2002 Renault Clio Sport 172

Although this car now lives in London, it has spent most of its time on the road living in Gloucestershire and then Devon, where the current owners knew both the previous keeper and the garage that maintained it.

It was sold new in Cheltenham and has covered low miles in it’s 21 years, with just 55,800 miles on the clock.

Since purchasing it at the beginning of the year, the owners have invested a fair amount in mechanical service work, bringing the Clio to the excellent condition we find it in today, however an upcoming relocation means the car now has to be sold.

With its RS grill and bumper, chunkier 16” alloys and lower stance, the Clio Sport has a discreetly aggressive and more purposeful appearance than a lower spec model, its a very subtle sports model as, front grills aside, only the silver badges on the doors and the boot badge give it away.

The silver paint looks good and the panels are well aligned, bar the front bumper corner where it meets the wing on the off side. Being a London car, there are also a few scuffs on the bumpers, especially the rear near the number plate light, sills, rubbing strips and wing mirror caps. There is also a chip on the front nearside wing. These are  the most notable marks.

Dents wise, we noticed a couple of minor indentations on the rear hatch and some more pronounced ones on the bonnet, possibly from the car having being pushed in the past. 

The tyres have recently all been replaced with premium quality Continental rubber, which is great, though there is a "chunk" out of the off-side rear and the 16” alloy wheels are all generally marked, so would benefit from refurbishment should the new owner so desire. 

Being the sportier top spec model, the Clio Sport gets much better seats than standard, half leather and alcantara sport seats with the Renault Sport logo embroidered in the front seat backs. These are in excellent condition with very little wear to the surfaces, only the front passenger bolster has some really noticeable marks.

The car also has a leather steering wheel which is in superb condition and there are silver texture finish panels in the dashboard and the same finish on the gearshift top, again un great shape.

The dark carpets are also in good condition with hardly any wear and the pedals are more sport themed metal items.

Sadly, the headlining has not faired so well, and is "drooping" in the rear compartment, so that would certainly benefit from some attention or replacement. 

The seller tells us that during the last MOT, the tester commented on how clean the car looked underneath and the photos do suggest as much.

Under the bonnet, the engine bay is very clean and straight with no signs of fluid leaks or accident damage, and the discerning owner has recently spent close to £2000 on a very comprehensive service, so should be "good to go".

This year the owner has lavished care and attention on the Clio, first replacing a cam position sensor then in May treating it to a huge service, replacing the cam belt, water pump and auxiliary belts as well as the dephaser pulley which controls the variable valve timing - VTEC Yo! The air conditioning condenser and the radiator were replaced as well as the exhaust from the centre box back and the offside CV boot, all this before a service and MOT, which it passed with no faults.

Older receipts from previous years show it has been kept well maintained with previous cam belts, brakes and servicing carried out.

This is a lovely and well maintained example of a Clio Sport, a car which is both huge fun to drive today and an upcoming emerging classic.

We estimate this car will reach anywhere between £5,000 - £8,000.

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