Looking to buy a 197

[Tony T]

Hi All.

I'm in the market for a 197 and have fancied one of these for some time.

I've driven most hot hatches in my time and I'm coming from several years of owning Honda's, namely Type R's.

I've currently got my eye on a 2007 197 F1 edition, which has 89,000 miles on the clock, but will have the timing belt, service and MOT done prior to sale and the dealer is wanting £5K on the nose.

Valuations say this is pretty average, so the dealer isn't asking for too much, but I am a little bit put off by the higher mileage (I'm a bit of a mileage snob!).

I'm going to look at the car on Friday, but from the pictures it looks absolutely immaculate and well cared for .... full service history, recent discs and pads etc.

Would that mileage put any of you owners off? Perhaps a biased question! lol.

If there were any gearbox issues on the test drive then I assume these would be fairly evident when shifting?

Cheers

 

[J90RDN]

Hi. The engines seem fairly strong with the timing belt change being the only main concern. If the dealer is changing this then you should be fine, but ask if they are also changing the tensioners, water pump and possibly the dephaser also. Mk3 dephasers are thought to be stronger/better than previous generations, so not such a concern. Changing the belt can be a difficult job, so might be worth insisting on a test drive after they've done it before handing over any cash.

Mileage shouldn't be an issue, but obviously as you approach the magical 100k figure it puts some people off, so resale could be an issue. My track car has done 113k and gets regularly thrashed around UK circuits without missing a beat, but the suspension and brakes were on their last legs when I got hold of it, so check those areas and receipts to see what work has been carried out before.

Gearbox is the Achilles heal for Clio's. 3rd and 4th gear syncros are known to be weak, so on the test drive try and see whether there is any crunching into these (or all) gears in particular.

Also check the exhaust flexis. There are 2 just before the cat, and can be seen down behind the engine. Again, they are a known weak point and if gone or on the way out you could be looking at a sizeable labour bill to fix or change the manifold (the front subframe has to be lowered to get it out).

Others who have owned for longer (only had mine as track car for 6 months) will add to above, but generally they are a fun little car with a great chassis out of the box, and a fizzy little engine (much like the Civic Type R - had one years ago).

Good luck

 

[Tony T]

Thanks for the reply.

I won't be putting many miles on it each year probably around 5000 and I plan on owning it for around two years so would still be under 100K when I come to sell it.

As I would be buying from a dealer, I know I've got pretty strong rights in the first six months, so I guess there is added protection there, but I'll certainly have a good look around when I test drive it.

This is the car in question.

http://www.srmotorcompany.co.uk/use...aultsport-f1-team-3dr-glasgow-201707207554699

 

[J90RDN]

Can tell straight away it's been modified. Single exit exhaust, silicon pipework and aftermarket headunit.

 

[J90RDN]

Some people on here will also love the black front Renault badge!!

Looks like it's been well looked after, but might be worth seeing what other mods have been done.

 

[Tony T]

Can tell straight away it's been modified. Single exit exhaust, silicon pipework and aftermarket headunit.

Yeah I spotted those ... not necessarily a bad thing, if it's been looked after.

The thing I'm wrestling with just now is the fact that there are quite a few 197's further south, with less mileage at a much better price.

I think the dealer is milking the F1 thing, but the valuation is about right, I just think it's a bit steep at that mileage if I'm honest when I look at other cars for sale.

Obvious problem is the travel to go view them.

 

[J90RDN]

I agree it does seem a little on the steep side, but I have no idea what extra's you get on the F1 over a standard 197 or 197 cup. I'm sure others will tell you in the morning.

Personally for that sort of money I'd be looking at a lower mileage, newer cup, or perhaps even a 200.

Either way, I don't think you'll be disappointed once you've driven one.

 

[Tony T]

True!

It's the current lack of choice of 197 in my area that hinders things and the F1 in that advert certainly does look nice.

My understanding is that the F1 is pretty much the Cup with extra stickers!

 

[sevenfourate]

Hi Tony and welcome to the forum.

Car looks great. Will be well specced being an F1 - and with recent brakes, full MOT, belts done etc - should stand you in good stead for a while.

Personally....like you....I find the mileage a little high and I find the single exit exhaust (Never seen that before !) hugely off-putting....

Don’t rush in if your not sure. Plenty of these appear for sale.

Enjoy your stay.

 

[Tony T]

Thanks for the reply mate.

