Why did you buy a Trophy ?

[DieHard]

Hey guys...

Let's here your reasons why you chose the Trophy as your car of choice ?

• Was it the reviews ?
  
  Was it the test drive ?
  
  Did someone you know own one ?
  
  Did you buy one without test driving it - purely based on reputation ?
  
  What were you looking for out of the car ?
  
  How happy with it are you out of 10 and what would you change ?

So what's your story... here's mine:

For me, I chose the Trophy as I was looking for a car that would put the enjoyment back into a 50 mile round-trip to work every day. It now takes me 10 more miles and 10 minutes longer to get to work as I travel on the back-roads rather than the motorway every day - but the buzz I get from putting the car through its paces each morning and night more than makes up for this.

I have been looking for a new car for about 2 years, I made the stupid decision 3 years ago and bought a 'sensible' car that got me 50 MPG and was safe, comfortable and reliable.... I pretty much hated it from day one !

I set my heart on a Toyota Celica 190 T-Sport as I think it looks incredible and the performance figures were very good, and being a Toyota it was unlikely to cost me a fortune in repair bills. Stupidly I started saving for it before actually test-driving it - I was that sure about the car. It took me almost 2 years before I knew I could afford one and headed off to the dealers expecting to spend a couple of hours in the car and then to buy it... what a disappointment. The car has no sense of speed whatsoever - (in theory :roll: ) you can be doing 120 and it feels like about 60. Visibility was terrible and.... well I wont bore you with the rest, except to say that I was nearly in tears at the end of the drive - I was that gutted !

The past 12 months have been spent looking for the perfect car for me. I test drove a Honda Civic Type-R, Seat Leon Cupra-R and all the other names, but there was always something that turned me away.

After reading glowing reviews of the regular 182 in about 4 car magazines I decided to give it a test drive. Wow, what a car... well mannered at slow speeds, loads of pull from the engine from low revs (unlike the Civic) and the corners... oh yes, THE CORNERING !

After a couple more test drives I set a day aside to drive the Civic, Leon and 182 together one after the other - it was after this I knew I wanted a 182.

More out of curiosity than anything else I thought I should test the Trophy before buying a silver full-fat 182. I had to drive 50 miles to the garage and when I got there the dealer let me drive both a 182 and Trophy for a good few hours. The guy took me to an area about 15 minutes from the garage to a twisty road that seemed to go on forever. I chose a stretch of road about 5 miles long and ran it over and over with both cars. The more I learned the road, the more obvious it became that the Trophy was the car for me.

I can't wait to do a few track days when the weather starts to get better again, but for me the morning run to work will keep me smiling until then.

I used to play FORZA and Gotham Racing on the xbox regularly, but since getting the Trophy, racing games all seem a little dull !

I would give the car 9/10 considering the price, performance and build quality.

 

[ducks butt]

It was either the Trophy or a Civic Type R. Renault offered me more money off. Simple.

 

[richard3]

If Honda would have played ball which one would you of gone for then !!!! :?

 

[Lee]

I'd had a 172, and Jeremy had told me that the 182 with Cup packs was better, so I got one. I then got a tip off about the Trophy (as I was looking at a CTR again) and once again Jeremy said it was better than my 182 so I went for it. No test drive, just trusted him, and once again I wasn't let down.

There's lots of other capable hot hatches, all a class above the Clio, CTR, FRS, LCR but none of them are quite as much fun as the little Clio.

Out the box the Trophy, and all other versions of the 172/182 are pretty much untouchable for performance/price.

I don't think I've ever read a thread where a LCR owner said how amazing there car is, instead it always starts with "Where can I get it chipped" or "Chipped it'll be quicker than your Clio" or "If you chip it you'll get an extra 30bhp". :lol:

The only other car I've owned which gave me the same driving enjoyment was a Peugeot 306 GTi-6 and it's taken the Trophy to better it as I put it on a par with my previous 182.

