Hey all, just a quick hello as i always seem drawn back to this site despite letting my 197 cup go last year.
Nice to see the site full of life, really enjoyed reading some of the progress threads lately.
A few of my favourite threads :
http://www.clio197.net/forum/showthread.php?46234-Clio-V6-amp-700-BHP-Focus-RS
(quick note....according to the V6 forum that particular car was written off within 24 hours of the owner picking it up).
http://www.clio197.net/forum/showthread.php?47096-Got-a-new-car!&highlight=200T
(just about sums up the error made with this generation of Clio's, can't believe the price now).
Anyway after about 8 years of threatening to do it, i placed a V6 in the garage and haven't looked back. If there was an aisle wide enough...id marry the damn thing. Although on the Yorkshire moors here where i live, the 197 would undoubtedly leave a V6 standing, the excitement of just being in one more than makes up for the awful handling. The garage who service my V6 actually own one that's probably one of the most valuable/sought after V6s in the country, super rare and he says mine is set up absolutely perfect....he must be mad as the handling isnt exactly spectacular through the corners. Funnily enough he also said i quote "yeah i like a really subtle sleeper style car" when telling me he's actually ordered a 200T for his wife....coming from the guy who's garage includes a sport spider with 700 miles from new, a bright yellow 230 F1 Megane, a bright yellow 265 trophy and of course his acid yellow V6 in as new condition that's he's driven like twice. Subtle isn't what he's known for (Rick if you ever read this, your mad!!). Thankfully the garage said its absolutely spotless despite it not having a particular easy life with a previous owner along the way, i started sleeping well when he said that as ofcourse you take a risk buying such an old car.
Moving swiftly on, owning the V6 and after about 600 odd miles in it i can safely say i love the thing although its not all fun and games. A few pro's and cons :
1 - Golf R32 driver leaning out his window to film me turning right at 11pm at night....satisfying.
2 - Going to PC world and despite parking it away from everybody, returning to find a crowd of people taking photo's of it and asking to sit in it.....makes me feel special.
3 - Hearing a Golf R in Morrisons underground carpark sitting revving his engine. I made a point of leaving via him, the look of envy is a terrible thing....again satisfying.
4 - £1567.43 for its first trip to the garage, i dont want to hear any of you lot complaining about "expensive" cambelt services again....ouch but saw it coming even before i bought the car.
5 - Being followed home by 4 "yoofs" in a standard clio who were playing silly b*ggers in traffic. As i got close to home i literally carried on going until they hit a red light.....not ideal.
6 - Fuel gauge decided to stop working so over Christmas i had no idea how much i actually had and the weather was great so i was using the car.
7 - A lady who started working at my place saw my 197 a few days before i sold it and immediately began asking questions. Turns out she and her partner own and run loads of Clios (172, 182 etc) and they were looking for a V6 too. Anyway a week or so after i got mine, they got one too so ive got another one to look at...very lucky.
8 - Buttertubs pass with 3 Fiesta STs (all the new style) from their owners club, great fun. I was at the back as i was the slowest and the St at the front (my mates dad) said all he could hear was me the whole time, Janspeed exhausts have their benefits!
9 - Almost crashing because im looking in my mirror at the engine, no idea how or why my car has a clear engine cover but its pure porn. This happens atleast 3 times every time i go out....hmmm
10 - driving it back when buying it. As the car has been in storage for the last few years and has covered under 1000 miles in that time, all i could smell was oil and burning fuel...so much so i actually had to wash my hair that night twice as it was so greasy and nasty with it all....lovely.
11 - Taking my mum shopping in it, small amount of food we bought goes under the bonnet. "ohh your bonnet won't shut properly" she says. Quick investigation revealed she hadn't put the bonnet stay down so she literally bent the bar 90º pressing down so hard on it. I've never threatened to break every bone in my 67 year old mums body before but hey there's a first time for everything right!? Thankfully my second car is a Mk2 Clio so I bent it back as best i could and swapped them over so mum's life was pretty much saved by my second car. Had I not chosen a Clio as a second car for donor parts...id be writing a slightly different post from my cell in her majesty's custody.
12 - Last one, promise! Buying a scale model of a V6 and taking the actual car over Saddleworth moor to Manchester in the snow to collect it. Car was sooo scary but the look on the guys face when i turned up was priceless.
Anyway odd times but really hope to make it to a few of the meets in the north this year if im still welcome. Those of you travelling to Malton Big Breakfast Meet will see me there standing prowd.
A quick shot or two of it as it is now, new numberplates arrived in the post today, hurry with my V5 mr DVLA!!
The final shot is it about 30 minutes after the cambelt was done. I must apologise to the people who know V6's well....i have since changed those phase 2 rear lights to the phase 1 originals, replaced the side indicator lenses from those nasty clear things to original phase 1 orange ones and finally I even changed the rubber O-Ring seals behind the lights too. Original is best although ill make an exception for the Exhaust, KW Coilovers and AP Racing breaks (which look the business but perform terribly...you notice the extra weight of this car compared with a 197 cup)...and the engine cover but that's it.
I actually never told my land lord (who lives next door funnily enough) about buying the car. First time he "met" the car was when I used it to go to work, started it in the garage at five to 7 in the morning.....he wasn't happy lets leave it at that.
