Here I go again. Every time I think, wow, am I really going to cover this XXX (fill in the blank with Pinto, Vega, Yugo, etc.), I go ahead and do it anyway. Today’s, find courtesy of T.J. is a 1983 Renault Le Car, an ’80s compact that will be remembered by many for mostly the wrong reasons. All of that said, this example is in spectacular shape and has only experienced 22K miles! Sure, this one’s worth covering, it’s located in Murrieta, California and is available, here on craigslist for $11,999.
The Renault R5 (1972-1985) first came to the U.S. in ’76 but didn’t adopt the “Le Car” moniker until 1977. According to Ate Up With Motor, the Le Car’s sales improved when Renault purchased a piece of American Motors in 1979, allowing the Le Car to be sold and serviced by a much larger dealership network. Still, the Le Car faced headwinds in the form of more powerful competition provided by Honda, VW, and Mazda. The LeCar just didn’t gel with the domestic buyer, and its claimed, spotty reliability didn’t help. That being the case, Renault withdrew it from the U.S. market during the ’83 model year. I haven’t seen one in many years.
Styling is subjective. And while the le Car’s design mimics other sub-compact economy cars from this era, it’s really not much to look at. But separate that opinion from its condition, and there are no complaints. The finish is strong, the black plastic trim pieces are not faded or cracked, there’s no sign of crash damage, and the seller claims “no rust”. Even the side stripes have withstood the test of time.
Power, or more appropriately, movement capability, is provided by a longitudinally mounted, 51 HP, 1.3 liter, four-cylinder engine, working through a four-speed manual transaxle (not an automatic as stated in the listing). The seller states, “runs and drives excellent“. Zero to 60 MPH time was reported to be 13.1 seconds with a quarter-mile saunter taking 19.1 seconds.
The interior is in extremely clean condition. There is no sign of upholstery wear or stains, and it is a typical ’80s environment with its angular blockiness. The fine condition extends to the dash, door cards, back seat, and headliner. Everything appears to be untouched and unmodified.
OK, so this was a nice trip down memory lane even with the subject being a Le Car. How many 22K mile examples can possibly exist? This one’s rare on that facet alone. Now, how about the price of $11,999, I’m not feeling it, how about you?
Back in the late 80’s I started working as a auto technician at a VW/Audi independent shop. I was there long enough that I was getting my first Christmas bonus. My boss used to give me a hard time and he gave me a choice for a bonus. I could either take the envelope not knowing what I would be getting or I could take the 83 Renault LeCar that was recently traded at their used car lot. I chose the Renault thinking I would end up with the better deal but my boss just laughed at me and said I can’t do that to you. You worked hard for the bonus. Then he told me the LeCar owed them $300. I was surprised that in the 5 years the car lost just about all its value. But the thing that bothered me about the car was it’s 3 lug bolt design.
Thanks for the article that took me down memory lane. This looks like a nice car but I think the seller is stretching a little on the price. Well maybe the seller is stretching a lot!
Back about the same time, mid-late 1980s, I needed a cheap car, fast. There was a low-mileage two-year-old Le Car at our local multi-line mega-dealer, for $399. What the hey…it just needed to last a few months, get me started on a new job.
I went down, and of course I got the most-junior salesman on the lot. New suit, sharp tie, impeccable manners. We got the keys and piled in for a test drive – me at the controls. He’d obviously never sat in it before.
We drove three blocks. All kinds of interesting, unnerving sensations were coming up through the steering wheel. Then, a red light…I stepped on the brake, and grinding and clanking shudders went through the car.
“Just stop,” said the sales newbie. “This car…is not for sale. Wait here – I’ll get a shop car and give you a ride back.”
I declined, and walked back with him. I wonder if they even bothered to tow it back. But that was a lucky break, and a savings of $400 I couldn’t afford to lose.
From September 1982 until June 4 1993 (yes, I still had my “AMC/JEEP/RENAULT” shingle on the road & building. Until the County Sheriff, Lawyer and Sign Company Crew, pulled unto the Lot and REMOVED MY SIGNAGE! I absolutely LOVED all the Line Up of that time, even the Renault Vehicles. I Personally owned over 100 of the LeCar, 18I, Fuego & Turbo and Medallions. I say with pride that included over 1,000 of the Alliance, Encore & GTA! Picture is my Wife Ana with her 1986 Alliance L, she cried when we sold it in June 2009, as we Retired to the Philippines. I also raced a 1974 Hornet NHRA Super Stock for 20 years! BTW.. my email is (amc_renault@yahoo.com).
