuck all day long.

 

the ride on stock dampers and springs is firm but comfortable:)

 

 

i would buy one for me if I had a space.

 

 

 

 

a bit more detail on my blog here..

 

 

https://fuguttycars.wordpress.com/2015/02/08/side-by-side-supermini-shootout/

[cobblers]

I used to have a Saxo VTR and I went to try out a 206 GTI and it felt like a right fat knacker, I was well disappointed. this was circa 2007 so the 206 was only about 4 years old at the time.

I then test drove a GTI 180 and it still felt like a fat knacker, but it was more like it. Still underwhelmed, I stuck with the Saxo

I've also driven a Clio 172 and it felt nice and nimble, like the Saxo but with more power, but it turned out to be due the cambelt and stuff and the dealer wouldn't do the job or knock a penny off because in his words "Some idiot will come along and buy it anyway"

 

Ended up with a 106 GTI, they're brilliant.

[FakeConcern]

I have a Citroen C4 VTS 180, same engine as 206 GTI 180 which I love  and not much has gone wrong even though it's now on 175000 miles.

[sporty-shite]

Mrs S's old Clio dci 80 was fun enough, so I reckon over double that horsepower would be a right giggle.

 

Verdict: 172 reasons to get a Clio.

[lincolndanny]

errr without wanting to sound like a broken record....

[Station]

How about this? They go for about £2000 on ebay, but I'd take much less for it.

 

 

MOT until March, I put a 'new' engine in and serviced it (cambelt, tensioner, etc), new tyres, brand new suspension/polybushed, completely original apart from Janspeed exhaust I bought in 2002. It's frapid (quicker than a 172 Clio) and I get 45 MPG out of it.

[twosmoke300]

I had a similar short list but ended up with a cheap puma . Great fun car

[DVee8]

I had one of the first 172's in the country. I put my GT Primera in px for it and hated every mile i did. I knew i had made a mistake as soon as i drove away from the show room.

 

The quality was just shit.

 

Now this was a new car,the whole dash rattled the cd played worked sometimes the seats groaned.It was fast and handled like a rollerskate,but i fucking hated it.

 

I took a 5 year finance on it,screwed the shit out of it for 2.5 years,never serviced or washed at some point a 2 pint milk container got jammed behind the drivers seat and split,Mrs V8 had had the car forgot about the milk, the car was parked up over a hot sunny weekend. The smell come Monday morning was awful,I just left it with the windows and hatch open.

After the mid way point in the finance agreement i rang the finance company and agreed to drop it at Manheim auction and walk (read run) away.

 

Bought a K reg Cavalier 1.6 expression much better car.

[PiperCub]

Must confess, was talking to a colleague the other day explaining that I had a strange desire to own a MG ZR before they all get killed off or become Cla**ics. 

 

I used to know a couple of people with them and they were always very positive about them and no OMGHGF's either but they were bought new so don't know what they'd be like nowadays. 

[nacho man]

Clio 172/182's might be a bit flimsy trim wise but the mechanicals are pretty solid, every time I go to a track day there are loads with brightly coloured wing mirrors etc thrashing it round lap after lap after lap.

[midnite]

mg zr for sure, plenty in scrap yards, lots of upgraded bits from the bigger engined better specd models available in said scrappys, plenty on eBay for bits, always cheap performance parts of eBay too, 2nd hand tyres aplenty, cheap servicing, get one with the head gasket done, or buy one needing it cheap and get the head polished/ported, cammed up, exhaust, filter and your away, handle really well for what they are, and fairly old easy to fix technology, one day when they all been broken and smashed, the best ones will be worth a few quid for sure.

 

fuck the 206 gti thats a piece of shit, the clio is far better but all ragged to death and its french which means its shit, and no where near the amount of breakers available for bits.

 

don't worry about the 25 gti, it was only a stepping stone in development for the zr

[Station]

I'd love a 172 Clio or Saxo VTS at some point, you should go for it while they're at the bottom.

[Ghosty]

VTSs aren't easy to find, especially in unfucked flavour.

Cheap VTRs aplenty though.

[Timewaster]

Re Sexos. VTR / VTS = 8v / 16v which is which?

 

I ragged, sorry, borrowed my ex boss's 182 Clio for a couple of days once (he had my van) and yes the build quality was Lego, it was noisy and rattly but what did you expect from a French hatchback?

 

It was pretty quick, handled well but my expectations of a reincarnated 5GT Turbo or 205 Gti meant it was ultimately a disappointment.

 

Shirley the AS answer would be a Proton Satira Gti.

