What do you think of the Renault Clio?

Question

http://gloucester.gumtree.com/gloucester/22/27398522.html

i am looking for a car and i thought that this Renault is gr8 for me, its exactly what i need but a friend told me that renault need lots of attention and doesnt live long, what do you think?

please dont show me other cars or links

Answer 1

Sorry, absolute rubbish -Renault Clios have average reliability, any problems tend to be minor, they're a nice little car.

The Watchdog scare stories related to bonnet catches on Mk 1 Clios, long since sorted on any affected cars.

Spare parts are cheap & widely available: Try http://www.gsfcarparts.com

That one on Gumtree is also a very good price - I'd buy it if it hasn't already gone!

Answer 2

they are a good car... but BEWARE!!

you can only get spares from renault themselves!  this includes windscreen wipers..

it is hellishly expensive and they take ages to arrive.. i found myself predicting the next problem... so i could get the right part on time

so i sold my espace and bought an ascari!!

Answer 3

they are rubbish. they look good but came 211th out of 219 in customer satisfaction surveys,

buy a toyota yaris or honda jazz

Answer 4

They're good cars if they are well maintained and they offer entertaining handling. They have great engines that last well beyond 150,000 miles if serviced regularly. The rest of the build quality on the car is average.  

Answer 5

Nothing much wrong with Clio's. The bonnet fault was down to lack of maintenance, although of course it shouldn't happen in any event.

This ad rings all the warning bells! This guy is trying so hard to sell the car it must be a heap of shite! It's an automatic too, which is not really good news. Buy from a Renault dealer if you can. Or ask where they off load their part exchanges as they often will not sell p/exs themselves. Don't buy from a private seller unless you, or someone you know has a fair amount of car knowledge. No comebacks at all if the car claps out. Dealers are bound by the Sale of Goods Act.

To finish, Clio's are fine, service history is a good sign that the car has been looked after. The only sign actually. Don't fall for the 'little old lady only shopping' routine, he's probably wound the clock back.

Answer 6

If you have ever watched Watchdog there is no way you would buy one.  There have been hundreds of people who have had their bonnets fly up when they were driving.  I would not advise you to buy one.  

Answer 7

To be honest, any car that's 10 years old could give you a lot of trouble, no matter what it is. I like Clios, I had two of them and had no bother at all with them, but I'm usually a bit suspicious of low mileage, one little old lady owner cars as that little use in 10 years is actually pretty bad for a car. If you really fancy it, get a mechanic to go have a look at it for you, or the AA/RAC. It'll cost maybe £100 or so, but it'll tell you whether to steer clear or of it's the best buy ever.

Answer 8

There a good economical run-around, and the model you are looking at is quite modern. That is a very good price as well. Be sure to take someone who knows about cars to have a look around with you(check under oil filler cap etc). However, there not so well built and can be unreliable. But parts are gererally quite cheap and so are labour costs.

One thing I would say is its an automatic, which isn't great if you really love driving, but great if you live in the city and are lazy. And give the gearbox a thourough test BEFORE you buy, as if that goes the costs to repair will be huge.