Alex_225

These weren't too bad for what they are. I got a set of decent Falken tyres on there as well. I've gone for 205/40/17 instead of 195/40/17, a tiny bit more forgiving. Thankfully I didn't damage the OEM rims, they're now de-tarred, polished and stored in the loft! lol They are a great looking wheel I must say. Not the most expensive but certainly no heavier than the standard rims either and I reckon they suit the car.

It's been a while since I've been on here so thought I'd update this thread for those people who were interested. I've had the Twingo Gordini a year now. Still think back to the Lupo though, if only I had funds to keep that as well. I've made a minor change to the car since buying it. I'm really pleased with how the wheels have suited the car. Putting bright white rims on a car sounds lairy but actually it's almost made the styling on the Gordini less fussy by tying in nicely with the white details on the car. Also, with stretched tyres as standard and the OEM wheels going for £425 each to replace, these are somewhat of a cheaper option if I damage one.

I was back in having my tattoos touched up yesterday. Just as well that tattooist had a booked customer waiting otherwise I'd have ended up having more done and it costing me haha.

I'd have thought a 5 month warranty would be adequate enough. They're not known for being particularly unreliable motors as far as I'm aware. Plus for £10k that's a lot of car for the money. They're not the most refined of hot hatches but they are nice and quick.

Thing is though, if I were modify a Twingo I'd pick the GT. If you messed about with the ride heigh and styling on an RS it'd be a bit of a shame as they drive brilliantly and look good as standard. But a Twingo 1.2, tuned to 130bhp, on the desk on coilovers and smart 16" rims would look awesome as well.

At the moment, the 100bhp 1.2 turbo engine is probably more tuneable. There are a few re-mapped Twingo GT running not disimilar power to the the 133 with a re-map, intercooler etc. Thing is though, regardless of the power the GT is still lacking the RenaultSport chassis. Let's face it a car with sub 150bhp is really all about the handling. Still, I'm a big fan of the 1.2 turbo engine.

To be honest, Renaults, from my experience don't live up to the stereotyping that French cars have. They're not unreliable but admittedly they don't feel as solid as a VW. That said, they usually out perform their rivals in terms of driving pleasure and to me that's a big factor. I like their underdog status. Between an R26 and Clio V6 it'd be a tough choice made. Have to drive them both and go from there. That'd cool mate, I'd have gone for a white one if the Gordini didn't exist. Only down side is that whtie is the most popular colour at the moment. There's a lot turning up on the owners clubs, although hers is the only one with the glass roof. I'm lucky though as I get to drive both. Only difference is she's racked up 5k in about 8 or 9 months, mine's 6 months old and only done 360 miles. Still running it in.

I abolutely love it. Partly because it shares the same feel as the Lupo did, it's small and has character, which is lacking with a lot of new cars. The biggest box it ticked is that it's fun though. You don't need a trillion BHP to have a laugh and good drivers car. Plus it's only £350 to insure for a year, does 45+mpg on a long run and in the Gordini's case has lots of nice toys inside. lol

Thanks mate. I don't really have any plans as such. If anything I need to get out and drive it more. I took a new job where I don't use the car mid week like I did with the Lupo so it's only got 350 miles on it. I know the car would look good lowered but it handles so well at the moment without being harsh. My girlfriend test drove one just after I did and ended up buying a Glacier white one. Thing is though for her to get those 17" wheels you have to have the Cup chassis (the Gordini comes with them as standard) which is only 4mm lower but a stiffer ride. It's a tiny bit sharper on the turn in, but no quicker realistically on the road but so much harsher. This is her one - The only midification to the Gordini that I was thinking of were these alloys for next winter. Put it this way, to replace one of those silver/blue rims from Renault you're looking at £425 each wheel!!!!

