I used to have one of the very first Clios and the thing I loved was that it was genuinely small. This may sound strange but this generation of Clio is actually quite ‘big’, parking can sometimes be difficult for example which just isn’t right for a Clio. Yes, the bigger size is great for interior space but it takes away from the car the thing I used to really like: the actual size of the car, small and nimble. The other thing that has changed for the worse, is visibility, it’s quite difficult to get a good all-round view but I guess you get used to this eventually.
As I say, the space in the car is massively improved, you can get four six-footers in the car with ease and more room in the boot for a bit of luggage. Just be aware that you’ll never have one completely flat floor in the boot because of the seat-folding arrangement, which can occasionally be a pain.
For this money, the Clio really is very good in terms of interior quality. Everything works nicely and I can’t see any of it falling off anytime soon (unlike the first Clio I had where near enough everything fell off). There are lots of gadgets and a good looking easy to read dash with plenty of storage space dotted about.
Different from the first model I had also, is the drive which just isn’t as good as it used to be; it’s actually quite slow and a bit lethargic at times. There is a real unfortunate lack of desire to drive this car fast. Even though the Clio isn’t as fun to drive as it should be, the ride is actually very good making this a genuinely good long-distance cruiser, if a little noisy on the motorway but nothing that the stereo won’t sort out.
Running costs are reasonable if nothing else, 35mpg as a general rule.
I've been with my Clio now for almost three years and I think its a brilliant little first car. The trouble is, when you buy your first car, you are limited when it comes to the budget and so you'll never get anything that is out of this world and fault-free.
The quality is good, nothing amazing but also nothing terrible. Nothing has fallen off since I've owned it and if anything does go wrong, all of the panels pop off with the aid of a flat-headed screwdriver for you to take a closer look. The small problems I've had include a small sun roof leak in torrential rain and the fog lights broke because a cable got worn and snapped inside the steering column. The biggest MOT expense has been replacement of the offside headlight cluster due to a bit of disintegration. I've also never seen a warning light so far and its started first time every time.
I've done a few long journeys in the Clio and although the engine is a little loud at motorway speeds, the Clio is a reasonable cruiser and comfortable the majority of the time.
The Clio is no race car so it isn't particularly fast but I'd describe it as quite 'chuckable' in the corners meaning a challenging country road can be a bit of fun.
Anything that a 17-21 year old buys will be expensive to insure but other than that, the tax is quite cheap and it usually returns about 40mpg which I think is quite reasonable.
I do have one word of warning which can be said for most used cars under £2000, avoid getting a Clio between 70,000-80,000 miles because this is when things start to go wrong - cambelt change, water pump, coil springs and anti-roll bar. These are all jolly expensive jobs.
Overall, there aren't any massive issues to complain about. Its not bad but its not the car of the century and as long as you bear that in mind, you should be satisfied.
In conclusion, if you pay a fairly cheap price, you can't really complain. Get one between 50,000-60,000 miles and you're on to a winner. Alternatively, find one above 80,000 miles but check its had all the above work done on it. And for those of you looking for a really cheap one, remember that petrols are rarely designed to do more than 100,000 miles, so how ever cheap they are, avoid these!
A great little car that's reliable and economical on fuel, Cheap tax as well.
I bought a clio two years ago. unlike other French cars, clio is much more tuff than i thought. it has a very solid body. what's more, the clio has a very low fuel consumption. It is really cheap to run, the road tax is only £30 per year. If you do not have too much money, I suggest you to buy clio.
I just wanted a car for work and didn't really car about image. We're close to retirement now and we're able to afford a new car, although not an expensive one, so we went for a good model of a cheap car, and decided on the Renault Clio for a combination of reputation, and popularity, thinking that would mean cheaper parts as and when we might need them in the future.
We haven't needed any parts so far (3 years), it's been well put together and not given us much trouble. Very early on I seem to recall there was some sort of squeaking coming from the back of the car, or the brakes, or both. Anyway it was reasonably quickly sorted out by the dealer under the warranty, although they seemed a lot less pleased to see us than when we were buying the car!
When we bought the Renault Clio I was impressed at the time reading up about it that it's got a maximum safety rating, which makes me feel calmer, especially when we've got the grandkids in there.
I'm not sure we're quite getting the 42 MPG advertised. At our age you have time to test things like this! It's not quite that high, but near enough. I have been a little down hearted by seeing more modern cars that just completely trump 42mpg, so I might think about selling up if we decide to travel more when we retire properly.
I said we went for a cheap car, but the Renault Clio (this new line at least) does seem pretty classy in its own way. It's so quiet on the road, and the interior feels like it's made of solid stuff. There are some nice little gadgets and things like the trip computer with all its clever info, and these 'guide me home' headlights that point round corners as you steer. That was very confusing at first wondering where the headlights were going next, but you get used to it quickly and it's very welcome now. I'll have to wait and see if our Renault Clio lasts the distance but so far all good signs.
I felt quite a patriotic French lady buying the nice Renault Clio. It is especially fun to pronounce Renault Clio properly in front of the English salesman teehee. My English husband was less amused by this.
Speaking of the salesman, he was very polite during when I first purchased my car. After he is not so much. The dealer is less interested in me now. I have a problem, they are slow with returning my call. But this is quite rare for now at least. The car is very reliable so far, has given me no problems. The only things were a strange squeak in the back, and the wheels needed to be pointed in the right direction after a slight knock with a kerb. The dealer did both these things, but slowly.
I do like the Renault Clio so far, and I do feel proud of my country! It is nice to drive. I like how easy it is to turn in a circle. The parking is easy. Actually the back side windows could be bigger, but it's fine. Inside it is very big, a lovely surprise from what it looks like outside.