One comment I have to make… At my AMC/JEEP/RENAULT Dealership, there was a “Porter” kid (Charles), who would always ask if he could use a NEW car on a “Special Date” of one kind or another. Finally he asked me and we had just gotten in 2 Trucks of LeCars. I threw him the keys and said see you on Monday. Come Monday morning, Charles was sitting at the Gate when I pulled in to open up (First Time I saw that). Well.. on his date all was going GREAT until they went parking and he decided to lift his GF up and set her on the fender of the LeCar.. (How many of you see where THIS is heading?) . YEP.. he flopped her down on the fender.. JUST FOR LESS THAN A SECOND!! As she was wearing short-shorts.
How much was in the envelope?
What would a running R5 cost in reasonable condition around Presidio?
Arthur Netteler are you asking me?
Actually anyone that would have access to a Mexican R5. Especially interested in a bone stock R5.
Arthur Netteler Please send e an email at mason66str@gmail.com I can help you with that.
Arthur Netteler Contact me. I can show you the R5’s that are available but we also have the R12, R18 and some R8’s. I have seen a few R4 and one 1966 Renault Estaffette.
$11,999 – Le NO.
Goodness, we all have our preferences, but I think we, as Americans, are all in the same gear here. Actually, the LeCar wasn’t a bad car, heck, I even stand up for it’s cousin, the Alliance. In case some weren’t there, this was just another rendition of the “econobox” that filtered in once gas prices and insurance MADE us consider these. Every foreign car maker chipped in hoping to cash in on Americans insecurities at the time. The Rabbit, the GLC, Metro, Yugo, these( did I miss any?) of course the Civic, not to mention our half baked offerings, and I don’t think ANY were any better than any other. With thin metal, they all rusted quickly, and the ones that happened to escape the salt, like here, 4( or 3) cylinders were driven too hard and poorly maintained. Junkyards were full of them after only a few years.After the Dauphine, didn’t see a lot of Renaults, not may R series, but then, all of a sudden, these showed up. I mentioned on the last one, a Pontiac dealer in Milwaukee, Phil Tolkan, I think GAVE these away, like the Subaru 360 with every Bonneville, or something. These cars were kind of an introduction as to what lie ahead for AMC.
I guess we’re all getting “shell shock” from the prices, like, oh, $12grand, no biggie. Said many times, it’s the unusual factor that someone thinks will entertain a price for a car like this. ANYONE that was there, knows what these are. Seller clearly trying to hook someone that doesn’t know. It’s rare for a reason.
Everything rusted back then, my dad had a full-size Chevy pickup that rusted like it was an Olympic sport and needed two body shop sessions between when it was new in 1979 and when it was sold in 1986. Mom’s ’86 Plymouth Horizon went ten Vermont winters without a speck of rust, apart from the back bumper that fell off – but that had a junkyard-sourced, bolt on replacement. Polished aluminum bar and the endcaps and moldings were always black plastic so a color match wasn’t an issue.
SPEAKING OF RUST BUCKETS… My Dad had a 1975 Chevy 1/2 ton (bought new). I will never for get the day in 1999 we were all BBQing and their house. And mom and a friend made a Soda/Beer run with Dad’s PU.. When they pulled back into the driveway Mom was honking and waving at us. Seems that her Friend “DeeDee”, had tried to stomp on a bug on the floor, and her foot went THROUGH the FloorBoard!! That did it for Mom & Dad & Chevrolet!
I was managing a junkyard in CT in the mid 1980s ; and these were junk – they didnt last long enough to rust out, though I’m sure they would have on the East Coast.
I can still remember one of the yard guys, a real big baby Huey kid that used an orange one of these as a yard car .His head actually would actually push the canvas roof of it up, and when he got out of the thing you could the whole car sit higher – We used to joke that the car would breath a sigh of relief when he got out of it !
The Alliance was no better, we were getting those in too, except none ever ran, and nobody bought parts off of them.
