Its exactly a year ago today i picked up my mk1 clio v6, i wanted to up post up my honest experiences as a year in the life of an owner, its going to be a long old post so appologies for that!
Might be of some intrest to current owners and potential owners, either way i wanted to record it all thats happened whilst fresh in my mind so i can look back on it in years to come!
It all started in late 2007, i was looking to buy a new car, something more powerful and more fun than my Z3. Ideally something a bit zaney and rare to enjoy before i became a home owner and poor! Top of the list was an Escort Cosworth, I've had my heart set on one for the last 15 years. I joined the owners club and started to look into them in detail. After a good friend of mine buying one and it blowing up twice in the 6 months he had it... I decided against the idea. I didn't want to live a life of fear of it being stolen or costing thousand's of its in repairs. I'm not mechanically minded which also made me think a newer, ideally non turbo car might be a good option.
So i looked into the Z3M, M3, Focus RS & the Golf R32. They were all fast, capable and great motors. I got insurance quotes and bar the M3, they were all within reach. However, after looking at some examples and a few test drives... none of them were really special enough to make me purchase. Also, at the time they were all 14-20k which would of meant getting a loan out, which i really didnt want to do.
Whilst having a browse on the trader, i spotted the mk1 Clio V6. A car which I knew nothing about. The only thing I remember hearing about them was that they were expensive to insure. At about 10-13k (the price then), I could afford one without getting out a loan and they had that extra specialness to them that i wanted. I looked around at insurance quotes and at 25, finally group 20 cars were in reach.
I joined the v6.net forum and started reading up and asking questions - including the classic "mk1 or mk2" & "is it a good daily drive" type thread. The general consensus was that both were great, i proceeded in looking at the mk1's.
I went to view one that was extremely low mileage (11k from memory) and on start up black smoke was pouring out of the exhausts. Also it stalled when it stopped at a set of traffic lights on the test drive, i was gutted and put off. I started to get the "this is not a good idea" thoughts.
But a few weeks later, one appeared at a garage about 10 miles away. I went down and saw it, i got behind the wheel and instantly knew id walk away buying it.
It had not had the cambelt done and wasn't in A1 condition. It was missing a wheel arch liner on the passenger front, the black plastic bumper bit, the wire mesh behind the bumper and a fog light was cracked. There was kerbing on all four alloys.... However, it had full service history, no black smoke, HPI clear & ran sweet as a nut!
It had 41.5k on the clock and 2 owners. Only mods where Pipercross Viper and tinted windows. Taking all things into consideration i put in an offer about 3k below the going rate.
I picked number 0089 iceburg silver on 16th jan 08 and on the motorway drive home i was very worried id made a bad move. Everything was so different than my BMW. I wasnt used to hearing the road so loud, the gearbox clunking & whining, the exhaust shield rattling... It tramlined like hell in the inside line of the M4 and as soon as you went over 80 the front end felt like it was taking off. This is not a car you can just throw about or cruise at high speeds.
I filled it with petrol and took a mate out for a drive. The weather was poor so i was only driving slow. Within the next 10 mins i 'got' the car. It clicked. You don't need to rag the arse off it to get the pleasure from it. Its not a grand tourer, nor a race car for the road. Theres loads of cars that go faster for half the money....but thats not the point.
Id never been in a car like it before. Just normal driving is immense fun. It really makes you smile. And when you do floor it, windows down....the sound is just the mutts nuts!!!!
My first v6clio meet was shortly round the corner and i met a number of local owners who happend to be great people... a car with a social life!!
Top of the list was to get the cambelt sorted, I booked it into SG Motorsport for the dreaded belt and also a full service, waterpump and clutch too. Big bill but was all within the budget of buying the car. Was a great experience too as Scott is so knowledgeable, i learnt alot of information from visiting him. I highly recommend you visit this man when it comes to cambelt or any servicing!! This man really knows what hes doing and is what your car deserves.
The car was also missing the correct badges so with Scott's help, i hunted down some originals.
before:
after:
After a few months of driving the car, I noticed how many people ask about it at petrol stations, the thumbs up from car fans, kids and anyone who's never seen one before. People starring as you drive past, people pointing and smiling, taking pictures. The events you get invited to, the people you meet, the pleasure it brings to everyone, the noise, the looks.... I really, really fell for car. Its just all i could ever ask for. Its fast, loud, hugely fun and rewarding when you get it right.