Just thought I'd say hello as I haven't been on here in a while. I sold my Lupo Sport last year. Not sure if the new owner is on here, I know he saw it for sale on here. I was sad to see it go as I'd got it as mint as I could without spending a fair bit of money on bits that would have only fed my OCD! lol This is what I replaced it with. A RenaultSport Twingo 133 Gordini. Now I know it's not subtle and it's definitely not to everyone's taste but I'm really pleased with it. It's number 110 of 200 being sold in the UK but the biggest selling point for the Gordini over a normal 133 was the interior. It's not the original Gordini racing blue of old but it's still a rather pleasant colour. The Lupo sold for more than I had expected so I thought I'd treat it to this number plate too. In terms of driving compared to the Lupo it's certainly different. The Lupo was making about 115bhp where as this is 130bhp but not really different in weight so this feels a bit quicker. In terms of handling, I'd say they were pretty close. The Lupo was on KW coilies so the ride was rock hard where as this is far more supple, which tends to give you more confidence in terms of not feeling so many bumps. I miss the old Lupo and if I could have kept it as well as this I would have done but I don't regret selling in terms of this car.

You've seen it before but this is my 2006 RenaultSport Megane. And this was my replacement for my Lupo Sport, a RenaultSport Twingo 133 Gordini.

Haha thanks, it doesn't happen very often! lol

The trouble with articles like this is that they miss quote the facts. It's not £7k for a car wash, that's probably the longest, most expensive job the guy has ever done. Probably doesn't charge anything like that for an average wash or even an average detail with full paint correction. That's just the most expensive job he's done on a car that probably needed hours of correction work and the article has quoted that as 'The most expensive car wash', when it's far from just a car wash. This chap is no doubt very good but he's one of many very high end detailers. Paul Dalton of Miracle Detail (www.miracledetail.co.uk) for example is in the same kind of league as the guy mentioned. If you look at the processes involved and the cost and type of products used you'll see why they cost so much. Admittedly you're paying top end hours rates but the products used are not cheap. I had some detailing work done on my car and the wheel sealant used is about £100 for a small tub. Some of the waxes used are in the thousands on these top end details. I know a lot of people will claim that a sponge and Fairy Liquid will give the same results but believe me they really won't. I'm not saying spend thousands on it but I've spend hundreds on detailing gear but would say that for £50 you'd make your car look a hundred times better than a sponge and bucket will.

Doesn't look too bad to be honest, at least it's a wrap that can be taken off though. By the way you can only really wrap normal paint, wouldn't work if if it was bodged, filled but not sprayed. You'd spot it a mile off under a wrap. Also properly done vinyl wraps are meant to be totally removable, leaving the paint as it was underneath. Still, prefer my mates old 350Z, all done in his garage with rattle cans.

Being old has it's merits! I'm 28 and insurance on my Megane 225 and my Lupo Sport were £950 for both. Only £300 for the Lupo.

The interior isn't the greatest but it looks good enough, has some neat little touches. Silly thing is that the interior feels more old skool than my Megane but I guess the Megane was a far more expensive car by comparison. The thing is though, once you get sat behind the wheel, which is actually a nicely sized, chunky leather stitched jobbie you forget about the rest. The seats are nice and hugging and the feel overall is great. All you see is out of the windscreen and the rev count, that's all you need really!! As said the outside looks great, all the missus choices as well so good taste on her part haha.