As a former Ford Service Manager and then AMC/JEEP/RENAULT Dealership Owner. with more than 3,500 of the Alliance/Encore & GTA’s of my own and Dealership Owned. The 80’s Escort had to me the most worthless POS. We had at least 6 dozen of the EEC2 Escorts Pushed, Dragged and Towed onto my Lot in 1983. 90% of them FORD Dealers told the Owners “Don’t bring them back here”. Don Darr Ford had at one time 322 DEAD 1982-1985 Escorts SITTING IN A FIELD across Highway 67 from the Dealership!! That made the KTVI-4 NEWS! From September 1982 until November 1987, I had to trade out only 31 Alliance/Encore’s and 1 GTA, from Fed Up Customers, that I knew of. My Wife Ana drove a 1986 Alliance L 4door until June 2009, when we moved to the Philippines. To escape what we knew was coming!
I agree with the above comments, but there is one model of these I wouldn’t mind having…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBfPF1wXd40
Better one of those than the Adobe (clearly a lightly disguised R5/Le Car):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F02P2JO7yfc
That makes me think “If you can find a better car…buy it”.
As others have said, there are so many other better cars you can get for $12K I got a clean first gen CTS-V for less than that. You buy this one if having perhaps the nicest one left is important to you.
My cousin had one in yellow long before i was born. I always liked the look of these. This one has a I don’t want to sell it price and it may be the nicest one left. It is also a good choice to bring to a concourse de lemons car show or Radwood 1980s and 1990s era car show too.
Yes, it would be fun to look at. An excellent entry in a show or Cars-N-Coffee.
I’d be impressed. Even curious – find one that was not falling apart, something I’d never seen.
Fun to look at, but I’d pass on ownership. Even for free.
Had one. LeLoved it!
When I met my wife in 1983 she was driving one of these. Married her anyway, her poor choice in cars extended to picking husbands.
Used to take it to the Jersey shore, and it always struggled up hill. And if you know the back roads in NJ, those aren’t really hills. It was difficult, and contorted, at 6’4” to make out in that back seat. Younger then and flexible helped.
Spark plugs had a tendency to blow out. Traded it on a 84 Cavalier 5 speed, felt like a huge motor after that weak thing.
Hers did have the cool little hood scoop!
Btw price seems high, but there is collector interest. Saw a gaggle of 6 of them driving around Carlisle on year during the import show.
Having the opportunity to spend year abroad in the Middle East in late ’70s, Renault 5’s were everywhere. After returning stateside only to find my 71 Saab 99 had a cracked head (evidence of quirky foreign jobs), I bought a close-out 84 LeCar 4 dr–to avoid well-known rear window hinge separation–with vinyl sunroof from local AMC dealer. Never an issue but very unforgiving if not properly maintained. Also, my model had the 13″ spare tucked over engine and under hood. Added forward crash protection! It’s small size helped me keep my worldly possessions to only that which would fit in the LeCar. Carried me from MN to VT for graduate school and on to DC for 1st big job. As a bonus, I dated the gal what would become my wife for next 34 years in it, too. Oui, oui, the LeCar was good to me :-)
The Renault 5 has a very bad reputation in the USA. However, in sunny South Africa it sold like hotcakes and there were no reliability problems. Just change the oil and filter every 5000 miles or 7500 kms plus the air filter, keep those points clean and properly gapped and adjust the tappets every 7500 kms.
A fun way of spending an afternoon. And if you had the 1400 TS, absolutely no slouch, you also had the most economical car at the time. It won the Total economy rally year after year until it was no longer sold in S A.
Fitted with the Italian Capacitive Discharge Ignition, MTA, points never wore out and plugs lasted longer. I had a gadget that bead blasted the spark plugs to as good as new. My Renaults (or Alfas) never let me down.
Americans seem to be short on maintenance from the anecdotal evidence on this post.
Americans do have a very different attitude about car maintenance and what “reliability” means. For example, very few Americans are going to tolerate having to adjust the valves on their car every 5000 miles. They just aren’t. And that includes me, even though I was an auto technician for almost 40 years and adjusted more valves than I care to remember. Americans idea of “reliable” and “dependable” means a car that they can drive daily without having to do constant servicing and maintenance, beyond normal oil changes, etc. It seems people in other countries have a different definition, and tend to see their car as being their master, as opposed to being their servant. I saw this every day when I worked at a BMW/Peugeot dealership. the same people sitting in the waiting room on a weekly basis while their almost new car was in the shop having something fixed on it, meanwhile telling everybody what a well built and reliable car it was. It’s a whole different mentality I guess ( I call it “Land Rover Syndrome”).