Next came the Blackpool meet, what an amazing day that was. I felt proud to be involved and it was worth buying the car for that day alone. If you own a vee, you really really have to make this one meet at least!!!! Driving in a convoy of 20+ vees nearly brought the town to a standstill. Seeing so many people stop in there tracks and taking the time to ask about the cars, well it was just amazing. All the noise... the sunshine.... great times. And it was my first chance to meet the northern owners, who are a bloody lovely bunch!
Following this came some cliosport meetings and FCS which was my first car show experience, despite the crazy wind it was a great day!
Then i had an incident with some git hitting it whilst parked in a multistory car park and driving off. They damaged a number of panels, however it was fixed to a high standard and apart from the financial loss, all is now well.
damage:
after:
This happened the week before the lakes meet and Shaun (lateboy) kindly offered me a ride up in his Mk2 for the weekend whilst my car was in the garage. All the people who were there will remember how much of a good time was had by all that weekend. It was a great experience all round, and it also gave me 48+ hours in a mk2 to compare the two models properly.
By the end of it, i was left with the feeling that i would defintely like to own a mk2 at some point in the future. It really did feel like the finished article. A nicer place to sit, MUCH better gearbox... which made it feel like more power was available more of the time and it hugged the road better.
However, when i got home and got back into my fixed Mk1, an instant huge smile soon helped me forget my ill thoughts about selling her for a mk2. There's something so raw about the Mk1!! ...... Maybe some day i'll own both. For now, im more than happy.
Over the next few months more meets came and a few bits on the car and needed replacing. A brake light stopped working (connection needed cleaning). New rear red stuff pads courtesy of SG Motorsport & got some new rear Toyo tires from Camskill.
Then...finally....10 months into ownership, a coil went...one of the hard to reach ones under the inlet plenum. The coil went after i hadn't driven it for 3 weeks. Start it up regularly and i don't seem to have a problem. The AA weren't confident about fixing it, so it was towed to Renault in Wokingham who fitted it in immediately and gave a blinding service to me.
Then she had her 7 year birthday celebrated with an MOT which she sailed through. The guys at the MOT centre were all pretty excited by it and one of them asked me to drive them round the industrial estate for a blast, which i duly obliged!
As she passed no worries i gave a her a clean and a few snaps.
Since then I've had my wheels laser aligned (at Micheldever Tyre and Auto Services) which is highly recommended for those who's cars feel a bit hairy when you get up to higher speeds. The back end sticks to the road like glue now and the car finally feels how i wanted it too.
Ive also finally got a new fog light and the front passenger wheel arch liner in.... after a long and hard search for the real mccoy!! After a year of emailing people on ebay to no avail, i bent over and pulled my trousers down at the main dealers. Was £280 for a bit of flimsy plastic which was a bugger to fit, but its in now and im happy.
Over all in real terms Cost wise i reckon I've spent around £4500 on it since buying it in total including fuel and insurance etc. I seem to average about 23-24mpg. However this does go down a fair bit on a summers day blast.
The handling horror storys you read on the mk1 are not really justified in my opinion. Yeah you can't just chuck it around and the untalented, unwise driver will crash it (im not talented..but i am wise of that im not), but if you drive to the conditions...you will never have any issues. In the hands of a good driver it can punch well above its weight. Many "driving experiences" with non turbo 911's and Boxter S's have resulted in suprised faces and thumbs up from the Porsche owners.
The turning circle is as horendous as you read, but you get used to it very quickly. The main thing that annoys me is parking, if you park it in a normal spot between 2 cars, you can only open the door about 10 inches to squeeze out from, not easy when the sills are about 6 inches wide. Time to go easy on the pies!!!! I tend to just park it as far away in the corner and hope no one parks near it.
Its a very capable daily drive and rarely lets me down. The only thing that bothers me is the hot starting issue, sometimes takes 3-4 seconds to fire up when the engine is warm. Im lead to believe this is due to fuel evaporation and is something that ive just put down to character.
On the list for early 2009 is wheel refurb all round & a respray of front bumper due to 7 years worth of stone chips.
The front tires will need replacing later in the year too and last weekend a stone flew up into my windscreen, it made a nice crack where the tax disc is so need to have a look at that.
Maybe a mk2 gearbox, front splitter and an aftermarket exhaust if the opportunity comes up.
I love the idea of giving it more power, maybe some minor mods will go on this year, will do nothing to the exterior though. I hope i can keep this car for many years to come!