That's exactly why I liked the RS Twingo, has a lot of the nice qualities that the Lupo has. Luxury wise the RenaultSport model isn't too bad. You get auto headlights & wipers, electric mirrors, air con and all the usual stuff. I've gone for the Gordini though so you get full leather, climate control, cruise control and a few other touches. Funnily the interior is alright but certainly nothing to shout about. The interior is very plastic but feels well enough put together. It'll do the job but doesn't feel as sturdy as the Lupo that's for sure. Even in the RenaultSport model you'd want to add a couple of features though like climate control or the cool pack which gives you the nice glass roof. Otherwise apart from the sporty seats and metal pedals, not much gives away that you're in the RenaultSport. Well except when you're driving it haha. As it happens I'm still waiting for my Twingo Gordini to arrive at the dealership! Here's the frustrating thing though. When I went to test drive one, I went with my girlfriend who completely fell in the love with it. She ended up testing one and ended up ordering one at the same time. Annoyingly, she's already got hers and I've got to wait until August. Here's a few pics for you though. Exterior wise she went for Glacier white with the Cup chassis, black & white pack and black Cup alloys. The OE stereo looked like it came from the Arc, so I swapped it out for the Pioneer unit I had in my Lupo. She also went for the 'Cool pack' which gives the panoramic sunroof and climate control. Small boot like the Lupo But you can slide the seats forward as the rears are individual too so you get more boot. Cool speedo. ] Orange detailed interior. And the 131bhp 1.6 16v engine.

Yeah any turbo charged lump can see massive gains, then again I've still got my Megane 225 so if I'm after big power it wouldn't take much to get 270bhp+ from it. Thing is, like my Lupo a light nippy car can be used to it's full potential every day. Even driving a 225bhp hatch day to day would be tiring where you'd always be holding it back. It's tricky as it depends which way you want to go with the replacement. Do go for something faster and bigger or do you find something that ticks all the boxes that the Lupo does. I went for the second choice purely because I have a faster car but want a great day to day car that offers plenty of smiles. Luckily the model I've gone for should be as exclusive as driving a Lupo as they're only bringing 200 of them into the country!

I see you're car has some mods done to it so the Twingo did well, assuming it was the GT 1.2 turbo 100bhp one. Although with a re-map they'll see 120bhp fairly easily so could end up closer than you think. The Twingo 133 and Lupo Sport weight almost the same funnily enough. Haha the same went for me as well. I definitely think both the Twingo RS and the 500 Abarth are cars to consider to replace a Lupo if you want something newer, a bit quicker but still small with plenty character. The character of a car is a major part of a cars appeal for me, I love my Megane because so many people don't like the way it looks, plus it surprises them. The Lupo is a quirky, fun little car especially a tuned one that leaves bigger cars behind, same goes for a fast Twingo.

Haha yeah that's very true. Fortunately the RenaultSport models are made separately and at a guess that may be the reason they feel somewhat more sturdy than your average, day to day Clio/Megane etc.

Sounds like he's had a good selection of cars there. I've only heard good things about the RS Twingo so am really looking forward too it. Only downside is how long it's taking Renault to bloody build the thing.

They feel adequately put together, certainly not up to the solidness of how the Lupos feel. Then again, there aren't many cars as small as a Lupo that feel as substantially put together. Fun wise, I think it'll be up there though. Also, they're fairly rare cars as well so hopefully won't be driving past them every day. How does he rate it?

I think you'd probably struggle to fit 15s over the brake calipers, the non-Cup version has 16" rims, the Cup chassis gives you 195/45/17s on the car. To be honest though, if you put 15s on, you'd have to slam it on the ground. Something I'm trying to avoid, as much as it looks cool it's hard work not being able to drive certain places because of it. That's exactly what I'm after, something that's as fun to drive as my Lupo. I think the Twingo ticks all the right boxes in that sense.

The Twingo GT is a 1.2 turbo engine with 100bhp so similar to the Lupo Sport I guess. The RenaultSport one is a 1.6 16v n/a engine. I've got a couple of Twingos in Forza 3 but they showed as 1.6 n/a on there, although somehow you can get the AWD or RWD with other engines in haha.

Yeah I am replacing it but still waiting for the car. The replacement had quite a high list of requirements to fill the Lupos shoes. I wanted something still cheap to run, as quicker or quicker, superb handling but still with character as I think that's the Lupos biggest appeal. I'm waiting for a RenaultSport Twingo 133. It's a bit quicker, superb handling but more modern doesn't need to be as low as possible to look/hand well. I know most on here aren't into Renaults but they're what I've always had the Lupo broke the pattern but I do love a RenaultSport.