 

[ChrisB]

Never had a clio before, so was curious to see what the fuss was about.
Haven't been disappointed - it's more fun to drive on track than my old Focus RS, and it feels easier to drive fast on track than my old M3.

 

[amm]

Had a ctr and did not like the ride the brakes or the suspention to hard no give and if you park it on a road that is not level for any lenth of time the doors do not shut proprly my brother has got a 182 with the cup pack .
Had a drive of his it is so good in the corners and the road maners and the brakes are grate.
The whent to the free week end from renault and sore the trophy and fell in love with it.
Then whent and lookted at it six times during the weekend the whent to the dealer and then screwerd him on the price and there i am the owner of no 469.
And thay are 10 times better than a ctr.

 

[ryanaldo13]

Someone in my work told me he saw loads of clio 182's bombing around the ring when he went there at the start of the year. (and they looked good on the track) I had never considered it and had my mind set on a Fiesta ST.


I test drove the following:

Mini Cooper S - expensive, commen and too heavy
Fiesta ST - Liked it alot. Ford never gave me a discount and all the extras i wanted added up to 16k.
Renault Clio 182 cup>

After the ford test drive i went to the renault showroom and got a spin in a 182 cup. i thought it was great! I agreed all extras and got a good discount but i wanted a yellow one and the salesman wouldnt budge to give me it free.

Went home and the next day Renault phoned and asked if i wanted a Trophy, I had never heared of it nor Renaultsport nor Cliosport nor Cliotrophy websites. I had a look on the web and thought great! I'll buy that one then!

So without a test drive i took a gamble and paid my deposit £200 (I'm Scottish and tight!) then had to wait 4 months till i turned 21 for insurance.

Over the months i got lots of renault emails about the car and autocar test's ect. Only when I saw the "best hot hatch in the world" quote, then i knew i made the right coice.

Since the 17th of September every drive has been worth the wait!

 

[ducks butt]

The decision would have been much harder, but i'd have gone for the Trophy still. Its more fun, cheaper to buy, cheaper to run, doesn't feel like its being raced all the time. Just miss sixth gear in it on the motorways etc. Also the Trophy is more exclusive. Only 525 being built or have been built. I was shocked to see in auto weekly the other day that there have been 35,000 type r built. I'm not slating the Type R, coz it was fantastic, but i'm more than happy with the car i've gone with.

 

[OliS]

When I first saw the Trophy on the R'sport website, I knew it was the car for me, I have always wanted a Williams due to it's looks, exclusivity and reputation, and for me the Trophy is the natural successor. Having owned a 5 Turbo and a 172 (and driving my missus' Williams), I know that I like the way Renault's hot hatches handle, and at this stage in my life (no kids etc) I do not need anything else from my car other than being reasonably cheap to run, and damn good fun to drive!

I could not afford it at the £15.5k list price, and reading all the positive reviews was driving me mad! Somehow I had to get one! Managed to find a couple of dealers offering them for £13,295 brand new, and after a bit of work, I had got the price to what I could afford. Without taking a test drive, the 172 was sold, the loan was set up and the rest is history :lol:

The Trophy delivers exactly what I expected from it and more! The way that it handles on bumpy back roads is outstanding, the depth and quality of chassis control for a hot hatch is the best I've ever experienced.

Did a couple of track days in the 172 and it was great fun and never let me down, can't wait to get the Trophy on track as it is just going to be even better

 

[crazy4557]

Why did you buy a Trohy

I needed a second car to use for running around in and my first consideration was the new Golf GTi. Great to drive but too long to wait for a new one and dealers wanted pretty much list for any used one's and I wasn't prepared to do that.
I had read about the Trophy in the press and had considered a 182 cup somewhile back. So I visited my local dealer in Warsash and managed to get a demo car sorted and drove that a few days later. My Trophy is now parked outside so you can guess my thoughts after that test drive!!! The demo car had a price sticker of £12999 in the boot and had only 700 miles on it and this made me think that a good saving on list was available. After a bit of bartering I eventually paid £13.350 which is about what the car is really worth. £15.5k is too much for a car with crap quality interior and poor steering wheel/pedal arrangement.

