In the early ’80s the American market was hungry for compact cars that supplied superior fuel efficiency. The Renault Alliance subcompact offered a cost-effective solution. Shortly after the Alliance’s release in North America, the Encore was introduced on the same platform but as a slightly roomier hatchback. The Encore at hand is being sold by its original owner with only 95k miles. You can find this rare Renault on craigslist for just $4550. The car was listed on November 19th, 2024 in Vancouver, BC. Thanks to Tony Primo for the tip!
The exterior of the Encore appears to be in excellent condition considering its age. The car has been garage-kept and is being sold by its original owner so it isn’t a surprise that it still looks near-new. The hatchback sports ’80s boxy headlights, unique factory wheels, and a very cool two-toned black and red paint job.
The interior is finished in black leather and red vinyl and appears to be in good condition throughout. The small back seats are also wrapped in luxurious black leather. The driver’s seat has a seat cover on its base which could be for driver comfort or to cover damage. The cabin is an ’80s throwback in the best of ways.
A 1.4-litre 4-cylinder engine sends 55 horsepower to the front wheels via a 5-speed manual transmission. While 55 horsepower may seem very slow, owners across the web report the car to be deceptively fun to drive. Some owners report up to 40 miles per gallon on the highway, so a slower engine could be worth the trade for some extra dollars in your pocket. This car offers the perfect opportunity to add to a collection of rare cars or just save some money commuting in a retro vehicle. If you want to be the owner of this rad Renault contact the seller via craigslist.
I remember the slogan in the 80s,” Renault…. The One To Watch….”
That was the first thing I remembered when I saw this. I didnt give these much thought when they were new, but this one caught my attention. This just does not look like a 95000 mile car. This was really taken care of. And the stick will make it more fun ( at least for me ) to drive.
Somehow, perhaps from still reeling from the Astro post, (wasn’t that fun ?), and yes, I changed my avatar from the Jeep, but I missed welcoming Ms. Ryan aboard.( I hope Sara is still female name) You’ll find we’re mostly all bozos on this bus, yours truly the biggest.
The Encore was another good, not great car. The author didn’t mention, the Alliance/Encore was the 1983 Car of the Year. I know, it was a slow year, with only 6 possible competitors, like Chevy Cavalier and K cars. I believe the Encore was sold right next to the Alliance, a fancier Alliance, as if. A bigger motor was offered in ’85, a 1.7, and was only about $200 more( $5751) than the base Alliance ( $5500) and was relatively popular, with over 150,000 cars sold in 1985 alone. Sadly, that number dropped in half in 1986, and in ’87 they pulled the plug.
I know, the Renault Alliance/Encore thing will go down as one of the last coffin nails in the AMC demise, and once again, there were far better Asian cars to be had, but perhaps being partial to AMC, I thought these cars were as go as any, but coming from a dying make, it didn’t stand a chance. Great find.
as GOOD as any,,
The underhood photo tells me that this Encore has the 1.7 engine. The 1.4 — with which I am all too familiar — had a traditional distributor location, while the 1.7 drove it off the camshaft. Obviously, the larger OHC engine also had a different cam/vale cover.
The Alliance/Encore wasn’t “Japanese” enough to suit most buyers, while for those of us who came from R5s, R12s, etc. it wasn’t French enough. Decent cars, as Howard A says, but lacking in anything to differentiate them from other small cars of the day.
Had AMC not been heading for the exits by that time, and Renault had not been tarred with the supposed “failure” of the Dauphine (really, a failure to build a good dealership/parts/service network as much as anything else), the story might have been different.
French cars are like French women. They are initially wonderful, but they never stick around, and when they finally fully leave your life, you are happy about it. Cost of maintenance is much too high for the output you get in return.
Ouch. Politically incorrect, but amazingly accurate in many cases. Good friend of mine had an ‘85 Alliance. Really liked it- even after he had to replace the head gasket- right up until a rod vented the block while cruising down the highway.
When I was young in the mid 1980s a family near me had a red 4 door encore. I thought it was a cheap looking tin can of a car then. After taking a closer look at one at a French car show it wasn’t as bad. When these were new the Renault reliability reputation was belly up no thanks to the lecar before it.
I bet that’s vinyl as opposed to a leather interior.
We’re talking economy car.
I noticed the driver’s seat has a cover on it. I’m betting that upholstery would need redone. Outside of that, this is a nice looking little car. Great find!
I’m sure you’re correct, but Alliance did offer leather in the Limited model.
Leather trimmed fabric seating was a $77.00 option on our 1985 Encore S 3 door hatchback. The seller’s car is a Canadian market car that may have different specs and options than U.S. Models.
What’ll you do for an Encore?
That’s a very very rare Spring Special edition.
If Renault ever gets around the launching the Alpine brand in the US, as rumored, they truly will have an encore in the market (decades later).
This one really is in amazing shape!
Regardless of the horsepower output i sometimes miss having a car you can run flat out all the time.
Mine was perfectly reliable, except for the sunroof opening and closing with a mind of its own!
It was also a bit more than an inch long. Another French company, Majorette, was making a push for the US 1/64 scale toy car market and their interpretation of this car was almost this same color but with a yellow(!) interior. IIRC it had “Renault 11” cast into the chassis plate but “AMC Renault Encore” on the package card. They also did a Toyota Tercel 4wd wagon and an FWD X-body Olds Omega 4-door(!!) so it wasn’t just French cars.
That would have been fun in the middle of a downpour… or a blizzard!
no.