1991 Renault Clio RT review from UK and Ireland

The coil-distributor HT lead needed replacing pretty much as soon I bought the car.

At around 168,000 the catalytic converter broke down, costing around £250 to replace.

The handbrake cables needed replacing for the last MOT.

The MOT inspection noted that the front wish-bones had begun to show signs of cracking. Not surprising for the mileage so they have just been replaced, along with the lower ball-joints and anti-roll bar bushes. Hopefully this will cure a tendency the car has developed to be heavy on tyre wear (in the last 3000 miles it has worn a tyre from new to having a bald section on the inner of the tread). This work has certainly made the steering far lighter.

The alternator has also been replaced at a cost of £90.

The main lighting control stalk has been replaced, when the headlights failed to flash when on dipped lights (it worked if the headlights weren't on!) this would have cost a staggering £80 from a dealer, but a scrap yard has supplied one for £15.

Other items have had 'niggles' - the rear wash-wipe didn't work at all at first and the front wash didn't work, these both proved to be down to corrosion on the contacts, easily fixed with a little steel wool and wd40. A new front washer pump was installed as a precaution, as it did appear to have taken in water.

The car drives very well for a high mileage car - the engine does seem to have a little knock on it, but doesn't use any oil at all. I was told that most of the mileage is motorway stuff, and I tend to believe it.

After some of the cars I've driven, the brakes could be better, but for most conditions they are more than capable of locking up.

Around the city this car is great - lane changing and nipping around without question. On country roads too the handling is good, but the understeer can be a concern - the tyre pressures are crucial I've found, and don't trust the garage to get them right! On motorways this car can cruise along very quickly, but the pedal layout I find is not so good for long drives (the accelerator pedal is at the wrong angle.

These Clio's are becoming very cheap (this was £500) but you'd easily spend this if you had to source all your parts from Renault dealers. Official parts are not cheap. However there are enough Clio's on the road that Renault specialist scrap yards are quite common. Many jobs can be done by the home mechanic, although there is not much space to work in.

One major concern is the locks - drivers door locks need replacing before they reach this age as the wear means that the barrel can be turned with any key/screwdriver! Again, scrap yards can often offer these quite cheaply (I paid £35 for the set), although you have to check that you aren't getting a set with only slightly less use than your old ones.