Faults:

The exhaust had a leak, but it was fixed for free.

When I was rally crossing through the woods I lost control (the car had no power steering) and flew into the woods over a few very deep holes and ended up against a tree. My suspension broke because of the holes. My bumper had just a little cut.

But it was the death of my Renault, because the suspension would cost 700 dollars to fix.

General Comments:

My mother bought me the car when I turned 19 for about 575 dollars.

The car was performing, despite its age, very well. When I took a sprint with a friend of mine, who had a Alfa 33 1.7 16v from 1994, it simply looked like the Alfa stood still.

The car felt like you were driving a go-kart, and when I was driving in the woods on gravel it really gave me the feeling that I was driving in a rally.

You can make it drift in the corners very easily and make some really cool "Tommi Makkinen" moves.

Faults:

- Rusty, rotten bottom. Had to be fixed for £200 (180000 km).

- Cylinder head gasket blew due to overheating (195000 km). My own fault, I drove top speed (160 km/h) about 40 km in combination with hot summer weather (32 celsius).

- New brake system (197000 km).

- New rear window, defroster didn't work (197000 km).

General Comments:

I got this car in summer 1998. This 5 was one of the first of the new series "Supercinq" (1984-1996). I got it for £200. A bargain, but it was kinda worn-out. It had run 174000 km.

Motor and technical parts were good and you couldn't find a rusty spot on the paint. But of course, a bargain wouldn't be a bargain if something was wrong. In this case, it was the bottom of the car. It was so rusty you could easily pinch a hole in it with your finger! I could choose between 2 options: take it to the demolition firm or repair it. I chose the last option.

I started to love this car and apart from overheating once, it never lets me down. It always starts immediately, even in cold winters. Enough power and good acceleration in combination with low fuel consumption. But not that fast despite its engine size (1.4 liter). Actually, it's the same motor as used in the GT Turbo, but without the turbo. It's noisy at speed, but what would you expect from a car from '84. Sometimes hiccups if you put your foot down suddenly. The GTL has a 5-speed transmission.

This GTL was one of the most luxurious Renault 5s in 1984. It has a luxurious interior trim with very comfortable seats and a Renault Audio System. But don't expect to find power windows, an external mirror on the passengers side or an interval on the window wipers. As said in other reviews, the plastic trim fades and looks tatty and dated after a while, the same goes for the exterior plastics.

For its age this car is surprisingly reliable. Parts are cheap. But most of all, it's fun to drive this 16-year old Renault. Always take a look at the bottom when you're planning to buy a Renault 5, especially the versions before 1988 which could be very bad.

Faults:

Sometimes while running at high speeds (for such a small engine 120kmh is high..) the front wheels started to produce a loud rumble. Dealer said it came from the tires (Bridgestones) when getting hot! Can you believe that? With new Michelins I had the same problems, even in the winter.

Battery dead, my fault.

Small engine problem; stopped breathing.

General Comments:

Great car for city driving. Missed the interval on the window wipers, and especially the wiper on the back which was not present in this very, very, very spartan version.

Engine is not fast, but low on fuel consumption. On longer runs get the seats replaced by real ones.

It doesn't rust! (compared to the 4 series and previous fivers it will last forever).