Yeah, there seems to be plenty about, just not many north of the border at the moment.

So unless I'm willing to travel then I'll have to bide my time which isn't ideal as I do need a replacement car pretty soon!

I do like the look of the F1 car in the advert but as you say, mileage is a little high, albeit within the normal range for a car of that age.

Does the exhaust look like an aftermarket (i.e. scorpion) or a custom job?

 

[sevenfourate]

Thanks for the reply mate.

Yeah, there seems to be plenty about, just not many north of the border at the moment.

So unless I'm willing to travel then I'll have to bide my time which isn't ideal as I do need a replacement car pretty soon!

I do like the look of the F1 car in the advert but as you say, mileage is a little high, albeit within the normal range for a car of that age.

Does the exhaust look like an aftermarket (i.e. scorpion) or a custom job?

No idea on the exhaust. And no idea why you’d do it. Twin exit and ‘dat ass’ is one of the draws of these cars for many !

Can you get it on ramps / get underneath to see what’s going on / what has been done ?

If you wanted to put it right and get say a stainless Scorpion on there in its place - that’s £450 gone already......

 

[Tony T]

Yeah, I thought it looked odd when I first saw it.

Are the tips very visible on the 197 as standard as I've seen a few where you can barely see the twin exits?

I doubt I'll be able to get it on the ramps or anything. I think if it was priced £500 lower then I'd probably go for it pending a successful test drive etc.

However dealer is unwilling to budge on price due to the fact they're going to do the belts and stuff before the buyer collects.

I saw this one on eBay, about 130 miles from me, not an F1, just a standard 197.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2007-Rena...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649

Is the F1/CUP such a massive improvement that there's no point considering a standard 197?

 

[Pav]

welcome to the forum..

depends what you will use your car for..i purchased a standard 197 4 years ago and with a few subtle improvements,it's now surely better speced than a cup or F1 edition car..
if you have some spare cash to be spent on her,then you can also get a standard 197 and do her up to your liking..

 

[Barney626]

Honestly, it looks like a nice example but it is too expensive and that exhaust is suspicious.

Also fairly sure it's been for sale for months now as it was about while I was looking for mine. Makes me wonder if the price is the only thing stopping it being sold...

 

[Micah]

I wonder if that's an Oreca exhaust, as no idea why you'd spec a custom exhaust with a single pipe. If it is an Oreca, then prepare for it to be loud!
I'm also put off by blue colour coding under the bonnet, because, you know, blue and red are a great combination ...and may speak volumes about the previous owner (but I'm a snob).
I think that when it comes to Clio's and finding one that's a good example, travel will be necessary.
Just browsing eBay, this seems much better but a little pricey for a 197!
Scrap that, this seems a sensible buy and will fulfill your needs for a 2 year car.

Oh how I enjoy spending other people's money!

 

[J90RDN]

I know some of the track and race guys turn to single exit for weight reduction, but can't see why you'd want to do it on a normal road car.

Also, if a dealer has had this hanging around for any more than 3 months then it's a dead loss to him - he could have another car sat there potentially making him money. If it were me I'd be chipping him down considerably if you are dead set on this car. I recon it could be had for £4k, but then he may be cutting corners with the belt change. I'd chip him at £3.8k saying you'll get the belt change done yourself.

 

[Johnny 99]

Some people on here will also love the black front Renault badge!!

Others, however, will not!!!

 

[Jimmy]

Hi Tony, welcome to the forum!

On the subject of mileage - if the car is in overall good condition and it has a full and comprehensive service history, there is no reason for high mileage to be a no-no. As you say, 89k is about average for a car of that age. There are a few cars on the forum with 'high' mileage and they all run very well, with no known issues related to it.

There will be the obvious wear and tear, but if it's got a comprehensive service history, these items will have been changed over time anyway.

It is down to personal preference though and I know that high figures can be off putting in the first instance. But I wanted to give some balance to the discussion

Good luck in the search!

 

[DS197]

Welcome to the site Tony. I'm fairly confident that the Oreca has a much smaller exhaust tip so I have the feeling that it must be custom. I'd also make sure that the timing belt is done by a specialist or a reputable garage that know what they're doing as cambelt changes on the 197/200s need a special timing tool. It would be better to get money off and have the belts done yourself in my opinion.

 

[Chris]

Welcome aboard! You’ve received some great advice already - so best of luck in the hunt