Mine's on ebay now just to see if any interest is forthcoming. There's a little bit of poetic licence about the price paid though!
Reason for selling? Its too focused to use all day and every day although I maykeep it for trackdays etc if I can't sell it.

 

[fazedesign]

Had been driving a 205gti for best part of 4 years and loved it. Went for a test drive in a 182 late last year and loved it but my work situation meant I couldn't justify the purchase. The head gasket finally of the 205 finally complained at 600 miles/week commuting so I picked up a Honda Accord that was being sold off by my dads work and drove that until September.

Would have stuck with the Honda for a while as it was costing bugger all to run and never let me down but then I found a flaw in its unrelenting reliability when the dizzy cap failed and it wouldn't start. Ended up borrowing my mates Puma for a couple of days while I was waiting for the parts for the Honda and remembered what its like to drive a car that knows how to accelerate and go round corners.

Ordered the Trophy about a week later as it seemed to be the ultimate replacement for the 205 (and the staff discount my mate got me helped....)

 

[ChrisB]

Crazy4557, what's wrong with the pedal arrangement ?
Easiest car I've ever driven for heel and toe-ing, impossible in the Focus RS I had.

 

[mr StinKa gob]

I actually considered a Trophy. My reasons were that it was probably the best value for money hatch at the moment. I don’t think its the best all round car, but its probably the best bang for your bucks if you want to go as fast as possible. It's a car with 3 years warranty track car for 12 k that you can thrash to fook and then sell after 2 years of navigating Donnigton and Brand Hatch

The thing that dissuaded me was:

Honda had a 02 plate Integra Type R in a nice blue for 16k
I have two Williams' already and i drive Jill’s 172 (do we need another? :shock: )
I don’t like the colour or the wheels
It might not be worth much in two years
Williams 0001 is for auction soon and i need the cash for that :wink:

 

[mr StinKa gob]

Crazy4557, what's wrong with the pedal arrangement ?
Easiest car I've ever driven for heel and toe-ing, impossible in the Focus RS I had.

Off topic so apologies, but:

Surely you cant be serious? Its very hard to heel toe in a Clio. The pedals arn't atall right. I cant do it effectively in either my Williams or Jills 172. However in the MR2 the pedals are close together, pretty small, and its pretty easy. I find heel toeing in a Clio like trying to pick up a pen with a pair of boxing gloves on. But i do drive with no shoes on so maybe that doesnt help.

Plus, why do you need to heel toe in a fwd car with a heavy 2 litre engine over the front wheels?

 

[Guest]

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[mr StinKa gob]

And just to take it off topic again.

I cant heel toe in a clio

 

[hyb]

Can't we ban you already.

 

[Portland]

Just put my deposit down today, so I dont strictly own a (trophysmall) yet, but...

I looked at a 182 cup a little while ago, but the seats were very uncomfortable. When the Recaros came along, I tried to get a test drive in a cup with them on, but really struggled. Along came the Trophy and I decided to give it a blast. The first test drive I got was a joke, real 5 minute mission. Next test drive I was sold. The seats made all the difference for me, and the ride seemed that little better than cup (I took the same route both times, and asked to add a very bumpy bit, as my commute has some very rough stretches).

I also tried out the VTEC bread van, which just didn't seem as fun, was much more frantic and although the residuals may be better, the price was ridiculous. The Fiesta ST was OK, but it would have had to have been a lot cheaper and a little less blingy to convince me.

I turned up to 2 test drives for the 206 180, first time the car wasn't there, so I looked round a 206 sport of some nature and wasn't impressed, second time the immobiliser wouldn't disarm, and it wouldn't start, so that was the pug out of the window. The Cooper S was fun, but again, price put it well out of contention.

Overall, seems a great little car for the cash!

 

[mr StinKa gob]

Can't we bum you already.

:shock:

 

[Guest]

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