Considering Ultra Red Clio200 with 40.000miles (64000km).. opinions?

[Antti O]

Hi !

I am considering Clio 200 which is for sale here in Finland. I think that is one of the few 200 which we have in whole country. Renault finland never imported Clio 200 officially. We only have less than 10 Clio 197 in my country too. So quite rare car i say. This example is imported from Germany in this summer and now it is for sale. Pricetag is quite high, 16500euros (over 12000£).

Okay, here come the specs:

-2 owners
-Ultra red
-Full fat
-2011
-40k miles (64k kilometres)
-Satnav, panoramic sunroor... do you see any other extras?
-Raider alloys

Then the bad bits which i know:

-Only 2 services done,
first 25518km / 2012
second 47762km / 2014

-left sill is damaged, see pictures. Has to be re-sprayed

-Tyres are worn and mixed set. New set of conti spc5 to buy..


Now current mileage 64000km, so obviously 60000km service has not been done. And timing belt has to be do if you trust that 4 year time.. or is it 6 year interval?


So what i have to do if i buy this, fix sill, do 60.000km service including spark plugs, change timing belt, new tyres.
Seller will drop price little bit, but not much. I know 200 clio is great thing to drive, and this full fat model is better for our bad roads than cup.







Pics:

 

[Pav]

hi there..looks like a clean example mate..you will need to service it most like it..belts may be due soon too..

 

[Antti O]

hi there..looks like a clean example mate..you will need to service it most like it..belts may be due soon too..

Hi, i was planning i do 60.000km service myself. With that timing belt, i trust professional mechanics.
In same time i will replace aux belt and tensioner too.
Any other things i have to check out?

This evening one of my friends will check this car for me because it is located in another side of country.

 

[Jimmy]

I suppose it depends how much you want the car, especially with how hard they obviously are to get hold of in Finland.

Personally, the lack of service history plus the work needing to be done/money spent on it, in addition to the advertised selling price, would put me off. However here in the UK there is a lot more choice - you don't have that luxury....

 

[Antti O]

I suppose it depends how much you want the car, especially with how hard they obviously are to get hold of in Finland.

Personally, the lack of service history plus the work needing to be done/money spent on it, in addition to the advertised selling price, would put me off. However here in the UK there is a lot more choice - you don't have that luxury....

You see, we have really expensive cars here. For example 197 cost 32.000eur when new.
I agree with you about that service history, i know i have to do 60.000km service, cambelt, sill fix, new tyres.. and what else it will need.. :/
I really dont know what to decide.

And we have to remember those clio rs are extremely difficult to re-sale if i dont like it.

 

[Jimmy]

Ok, what sort of price would a 200 normally sell for/be advertised for in Finland if they were in very good condition (needed no work)? You will have to spend quite a lot of money to get it right...

The lack of service history would bother me the most I think. The sills and tyres are something that can be easily rectified (at cost of course), but the fact that it hasn't been regularly serviced is not good... These cars really do need to be serviced on time to be at their best.

As for re-sale, it is another thing to take into account yes. I would say go with your instinct - if it doesn't feel right, then walk away. 16500euros is a lot of money if you are not sure that this is the car for you.

 

[Antti O]

Ok, what sort of price would a 200 normally sell for/be advertised for in Finland if they were in very good condition (needed no work)? You will have to spend quite a lot of money to get it right...

The lack of service history would bother me the most I think. The sills and tyres are something that can be easily rectified (at cost of course), but the fact that it hasn't been regularly serviced is not good... These cars really do need to be serviced on time to be at their best.

As for re-sale, it is another thing to take into account yes. I would say go with your instinct - if it doesn't feel right, then walk away. 16500euros is a lot of money if you are not sure that this is the car for you.