Many years🤣, like decades since I’ve seen one. Had a friend who worked for Renault in the 80s, he stopped over with an R5 Turbo, now that was a completely different animal.👍
The Alpine
These cars do have something of a following. We may not think it’s worth the ask, but some LeCar fanboy just might.
These had at least two engineering oddities.
1) Wheelbase on the left was 94.6″, wheelbase on the right was 95.8.” This was due to the rear torsion bars being mounted one in front of the other, and allowed certain suspension components to be reused left and right for cost savings.
2) Three-lug wheels. From an engineering standpoint, three lugs is the bare minimum needed to hold the wheel in place and provide stability (knock-off wheels are different – their single nut has enough surface area to hold the wheel in place). The vast majority of vehicles add a fourth lug nut as a safety factor, but not Renault. If you happen to lose a lug nut on one of these, the wheel won’t be far behind.
Back in the late 70s, I think, a Renault dealership across the river in New Jersey was advertising a free pair of Ray_Ban sunglasses for test driving a Le Car, so I went over to check it out. I had owned several strange French, British and Swedish cars, some of them front wheel drive, so I thought I might like it. I hated it. It was fairly roomy and smooth riding, but the steering was INCREDIBLY heavy with tons of torque steer and understeer, and it was really slow. It’s possible the tires were under-inflated, but usually new cars at dealerships have the opposite problem, nobody adjusts the 60 PSI they come with off the truck. The 3 lug nuts were a non-issue though, I’d had a Renault R8 previously and they are really heavy duty lugs with special curved washers that fit into the rim shape and work just fine. I didn’t buy the Le Car but I still have the Ray-Bans today. I think it probably wasn’t a terrible car but just a little too French and lacking in a reliable dealer network to be successful in the US. I later owned an 85 Renault Encore that was much nicer and more “normal”.
I had a R10 and a R8 Gordini. The R5 was a great car – nothing wrong with the steering, perhaps the one you drove was not set up properly?
I owned 3 of them and never had any serious problems with them. They were the cheapest car you could buy at the time and many people did zero maintenance on them. One time I was in for an oil change and the mechanic said “you want to see what 40k miles on no oil change looks like” we walked over to a Le car with the hood off. Engine out. The oil pan was full of what looked like chocolate pudding!
The “chocolate pudding” oil was probably due to coolant leaking into the oil because of leaky removeable “wet” cylinder liners, an antiquated design that the French clung to tenaciously way past it’s due date. I saw this all the time in older Peugeots (but even more in BMWs which didn’t have wet cylinder sleeves but were plagued with blown head gaskets). We called it a “milkshake”. When I bought my Renault Encore I wade sure I got one with the new and more modern 1.7 liter engine that didn’t have the removeable liners. The Encore was trouble free for 33,000 miles until my wife decided she had to have “a red sportscar” so it was traded in. I don’t know what the long term reliability would have been. I do know that I haven’t seen an Alliance or Encore on the road in decades, or any other Renault.
It was probably Pennzoil.
I’ve had much better luck with Pennzoil and Valvoline than Quaker State.
I wouldn’t use Quaker State in my lawnmower.
Knew a girl in college who had one back in 1988. She didn’t drive it much. It never really ran….it kind of walked when it did move…
We had a Subaru dealer & a Renault dealer each bring out
their cars to one of our autocrosses.I was trying to decide which
car I would buy to go SCCA Showroom Stock racing in.This was
in 1979.
After I saw the LeCar go around on three wheels,almost
scraping the door handles off,I scratched it off my list.
I started a car rental company in 1981 with 3 Le Cars. cars were very quiet running. They rode extremely well due to the unequal wheelbases.
They got 35 mpg and were extremely easy to work on. Their only problem was they were prone to blow head gaskets due to a closed cooling system and small radiators. I still have one with a bad gasket; I will replace it and add a large radiator.
I also have a “Letric Car of America” car which a electrified car based on the R5. I bought it at a salvage auction since someone stole its motor. It had 4 12 volt batteries in the boot. Wonder what it would do with Lithium batteries
They rode good due to the typical French soft, long travel suspension, the unequal wheelbase didn’t have anything to do with that. As for the blown head gasket, if you just replace the head gasket it probably won’t fix the problem. These engines have removeable “wet” cylinder liners and the thin seals at he base of them leak. If you just replace the head gasket without pulling out the liners and replacing the seals you will probably end up with coolant leaking into the crankcase. I worked on many older Peugeots with that problem. This was an antiquated design that the French seemed to be very fond of.