One very happy owner.
Might be of some intrest to current owners and potential owners, either way i wanted to record it all thats happened whilst fresh in my mind so i can look back on it in years to come!
It all started in late 2007, i was looking to buy a new car, something more powerful and more fun than my Z3. Ideally something a bit zaney and rare to enjoy before i became a home owner and poor! Top of the list was an Escort Cosworth, I've had my heart set on one for the last 15 years. I joined the owners club and started to look into them in detail. After a good friend of mine buying one and it blowing up twice in the 6 months he had it... I decided against the idea. I didn't want to live a life of fear of it being stolen or costing thousand's of its in repairs. I'm not mechanically minded which also made me think a newer, ideally non turbo car might be a good option.
So i looked into the Z3M, M3, Focus RS & the Golf R32. They were all fast, capable and great motors. I got insurance quotes and bar the M3, they were all within reach. However, after looking at some examples and a few test drives... none of them were really special enough to make me purchase. Also, at the time they were all 14-20k which would of meant getting a loan out, which i really didnt want to do.
Whilst having a browse on the trader, i spotted the mk1 Clio V6. A car which I knew nothing about. The only thing I remember hearing about them was that they were expensive to insure. At about 10-13k (the price then), I could afford one without getting out a loan and they had that extra specialness to them that i wanted. I looked around at insurance quotes and at 25, finally group 20 cars were in reach.
I joined the v6.net forum and started reading up and asking questions - including the classic "mk1 or mk2" & "is it a good daily drive" type thread. The general consensus was that both were great, i proceeded in looking at the mk1's.
I went to view one that was extremely low mileage (11k from memory) and on start up black smoke was pouring out of the exhausts. Also it stalled when it stopped at a set of traffic lights on the test drive, i was gutted and put off. I started to get the "this is not a good idea" thoughts.
But a few weeks later, one appeared at a garage about 10 miles away. I went down and saw it, i got behind the wheel and instantly knew id walk away buying it.
It had not had the cambelt done and wasn't in A1 condition. It was missing a wheel arch liner on the passenger front, the black plastic bumper bit, the wire mesh behind the bumper and a fog light was cracked. There was kerbing on all four alloys.... However, it had full service history, no black smoke, HPI clear & ran sweet as a nut!
It had 41.5k on the clock and 2 owners. Only mods where Pipercross Viper and tinted windows. Taking all things into consideration i put in an offer about 3k below the going rate.
I picked number 0089 iceburg silver on 16th jan 08 and on the motorway drive home i was very worried id made a bad move. Everything was so different than my BMW. I wasnt used to hearing the road so loud, the gearbox clunking & whining, the exhaust shield rattling... It tramlined like hell in the inside line of the M4 and as soon as you went over 80 the front end felt like it was taking off. This is not a car you can just throw about or cruise at high speeds.
I filled it with petrol and took a mate out for a drive. The weather was poor so i was only driving slow. Within the next 10 mins i 'got' the car. It clicked. You don't need to rag the arse off it to get the pleasure from it. Its not a grand tourer, nor a race car for the road. Theres loads of cars that go faster for half the money....but thats not the point.
Id never been in a car like it before. Just normal driving is immense fun. It really makes you smile. And when you do floor it, windows down....the sound is just the mutts nuts!!!!
My first v6clio meet was shortly round the corner and i met a number of local owners who happend to be great people... a car with a social life!!
Top of the list was to get the cambelt sorted, I booked it into SG Motorsport for the dreaded belt and also a full service, waterpump and clutch too. Big bill but was all within the budget of buying the car. Was a great experience too as Scott is so knowledgeable, i learnt alot of information from visiting him. I highly recommend you visit this man when it comes to cambelt or any servicing!! This man really knows what hes doing and is what your car deserves.
The car was also missing the correct badges so with Scott's help, i hunted down some originals.
before:
after:
After a few months of driving the car, I noticed how many people ask about it at petrol stations, the thumbs up from car fans, kids and anyone who's never seen one before. People starring as you drive past, people pointing and smiling, taking pictures. The events you get invited to, the people you meet, the pleasure it brings to everyone, the noise, the looks.... I really, really fell for car. Its just all i could ever ask for. Its fast, loud, hugely fun and rewarding when you get it right.
