The Renault Clio was first produced in 1990 – meaning the city car celebrated its 25th birthday last year. Despite the milestone in its life, early, good condition Clios are still hanging around for under a £1000. Like this one.
Made famous by its Papa and Nicole advertisements, the Clio was every bit as French as that advert – and loved to play up to it. It would’ve even been described as chic in period. In fact, it was so good, it picked up the title for European Car of Year in 1991
But, when was the last time you saw a Mk I Renault Clio that wasn’t a Williams? Let alone one as nice as this. Less than £30,000, two owners and an MoT ‘till 26 May 2016. This winter’s been pretty mild so far, but wouldn’t this be an appropriate shed to tool around in, just look at the number plate!
It’d also be an ideal first car for budding enthusiast. Something modern enough that it won’t be a pain to deal with everyday, but old enough to make it interesting and stick out from the crowd, as they’ve all disappeared, or are stuck in the back of a shed or farm.
The majority of them were probably lost in the scrappage cull of 2009, for shame.
In the pictures, it certainly looks like a well-maintained low-mileage example of the supermini – but they are a bit grainy. Serious buyers might want to ask for better pictures of the interior, to check for premature signs of wearing, like knackered seat bolsters.
Tyres are the next obvious question to ask about. The advert’s written in a minimalist style and mentions nothing about tyres. Suffice to say that it might still be on its original rubbers – something that needs changing immediately. They might’ve done less than 30,000 miles, but are 22 years old, well past their expiration date.
The next big question to ask is storage. It looks in mint condition and as though it’s been looked after, but has it been kept out in the cold, left to contend with gritters and snow, or has it had a sheltered life? The latter being preferable, obviously.
At £850 you can forgive it for its automatic gearbox. Hell at £850 you could forgive it for anything. The only real question about this car is whether you should use it everyday or keep its mileage down. A tough call indeed.