197 alternatives for the same ish money.

[///M]

Alot of people would consider a Renault Clio to be something other that what the enthusiast knows it to be. Not helped by the price the 197 these days meaning the youth and their fake Burberry caps drive them about lmao

Yeah, I'm bang in that demographic, can only drive cheap crappy French cars that all the chavs drive... and I LOVE every minute, regardless of what passers by think!

 

[///M]

@M19TNR damn good post mate.

 

[Roninbb]

No I'm not getting a car for what anyone else thinks at all. I was a cop for 9 years so people's opinions of me wash over me regardless of what car I may be in, what I'm wearing, what people think of my tattoos when I have short sleeves on etc etc...

As I said in the original post, the clio is a fine, capable car. It just doesn't do it for me after living with it for a while. I guess the main reason is I don't FEEL like I want to drive it, if that isn't there for me has to be time to move it on.

 

[Roninbb]

The car I've had I can most compare it too, in terms of feel, is my Integra type r. Maybe I remember the Integra through rose coloured glasses abit as it was years back. I do remember it feeling special when I drove it though. I don't get that with the clio unfortunately, horses for courses and all that

 

[Pav]

glad you are happy with your new polo..never driven one so cant comment..

 

[Roninbb]

It's not the perfect anything but it is a happy medium, as all the married men in here will know....lifes all about compromise

 

[Big Ben]

It's not the perfect anything but it is a happy medium, as all the married men in here will know....lifes all about compromise

Don’t forget sacrifice and biting your tongue!!

 

[Roninbb]

Don’t forget sacrifice and biting your tongue!!

Bourbon is the weapon of choice in those dark times haha

 

[Pav]

Don’t forget sacrifice and biting your tongue!!

not sure what you are talking about

 

[///M]

not sure what you are talking about View attachment 123228

Me neither mate!

 

[CallorFold]

Cooper S? They seem to span a huge price range depending what you're after and can have some serious power without throwing silly sums of money at them. Can't say I've driven one, but have 2 friends (one with the R53 Supercharged version, and one with the R56 Turbo version) and both seem pretty happy with them.

 

[AmosMoses]

I looked at an FN2 Type R, interior was miles better than the Clio but didn't drive anywhere near as raw. A lovely car for a daily but didn't have the special feel of a 197.

Clios really excel at that special feel, maybe its just me but they are like baby GT3s.

 

[///M]

I looked at an FN2 Type R, interior was miles better than the Clio but didn't drive anywhere near as raw. A lovely car for a daily but didn't have the special feel of a 197.

Clios really excel at that special feel, maybe its just me but they are like baby GT3s.

All about driving experience huh? All my cars are 100% about driver focus. Ok one of them comes with lots of creature comforts too but that's certainly not what I bought it for!

The excitement you get from the Clio when pushing on and revving the tits off it is just a special experience for someone who enjoys driving at pace. Also given the power / pace of the car, I honestly think it's pitched absolutely perfectly to give you incredible amounts of fun while still staying at sane road speeds. At those times, the cheap (although in my opinion nicely designed) interior and all the other things the Clio isn't great at matter not one bit to me. It's as thrilling as pretty much anything point to point on a B road, end of.

It's never going to be a traffic light grand prix or a wow factor in fit and finish for passengers type car, but that simply isn't an issue to me. I've had two mates banging on about cheap / crap French rubbish. Took them both for a proper drive. Neither of them expected it to perform like it did. Shut them both right up!

I'd say baby Lotus. All about handling.

 

[Jimmy]

I was so afraid of something breaking I didn't want to drive it

This sounds exactly like me with my Clio on a daily basis

OT though - if you got the Polo GTi as your only car, would you not miss having something as a second/weekend machine?? It's clear that the whole point of you having the Clio was that it was an alternative to your DD (even if it hasn't pushed the right buttons). I just wonder if putting all your eggs in one VW-shaped basket might be a mistake down the line...?

 

[Roninbb]

I got thrown a scirocco r as a swerve by the dealer today, incredible spec inside, dsg box was very fast which was surprising. I always loved the look of the scirocco. Went like stink for a standard car aswel tbh. Told them I'll consider the options over the weekend!

 

[Brianrssprint]

I’ve had lots of fast cars in the past like evo 7 rs scoobies Audi RS3 and AMG A45 but I’ve still gone back to having another Clio as they just give you a real buzz when driving them and they need to be grabbed by the scruff of the neck to get the best out of them I love it!, my daily is now a bmw 335d but I still just love the Clio when you need a rush

 

[///M]

I’ve had lots of fast cars in the past like evo 7 rs scoobies Audi RS3 and AMG A45 but I’ve still gone back to having another Clio as they just give you a real buzz when driving them and they need to be grabbed by the scruff of the neck to get the best out of them I love it!, my daily is now a bmw 335d but I still just love the Clio when you need a rush

Nice daily Brian, a decent weapon when mapped.

But yep, totally agree about the Clio, drive it like you stole it!

 

[Mick K-T]

Im the same had plenty of performance cars in the past and also same boat as you pal been in he police for 13 years so Dosent bother me what other people think.
After having family cars for past few years I wanted a fun car again for the weekend which reminded me of my younger days of my 106 Rallye (first love). The Clio was the only thing that gave me that same feeling have to thrash it to get the best out of it. Drive a few other cars and see what floats you boat. I'd stay well clean of the dsg box unless it's got a good warranty with it as they have still not solved the issues with it. 2 boy racers near me have them in the new polo and they have gone bang. Manual all the way

 

[Doogle]

As other people have said, the Clio has a special feeling. Character. Maybe its the flaws that do this. My previous car was a BMW e46 330cd and it was better screwed together but heavy as hell. It was effortless in driving, with a few mods and a map was pushing 280 and 450 ft lb. But maybe it was because it was so accessible that it wasnt interesting.

The interior I dont mind but I have climate control, keycard, cruise and Recaros. I had to have a few nice options after the BMW. The only thing that I would like is a glovebox that fits right!

Good luck with the new car though!

 

[PaulV]

I wouldn't hesitaste to push my Clio 197 Cup off Beachy head and go get a low mileage Fiat Coupe 20VT for about £5k. After spending approx. £5k in less than a year fixing this Renault I am determined to get a return on my investment. Otherwise I would SELL it in an instant and also have Chris Harris and the Motoring press up on charges of 'bullshit journalism'! There are still a few Fiat Coupes around for anyone sensible and smart enough to chose a 'real car' and not a pretend one. Built at Pininfarina factory they were very well screwed together and performance wise were thumpingly quick unlike the tetchy and rather weak performance from the Clio 197 and 200. The sound of that 5 pot with the Garrett T3 in the Coupe was a symphony, like music of the petrolhead Gods. When you got in you could feel the adrenalin and KNOW you were in for a fabulous experience. In 4 years of ownership I never had a single problem compared to my current Clio 197 which pretty much falls apart the minute I drive it. Getting in the Clio I have no adrenalin. I just think "is it going to perform, is it going to let me down, will the gears change smoothly, will it misfire, will it do more than 23MPG, how tired am I going to get stirring the gearbox to extract the piss poor amount of torque and can I really be bothered to even drive it."