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Advice on buying a (basic) Mk4 Clio.

Leigh5t

Well-Known Member
Hi guys,

I’m looking to get an economical runaround with a budget of up to about £4k. It will be for a short commute each day and nipping the kids about occasionally.

Earlier mk4 Clios are now in this price bracket, so I’ve been eying them up.

We had a mk2 1.2 dynamique (Billabong) between 2007 and 2018 and absolutely loved that car! Other than the expected, clutch, tyres etc, it never let us down.

I wondered if you guys have any comments on the various trim and engine options of the mk4, specifically the 0.9 & 1.2 petrol and the 1.5 diesel.

I’d love to hear your thought/experiences

Cheers.
 
@Martin_172 He's had quite a few of them now, diesels and petrols.
The diesels are pretty much bomb proof, don't suffer any of the fuel pump and injector issues that the MK2 had (although they were actually just getting old!) epic on fuel, I've had a couple and both have easily done mid to high 70s mpg on a decent run which is just madness available in 90 and 110hp, 110 having the 6 speed box and VNT turbo

I'm not a fan of the 0.9 tce, it's heavily revised in the Mk5 and is a night and day engine but back in the MK4 it was new and didn't appear to be very good on fuel, was unrefined and dangerous when it dropped off boost, usually when you were pulling out for a gap at a roundabout, although seems to be better on 15/16" wheels than it was on the 17s the one I had struggled to do mid 30s mpg while the Mk5 cars do high 40s - loads on eBay as non runners with timing chain and head gasket issues usually!

1.2 16v is very slow and dull, but again bomb proof, mid 40s mpg and super easy to work on given it's a small engine in a big bay.

1.2 tce 120 is available, 6 speed box, go really well, good refinement never owned one to know what they are like reliability wise but I don't think there is many issues.

Facelift cars got a slightly nicer interior and LED headlights (worth the extra imo) on higher spec models
 
Thanks @Aldo

Thanks for your detailed post @Martin_172

You’ve confirmed what my petrol head has been refusing to accept, the 0.9 and 1.2 won’t pull the skin off a rice pudding, and the 1.5 diesel is probably the best option.

I’ll be looking at the earlier years, up to about a 15 plate, as budget won’t stretch much further. If I spend more, the less I can spend on the 5. I’m sure you’ll agree where the priority sits on that one.

Thanks again and I’ll keep you posted during my search. 👍🏻
 
Thanks for your detailed post @Martin_172

You’ve confirmed what my petrol head has been refusing to accept, the 0.9 and 1.2 won’t pull the skin off a rice pudding, and the 1.5 diesel is probably the best option.
Yeah agreed, my old dear has a 1.2 16v one and its extremely slow, but predictable. but not dangerous like the 0.9, where the 0.9 on the motorway actually scoots along fine. I mentioned the 1.2 16v being bomb proof - She ran driving school cars replaced every 2-3 years and from 2001-2016 consisting of Clio Mk2 & Mk3, then Twingo 2's and over to Clio MK4's - Everyone running the D4F 1.2 16v engines and it ended up being over 1 million miles, where other than servicing all that was required was 2x coil packs and one alternator......

For me at that budget its DCi90 Dynamique S all day long! - or a high milage TCE 120 - but they are rare!

good luck!

Early cars have MediaNav with a home screen like this:
1722376598228.webp

Later (but still not facelift) cars will have the MediaNav Evolution with this screen:
1722376636666.webp

The evolution is much nicer to use, DAB as standard, Bluetooth music streaming works (an issue on the original) and the sound quality is much nicer.
 
See, I knew someone on this forum would have the experience I needed! 🤣

Thanks again @Martin_172

As mentioned above, we had a mk2 with the 1.2 16v engine for 11 years. It saw us faultlessly through around 100k miles. 👍🏻

That early screen does look like something from the first ever colour phone. Although, it still looks space age compared to my Megane.

Cheers.
 
Sorry just seen this.

Buy the 1.5 DCI manual as long as insurance group isnt an issue. Great engines, keep it serviced and they run forever.

If you get the 0.9 its great on fuel, and pokey for a 3cyl, but:

You MUST change the coolant housing on the side of the head as a service item. The seal will breach and leak the coolant out and then cook the engine. I have made a not insignificant amount of dosh buying these with melted engines. No temp gauge on the dash either. I take the housing off and reseat the seal with Reinzosil sealant to make sure it doesnt leak.
Service it regularly. Change the timing chain, the plastic guides go on higher milers. Its like £120 for the parts.
 
Thanks for this @DaveL485

There’s been a short term change of plan. My nephew was recently trading his Corsa in and the dealer offered him peanuts, so I’ve had it off him instead. It gave him a bit more cash and was still dirt cheap for me. It will do the job for me for a while.

I think we will still pick a clio up again at some point in the future as we loved our last one and all the research suggests they’re still a great little car.

Thanks again for your advice and I’m sure others will find it useful too.
 
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