There are many nice surprises inside. It is especially good to have the steering wheel that can go up and down, good for me and my tall husband. The sat-nav I do not like, but my husband does. I think it is just my preference with sat-navs generally.
The Renault Clio is a little bit 'thirsty' as they say. More so than expected according to the advertising. It is on average about 35 miles for each gallon. This does not compare well with other small cars, or even big cars.
I said it is big inside. That is true in the back as well, really big boot. My husband is a golder and he always has plenty of space in there for all his kit.
I am not really sure if I could recommend the Renault Clio properly so far, but it has been fine for us so far.
Awesome on the track. I go on track days whenever I can afford the insurance for the day, which is about five times a year, and my 2.0 Sport Renault Clio holds its own with most of the hot hatches out there. There are some idiots with Lambos and that sort of thing who get past me, but it's always fun to zip past some fool in his BMW and watch the look on his face haha.
Obviously eats tyres when you're playing Lewis Hamilton in the sunshine, but that's part of the cost for a day like that. Just make sure you get the right sort of track day insurance otherwise you might have a stack that isn't covered.
It's so much fun I can forgive my Renault Clio for being not all that forgiving or practical day to day, like it's got so much power and no ABS or anything that it's way too easy to slide around in the wet and too tempting to be speeding about anyway. That's probably why it's in insurance group 31 when the rest of the Clio range is so much lower. It's got no gadgets or luxuries at all really, just a mean driving machine.
Still apart from tyres it's holding together well. To be honest I don't drive it all that often apart from track days and just weekend stuff to keep it ticking over, mostly just use my girlfriends car for shopping and that. The Renault Clio has its moments and that's about it. It's covered a total of I think 40k miles and it's had a wheel bearing need doing, one front and one back shock, and just tracking etc.
The only big thing was the clutch but I got that off a website. If you're getting a car like this it's the sort of thing where a lot of owners spend a lot of time working on them so join a few forums and you'll get good advice.
In fairness my Renault Clio was okay for about 5yrs, then it started to go way downhill. But 5yrs isn't long enough really, so scrap that, it's rubbish and I want my money back! It's annoying that popular cars get so popular but it's because they're good for a short time then fall to pieces. Think I'm gonna buy a Kia next, something with a longer warranty, something that shows the manufacturer isn't laughing all the way to the bank when your car is broken down for the seventh time that year.
I'll describe the problems I can remember, might have to stop if I get too annoyed. First things first, it started pretty small. I think the first thing to go was a problem with the driver seat which got caught on the runners, wouldn't adjust properly. Fair enough, but then soon after the throttle went (and has since gone again) and there were some electrical problems which also resurfaced at different times, sometimes causing it to cut out whilst driving, great!
My Renault Clio doesn't like to start up when it's cold, or hot, or dry or damp. Basically it doesn't like to start, and when it has started, it likes to stall. Try as I might I can't get the tracking quite right, it always pulls to the left.
The sunroof is basically a sieve, might as well be open the whole time it just lets rain through. It's one of those repairs that I would do if I wasn't out of money with all the other repairs it needs. The said thing is that the Renault Clio is good on fuel and cheap to tax and insure so I'm always reminded that it would be a good car if it weren't for all these daft problems that keep happening.
I will have to sell it and move on soon, but I can't really afford to buy a new car, mostly cos of all the repairs on the Renault Clio, argh!! :(
This car really comes alive if you put your foot down, the 2 litre sport engine has to be one of the best of the last decade, it'll get you up to 60 in less than 7 seconds and do 40mpg on the motorway, there aren't many that will come close to these figures for a similar price.
Build quality where it counts (The engine) is superb, some of the trim inside can rattle a bit with the sport suspension but then again you can't have the best of both worlds.
I haven't got an excuse really, it's just sentiment these days keeping me attached to my lovely old Clio. It's sort of starting to fall apart a little bit, sort of, lol... well I dunno it's ok really. It's got a bit of an oil leak going on, and the brakes are a bit touch and go - I think there's a fluid leak or some such, I recall the garage told me about it at the last MOT. There's quite a bit of rust now (I do live by the sea though). BUT I LOVE IT SO. What's wrong with me eh? It's just my lovely little Clio. It is a loveable car, and what price for that?
I think I'm making myself sound a bit strange here. Basically it's a wonderful, happy, nippy little thing, which does start every time happily and gets you where you need to go. The repairs and other problems recently shouldn't take attention away from it being a good little car with plenty of power at low speeds, nice and nippy in traffic and things. It's really easy to park and to be able to see all around you. I drove a Vauxhall Zafira once, and omg I couldn't see a thing! stupid visibility... It's that sort of thing that makes me cling to my lovely Renault Clio.
My kids nowadays complain a bit about the low ceiling at the back, and actually that's perhaps what makes me want to sell up the most (if I could possibly consider such a thing) and that's the lack of head rests in the back, as well as their heads pretty much touching the ceiling. I doubt they'd fare too well in a crash. Mind you they're not in my car much anymore.
Driving wise it's just a joy. All the controls are easy to get to, there's no odd surprises or anything. The seats are lovely and comfy and the boot is easily big enough for all the usual things, shopping, visiting friends, that sort of thing. The driving can be a bit unpredictable when the conditions worsen, and last winter it wasn't usable at all during the heavy snow - but there were plenty of 4x4s in our area that couldn't be used either, so I'm not worried about that.
Look I just love my Clio, no two ways about it. It's hard to defend it on paper and it might be difficult to fall in love with a car that's a bit old like mine, but if there was a slightly newer one out there I'm sure it would steal hearts :)