I bought a 109k Clio 197 'full fat' from a chap about 18 months ago. I paid £3k, had a fairly comprehensive history with it. I wanted toys (Came from a fully loaded M sport e46 3 series) so I wanted one with Recaros, Xenons, Climate control, cruise control, etc.
In my ownership I have had to replace the cambelt and water pump (water pump as a precaution) a few tyres, rear discs, rear pads, 1 x rear stub axle (rusty) both front wishbone with ball joints, swivel joints, front topmounts and a full set of shocks. It needs an aircon radiator after getting a small hole in and new ARB and Anti rotation links as theres play. Lastly, my release bearing is noisy and the car doesnt like going into gear when cold.
Ive opted to do a lot more, Powerflex engine mounts have helped make the car feel much more solid and direct. New speakers, replaced the silver and black trim with later 200 gloss grey, new mats, new bulbs, etc.
These are very characterful cars, each is different. Due to how they are Id opt for one with less mileage. Cup spec with full fat options would be my choice again. Make sure belts have been done properly, dephasers dont go like 182/172 but worth having done along with waterpump for peace of mind. Exhausts are made of cheese so will probably be patched up, alot of people change them. Id estimate that if a car gets above 60k the dreaded gearbox crunch is probably not going to be a problem but again, every one is different. Rear ABS sensor mounts rust causing ABS sensor problems and as far as I am aware, you have to replace the whole stub axle at over £200 a pop from Renault. Front ball joints and swivel joints wear a bit quicker than an average car if you are driving hard.
On average, the work I have done I would expect to do on any car at the mileage its done. Suspension and associated handling parts is everything on this car, keeping it running right is more expensive than an average car but its more than an average car.
