A popular used car dealer warns drivers on YouTube that looks can be deceiving and lists key areas to look out for to avoid costly problems in the future.
Matt Goodwin runs the YouTube channel High Peak Autos and regularly creates videos where he gives advice on the best and worst used cars and shares his latest purchases for his service station.
In a recent video, Matt spends £500 on a 2003 Renault Clio and explains that he is glad the car does not have a sunroof, which can easily leak on older models.
He explained: “You know what I’m glad about? There’s no sunroof. It always leaks on these models, and all the ones I’ve ever had have had the roof taped up. It’s OK.”
“This is also a really clean interior. You can tell he (the seller) had a cleaning service because everything is really clean. There is no service history, no manual, but the timing belt has been done.”
The second generation Renault Clio was sold in the UK between 1998 and 2008 and was popular primarily for its striking looks and driving pleasure.
While some criticized the cramped interior and use of cheap materials, the French subcompact car featured a wide range of engines, ranging from the economical 1.0-liter to an incredible 3.0 V6 found in the incredibly collectible Clio V6 Renaultsport.
With most models now showing their age, used car buyers can get a low-mileage second-generation Renault Clio for well under £1,000.
However, later in the video, Matt noted that while driving the £500 Clio, he had noticed a number of defects that needed to be addressed.
He added: “I’d better not turn it off in case it doesn’t start again. I suspect we just have a faulty starter or maybe a weak power supply to the starter, so nothing too serious, I wouldn’t have thought. Mine doesn’t have any warning lights on and the engine actually sounds pretty good.
“This is our first time driving the Renault Clio. There is a noise like a rear window is sticking, something is dragging, which is not good. The brakes are also terrible, there is nothing left of the windows. What started out as a very neat little car needs a major inspection, a service, the problem with the starter needs to be fixed and the noise needs to be eliminated.”
While Matt was able to resolve the Clio’s starting issue, he later learned that the noises around the car were caused by accident damage, so he advises viewers to check any new car thoroughly.
He continued: “The little Renault Clio is running nicely in the background. We fixed the starting problem – there was a bad earth or something on the starter motor, so that was a quick fix. I have a very long list of defects here that will prevent this car from passing the MOT again. It’s all being repaired, but I don’t know what to do with it.
“I’m reading through the shop notes here and they suspect a rear-end collision because the trunk floor is damaged. Let’s go and look at that. That’s a good lesson because it’s all crumpled up – it obviously took a big hit. Also, the mechanic said it was rear-end collision. I was expecting damaged chassis legs or something, but actually the radiator is loose.”
