Hello - Clio - good first car?

[jonnybgoode]

First of all thanks for having me!


Looking to buy my first car (at the age of 26) and like Clio's? Would you recommend one as a first car?

Any help would be great.

[ACTIVE8]

They do have an issue with bonnets.

[Citroenmad]

They do, especially the facelift versions. Around Y-54 reg shape.

I have often seem clios on motorways, with their bonnet around the windscreen and roof as the catch can fail, meaning the bonnet opens and smashed against the windscreen.

They are good cars though, i dont think there are many problems with them. The 1.2 16v would be my choice for a first car, or maybe the 1.5DCi.

Just make sure you look after your bonnet catch!

New clios i dont think have the bonnet problem.

[jonathan_dyane]

They are good cars, but I prefer the first series with the 1.9 diesel engine... Very reliable, but watch for rust, particularly around the rear arches! Aside from having an excellent and almost indistructable engine, you have no worries with the bonnet as it hinges from the front!

[evilally]

The Mk1 does suffer from rust, and I generally wouldn't recommend one as they all seem to be falling to bits.

The Mk2 doesn't have rust issues, and the phase 1 comes with the 1.9D engine, and the phase 2 or later has the 1.5DCI engine which IMO is much much better. There are 3 1.5DCI engines, 65hp, 80hp and 100hp all of which can be remapped to see good gains.

My choice would be a 1.2 16v or 1.5DCI. Avoid the 8v petrol, it's dreadfully slow. The 1.5DCI holds it's value much better than the petrol, so unless you are doing mega miles I would go for the petrol which should still acheive around 50MPG.

The bonnet catch issue is way over hyped. If you have any concerns, a dealer will fit a new style bonnet catch for free as it's covered under a recall.