Same issue as my Citroen with the 2.5. Wet liners with a thin paper gasket that have to be stacked for the proper liner to deck height.
Renault made some good cars years ago, but this wasn’t one of them. My sister had a 68 R10, my dad had a 69 and 71 R16, the best Renaults ever made.
I had a 64 Renault R8 1100 (the R10 was basically the same car with a longer front end). I really liked that little car, it was fun to drive and would run circles around a contemporary VW Beetle. In fact, of all the many cars I’ve owned I tend to look back more fondly on that car than any of the others. I sold it when I went into the Navy in 1966 so I didn’t own it long enough for it to rust out and fall apart like French cars generally did, but it was a cool little car at the time.
I believe there was an R4 before the R8, and the Dauphine before that. There was also a Caravelle, they were kinda neat looking.
Considered buying a LeCar that looked exactly like the one featured. Drove it and put money down on it. Next day, went in and told the dealer that I wanted the 80 Ford Fiesta on the lot instead. Dealer was quite upset but sold me the Fiesta anyway. Had that car nearly five years. I was so close to owning a LeCar!
Put 140 k miles on a 78 Fiesta and gave it to my brother-in-law and he put another 40 k on it.He hit a deer with it and tore the door off the A-pillar (a touch rusty). Gave the engine to a fellow co-worker and he ran the engine for another 3 years. Rusted bad but that Kent engine sure was tough.
….two French cars in one day at BF…?…..neither very appealing though!
My errr.. cousin , who made a living on the periphery of pharmaceutical sales in the early 1980’s Had a turbo, went plenty fast, had an absurd turning radius, especially useful when being tailed by the local securite through the forest. It was a fun car to whip around in and watch pieces fall off doors and dash board and listen for suspicious clunks in the drive train- and another small thing the turbo seals blew out about 20k- car left for an SL soon after- much nicer lol
I always wanted one of them back in the day. In 1985 I found a clean 81 sitting in the lot of the local Toyota dealership. Salesman put plates on it, and off we went.
It caught fire three miles later.
At which point I figured God was telling me, “You don’t want a Renault.”
RIP Patrick Jacquemart. Mid Ohio 1981
Still remember George C. Scott hawking these cars on the TV ads.
My dad bought one new from the local AMC. It was bright yellow and looked like a lemon. On the test drive it broke down and we actually pushed it back to the dealer. He bought it anyway. It was actually fun to drive, particularly in the city. I borrowed it and parked it in a very small parallel spot, right up against the other cars’ bumpers. Apparently the owner of the other car wasn’t too please as he and friends picked up the car and deposited it on the sidewalk. He left a choice note under the windshield wiper telling me exactly what he thought of me and the car. The other thing I remember was that it might have been the last car sold in the US with a manual choke. My dad’s friends called him “Little Harv In The Little Car” whenever they saw him getting in or out of it. He kept it a couple of years and traded it in on another quirky European car, a Saab 900S.
I heard they tried to get Ricardo Montalban but he turned it down because the LeCar didn’t have Corinthian Leather.
As an AMC guy, I sold my 1971 Gremlin-X in 1979 and bought a 1976 Renault R5 (before they renamed them LeCar). It was 2 door, 4 on the floor and the neat rubber roof that folds open and almost makes the car a convertible. Then in 1984 the timing belt broke (under 80,000 miles) and I traded it at a dealer who towed it in and got a 1982 LeCar, 4 door also with the rubber roof. Again with less than 80,000 miles engine oil was foamy with coolant. Sold it off for $100 as a parts car for another LeCar owner. So, both had engine problems but did run great for years and were a lot of fun with the rubber roof. Never had an engine problem with AMC’s cast iron straight sixes. I actually carried a 28 foot extension ladder (14 foot long) in the back hatch and extending way up in the air through the opened rubber roof. Great gas mileage, could park in spaces passed over by most other cars at the time. Long wheelbase (no overhang) so it has an exceptionally roomy back seat compared to its competition at that time.
I had a R10 and a R8 Gordini. The R5 was a great car – nothing wrong with the steering, perhaps the one you drove was not set up properly?
