Faults:

Changed the brake pads once and oil change twice.

General Comments:

I used this car as a student to get to every single western European country with a mate. Did 50 miles to the gallon on average. I cannot fault this car. We went grape picking in the South of France, went to the most beautiful beaches in Portugal, and saw the most pretty sites in Switzerland in this automobile and never once did it complain. In all, 17 European countries. If it wasn't for this car I would be a typical English layabout. But I have to thank the reliability of Renault for a fair few sojourns without which I would be that much poorer.

I will never forget my Renault 5, and I wish they were still making them.

Never overheated, never complained, which is more than I can say for my girlfriend at the time...

Faults:

The water pump started to leak and had to be exchanged.

The entire exhaust system was very rusty and had to be renewed.

The distributor and other parts of the electronic ignition system broke down and were exchanged for an old fashioned mechanical ignition system.

The speedometer cable came off.

Big problems with the rear brakes, the automatic adjustment of the brake shoes stopped working and so did the hand brake.

General Comments:

A nice little car to drive in town, very easy to park everywhere and quite fast. But for longer trips, the comfort is really not good enough. Every trip longer than 40 kilometres is a real pain!

Very, very economical, doesn't take much gas at all, and it's easy to find cheap parts at scrap yards.

Faults:

Capacitor & ignition coil blew, cost £5 to replace from the scrap yard.

Slight oil leak from the transmission, though not enough to need any top-ups.

Intermittent squealing noise from the clutch release bearing.

General Comments:

Only 48bhp, but 'cause it's so light it keeps up with my previous car, a 1.3 Nova.

5 gears means it easily does 75 to 85mph for 4 hour stretches on the motorway.

Unusual engine layout with the engine between the driver and passenger, means on RHD models the pedals are cramped and offset from the driver.

Suspension is so soft, leans scarily into even slow corners. Have someone heavy in the passenger seat and the car develops a permanent list.

No rust after 17 years!

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.