Next came the Blackpool meet, what an amazing day that was. I felt proud to be involved and it was worth buying the car for that day alone. If you own a vee, you really really have to make this one meet at least!!!! Driving in a convoy of 20+ vees nearly brought the town to a standstill. Seeing so many people stop in there tracks and taking the time to ask about the cars, well it was just amazing. All the noise... the sunshine.... great times. And it was my first chance to meet the northern owners, who are a bloody lovely bunch!
Following this came some cliosport meetings and FCS which was my first car show experience, despite the crazy wind it was a great day!
Then i had an incident with some git hitting it whilst parked in a multistory car park and driving off. They damaged a number of panels, however it was fixed to a high standard and apart from the financial loss, all is now well.
damage:
after:
This happened the week before the lakes meet and Shaun (lateboy) kindly offered me a ride up in his Mk2 for the weekend whilst my car was in the garage. All the people who were there will remember how much of a good time was had by all that weekend. It was a great experience all round, and it also gave me 48+ hours in a mk2 to compare the two models properly.
By the end of it, i was left with the feeling that i would defintely like to own a mk2 at some point in the future. It really did feel like the finished article. A nicer place to sit, MUCH better gearbox... which made it feel like more power was available more of the time and it hugged the road better.
However, when i got home and got back into my fixed Mk1, an instant huge smile soon helped me forget my ill thoughts about selling her for a mk2. There's something so raw about the Mk1!! ...... Maybe some day i'll own both. For now, im more than happy.
Over the next few months more meets came and a few bits on the car and needed replacing. A brake light stopped working (connection needed cleaning). New rear red stuff pads courtesy of SG Motorsport & got some new rear Toyo tires from Camskill.
Then...finally....10 months into ownership, a coil went...one of the hard to reach ones under the inlet plenum. The coil went after i hadn't driven it for 3 weeks. Start it up regularly and i don't seem to have a problem. The AA weren't confident about fixing it, so it was towed to Renault in Wokingham who fitted it in immediately and gave a blinding service to me.
Then she had her 7 year birthday celebrated with an MOT which she sailed through. The guys at the MOT centre were all pretty excited by it and one of them asked me to drive them round the industrial estate for a blast, which i duly obliged!
As she passed no worries i gave a her a clean and a few snaps.
Since then I've had my wheels laser aligned (at Micheldever Tyre and Auto Services) which is highly recommended for those who's cars feel a bit hairy when you get up to higher speeds. The back end sticks to the road like glue now and the car finally feels how i wanted it too.
Ive also finally got a new fog light and the front passenger wheel arch liner in.... after a long and hard search for the real mccoy!! After a year of emailing people on ebay to no avail, i bent over and pulled my trousers down at the main dealers. Was £280 for a bit of flimsy plastic which was a bugger to fit, but its in now and im happy.
Over all in real terms Cost wise i reckon I've spent around £4500 on it since buying it in total including fuel and insurance etc. I seem to average about 23-24mpg. However this does go down a fair bit on a summers day blast.
The handling horror storys you read on the mk1 are not really justified in my opinion. Yeah you can't just chuck it around and the untalented, unwise driver will crash it (im not talented..but i am wise of that im not), but if you drive to the conditions...you will never have any issues. In the hands of a good driver it can punch well above its weight. Many "driving experiences" with non turbo 911's and Boxter S's have resulted in suprised faces and thumbs up from the Porsche owners.
The turning circle is as horendous as you read, but you get used to it very quickly. The main thing that annoys me is parking, if you park it in a normal spot between 2 cars, you can only open the door about 10 inches to squeeze out from, not easy when the sills are about 6 inches wide. Time to go easy on the pies!!!! I tend to just park it as far away in the corner and hope no one parks near it.
Its a very capable daily drive and rarely lets me down. The only thing that bothers me is the hot starting issue, sometimes takes 3-4 seconds to fire up when the engine is warm. Im lead to believe this is due to fuel evaporation and is something that ive just put down to character.
On the list for early 2009 is wheel refurb all round & a respray of front bumper due to 7 years worth of stone chips.
The front tires will need replacing later in the year too and last weekend a stone flew up into my windscreen, it made a nice crack where the tax disc is so need to have a look at that.
Maybe a mk2 gearbox, front splitter and an aftermarket exhaust if the opportunity comes up.
I love the idea of giving it more power, maybe some minor mods will go on this year, will do nothing to the exterior though. I hope i can keep this car for many years to come!
One very happy owner.
