I miss it so much...

[bbc]

Last year I took the decision to trade the Clio (AB197) in for a new car. It was 7 years old and was going to need a lot of money spent on it (brakes etc). The road tax was a killer too and I decided to get a fully kitted out Focus. Don't get me wrong the Focus is a brilliant car. It has everything on it and being a 1.0 Litre Econectic engine, it is £30 a year road tax and so economical - easily gets 40MPG even around town. Also, I don't have to worry about it too much - unlike the Clio.

BUT.... I miss the Clio so much. I just loved it. I really am tempted with a 200 or 200T. I see mixed reviews about the T and see people on here unable to sell them. Are they good cars? Are they expensive to tax and do you really get good MPG from them?
Have people sold their Clios for something more sensible and then got the itch and got another one? It is driving me mad!

 

[Matt W]

Buys brand new car to save £200 a year. Nice.

Out of interest why does the cost of VED really effect what car you buy? It makes hardly any difference in the overall costs.

 

[TB Rich]

Buys brand new car to save £200 a year. Nice.

Out of interest why does the cost of VED really effect what car you buy? It makes hardly any difference in the overall costs.

Indeed, I dont get some peoples logic.

If you bought the Focus out right you're getting shafted on depreciation way harder than the running costs of a 197, even if it needed a few pennies on it. And if you bought under any finance then you're getting shafted interest and depreciation. Only a lease would make comparable running costs, but then you're stuck in a 1.0 focus for x years and no capital at the end of it at all.

 

[Chris]

Ugh lol.

Unless you start clocking A LOT of miles its not worth it. Particularly just for the sake of buying brakes lol.

The 200t has mixed reviews, go test drive one to find out if you like it or not. The tax for it is £145 for one year, but even if it was £350, would it matter lol? I certainly wouldn't ever choose a car because of the tax, if I find out it was high after buying the car, it would be a once a year annoyance, nothing more.

In answer to your actual questions, yes quite a few people come back to the clio after selling up. Although most of what I've seen they don't trade it in for a 1l focus lol.

 

[Jimmy]

The thing with the Clio, is that you are getting a performance car with all the fun and excitement that comes with that. However, performance costs money - whether that's parts, VED, fuel etc. You can't have one without the other!

So where the Focus is economical and cheaper to tax, it clearly lacks the fun and excitement you yearn from the Clio!

You have to decide whether it's the thrill of the drive you want, or the more 'sensible' economical motor

 

[MikeO]

...I just loved it. I really am tempted with a 200 or 200T. I see mixed reviews about the T and see people on here unable to sell them. Are they good cars? Are they expensive to tax and do you really get good MPG from them?
Have people sold their Clios for something more sensible and then got the itch and got another one? It is driving me mad!

As others have said. Pretty much a matter of try both (IE. 200 & 200t) and see which you fancy. They are very much different cars (obvious comment I suppose). From a personal point of view, I would consider the 200 the more focused drivers car but it does come with a few compromises (don't all cars really). Where the 200t is a slightly more rounded car and easier to live with day-to-day. The biggest issue with the 200t is the EDC gearbox, really just a case of try it and see it you like / take to it. I was more than a little surprised when I tried it, that I liked it as much as I did (too many years to count as a "stick shift man").

As to "and see people on here unable to sell them". I'm pretty sure who you are talking about here and as far as I'm aware, this is really just one case. And on her own admission, she bought it with only a very short test drive, then decided a few weeks later that she hated it. Puts it up for sale at probably the worst time of year and then can't sell it. As I commented to her, I have a friend who's been trying to sell an M3 (and a good example at that) for a couple of months now and he's given up and is going to try again in the Spring. No disrespect intended here to the person concerned, it's just the way life goes sometimes. TBTH doubt if a 200t will be any harder to sell than any other car (subject to condition and price).

As to running costs for the 200t. Lets be honest here... if you drive it like it's intended (and if you don't... then what's the point of buying a car like this :s) then the mpg will take a hit. 99% of my driving is on rural B-roads (and I don't hang about) and my real world mpg is around 30/32mpg. Now I'm sure you could coax out closer to 40 mpg on a longer run (driving miss Daisy mode) but what would be the fun there.

Good luck on what ever you decide to get

 

[LindaA]

As others have said. Pretty much a matter of try both (IE. 200 & 200t) and see which you fancy. They are very much different cars (obvious comment I suppose). From a personal point of view, I would consider the 200 the more focused drivers car but it does come with a few compromises (don't all cars really). Where the 200t is a slightly more rounded car and easier to live with day-to-day. The biggest issue with the 200t is the EDC gearbox, really just a case of try it and see it you like / take to it. I was more than a little surprised when I tried it, that I liked it as much as I did (too many years to count as a "stick shift man").

As to "and see people on here unable to sell them". I'm pretty sure who you are talking about here and as far as I'm aware, this is really just one case. And on her own admission, she bought it with only a very short test drive, then decided a few weeks later that she hated it. Puts it up for sale at probably the worst time of year and then can't sell it. As I commented to her, I have a friend who's been trying to sell an M3 (and a good example at that) for a couple of months now and he's given up and is going to try again in the Spring. No disrespect intended here to the person concerned, it's just the way life goes sometimes. TBTH doubt if a 200t will be any harder to sell than any other car (subject to condition and price).

As to running costs for the 200t. Lets be honest here... if you drive it like it's intended (and if you don't... then what's the point of buying a car like this :s) then the mpg will take a hit. 99% of my driving is on rural B-roads (and I don't hang about) and my real world mpg is around 30/32mpg. Now I'm sure you could coax out closer to 40 mpg on a longer run (driving miss Daisy mode) but what would be the fun there.

Good luck on what ever you decide to get

Its me who can't sell a 200t and I can't disagree with what is said here, except to say that I have had it for sale since September and I am now offering it for sale at a virtually give away price!

 

[smoggy mark]

Get yourself another clio mate and if it's getting hard to live with again sell it on.

 

[Yiannis197]

Go get a 200 mate