1995 Renault 19 RL review from UK and Ireland

No Faults as yet!

I bought this car a couple weeks ago for £200 as a run around to shops and to work (which can be anywhere as I am freelance).

It looked a bit shabby in the dark when I got it, but it drove fine which was the main thing so I bought it.

Next day I washed and waxed it and it came up like new! It now looks in fantastic condition, a compliment to renault paint finishes I'm sure as you see any cars around this age from other manufacturers with faded paint.

The RL is the base model so has no luxuries whatsoever. Wind up windows all round, no central locking, no sunroof, no nothing. Less things to go wrong some would say? Only the lack of central locking annoys me.

I am very happy with the car here are the pros and cons:

Acceleration:

Adequate. The 1.4 does perform much better than other cars I have had (It is faster than a citroen ax 1.4 gt I used to own), however it doesn't inspire over taking manouvres on single carriageways. I am happy with it like that as it has pretty good MPG.

Handling:

Handling is its weak point, it has soft suspension and body rolls more than i'd like on bends. Firmer springs would fix this, maybe springs off the higher end models such as the 16v. Normal driving conditions it handles fine, but when you want that little bit more out of it, I wouldn't be confident with its handling, it just isn't sharp enough for my liking and it oversteers too much.

Brakes:

Brakes are great. Plenty of feel from them and much more in reserve if you need it. Sharp in both dry and wet yet no chance of locking in the wet.

Overall, it is probably the best car I've owned. It is my first renault and I am very impressed. It'll do exactly what you want from it. The only thing left to do is put alloys on it from one of the higher end models to make it handle and look little better. They can be got for £75 with nearly new tyres on. Last point is: it looks a damn sight better than escorts, cavaliers, astras and the usual. A little bit more class I would say.