Faults:

Rust... just a little.

The suspension is awful.

General Comments:

A very cheap car. I bought mine for 200 euros, and sold it for 150 euros. For this kind of money, you can't get anything better.

I managed to do 160km/h in mine. For a 1.1 engine, I think it's very good.

Big, BIG consumer of fuel: 10 l/km.

So if you want a very cheap car with good performance.. this is it.

Faults:

The rear view mirror fell off a couple of times.

General Comments:

My father bought this car 1989, and had it till 1997, when he sold it to a friend.

The car still runs great with almost 150000 Kilometers, and I'm thinking on buying it back.

The car was built in France, and imported into Romania by the manufacturer.

It had no reliability problems.

It started right up in winter, and the engine warmed up quickly.

The only thing that was not good about the car, was its thirst. It needed 11-12 Liters of fuel every 100 Kilometers. That's a little too much.

Faults:

I had to change some bearings, clear the carburator, replace 2 dampers, replace the battery and the usual stuff (ignition plugs, oil (the transmission oil was changed after 85000 km and it was still in pretty good shape), oil filter etc.).

General Comments:

The car is pretty good for an 20 year old design, with independent suspension and 4 disk brakes.

I got a 0-100 km/h in under 14 seconds (with modified carburator) and up to 150 km/h. It has a good acceleration (really pulls hard when you hit the road).

In long journeys it consumed some 6.5 liters/100 km, but in short trips (like going to the supermarket), it rockets 15 liters/100 km.

The suspension is kinda sporty and subtle and it filters nice the bumps (it has no spring, the weight of the car rests on the dampers).

All in all, it is a good first car with a sporty touch. It's sad that it isn't built anymore...

Faults:

For those, who have ever driven Tavria (Ukrainian car), Oltcit is a better thing ever built in the whole world… I own one 11R Club for my wife, just as a big wheeled bag for shopping. She likes it…

Spend about 200 – 300 $ per year for spare parts.

Faults:

Ignition in bad weather.

Clogged carburetor at all times (could also be the "high" quality Romanian petrol.

Bad engine sealing causing constant oil leaks.

Camshafts wear out incredibly fast due too bad design of lubrication system.

Very sensitive to carburettor and ignition setting especially in winter when consumption "rockets" to 20 liters/100.

Battery placement is faulty, risk of short-circuit.

Distributor's placement is faulty, risk of engine stop in heavy rain or small ponds.

And so on...

General Comments:

I bought the car while being student, for about 1200 dolars, and it sounded like a real bargain (the car was imported from Italy!!!).

The minute I started driving it, I constantly improved my mechanical skills.

Starting it up in winter was a nightmare and below -10 the spark plugs had to be removed and heated.

When driving this car you must be familiar with taking apart the carburettor as it needs constant cleaning and tuning. I did it with my eyes closed at least 5 times a year in spite the fact that all filters (both air and petrol) were replaced in time.

The combination air cooled engine and bad carburettor settings can quickly make you a poor man so watch out when taking the carburettor out for cleaning.

Another nice "feature" is the distributor's placement, low on the engine. It happened to me several times to get stuck in the middle of a pond when raining as the distributor's cap got flooded. Shoes and socks off...

Lubrication is very poorly designed causing the well known "motorcycle sound" when camshafts wear out. It is said that the lubrication "nozzles" get clogged preventing the oil circulation. I used high-quality oil and kept the inside of the engine cleaned and it still sounded like a motorcycle. Hint: if you use high quality oil try to use good quality gaskets for the valve caps. If you don't know where they are just follow the oil leaks.

The battery placement almost got me killed. The plastic cap on the positive pole fell off and the battery short-circuited on the hood while driving. I saw smoke coming from under the hood and hit the brakes. No brakes. Probably braking fluid lines went hot and fluid evaporated. I pulled the hand brake. No brake. The cable went hot, cut through the plastic and broke. I tried then to motor brake and when pressing the clutch, the clutch cable broke (must have been red hot). Luckily I had enough time to switch into second so eventually I stopped. Conclusion: Check that insulation as it may tear down due to vibrations.

The rear suspension arm have a funny design as they rotate on some kind of bearings. The sealing is very poor so mud and water will eventually kill those bearings, hence a screechy noise in the back. The sound may not bother you, but try correcting it as the rod will "chew" through the metal and in time the car will loose stability.

Perhaps I should say some good things as well. Let's try: good acceleration for a 1.1 liter, I could have used a 5 speed gearbox on it. Very good handling in any weather, never got stuck in snow or mud. Stiff "sporty" suspension, not exactly good for the streets in Bucharest, but perfect on the motorway at high speeds. Nice cargo room in the back when folding the seats.

What's left to say? I'll always remember it and cherish the memories we had together. I was young, you know...