1999 Clio 1.6 16v...Help please

[daz_uk]

Hi,

I dunno if that car counts as a sport (hehe) but Im going to view one tonight and need some advice from you experts out there.

The one im going to look at is a 1999 T reg, 48,000 miles, Cd Player etc with the 1.6 16v alloys, priced at £3400.

Are there any specific things I have to watch out for on the car and is the price pretty much on the ball or is it lower than average etc?

Also, If I like it - how do i go about doing an HPI check on it? I mean, I can;t really go away from the viewing and then do an HPI check, then get back in touch with him as he may have sold it by then and i lose the £40 i spent on checking it out! whats the best way of doing it please?

Are there any particular weak spots of the car (interior and exterior) that I should watch out for?

Thanks for any info you have!

Daz






[Edited by daz_uk on 04 August 2004 at 10:41am]

 

[Clart]

get the hpi check done beofre u go? they should be able to do it over the phone anyway

 

[m_darby]

i phoned the AA up frmo the guys living room. took 10 minutes. if they have nothing to hide whoever has the car they wont mind

 

[S2 PTH]

Quote: Originally posted by Mitsi on 04 August 2004

get the hpi check done beofre u go? they should be able to do it over the phone anyway

Yes but if he does that and the car is a piece of crap and he doesnt want it then hes wasted however much it is to do the HPI check!

 

[daz_uk]

Hi Mitsi,

Thx for the reply. I guess i could do it before I go but what if its a right pig when i get there? Also, I don;t have the VIN number which Id need to get the insurance from HPI in case their info is wrong.

I gotta admit I love the thought of the 1.6 16v but Im also viewing a 2000 W plate 1.4 Sport (is it 8v?) tonight too which has only 35,000 miles and group 3 or 4 insurance (I think?). I know the 1.6 16v is group 10 which is quite high and is the difference of about £100 - £150 on insurance.

For the money I have got (£4000) I could get a lower spec sensible car but Im a bad boy at heart and prefer the bit of power I would get from the 1.6 16v but I don;t want that to cloud my judgement and buy a pig!

Someone out there needs to convince me that im doing the right thing! hehe. Also, I guess the 1999 1.6 16v doesnt come with half-Leather right? and is the CD player a Single one or multi-changer?

Ooh, before I forget - i don;t like the look of the alloys but I have some 15" Softline alloys (5-spoke TSW Stealth look-alikes) that I used to have on my clio K reg 1.4 RT. Will these fit straight onto the 1.6 16v or not?

Cheers,

Daz

 

[BillyBhoy]

They didnt come with half leather till the 2000 models where there was a name change from "1.6 16v" to "1.6 RSI", exactly the same engine but the RSI is more expensive to insure.

Think the wheels fit but can anyone else confirm?

U seem to be worrying too much. Take a m8 who is a little car literate!



Billy

 

[daz_uk]

cheers Billy.

I know a bit about cars and know the obvious things to look for but I wondered if anyone who owns one knew what to look for in particular to avoid me buying a piece of muck!

Do any owners think its the bees-knees or in my position would you go for the more basic 75bhp 1.4 sport?

Cheers!

Daz

 

[daz_uk]

well im gonna be going to see it soon. Trouble is, i dont have insurance on it so I sunno if ill be able to test drive it?! Seems a lot of messin about to arrange insurance for a short test-drive.....

Well anyway, Ill let u all know tomorrow how it goes - and if anyone knows if those alloys i mentioned above will fit then let me know!

Cheers,

Daz

 

[1.6 16v]

there will be a pretty big difference between the 1.4 8v and the 1.6 16v-id go for it

 

[daz_uk]

Ok heres the deal.

I saw the 1.6 16v. I drove it and was impressed with the power and it made the 1.4 i drove later seem so boring......and yet the 16v had lots of problems in my opinion.

The owner hadnt cleaned it inside or out. He had advertised it at 48,000 miles and yet when i got in it said 54,656...I asked him bout this and he was like "errrr...was it?...." and then he said later hed only advertised it for 2 weeks and theres NO WAY hes done 6000 miles in 2 weeks so i was very supsicious from the start. Most other stuff seemed to check out with it but the drivers window rattled, there were some paint flaking off on rear just below a cracked headlight.....lol .... no effort what-so-ever to sell the car. Id say if it was a kosher car then a hundred quid or two and a few hours work and he could have made that car look great. As it was I liked the engine a LOT but no way would i buy that car.

The 1.4 8v I saw after was a really nice chap who was honest about stuff and I drove the 1.4 for quite a while. However, it just didn;t excite me. Now I have £4000 to spend basically and my priorities were SUPPOSED to be something low mileage, practical and reliable..... but thats so f**king boring! So then i spotted the 1.6 16v and i fell in love, and now ive driven it i want more! forget ur 75bhp 1.4 8v and your 90bhp 1.4 16v......I want that 110bhp 1.6 16v NOW!

But if you can find me a low mileage one for less than 4 grand then your a better man than me. Looks like ill have to go the sensible route instead eh?

Cheers,

Daz