Project "White Elephant" - SOLD!

Site Subscriber Joined: 07 Oct 2004 Posts: 2281

Ah yes today marked the acquisition of a new car. A Renault Clio 16V!

[img:400:243:e2eae400f9]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v680/gentlebenny/Renault%20Clio%2016v/Side.jpg[/img:e2eae400f9]

[img:400:356:e2eae400f9]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v680/gentlebenny/Renault%20Clio%2016v/Rear.jpg[/img:e2eae400f9]

[img:400:277:e2eae400f9]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v680/gentlebenny/Renault%20Clio%2016v/Engine.jpg[/img:e2eae400f9]

It was originally at auction on eBay with a Buy It Now price of Â£450. For that money, and given the amount of stuff it came with, I thought it was a bargain. As an added bonus, the car was located in Beith, just a short drive from Glasgow, where I was going to see Chris to get the 19 lowered! So a plan was hatched, borrow a couple of hundred quid from somewhere, and buy it!

Unfortunately I was at work on the last day of the auction, but I would have been back in time to buy it at the BIN price. I spent a lunchtime phone call begging my parents to loan me a couple of hundred to buy it. When I returned home all excited, I found that the seller had ended early to sell to some other guy in Beith, also near Chris H.

Obviously I was highly disappointed! I e-mailed the winning bidder to see if he wanted to sell for a ton more than he paid for it (the original Â£450 BIN price, he got it for Â£350) anyhow he got back to me, he explained that he had spent Â£75 on new front discs and pads and a wheel bearing.

Aside from this, it had no MOT, play in the steering rack and a new rear mount and a little bit of attention to the bodywork, especially the arches. The guy said he was looking for around Â£525 to take account of the money he'd already spent on it, which I thought was fair enough.

I agreed to meet him today, when I was going up to see Chris and we went to see it. The coolant tank had obviously played host to an eruption or two, and the rear mount was indeed knacked. However, Chris quickly attributed play in the steering rack to duff track rod ends and the leaking of rusty coolant was due to the incorrect expansion tank cap being the fitted (should be a blue one apparently!)

The rust however was not major, and the scuttle panel was intact, and not holed which is the norm for most Clio's according to Chris.

One thing concerning me was a plated up drivers' side suspension turret, which had been sealed with the engraving of the VIN number covered up. The original plate on the slam panel was present and correct, and a feel up inside the wing revealed that whatever damage the turret had sustained was all the way through, i.e. was legit. If it was smooth then I would have been concerned!

Then me and Chris took it out for a spin. For me, it was my first ever drive of a Valver. Well what can I say? Ooooh yes! Very Happy

My Dad wasn't convinced, and we decided to adjourn for half an hour to think it through. In the end though, I decided to buy it knowing that with Chris it would be in safe hands.

I was able to barter the guy down to Â£480 for it, which he hastily agreed to as he had to dash off to work. Because we didn't have the cash on us, (due to a paltry lack of Natwest branches in Scotland!) we thought we'd have to wait till he was back. However the guy was so trusting that he handed over the keys and trusted us to return later and post the cash through his letterbox! I was a bit concerned but all the logbook is present and the new owner slip but Chris reassured me that he had bought many a car like this before!

Of course, I returned with the cash later, being the honest gentleman that I am, and posted it through the letterbox! As a result I now have my first 16V! It's a J-reg car, with 83K and FRSH up to 73K. The guy who originally eBayed the car had a new car and left the Clio standing. It needs an MOT and some track rod ends, rack gaiters and a new engine mount. It also needs the correct coolant tank cap and a new timing belt and radiator wouldn't go a miss, all of which Chris is gonna sort for me, I hope!

Gonna be picking it up from him at the end of our Retro Renault camping trip to Loch Lomond, so if anybody has a spare seat in the car on the way to Scotland, I'd be very grateful!

Have to say I'm one happy bunny with this car, especially for Â£480! This will become my daily driver, so I can take the 19 off the road and get this V6 project well and truly on the go.