All the best.
Ross
Nice to see the site full of life, really enjoyed reading some of the progress threads lately.
A few of my favourite threads :
http://www.clio197.net/forum/showthread.php?46234-Clio-V6-amp-700-BHP-Focus-RS
(quick note....according to the V6 forum that particular car was written off within 24 hours of the owner picking it up).
http://www.clio197.net/forum/showthread.php?47096-Got-a-new-car!&highlight=200T
(just about sums up the error made with this generation of Clio's, can't believe the price now).
Anyway after about 8 years of threatening to do it, i placed a V6 in the garage and haven't looked back. If there was an aisle wide enough...id marry the damn thing. Although on the Yorkshire moors here where i live, the 197 would undoubtedly leave a V6 standing, the excitement of just being in one more than makes up for the awful handling. The garage who service my V6 actually own one that's probably one of the most valuable/sought after V6s in the country, super rare and he says mine is set up absolutely perfect....he must be mad as the handling isnt exactly spectacular through the corners. Funnily enough he also said i quote "yeah i like a really subtle sleeper style car" when telling me he's actually ordered a 200T for his wife....coming from the guy who's garage includes a sport spider with 700 miles from new, a bright yellow 230 F1 Megane, a bright yellow 265 trophy and of course his acid yellow V6 in as new condition that's he's driven like twice. Subtle isn't what he's known for (Rick if you ever read this, your mad!!). Thankfully the garage said its absolutely spotless despite it not having a particular easy life with a previous owner along the way, i started sleeping well when he said that as ofcourse you take a risk buying such an old car.
Moving swiftly on, owning the V6 and after about 600 odd miles in it i can safely say i love the thing although its not all fun and games. A few pro's and cons :
1 - Golf R32 driver leaning out his window to film me turning right at 11pm at night....satisfying.
2 - Going to PC world and despite parking it away from everybody, returning to find a crowd of people taking photo's of it and asking to sit in it.....makes me feel special.
3 - Hearing a Golf R in Morrisons underground carpark sitting revving his engine. I made a point of leaving via him, the look of envy is a terrible thing....again satisfying.
4 - £1567.43 for its first trip to the garage, i dont want to hear any of you lot complaining about "expensive" cambelt services again....ouch but saw it coming even before i bought the car.
5 - Being followed home by 4 "yoofs" in a standard clio who were playing silly b*ggers in traffic. As i got close to home i literally carried on going until they hit a red light.....not ideal.
6 - Fuel gauge decided to stop working so over Christmas i had no idea how much i actually had and the weather was great so i was using the car.
7 - A lady who started working at my place saw my 197 a few days before i sold it and immediately began asking questions. Turns out she and her partner own and run loads of Clios (172, 182 etc) and they were looking for a V6 too. Anyway a week or so after i got mine, they got one too so ive got another one to look at...very lucky.
8 - Buttertubs pass with 3 Fiesta STs (all the new style) from their owners club, great fun. I was at the back as i was the slowest and the St at the front (my mates dad) said all he could hear was me the whole time, Janspeed exhausts have their benefits!
9 - Almost crashing because im looking in my mirror at the engine, no idea how or why my car has a clear engine cover but its pure porn. This happens atleast 3 times every time i go out....hmmm
10 - driving it back when buying it. As the car has been in storage for the last few years and has covered under 1000 miles in that time, all i could smell was oil and burning fuel...so much so i actually had to wash my hair that night twice as it was so greasy and nasty with it all....lovely.
11 - Taking my mum shopping in it, small amount of food we bought goes under the bonnet. "ohh your bonnet won't shut properly" she says. Quick investigation revealed she hadn't put the bonnet stay down so she literally bent the bar 90º pressing down so hard on it. I've never threatened to break every bone in my 67 year old mums body before but hey there's a first time for everything right!? Thankfully my second car is a Mk2 Clio so I bent it back as best i could and swapped them over so mum's life was pretty much saved by my second car. Had I not chosen a Clio as a second car for donor parts...id be writing a slightly different post from my cell in her majesty's custody.
12 - Last one, promise! Buying a scale model of a V6 and taking the actual car over Saddleworth moor to Manchester in the snow to collect it. Car was sooo scary but the look on the guys face when i turned up was priceless.
Anyway odd times but really hope to make it to a few of the meets in the north this year if im still welcome. Those of you travelling to Malton Big Breakfast Meet will see me there standing prowd.
A quick shot or two of it as it is now, new numberplates arrived in the post today, hurry with my V5 mr DVLA!!
The final shot is it about 30 minutes after the cambelt was done. I must apologise to the people who know V6's well....i have since changed those phase 2 rear lights to the phase 1 originals, replaced the side indicator lenses from those nasty clear things to original phase 1 orange ones and finally I even changed the rubber O-Ring seals behind the lights too. Original is best although ill make an exception for the Exhaust, KW Coilovers and AP Racing breaks (which look the business but perform terribly...you notice the extra weight of this car compared with a 197 cup)...and the engine cover but that's it.
I actually never told my land lord (who lives next door funnily enough) about buying the car. First time he "met" the car was when I used it to go to work, started it in the garage at five to 7 in the morning.....he wasn't happy lets leave it at that.
All the best.
Ross