Hi
I dont know prices because as i said there is no such cars for sale. One gordini with 20.000km was on the sale over 1 year in dealer, price was 20.000euros.
My friend just took quick look for car. Another problems found: Alloys need refurb, lacquer is damaged and there is corrosion under lacquer in the shine parts of the wheels. There is also tramlining in acceleration.. worn tyres can cause that or bad tracking?
Maybe it is just better to forget this car now.. and maybe i look another cars which are for sale in Germany next summer.

 

[peter]

looks like the gordini wheels (17"), not the raider wheels (18"). i'd steer away from this car. too expensive for the state it's in.
if you're not in a hurry and are not afraid of importing one from germany, then wait for the right car to come along.

 

[Antti O]

looks like the gordini wheels (17"), not the raider wheels (18"). i'd steer away from this car. too expensive for the state it's in.
if you're not in a hurry and are not afraid of importing one from germany, then wait for the right car to come along.

The thing is that if i buy one from Germany, i have to pay 3000-4000€ import taxes. In that red car registration has been completed and taxes paid already.
This is difficult thing to decide. I know there are better examples for sale in Germany, but what will be final price after taxes and importing..
For example this: http://ww3.autoscout24.de/classified/274102380?asrc=st|as

11800+1000€+4000€ = 16800eur ,and this also needs timing belt job.

 

[Chrisgti6]

You do realise that the timing belt is due every 6 years don't you?

 

[Antti O]

You do realise that the timing belt is due every 6 years don't you?

In Finland 4 years and in Germany 6years. I drive clio only in summer so maybe i can use that 6 year interval?

 

[Chrisgti6]

Sorry forgot you are in Finland, probably best stick to the 4 years then. I'd imagine it's due to the colder weather you guys get

 

[peter]

The thing is that if i buy one from Germany, i have to pay 3000-4000€ import taxes. In that red car registration has been completed and taxes paid already.
This is difficult thing to decide. I know there are better examples for sale in Germany, but what will be final price after taxes and importing..
For example this: http://ww3.autoscout24.de/classified/274102380?asrc=st|as

11800+1000€+4000€ = 16800eur ,and this also needs timing belt job.

i see. well, for what it's worth i think the german one in your link looks much better value than the red one. even with the import taxes included.

 

[Jimmy]

The red seems to be a no go doesn't it then, it sounds a bit of a dog to be fair. I can understand your dilemma because these cars are in short supply in your country. However I wouldn't let that persuade you into buying a poor example. The right one will come along, it may just take some time.

And as peter says, a good one may be worth the import taxes.

 

[peter]

[MENTION=3306]Antti O[/MENTION] : just out of curiosity ... if you'd be importing a car from germany, would you be going to germany too? or would you buy from the internet, without having seen the car in person?

 

[Johnny 99]

As far as I can tell from the link the car in Germany appears to be a better bet. You would have to go and see it before buying though. I think you should take your time to find a good car rather than rush in and buy something you may regret.

 

[Foxspeed]

missed services...damaged sill....sounds like its been quite neglected has that....wouldn't buy it

the 197/200 engines are reliable IF maintained correctly - missed oil changes in my book is a NO-NO

walk away find a better one even if its higher miles but full and correct history

 

[Antti O]

Thanks for your opinions, i decided that i would not buy that red one. I agree information i have that it is not so well maintained or loved car. Unfortunately that means i have to find one from Germany. Most cars which are there for sale are modified or with cup package. We have so bad roads here, i prefer that full fat option. Maybe i look cars again maybe next year april/may when snow has been melt and i can travel to Germany. I cannot import Clio in wintertime because cars in Germany dont have winter tyres which i need to drive from Harbour to home, and i dont salt that car anyway..

Most cars which i have asking for this summer (sale in Germany) , there is all kind of problems and service history is not complete, i dont understand why people treat this kind of special cars so bad :/

 

[DS197]

Most cars which i have asking for this summer (sale in Germany) , there is all kind of problems and service history is not complete, i dont understand why people treat this kind of special cars so bad :/

That's the thing with the Clio, you either get cars that have been owned with great care and no expense spared, or ones that have been ragged to death with no sympathy at all. There is no middle ground for some reason