Renault clio Advice needed

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furnic

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Ok, so as per other thread, girl child recently got her license so now she needs wheels.
Had a look today at a second hand Renault Clio - the 1.2 16v not the 1.4 model.

so the car I saw was in fairly good condition, it is a 2003 so ok its 5 years old but has 70,000k on the clock, which looks average, but it has had one owner and generally it looked well looked after, not really much nicks etc.

It has a worn cv joint- is that bad?
I didn't like the handbrake as well, felt loose and tight and I compared it to another Clio and it wasn't as smooth, so basically it would need a new cv and some work done on the hand break.
The owner also said they had to have the onboard comp reset as some stage but everything was fine.
The clutch on the Clio being French I was told is a bit different to what I am used to, but overall it looks a very nifty car as it has AC, PS, Airbags, EW so the whole shebang and the dude wants R55,000 which sounds ok - it is slightly less than dealer price as I have looked at various dealers but I think a bit up on trade - so a few questions:
Is this a decent price for a used Clio 5 years old? I was thinking 48, is that better?
Are the faults anything to be worried about
Is it a nice student chick car (I think yes)
I can scrape the cash together, would it be better to pay cash or get girl child some finance so she can build up a credit history?
And lastly is the Clio a good deal or would you recommend something else for around 50K?
Thanks
 
I would suggest avoiding the french cars like the plague..

They can cost a FORTUNE to repair if something goes wrong.
 
The mileage is good for a car of that year model. The price after i calculates is about R55 000, but thats only if there is no work to be done on the car, so i would push for lower. And the last thing you want to do when you buy a car is to work on it, and its a 2003 model with only 70 000 on the clock, i would imagine if it was well looked after as the mileage says then you shouldnt have to do anything.
Or ask the owner to get it services, i would assume that a major service was already done on the car at around 60 000.

But after all thats said i agree with ToxicBunny.
Go for a tazz, might not have p/s, sometimes no a/c, no e/w but its a brilliant first car without the hassle of having to worry about costs services and maintenance. And Insurance will be good as well.
 
ToxicBunny said:
I would suggest avoiding the french cars like the plague..

They can cost a FORTUNE to repair if something goes wrong.
Click to expand...

xrapidx said:
Beat me to it.

Get a Toyota, Honda, VW, Mazda, Ford, etc.
Click to expand...

Again, as on the other Renault thread, I refer the OP to the Kinsey report of 2006 which did a independent comparison of the cost of a basket of parts for the Renaults compared to other brands... the result seemed to differ with this opinion... Now who does one believe?

http://www.kinsey.valueweb.co.za/

Have you guys owned a Renault or is the information you are handing on word of mouth?

OP, as regards the price you are getting it for, have a look here to see how that relates to the market and retail values - https://bcon.mf.co.za/autovalue/index.jsp
 
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LancelotSA said:
Have you guys owned a Renault or is the information you are handing on word of mouth?
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My ex has one. And prior to that she had a Citroen.

P.S. Its not only parts, but service quality and service cost.
 
xrapidx said:
My ex has one. And prior to that she had a Citroen.

P.S. Its not only parts, but service quality and service cost.
Click to expand...

Again this seems to be a perception that still lingers even though Renault now has a published list of prices for all services, to all models, prominently displayed in all their branches now. The prices seem to be pretty much the going rate to me. Yes, as with most dealerships they are more expensive than the pamphlets you get handed at the robot but this is to be expected.
 
LancelotSA said:
Again this seems to be a perception that still lingers even though Renault now has a published list of prices for all services, to all models, prominently displayed in all their branches now. The prices seem to be pretty much the going rate to me. Yes, as with most dealerships they are more expensive than the pamphlets you get handed at the robot but this is to be expected.
Click to expand...

Out of interest - who actually mentioned prices? My initial post relates to reliability.
 
Well I will talk about pricing and reliability.

Friend has owned 2 renaults.... First one, the alternator FELL off whilst she was driving, cost more than R10k to fix it, even 6 odd years ago... Recently their newer one, the alternator starting giving problems and the car wouldn't start... new one cost R5k, and would only arrive in 2 weeks.. did Renault offer a loan vehicle or something along those lines? Nope, so they were without a car for 2 weeks.

Get something local(ish) then you know u can at least get parts cheaply and easily....
 
xrapidx said:
Out of interest - who actually mentioned prices? My initial post relates to reliability.
Click to expand...

....

ToxicBunny said:
I would suggest avoiding the french cars like the plague..

They can cost a FORTUNE to repair if something goes wrong.
Click to expand...

xrapidx said:
Beat me to it.
Click to expand...

Fairly reasonable for me to assume you were agreeing with the fact that they cost a fortune to repair.... hence me further assuming this referred to prices...
 
Bradbowlllama said:
AND no resale value...
Click to expand...
Which is why buying 2nd hand, as Furnic is, makes a huge amount of sense. There bargains to be had with Renault, the vehicles are unbelievably well specced at the price and they don't get hijacked not to mention they damn safe cars to crash:D

http://mybroadband.co.za/photos/showphoto.php?photo=5360&cat=500

I crashed my wife's Clio 2 years back after being T-boned by a ML. Despite the damage I walked away with nothing more than a bruised ego...

