All round print issues

Hi folks. I joined the forum a while back having bought a 3d printer on ebay then promptly forgot I had done so. Maybe I could have saved a world of pain ! I've spent best part of a month fiddling with it and haggling with the seller to try and figure out whats amiss.

So the printer in question is far as I can see a clone of an i3 Prusa. Its a CTC (I can post a picture if it'll help - its described as "2017 CTC‘s Upgraded Full Quality High Precision Reprap Prusa i3 DIY 3d Printer"

I mean it sorta does what it says on the tin - but only vaguely. If I stick to real small things then its (usually) ok. Anything large is a taking big chance !

So, the issues (or the ones that come to mind):
I can only seem to print if I have the temperature at 215 or greater. Even then I get mixed results - it can print well for a good chunk of any given print but then as it gets near the top turns into plastic spaghetti sometimes worse than others.
I'm also seeing it randomly shift during a print - resulting in offset part of the model.

I also have had big problems with "clicking" from the extruder - and when its clicking its not putting plastic out and - well the rest is self explanatory !

Also the walls of the print are pretty "noisy".

I'm just wondering if this is kinda whats expected given the price (it was only £130 after all). Is it worth perservering or should I maybe bite the bullet and buy a genuine one ? Or maybe just paying more than £130 for one is the thing...

(Oh and Ive tried both slicer and Cura)

Simplfy 3d is meant to be very good - but its a chunk of change. Id splurge and buy it if needs be but something tells me it wont solve all my issues !

Any advice appreciated !

Shift is normally caused by a problem with the drive. This can be a failing cable or stepper motor, problem with the set up of the drive electronics or a sticky mechanism, causing the drive to stall momentarily. Check all connections are good and use a meter to do a continuity check on the cables.

215 - 220 is not an uncommon print temp for ABS, but is a bit warm for PLA. The clicking is usually a sign of a clogged extruder. Strip it down and clean any crud out. TBH, the worst part of these machines is usually the extruder and they often benefit from some upgrading. A sprung tensioner is a good starting point and is usually a cheap and easy upgrade. If you are printing with too high a temp, the material will soften too far up the extruder and that can cause jams and print issues. The PTFE liner can also become misshapen, leading to further jams.

The spaghetti at the top of the print may suggest that the leadscrew calibration is out, so the gap is increasing as the print height increases. The first thing I would check however is the bed height is correct at the start of the print, as it maybe a little high at the moment.

I don't really consider the CTCs to be a good starter printer, as they do need tweaking to get the best out of them. Persevere and you will get there!