[lincolndanny]

VTR= 1.6 8 valve-95ish ponies

VTS= 1.6 16 valve-125ish ponies

[dave21478]

You would almost certain to not lose money in the longer term with a standard Saxo VTR or VTS, preferably a mkI with the small headlights.

 

Great fun to drive too. Number 24 on my "why the fuck did I sell that?" list.....

 

 

I looked at Clio 182 /172 and quite fancy one but its hard to find one that isnt nearly dead without spending lots.

From what I gether there is little noticeable difference between the 172 and 182 power wise, the 182 has slightly better equipment and usually Cup suspension but its a common trick to make a 172 look like a 182 and pass it off as something its not.

[George-Roper]

Thanks for the info so far fella's and for the Proton thought. Forgot about those and not seen many or know about them. Saxo had a normal one and no luck with it. Bits breaking like old straw and omghgf in the end put me off them. Renault sounds like a bit of a no go So can anyone recommend a good Rover and Proton forum?. Not knobend central like barryboys / mcdroitwich please.

[Faker]

Clio 172. Truly awesome car. Not for everyone. Not the best car out there. But most definitely a drivers car. God I miss mine!

[Faker]

Old faithful. 3.5 years as my daily.

[320touring]

with the dephaser majikery he 172 is equally happy pootling along at 65mph in the inside lane as it is attempting to headbutt the horizon.

 

I really rate it as most things to most men. Its fast, fun, frugal and has a 4 star ncap rating (a valid concern if commuting!)

 

add on that parts are not expensive and a £30 code reader will flag up any issues and the only things it is really missing are 2 rear doors and an estate rear end.

[nacho man]

Don't dismiss the 172/182 at all. There tough mechanically. Drive one and you will love them.

[cobblers]

Yeah, the engines seem OK and like the Danterezzzzzzza says up top, I've been at track days and seen them driven flat out all day long. The last time we went to Blyton there was a Clio 182 and a Saxo 1.4 Furio that went on at 9am and didn't leave the track all day for anything other than a driver swap or for fuel or tyres.

If I could pick a 182 up for maybe £1250 that wasn't obviously a complete shitbox then I would have one as the next daily, because my default 106 GTI/ Saxo VTS is approaching that figure if you want a halfway decent one anyway.

 

I upgraded from a 125bhp 106 gti with stock knackered shocks and "Landsail" tyres to a 200+bhp Ibiza Cupra with £800 Bilstein suspension and Pirelli tyres that cost more than the 106 itself, but ignoring turbo noises, I enjoyed driving the 106 hard more than I do the Ibiza. The Ibiza has more grip and feels more surefooted at higher speeds, but it doesn't give you much feedback so it all feels a bit of a guessing game. The 106 wouldn't touch it to 60, but I bet on anything other than a dual carriageway there wouldn't be a lot between them. The 106 exhaust note was miles better too.

 

At the same track day as above my 106 GTI was out there most of the day until the brakes were 100% glazed and the back axle was creaking like dot cottons gusset.  Even with morons at the wheel it wasn't really holding anything up, It would take the clios a good 4 or 5 laps to go from being distant dots in the rear mirror to getting near enough to let them past.

[George-Roper]

Thanks guys its all interesting stuff

[CHRIS1980]

I had a 172 and loved it. As for the build quality mine was ace,not a squeak or a rattle. It was more reliable and solid than the A3 it replaced. Mine was a phase 2 in Monaco blue. Things to watch are engine mounts are a service item,mine started to go near the end of my ownership. And tyres were an annual thing. I tried a few brands but settled on the original fit continental conti sport contacts. Not cheap but well worth it. I found them to be very tyre sensitive. Back boxes rot very quick and when I had mine you could only get from Renault or K tec racing. The only reason I sold it was you could not get a baby seat in the back. I miss it a lot and would have another. Oh if you drive it nice 50 mpg is possible.

[Jon]

Either we bought the world's most solid example of a Clio 172, or I drive such mega turd piles of toss that a 13 year old Renault shopping car feels like a tank. Honestly, take a look at the door structures of one of these and then compare it to a 205's door, it's like a flipping bank vault door in comparison. Actually, I reckon that comparison can probably be switched to the 205's favour in the boot lid department.

 

 

That said, we spent megabucks on this and your budget would be well and truly blown, so that's probably not a fair comparison; I'm sure a high mileage sub £1k would be pretty grim but this was a one owner with 55000km last year and Mrs_Jon has now run it up to 86000 already. I'm not even going to calculate the final cost of the Ronals and their Michelin PS3s but this is a very long term keeper and we don't owe any finance on it etc. so what the hell.

 

Plus, the funds spent on this is always a good leverage point to justify buying stuff I want!

[George-Roper]

^^^^^^^^ Those wheels look great.