As the Clio is white, and in light of my recent dream about Chris in which he had the private plate 'MINTY R19', I'm gonna name this project Project "Minty".

A big thanks to Chris for looking over the car for me today, and for babysitting it/agreeing to get it fixed up and MOT'd for me! Cheers pal!

As the car is with Chris, he's probably in the best position to post updates/progress reports on how the car's coming along!

Very Happy

Mr Quoter-vator Joined: 16 Feb 2004 Posts: 7405

not a 19 16v????

Forum Moderator Joined: 18 Feb 2004 Posts: 7432

Yeah WTF

Spammer Joined: 27 Jul 2004 Posts: 5717

tis not a clio is it ???

Site Subscriber Joined: 13 Oct 2004 Posts: 4722

wooooo another one

welcome to the 'elite retro clio sector' ben

Smile

Spammer Joined: 27 Jul 2004 Posts: 5717

oh well it could be worse , imagine if it was a blue one ?

Site Subscriber Joined: 07 Oct 2004 Posts: 2281

You find me a 19 with 83K, FRSH and for Â£480.

Site Subscriber Joined: 10 Jun 2004 Posts: 2317

Oh dear lord....

Site Subscriber Joined: 07 Oct 2004 Posts: 2281

Don't worry, will be keeping the 19. Will be coming off road to have the V6 put in, Clio will be my daily driver!

Spammer Joined: 27 Jul 2004 Posts: 5717

there you go little sir 70k

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4555302598&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

Site Subscriber Joined: 13 Oct 2004 Posts: 4722

lol, must admit, shacks got it there..

how ever,

clios rule!

woo

Spammer Joined: 27 Jul 2004 Posts: 5717

do you remember what i said about cats rog ???? i feel the same about clios Laughing

Site Subscriber Joined: 07 Oct 2004 Posts: 2281

Bah! Well I'm happy with it anyway. And it's bloody fast! Has a K&N IK plus a full stainless exhaust with a silenced de-cat. Sounds bloody lovely!

Site Subscriber Joined: 13 Oct 2004 Posts: 4722

some one ban shacks for ever.

and yep, liking the car mate, white isnt my fav tho

rather have it in..

BLUE! *stares at shacks*

FCS Event Manager Joined: 04 Jan 2005 Posts: 3680

i like it Ben, i like the clio valvers almost as much as the 19 valvers.

looks like it needs a bit of a tidy up here and there and oh

SELL ME THE WHEELS lol

are they 17's ?

Site Subscriber Joined: 07 Oct 2004 Posts: 2281

Nope, 16's!

FCS Event Manager Joined: 04 Jan 2005 Posts: 3680

sell me them anyway Razz

nah i want those in 17 inch flavour

Site Subscriber Joined: 07 Oct 2004 Posts: 2281

Yep wouldn't mind 17's on the Clio. Never really liked Super T's but they really look at home on it!

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

its the drivers track rod and not ends! I said it was the track rod!

The column is also fecked.

Theres a lot to do on this car.

BTW theres a black M plate 16V 19 near to me that Alan is thinking about buying. Needs a headgasket but its only 150 quid.

Also the clios not as fast as my 19 but it does sound nice and its a lot smoother running than mine but mine does have 40k extra miles on it and no service history!

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

also those shitty 16's have ripped half the arch liners away.

I had to sort out the annoting squeak from the driver front wheel, turns out when the other guy got the bearing sorted someone had hammered the flange bendign it out, so i had to file away at it to get the disc to sit anywhere near true.

And got rid of the gay accel pedal cover, removed so wires lying in the bottom of the door from the removed before we got there tweeters.

Cleaned the cap up, no more noise from it.

Gonna flush the coolant today as its pissing down so it will get washed away.

Site Subscriber Joined: 07 Oct 2004 Posts: 2281

Nice one, keeping you busy already I see! Wink