Since when did the R5 have a timing belt? It had quite a sturdy chain, not a belt.
Timing belt or chain, whatever it was my mechanic said it broke back in the 1980’s.
Look at the volume of comments! For a car that most Merican think is a P.O.S. it sure has generated a lot of interest. Truth be told, these were and are fabulous cars. Sure the longitudinally mounted engine with FWD is a mystery to many but these are still easy to work on. They are engineered to handle French needs and thus were durable and still have excellent parts availability. I know this because I daily an 83′ Renault R5 Turbo 2 and parts are readily available even for that Homologation special. What the R5 Turbo doesn’t have that the lowly Renault 5 does is suspension articulation. The Renault 5 (LeCar) can absolutely blast of parking lot speed bumps and through dips as only a French car can. They are hysterical to drive. Very slow and very fun.
French cars do have a certain charm. They usually have good suspensions and comfortable seats. But durable, no. Maybe people in Europe think they are durable but that’s because they still have that post-war “I’m so blessed just to have a car and I don’t mind doing maintenance and repairs on it constantly” mentality, which doesn’t fly in the US. I’ve owned 2 Renaults, a Simca and a Peugeot, and worked for 10 years as a tech at a Peugeot dealership, and never found any of them to be what I’d call “durable”. I bought my Simca 1204 new in 1969 and absolutely loved it for a year and 14,000 miles, until suddenly everything began failing and breaking so fast I couldn’t keep up with the repairs. So I unloaded it on an unsuspecting buyer who had never owned a French car but “had always heard” that they were durable and dependable. I felt bad about that. BTW, when I worked at the Peugeot dealership it seemed like there was no shortage of enthusiastic buyers who had zero experience with Peugeots but just knew they were awesome cars because they read it in a magazine. None of them ever seemed to buy a second Peugeot though, after the first one died. Which may have explained Peugeot North America going under.
Looking under the hood i would swear that was a rear wheel drive setup! – look at the motor above! How did they do it? & why didn’t others do the same?
Lots of front wheel drive cars used to have longitudinal engines. Like Saab, all Renaults and Citroens, Chrysler LH cars, like the Concorde, LHS and 300M. Just about all FWD cars prior to the Mini Cooper had it. It’s no more complicated than a transverse layout, but not quite as space efficient.
Dollars to doughnuts it has a warped head and blown head gasket from overheating.
As a former owner of AMC/RENAULT cars from the Pacer, AMC/RENAULT, Alliance, Encore…Renault misunderstood American tastes for the Funky cars! I find that the AMC/RENAULT Alliance cars were decent cars…too bad they never had the chance to shine! The price on this Le Car is too high unless you’re a devoted fan of the Le Car!
Wow, I have never seen so many comments as well. We inherited an 82 Renault Le car in Red with the same stripe back in the late 80’s. It was our only car at one point after we had our first child. It leaned going around the corners and the shifter was sloppy but it was always dependable for us and was amazing on fuel. I still miss that little car and always nthought it would be neat to have one just to reminisce. I had many C-2’s and Camaros and a variety of other muscle cars over the years as well.
Comments, comments galore. Can’t imagine taking Le Heap on an interstate or a Turnpike and getting blown around by the Tractor Trailers zooming around. Imagine being sandwiched by 2. Not my kind of fun.
I loved mine! ’82 was my daily driver for years–through many miserable Iowa winters. Drove it from Iowa to Texas and back with not a single problem. During that trip, I tooled around Houston in it–five people plus luggage, and it was raining. Some of the most comfortable seats I’ve ever found in any car. Since this is a California car, it probably doesn’t have the rust problem that finally killed mine. I think these are unfairly maligned. Great in the snow–I could get into my garage easily after a serious snowstorm. Oil changes were so easy I could do them myself with no sweat.
Being good in snow is all a matter of weight distribution and having tires that are good in snow. Any front wheel drive car with good tires will be good in snow, it doesn’t matter what make of car or country of origin. But all tires are not created equal; I’ve had new tires that were rated as “all season” that were totally useless in snow, and other tires that were amazing on the same car.
Five people plus luggage?
