I wouldnt worry too much about the mileage as much as the fact that Renault autos are terribly fragile and nobody wants them.
Sorry mate, you might not want one but everyone else does. MInd they dont all know the renualt auto box is fragile,
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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To quote HJ: 'Continued high incidence of automatic transmission failures'
Thats all Id need to know if looking at a Clio auto.
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Can't advise on the Auto side, but we p/x'd a manual 98S Clio 1.6RXE 3 yrs ago for our Jazz. We'd had it from new, done 23,000 miles and the only problems in that time were that it needed a new exhaust rear box at 4 yrs (the other one broke at a weld and was left dangling, which was a bit of pain as I had to turn out and rescue it) and at the 4 yr MOT it was noted that both rear springs had broken. I?m suspicious the dealer broke them but anyway Renault replaced them FOC after a firmish request.
I'd paid £600 when we bought it for a 5yr warranty (only 1 yr when new) on a deal where we got our money back if we didn't claim. We didn't, and we got the money back.
Now you can't get much off a Jazz (so there isn't much room to boost the p/x value) but we shopped around and the very best p/x we could get was £3300. One Honda dealer offered £2800.
On the car you?re looking at, check that it?s had the cambelt changed ? it may have been left due to mileage, but it should be done at 5 yrs, as well as having all the fluids changed (not sure if that would include the auto box, too).
As for the auto value ? it is said that there?s a market for small auto?s, but we tried to sell MIL?s 2 yr Corsa recently and didn?t get a sniff. A dealer that BIL knows put it on his forecourt for a month and he didn?t sell it either. So I?m not convinced there is a huge demand for small autos.
My worry on a car like this would be that if the auto box failed, then it might be touch and go whether it was worth repairing the car.
I know it's a quite big jump up in price, but perhaps your sister could find an innovotive way of financing an auto Jazz - Autotrader shows the cheapest at £5500. A Jazz would fit the size specification you had a bit better too.
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Thanks for the advice so far. Some of you have echoed what I think - Renaults have a reputation for fragility and Japanese would be the way to go. However, my sister has had a 3 dr Mk 1 Clio auto for a few years and has been pleased with it - it has had a few problems, but not enough to worry her. The main reason for changing it is that she will soon need to fit a second baby seat in, making the 3 dr totally impractical. The replacement won't be the main family transport as they also have a 626, so it won't do too many miles.
Bill Payer - interesting to read your comments on your Clio, thanks for posting. If yours was only worth around £3k 3 yrs ago, it does put the price of this one into perspective. The cambelt change was going to be the first thing I would suggest checking too - I suspect many would be tempted to skip it on such a low mileage car.
I agree that the Jazz would make a nice (possibly ideal!) choice, but it is too pricey. Finance is not something they want to take out, they want to buy the car for cash, so the budget is relatively fixed.
Stunorthants - thanks for pointing out HJ's comment about the auto failures, very useful to know :) The Starlet is a good shout, but a fairly rare car and I don't recall seeing 5dr ones but I'm sure they exist; possibly on the small side too.
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I'm going to be shot down in flames here, but indulge me for a sec.
Have a look at the Hyundai Accent. Reason I mention this is that for <£4K you'll be able to get an example which still has a fair proportion of its 5-year warranty left, they're reliable and easy to drive, and the visibility in all directions is very good -- I know to within 2 inches where the ends of the car are, and it's boxy shape means that it's easy to work out where the car ends. The autoboxes are Mitsubishi so are as unlikely to fail as anything Japanese, and the size is slap-bang in the middle between the Fiesta and the Focus. Could well be the ideal car, *if* you can get over the lack of image/style and the slightly plasticky -- though robust -- interior.
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I'm going to be shot down in flames here, but indulge me for a sec. Have a look at the Hyundai Accent.
Actually, you're not going to be shot down :)
It is something I had thought of, due to the warranty and presumably good reliability. Image isn't of great concern (to sis), so well worth considering in my opinion. I take it you have one, and are well please with it?
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I take it you have one, and are well please with it?
Yup, I have a 2001 manual, never given me any trouble. Good car.
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How about a Daihatsu YRV - comes as 5-dr and auto and has flat back so easy to park, plus very reliable. Prices start at around £3200 for 2001 models with 30k or so miles.
The Starlet did come as an auto 5-dr but only on the CD model, but given many were bought by older folk, more likely to find an auto than you would think.
I found a few of them with low mileages for about £3k without much effort.
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Too much of a premium is being levied on its low mileage. Does the aircon still work after all these years? And yes, alas Renault automatics are not the best in the business, at least not those prior to 2000. Later ones seem much better.
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How about a Daihatsu YRV - comes as 5-dr and auto and has flat back so easy to park, plus very reliable. Prices start at around £3200 for 2001 models with 30k or so miles.
Nice shout - exactly the sort of left-field motor that I was hoping the backroomers would come up with. I didn't even know what one looked like until I searched! Cheers.
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YRV auto
Has been a problem of F-Speed transmission oil coolers failing, leading to transmission fluid contamination by engine coolant and failure of the box.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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>> How about a Daihatsu YRV - comes as 5-dr and auto >> and has flat back so easy to park, plus very reliable. >> Prices start at around £3200 for 2001 models with 30k or >> so miles. Nice shout - exactly the sort of left-field motor that I was hoping the backroomers would come up with. I didn't even know what one looked like until I searched! Cheers.
Ill throw some more left-field ones then, just put my thinking cap on...
Kia Shuma - basic transport but apparently reliable and likely to be very cheap for its year.
Daihatsu Charade 1.3 - made up till 2000 and doesnt have the F-speed box mentioned, just conventional 4-spd auto.
Daihatsu Grand Move - based on the Charade if you want a little more space.
Im sure someone will flag up a reason not to have them though!
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Bill Payer - interesting to read your comments on your Clio, thanks for posting. If yours was only worth around £3k 3 yrs ago, it does put the price of this one into perspective.
I think the pricing we were getting was suppressed by the fact that it was against a Jazz - against another Clio I'm sure we'd have got more. I felt it was 'worth' £4K or so, but didn't fancy trying to sell it privately as you're getting close to the price of nearly new (basic) Clio's.
Also it's group 6 insurance, and, generally, people looking for small cars are not looking for 1600's.
There are about 40 RXE auto's on Autotrader, by the way, some even dearer that the one you mentioned.
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Incidentally, if you like the Daihatsu Sirion, my aunt has had a 1.0 auto since 1999 and done 140k in it without a single fault and only routine servicing - she uses it to commute doing atleast 80 miles a day usually.
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Just about all the Japanese manufacturers (and a lot of others as well -- newer Renaults being a prime example) now use Jatco autoboxes, which formed out of a merger between the autobox divisions of Mitsubishi and Nissan. These are generally very good and are recommended.
The Sirion is a great little car, a guy two doors down is on his third, all of which have been utterly reliable -- they're essentially Toyotas.
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