Between my wife and I, we've owned 5 Renault's over the years and I can't say we've had any issues out of the ordinary in terms of reliability/mechanical failure etc

The Renault service centers are not particularly efficient but certainly no less efficient than VW. Of course the premium brands Audi/BM/Merc offer better service but then you paying premium prices...

Cost to service, as Lancelot so kindly pointed out, is no less or no more, give or take, compared to the other brands in the same market segment...

I say go get your Clio Furnic but haggle on price and maybe shop around, don't buy the 1st car you test drive. I reiterate, due to Renault's poor resale value there bargains to be had...
 
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sandmanm34 said:
Which is why buying 2nd hand, as Furnic is, makes a huge amount of sense. There bargains to be had with Renault, the vehicles are unbelievably well specced at the price and they don't get hijacked not to mention they damn safe cars to crash:D
Click to expand...

This was my exact logic when I bought my Scenic. Everyone was telling me about resale values but it did not seem to sink in their thick skulls that I was buying second hand so a bad resale value was perfect for me! It meant a bargain.

A 2l, full house (climate control, radio with 5 CD shuttle, all around electric windows, on board computer, plenty air bags) every adjustable knobby and gadget you can think of (steering, seats in all directions), storage space wherever you look, alloy wheels, central locking, front and rear fog lights (not that I use these all the time like some asses!:)) etc etc.... for R75,000!!!!

And people kept telling me not to get a Renault!

EDIT : ...and two years in the only time it has been in was for the 70,000 and now 90,000 km services.... with brakes needing to be done at the 90,000 together with the normal cam belt change.
 
Ok, lots to think about.
I wasn't aware there are resell issues with Renault as they are packed with features, so I'm not sure if its a deserved rep or its just one of those things, but there are a lot of them out there.

I was at 4 ways mall and showed girl child a clio because she thought the megane was a clio, and then in the same row there were 3 others. Boy child saw a Lexus and was going sweet get a lexus what a cool car and the owner rocks up and offers us a ride, man that was funny.:)

Anyhow, back to the renault issue, I did check on service prices, and they look ok, 15,000 intervals is around R700 and then the 30,000 is around R1900.

But I am a bit worried now, but I really can't see any other make around 50k that gives you FH, or even AC which I consider a must have.

So lets say I do make the dude an offer, if he is asking 55k would 45k be reasonable, cash notes? Take into account that he is packing for Perth, actually packed, just waiting to offload assets and whatnot..

So while I ponder on all this let me go look at other models, suggestions welcome (Not Tazz, girl child says they not cool?)
 
furnic said:
Ok, lots to think about.
I wasn't aware there are resell issues with Renault as they are packed with features, so I'm not sure if its a deserved rep or its just one of those things, but there are a lot of them out there.

I was at 4 ways mall and showed girl child a clio because she thought the megane was a clio, and then in the same row there were 3 others. Boy child saw a Lexus and was going sweet get a lexus what a cool car and the owner rocks up and offers us a ride, man that was funny.:)

Anyhow, back to the renault issue, I did check on service prices, and they look ok, 15,000 intervals is around R700 and then the 30,000 is around R1900.

But I am a bit worried now, but I really can't see any other make around 50k that gives you FH, or even AC which I consider a must have.

So lets say I do make the dude an offer, if he is asking 55k would 45k be reasonable, cash notes? Take into account that he is packing for Perth, actually packed, just waiting to offload assets and whatnot..

So while I ponder on all this let me go look at other models, suggestions welcome (Not Tazz, girl child says they not cool?)
Click to expand...

Clio does have a definite cool factor to it! Did you check out the book and market value on that link I provided?
 
yes I did, ty, even though M&F suck big time, but it shows trade at R53700 so is 45k a fair offer?
 
furnic said:
yes I did, ty, even though M&F suck big time, but it shows trade at R53700 so is 45k a fair offer?
Click to expand...

Sorry I am not expert in that field but my understanding is those figures quoted are for a car in perfect working order so if things need doing then subtract those from the price to get fair value I would say. Tyres worn etc also count.
 
Err, guys, I'm gonna go against the grain on this one. First of all, buying your daughter a tazz or a golf 1 is like asking for her to be hijacked/killed. Secondly, in my personal experience, there is nothing wrong with French cars these days, I own a Renault Kangoo and it's used by my transport company for general run around (carrying parts, etc) and it runs like a dream, very reliable and so on. Services aren't too bad either.

CV Joint? = Basic wear and tear, no problem, cheap to fix.
Handbrake = Probably just needs adjustment or at worst a new cable, also cheap.
Clutch = Cost me R750, so it should be the same or less on a clio.

Mileage is quite low, just offer the guy 45K, and negotiate from there. It's perfect for a young university student. No one will bother her with a Renault, it's very low on the thieves 'hotlist'..

Alternatively, go to Beetle Buddies and pick up a beetle for her for around R45K. Most likely better than a Tazz or Golf in my opinion...
 
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