Newbie advice

[Jamesb]

Hi all,

I'm new to the forum and as yet, haven't even got myself an RS Clio . However, that is hopefully about to change in the next week or so and I'm looking to buy a Trophy. Other than the reading I've done on the net and the usual Clio buyers guides that I've found, I can't seem to locate anything that is specific to the Trophy. Are there any particular quirks that the Trophy has that I need to look out for? I'm looking for a low mileage, standard Trophy and can stretch to about £7k, which seems to be about the going rate for a nice private sale one. If anyone can shed any light on anything I need to look out for (other than the usual stuff generic to buying any car) I'd be more than grateful.

Cheers, Jim

 

[allsmiles]

for 7k you should be aiming for the exellent ones

usual low mileage, full service history, recent cam belt change, front dampers condition, brakes condition, exhaust condition, stone chips, crash damage

the main differences between the usual sports and trophys

the trophy has the turinis wheels
the engine doesnt have that nasty plastic cover on
no headlight washers
v6 rear spoiler
the trophy plaque on the drivers seat
recaro front seats
sachs dampers all round

definately one thing to check is the drivers door, when closing the door check the door lines up nice along the roof, my old trophy chipped away some paint and made a nice chip, i have seen this on my mates 182 also and also on a campus clio, good old renault for you lol

 

[nickboazracing]

What he said^^^. I'll elaborate in a brief manner, searches on the following points will reveal hours of detailed info for you:

Dampers are race spec Sachs. Most FRONT dampers have reached a point of requiring rebuilding. Approximate cost £400-500 depending on exacting condition.

5 year/72k service now due on all cars. This includes cambelt. Best of done by reputable specialist. Approximate cost again £400-500 depending on garage.

Tyres from factory are Michelin pilot sport PE2. Approximate £100 a corner. Purists stick to these and they are possibly becoming harder to get hold of. Anyone tried recently?

If I were in your shoes, for 7k you should be looking at a car with fresh dampers, cambelt service done and Good PE2s.

There is a good register on here listed by car number so a good way of amassing some of the cars past life.

Search for details on the above!

This is a great forum, by the way!

Nick.

 

[Jamesb]

Cheers for the advice chaps,

As I said I'm after a low mileage, un-abused and standard example. I'm in the final throws of selling my Delta Integrale which I've had for 6 years, so hopefully before not very long, I should have the dibs to get a Trophy. Unfortunately, due to personal circumstances (ie kids), having a toy to keep in the garage is totally undoable, so its time to get something more modern and practical. The wife wants me to get another Honda Jazz like hers (which is actually ace if you want to put complete mountain bikes, bags of cement and big pieces of wood in, but a bit lame for everyday use), but I think I can get away with a Trophy!

Jim

 

[j333evo]

What Integrale did you have?

I have an EVO1, had it nearly 8 years & can't see me ever selling it.

The Trophy is an excellent choice of car though.

Aaron

 

[wigstar1]

Hello James B,

Have a look on ebay at the moment. There are a fe T's on there but one listed a few days back that looks cracking with low mileage etc.

Good luck with the search.

Wigstar1

 

[Dan493]

Tyres from factory are Michelin pilot sport PE2. Approximate £100 a corner. Purists stick to these and they are possibly becoming harder to get hold of. Anyone tried recently?

I believe they've been discontinued now so its Pilot Sport 3s. About £115 a corner.

 

[stealthsport.co.uk]

Tyres from factory are Michelin pilot sport PE2. Approximate £100 a corner. Purists stick to these and they are possibly becoming harder to get hold of. Anyone tried recently?

I believe they've been discontinued now so its Pilot Sport 3s. About £115 a corner.

I just paid £100 a corner for PS3's from my local place and they seem very good

 

[aucky]

MAtt, can you offer any critical analysis of the PS3s yet?
I'm a little reluctant to switch...

FYI PE2s are still available from mytyres.co.uk

 

[Dan493]

FYI PE2s are still available from mytyres.co.uk

Not when they run out i.e Michelin have stopped making them.

 

[aucky]

Well obviously...
I'm saying they are still in stock on said website should anyone want some.

 

[Rob Vox]

personally id also check the subframe. Look underneath the car and look for anything new which looks out of place.
This ties in with a drive and doing 3-4 vigourous accellerations and hard braking in a straight line on a flat road.
My previous 172 had a severely bent subframe which required renewal. When new everything aligned correctly but it was never the same again. This was highlighted on a trackday where it was obvious the car pulled one way under accelleration and the other under braking.
I say 2+ for this as sometime the brakes are not the best as a 1 off but deffo are equal when war.
Another tell tale sign is the front bumper. There are black inserts which are afton sprayed with front impact.

Persoanlly, I would rather go for a car which has been abused and looked after.
If you need to check if its been tracked check for braided lines which are the 1st thing sum1 who would track a car would uprate.
On the passenger side just in front of the rear wheel look under the car before the rear axle / bar. Standard car have a rubber pipe which flexes which is replaced for a pair of steel braided hoses.

 

[stealthsport.co.uk]

MAtt, can you offer any critical analysis of the PS3s yet?
I'm a little reluctant to switch...

FYI PE2s are still available from mytyres.co.uk

I haven't really done enough miles on them to offer any real feedback but they are certainly better then the Toyo T1-R's that were on there before and really didn't suit the car at all.

 

[Jamesb]

Hi,

Aaron, I had (still have actually, as the buyer is not picking it up til next week) an Evo 2. I originally bought it as a third car, but circumstances changed and I ended up using it every day for the past 12 months. That said, I only did 20,000km in the 6 years that I've had it. I need something I can use every day and is cheaper to run than a 'grale (last two services have cost nearly a grand each :-&) , but still gives me some fun.

Rob Vox, cheers for the advice re the subframe etc. I will have a good crawl over any prospective purchase. There have been a couple of low milage T's on the autotrader recently, including #428 which only has 38k on it. Is this a forum members car, or does anyone know anything about it?

Cheers, Jim