Twenty odd years of rubbish old cars. Renault content.

[Cavcraft]

More great stuff, keep it coming. The Kangoo (petrol) I had a few months ago was as rough as hell, rusty and a few things didn't work, but it was still ace as a car.

[Mr Lobster]

Ey up, I've neglected this thread what with being 40 last week and general business but its Friday morning, I'm sat at home waiting for a man to come and fix the boiler so lets crack right back on with it shall we.

 

I've always had a bit of a thing for R11s' Dunno why, I remember getting a Majorette model on a family holiday to France in about 1984 so maybe I can blame it all on my parents when I have to attend the old Renault counselling session. Maytbe.

 

So after I realised that the (first) R4 van - pictured with barrel like cat above - was largely worn out and needed everything replaceable, replacing I decided that I should move up in the world and have something more luxorius and faster. It just so happened that there was someone in AutoTrader with a wanted advert for an R4 van so that took care of that and with cash in my hand I hit the yellow pages of Loot (Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside). 

 

I can't remember how long it took to find it but there it was. A 1985/B R11 TXE 1.7 in White. Think it had about 50k miles and was something like £800.  Guy selling it was a fire fighter and lived on an estate near Irlam which was comprised of houses for firefighters - not really sure what that was about tbh - and was the second owner.

 

The R11 would have been about 11 years old at the time and featured such luxuries as remote central locking and electric windows which when all your friends are driving Mk2 Fiestas and Polos was pretty impressive indeed. Anyway I loved this car and went everywhere in it. As bought it was standard with steel wheels and trims but a Mk2 R11 Turbo donated its wheels and front suspension whilst a Sony stereo and big rear speakers got thrown in too.

 

 

Over time it also gained a R5 GT Turbo steering wheel, OMP strut brace, OMP yellow pedals (they were shit and looked shit) and eventually I removed the plastic side panels and painted the bottom of the doors - I even did a pretty good job even though I do say so myself.

 

 

 

After a couple of years I was buying my first house and confused by this new wave of responsibility breaking over me I sold it to a guy in Stockport and bought a nearly new Citroen AX Diesel.  The story of R11s isn't quite finished there though...

[Junkman]

Those weren't painted underneath the plastic cladding?

[Mr Lobster]

Five years or so later and R11 #2 entered my life. This was a really nice one, recently restored and immaculate R11 TXE Electronic and all the talking bits worked! Needed a cambelt and new radiator and was pretty much spot on. 

 

 

Trouble is, it entered my life about three months before I split up wife first wife and I pretty much lost my enthusiasm for old cars and decided that I'd be better off buying something fairly new, fast, reliable and modern. Obviously I went and bought an Alfa 145 Cloverleaf which only occasionally had a few of those attributes.

 

So the black one went on ebay in early 2005 with a blowing rear exhaust box but otherwise perfect. Trouble was they weren't worth much back then and a lad who was a major R11 fan came up from Stoke or Stafford or somewhere one Friday night and gave me ever penny he could find (about £412.35) and took it away. As far as I know he still has it and I'd love to see it again. DVLA reckons its still taxed.

 

But still we weren't done with them. Encouraged by the current and final Mrs Lobster I bought another. This one was a green R11 TXE Electronic without MOT and a big space where the sunroof should be. It was also in London. So I 'discretely' borrowed a Hilux from work, hired a trailer and scooted off down to that London to bring it home. Managed to sort a lot of the bits on it over the next few months - sunroof back in and dry, talking bits talking and whatnot but just ran out of time  - business was doing well and we needed a van plus Lobs_Jnr_#1 was due so this one got sold and is currently being restored by a guy in Wales.

 

 

 

I nearly bought another last year. Chap who lived in Australia but kept a spare car in Bolton for when he came back here had a late TXE in Silver. He was desperate to get rid so a price was agreed but then it all went cold. Same car was on ebay earlier this year, I did bid but seller ended the auction early. I'll have another at some point though...

[Mr Lobster]

Those weren't painted underneath the plastic cladding?

 

They were but I ground all the studs off which the plastic fixes to and sorted the rusty scabs out so ended up painting the bottoms of all four doors.

[Junkman]

Interestingly I'm more surprised they were painted underneath that plastic cladding than I would have been if they weren't.