I've just clicked over 12,000 miles since I first sat in my 200 back in December, so thought I'd post a little write up of its life in my hands to date.
I came to the 200 following 8 years of 172 Cup ownership, from new back in 2003. Prior to the Cup I'd never been into any kind of 'performance' car (previous steeds include a TD Pug 306, Fiesta 1.1L, Triumph Toledo), but from owning the 172 Cup, the Renaultsport itch very soon got well and truly under my skin.
After 130k miles and a mountain of trackdays, it was tired, worn out, and overdue a replacement. With that itch ever present and after a brief foray into Suzuki Ignis Sport ownership, the ONLY car that could replace the 172 Cup was the current model RS Clio, so I hunted for and found my ideal car.
Not to everyone's taste, without Cup suspension, Recaros, or any mod at all (with the exception of rear parking sensors) my Deep Black 200 had been owned by an elderly couple, covering 18k in 2.5 years from new.
With six months warranty remaining (which later I would be very grateful for) and an agreed cost to change, I set off and did the deal with the trader 170 miles from home late on a Friday night.
The next morning I headed off in the 200 nice and early to a pre booked day at my local circuit, Goodwood. Knowing the lines well from countless laps in my 172 Cup, I could focus on just driving and learning the car. A great day was had, with a few notable scalps and a mistaken identity black flag ruining a complete session.
[YOUTUBE]4da_GyQBmzs[/YOUTUBE]
Then it was nothing more exciting than settling into the daily grind with it. The non-Cup suspension proved to be the right choice with my commute being 52 miles all in, mostly on poorly surfaced B roads. It has RS Clio DNA running right through it, but still manages to deal with the awful road surface. Lots of interesting swoops, turns, gradients, and cambers over and over every single day helped me get a feel for how it responds.
The next trackday booked was arranged on Cliosport.net and was a private day at Llandow. With only 30 cars, 10 max at a time, and a short 1 mile circuit (think Brands Indy with an extra kink in it somewhere) it looked to be the 200's natural stomping ground. Apart from two insanely driven 172/182s and the burpspeed.com race car, it held it's own against all others. It had plenty more to give, but there was zero run off, monsoon downpours, and I had no insurance, so I kept it safe.
Apart from running over the kerbs all day long that is. BIG mistake.
If you like riding kerbs in your 200 I'd advise you to stop doing it. Now.
Why?
£900. Replacement of both front lower ball joints. They're integral to the stub axle assembly, and it's £200 plus VAT per side and 4.5 hours labour to fit.
Discovered at my MOT, one day before the warranty expired, I managed to get 40% contribution from Renault but was still left £500 light. No more kerbs for me.
[YOUTUBE]AbNu1kRiwHg[/YOUTUBE]
That's it to date. It's been a great 12,00 miles.
What have I learned?
It's not the quickest car in a straight line, and to make real progress you do have to show commitment. Its extra weight over my 172 cup I can honestly say doesn't blunt the drive for me at all. It's noticeable, but the whole car is just setup to deal with it, and it does deal with it, very well.
It has so much grip, you have to drive at insane speeds to get it moving about like my Cup did which I think is why so many mkII owners dismiss the 197/200s as no fun. They are missing out.
From day one using an Android app I have logged road tax, insurance, depreciation,and every single penny spent as a result of me owning this car.
I've suffered 3 tyres destroyed by a nail in the shoulder, so with the recent MOT expense thrown in, the overall costs are eye watering.
Next up is a day at Bedford on the GT circuit, so when being forced to decide on new tyres recently I thought I and the 200 deserved a treat.
Only 26 more sleeps to go.
I came to the 200 following 8 years of 172 Cup ownership, from new back in 2003. Prior to the Cup I'd never been into any kind of 'performance' car (previous steeds include a TD Pug 306, Fiesta 1.1L, Triumph Toledo), but from owning the 172 Cup, the Renaultsport itch very soon got well and truly under my skin.
After 130k miles and a mountain of trackdays, it was tired, worn out, and overdue a replacement. With that itch ever present and after a brief foray into Suzuki Ignis Sport ownership, the ONLY car that could replace the 172 Cup was the current model RS Clio, so I hunted for and found my ideal car.
Not to everyone's taste, without Cup suspension, Recaros, or any mod at all (with the exception of rear parking sensors) my Deep Black 200 had been owned by an elderly couple, covering 18k in 2.5 years from new.
With six months warranty remaining (which later I would be very grateful for) and an agreed cost to change, I set off and did the deal with the trader 170 miles from home late on a Friday night.
The next morning I headed off in the 200 nice and early to a pre booked day at my local circuit, Goodwood. Knowing the lines well from countless laps in my 172 Cup, I could focus on just driving and learning the car. A great day was had, with a few notable scalps and a mistaken identity black flag ruining a complete session.
[YOUTUBE]4da_GyQBmzs[/YOUTUBE]
Then it was nothing more exciting than settling into the daily grind with it. The non-Cup suspension proved to be the right choice with my commute being 52 miles all in, mostly on poorly surfaced B roads. It has RS Clio DNA running right through it, but still manages to deal with the awful road surface. Lots of interesting swoops, turns, gradients, and cambers over and over every single day helped me get a feel for how it responds.
The next trackday booked was arranged on Cliosport.net and was a private day at Llandow. With only 30 cars, 10 max at a time, and a short 1 mile circuit (think Brands Indy with an extra kink in it somewhere) it looked to be the 200's natural stomping ground. Apart from two insanely driven 172/182s and the burpspeed.com race car, it held it's own against all others. It had plenty more to give, but there was zero run off, monsoon downpours, and I had no insurance, so I kept it safe.
Apart from running over the kerbs all day long that is. BIG mistake.
If you like riding kerbs in your 200 I'd advise you to stop doing it. Now.
Why?
£900. Replacement of both front lower ball joints. They're integral to the stub axle assembly, and it's £200 plus VAT per side and 4.5 hours labour to fit.
Discovered at my MOT, one day before the warranty expired, I managed to get 40% contribution from Renault but was still left £500 light. No more kerbs for me.
[YOUTUBE]AbNu1kRiwHg[/YOUTUBE]
That's it to date. It's been a great 12,00 miles.
What have I learned?
It's not the quickest car in a straight line, and to make real progress you do have to show commitment. Its extra weight over my 172 cup I can honestly say doesn't blunt the drive for me at all. It's noticeable, but the whole car is just setup to deal with it, and it does deal with it, very well.
It has so much grip, you have to drive at insane speeds to get it moving about like my Cup did which I think is why so many mkII owners dismiss the 197/200s as no fun. They are missing out.
From day one using an Android app I have logged road tax, insurance, depreciation,and every single penny spent as a result of me owning this car.
I've suffered 3 tyres destroyed by a nail in the shoulder, so with the recent MOT expense thrown in, the overall costs are eye watering.
Next up is a day at Bedford on the GT circuit, so when being forced to decide on new tyres recently I thought I and the 200 deserved a treat.
Only 26 more sleeps to go.
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