Where could you put luggage for five people?
only 22k? Wow, it’s only consumed 50 extra quarts of oil in its lifetime. Must have been built on a good day. The 4th car of my lifetime was a 1981 LeCar, dark blue, grey interior, no big sunroof (booooooo) LeCar was LeCrap killed by LeDealer. I bought it as a guaranteed used car (prerunner of factory certified?) Had to take it to the AMC/Renault dealer for service per the contract. One day coming home from college LeCar sputted, spurted, and died. I lifted up LeHood and gasped. The engine looked like a big stack of LePancakes from IHOP with syrup dripping down the sides. Turns out the not-so-certified ‘certified Renault technicians’ at my AMC dealer put about 8 quarts of oil in the motor during the last service. 2 years of legal hurangue later, they made it right and gave me money for another car. Saving that story for another day. Le Moral of Le Story, LeCar, LeCrap, LeAvoid at all cost! really cute though, this one is rust free. Here again, no massive canvas sunroof, boo
I am hearing a lot of people that don’t want another R5.
That is too bad. They are all over Mexico and some even have the European composite headlights.
LeJunk…
The only new car I ever bought. 1980 Le Car with sticker delete. Big sunroof and Formuling France steering wheel. First thing I ordered were a set of BWA rims and 175-70-13 tires. Handled great, perfect steering. I autocrossed it in college. Drive to Florida and all over the northeast. Shipped it to Europe and drove to Israel. Drove to every corner of Israel and into Lebanon and back. Blew the first head gasket at 20,000 miles on the climb from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Turns out, when the temp light comes on, it’s already over. New gasket and fan relay and about a year later I lent car to a friend to drive to Eilat on the red sea. On his way back, at the Dead Sea, second blown head gasket. I removed head on the side of the road and hitch hiked to j’lem with it to get milled and returned to finish the job. A bit later took the ferry to Cypress where i almost got in a bunch of head on collissions because they drive on the left. Then head gasket #3 blew and I got a tow across the UN base by some UN soldiers in a Land Rover to a shop who fixed it. Ferry to Greece, then drove to Turkey all over then Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Czechoslovakia where I hit a huge hole and damaged the suspension. No parts there so had to get towed to Austria and get it fixed. Then all over Alps in Austria, Switzerland up through France and Germany to Denmark, then down to Holland and Begium where I shipped it back to NY. Drove it around Brooklyn till head gasket # 4 and parked it, got a $300 1978 AMC Concord and never fixed the Le Car. 4 years, 60,000 miles and it sat in my yard for another 10 till my wife made me junk it. I loved that car but i do recognize its fragility.
As I commented here before, the problem with the cooling system/overheating/blown head gaskets/warped and cracked heads was more than one thing. These engines had removeable “wet” cylinder sleeves (liners) with thin paper gaskets at the bottom of them that would leak coolant into the crankcase. Even if this wasn’t the original cause of the problem, when the head was removed it would disturb the seals and cause them to leak. You’d have to pull out the liners and replace the liner seals, which had to be selectively fitted with the right thickness, or you’d still have a coolant leak and have another head gasket blow out. The French kept making engines like this long after it became an antiquated technology. It worked OK back in the dawn of the automobile when engines didn’t put out any power, people didn’t expect cars to be reliable, and most car repairs were done by blacksmiths in small villages who didn’t have machinery to re-bore cylinders but could replace the removeable sleeves. I worked at a Peugeot dealership in the 80s and we did liner seal jobs on 504 engines every day. Just replacing head gaskets was a very short term fix. Well, every repair on a Peugeot was a short term fix, but at least Peugeot did stop using removeable cylinder liner engines eventually.
Contrary to what is claimed in the description, the Renault 5 did not « mimic » the design of other subcompacts, it was the initiator of a design which would eventually be copied by all major car makers in the world.
You don’t sell worldwide over 8 millions units of this car by pure luck.
Le Car had many “first of its kind” features which made it the international success it became.
True that North American weather conditions and salted roads were a huge challenge for the car’s body integrity. However in many places where the weather was less challenging, the car maintained itself no better no worse than any of it contemporaneous productions.
I personally owned 4 of these, 3 of them still motoring very happily, two of them in my possession.
Each of these have crossed the 100 kmiles mark with no mechanical difficulties whatsoever.
So this one with 22 kmiles under the belt has enormous amount of life left in its guts providing that the body structure is sound.
What it should be if it is a California car.
As far as the price is concerned, well maintained Le Car of which the structure is sound and the paint redone go cross easily the 10k$ mark nowadays. This is a cult car.