9 replies to this topic

[deanymini]

Does anyone own or has previously owned a Clio V6. I'm seriously considering getting one soon and would be really interested in peoples views, opinions and experiences with them.

Adam

[cradley-heathen]

having not owned one myself, feel free to ignore everything im about to say, but......

 

i read a very interesting article on them in practical performance car mag a few years ago (sadly i dont have the mags anymore, so i cant go find it) basically their opinion of it is that its brilliant fun to drive on the road, however they did say that for any kind of spirrited driving its not so great, and if you ever thought of using it for a track day, dont bother.

 

i think the downfall of the car is that its a real parts bin special. there is very little that is bespoke to that car, and when you drive one it does become apparant. (think mgf with more power, and your on the right line!)

 

a friend of mine had one for about 6 months and within days regretted buying it. we took it out a few times and it was very eager to swap ends at any given moment, and was completely uncontrolable when it let go.

 

now this bit is just from memory, but i believe there is something about later models being slightly better, and you can spot earlier and later ones by if it has a rear wash wipe if i remember correctly, but dont quote me on this last bit.

 

feel free to ignore all i have said, but having been in one, and read the reports, it did seem like a bonkers car that didnt work quite as well as it looked.

 

http://img.photobuck...55/Clioside.jpg

Edited by cradley-heathen, 15 May 2013 - 08:43 PM.

[deanymini]

Thanks for your input CH. From the research that I've done, everything you said is pretty accurate. However, I don't know why, there's something so stupid about the whole concept of them that makes them so desirable. It's like a group of engineers at the plant had nothing to do and decided to see if they could shoehorn a V6 into a clio body shell they had lying around.

[Orange-Phantom]

I owned a MK1 V6 for 8 and a half years and even used it as a daily drive for several of those!

 

I had great fun in mine and if I had enough money and a big enough garage would definitely have another but I am also mindful of the fact that it's not a perfect car.

 

Firstly it looks amazing still to this day, performance is great but an new RS Focus, top line Megane sport or an EVO will be quicker, but it's not always about that.

 

The level of grip is nut's.  You'll have trouble wheel spinning it even in greasy conditions.  It will grip until it breaks away and it will not give you much warning before it does, so if your driving it fast you better know what your doing and be a good driver!  They did earn themselves the nickname "The Widowmaker" for a very good reason.  You do have to be driving it very fast to get to this point though.  On the normal roads you will have to be driving like a lunatic to get it there.  Drive it on a track and you will though!

 

The sound is amazing from the V6 and the torque is just brilliant.  Expect around 20mpg if driving it for fun.  You may get 26-30 mpg on the motorway if you drive it sensibly!  (Good luck with that one).

 

It will run on 95 ron but it will pink and loose performance.  97.2 ron fuel is a minimum I would say!

 

The turning circle is dire by the way.  Your bonnet is your boot (and not very big)  the actual boot can store about 6 cans of coke in there but they would be very warm afterwards if you did!  It's also rather low.

 

But do you buy it to be practical.  No!

 

If you buy one ensure that it has had it's cam belt changed recently (it's due every 5 years from memory).  It's very expensive to do as it's an Engine out job, expect to see little back from £1,500 if you take it to a decent garage for this the water pump should be changed as well at the same time, as it's driven off the cam belt.

 

Make sure it has decent tyres on it i.e. Michelin Pilot Sport 2/3's.  You have to forget the cost. you need good tyres on this car!

 

Front brake pads are AP racing, the rears are custom Bendix and are expensive so again make sure that there is plenty on them otherwise budget that into the cost.

 

Make sure the tracker works as well, it brings your insurance down!

 

Which one are you thinking of getting by the way, Mk1 or Mk2?

[deanymini]

More than likely the mk1. Thanks for the advice. Some very useful info there. The other option would be the trusty vx220(of which I've had two).

[Orange-Phantom]

If you want any advise on it or have any questions ask away I'd be more than happy to help you.

 

One thing I would suggest is to get an insurance quote for it before you commit to buying one.  It's Insurance Group 20D which depending on your age, driving experience and location may be expensive!

 

I found that Elephant.co.uk was one of the cheapest.  I ended up pay about £320 for it fully comp restricted to 8,000 miles a year but then I do live on the Isle of Man which brings down the insurance.

[deanymini]

Gees, that is cheap! I thought I'd had a good quote when they gave me a price of £600! Thanks for the offer, I may well be asking you for some advice in the near future.

[iwatkins]

Lovely cars. Put together by some mental Frechies on a Saturday morning after a bender the night before is probably not far from the truth.

Mate I used to go to track days with had a Mk1. We used to swap cars.

I found the soundtrack to be amazing and always seemed to egg you on. Handling on track was I thought, very good for a relatively short wheel base rear wheel drive. Only thing I couldn't get on with was the handling on the limit. It seemed to go from lots of feedback to almost none at all, then it would swop ends before you could poo yourself. Apparently the Mk2 is much better in this respect.

Good brakes though. Nice feel.

Wasn't actually that fast.

Smiles per mile though? Right up there.

Cheers

Ian

[cradley-heathen]

i hope my previous post didnt sound too negative, i do really like the cars, dont get me wrong!

 

they do indeed look fantastic, and im sure if you got hold of a really nice low mileage one and kept it for a while it will be worth a mint in the future.

 

as for the vx220 you said you had, i really do like them! but i have always wondered why dont you see more of them on the road? did they only make about ten or something? lol!

[CMXCVIII]

I've owned two V6 Clios and agree with everything the Phantom says. Funnily enough, the guy who bought my second Clio V6 swopped his VX220 with me and I kept that for four years - a lot longer than I enjoyed either Clio!

 

The Clio's [obviously] far quieter and more sophisticated than the VX. About equally soddish to work on ... at least behind the seats; the front end is easy to get to.  I'd suggest it's even grippier than the VX but comparable in its lack of forgiveness when it lets go.  The Clio's fuel economy is rotten by comparison and it's a bloated fat wide thing if you want to fit through gaps in urban traffic. On the other hand, it has real bumpers to protect against parking knocks.

 

[ETA - build quality is infinitely better than the Lotus-built trash! It's like a real car where you can touch the controls and open the doors and windows without them breaking!]

 

By the way, having also driven Clio 172s, the weirdest thing is sitting in a 'normal' Clio, looking through a 'normal' Clio windscreen, turning the key and having this whirring engine noise coming from behind you!  

 

Jon   

Edited by CMXCVIII, 15 May 2013 - 10:57 PM.