You Need This Mid-Engine Renault Clio V6 That's Already Been Imported, Not A 401(k)

If you've come to terms with the idea that you'll never actually have enough money to fully retire but do happen to have enough money for very fun cars, there's a 2001 Renault Clio V6 Sport on sale right now on Hemmings for $92,000. If that feels like a lot for a 25-year-old French compact, remember that this isn't any ordinary econobox. It's the V6, Renault's mid-engine hot hatch it made seemingly on a dare.

Other high-performance Clios existed and were sold after this, but they were all fairly conventional front-engine hatchbacks that never matched the rear-drive nuttiness or, frankly, the legend of this one. Don't let its commuter car shape and 230 horsepower fool you; Clio V6s are known to be a handful to drive, especially in pre-refresh Phase 1 guise like the car you see here.

According to the listing, this specific car was imported from Japan (so you know it was likely well taken care of), only has 30,883 miles on the odometer, and is said to be in excellent condition. It recently got a "complete tune-up and major service" and is a turnkey car, ready to devour both backroads and the intrigue of passersby with great French quirk. Given America's 25-year import rule and it being a 2001, this is as new as importable Renaults get, and it's already here — the car is being sold in San Mateo, California, with a Washington title.

And this being a niche-as-they-come, extremely European performance car from two decades ago, you'll be feathering a clutch through it all because attached to that almost-3.0-liter naturally aspirated V6 is a six-speed manual transmission. (Many outlets call this engine a 3.0-liter, but others err on the side of accuracy and say 2.9-liter since it is 2,946cc.)

French hatchback aficionados will remember that the Clio V6 isn't Renault's first mid-engined hot hatch. That title belongs to the old R5 Turbo from the '80s to which the Clio V6 serves as a spiritual successor. By the way, it looks like "Renault doing a wild, mid-engined hatchback every 20 years or so" is starting to become a pattern. It recently brought out the new Renault 5 Turbo 3E, a 536-hp EV with two in-wheel electric motors at the rear, retro styling, and limited run of just 1,980 examples to be delivered starting in 2027.

That means it'll be at least 2052 when the first ones start popping up here so folks can spend way too much money on 'em. At this rate, we're really never retiring, are we?