I hate Renaults but I'm loving this..

[Jimmycrackcorn]

Just ordered another spring whilst they're a tenner, seems daft not to considering the other side isn't probably that far off going as well. I'm determined to drive this down to Stansted and back to Gateshead on Thursday and I just know the other spring will go just to spite me.

[John F]

Nyphur, on 12 Feb 2016 - 10:33 PM, said:

Reckon you've overpaid there.

My first car was a 1.4 RT manual. Best feature was the headunit cover

 

I was given a free 1993 1.4 RT about 10 years ago and I didn't like it at all apart from the headunit cover.

[Jimmycrackcorn]

I have to admit I've always hoped my first RT would have been more of the Charger flavour.

[R9UKE]

The box on these is not unreliable by any means - the amount of surviving autos very nearly outweighs the manuals. It's a lack of maintence that kills them. They reached banger money way more than a decade ago and who thinks to change the ATF fluid on a car in that price bracket? Sadly very few of our population.

 

Top buying, looks ace. I've had a few, and only one shat itself completely!

[Rusty_Rocket]

My brother had one of these early on in his driving career.  It was an auto too and I remember it being very well specced, with electric everything.  The interior was very nice, the seats were so supportive and comfortable.

His one died of auto box failure at around 65k, but up until then it was totally reliable.

And, of course, the cover over the radio was most EXCELLENT 

 

edit- I reckon that rear 1/4 dent will almost come out if you can give it a thump from behind!

[Jimmycrackcorn]

Yep I've got to re,move a good part of the interior to get to the panel but It shouldn't take much just hope the trim isn't permanently bananna'd.

So then taking everyone's advice at the end of the month I'll replace the timing belt (I presume it's worth doing the tensioners and water pump at the same time) £40 for a complete kit.

New track rod ends and a new fan belt (I'll actually get that Wednesday £3.80 from ECP).

Fully service engine - filters - oils, runs pretty well so i might leave the plugs for now.

Flush rad and service gearbox (is that just fluid or filters and fluid?).

Brakes are pretty good so I'll leave that for now.

Wipers are still good.

New set of tyres (well part worn at least) and some Renault trims to replace the Ford ones it has.

New exhaust down pipe. 

Remove the shonky alarm and just leave the shifter crooklock thing at that should be enough.

Clean the interior and replace the door cards (about £30 the pair delivered on eBay).

Clean engine bay and sort the sunroof out.

Tackle the rust and bodywork although it'll probably be the apprentice doing that (very very tempted to spray it lime green).

[andrew e]

+1 on the no leak sunroof from new to scrappage (14 years). The cure was just armour all the rubber gasket (which did squeak mind, hence why I did it) suffered several backboxes though where the exhaust hanger suffered electrolytic corrosion mind. It did cost a fortune though as the wife gave it to her mum at 5 years old (was still good for a fair few grand then too), yet she, sorry I still paid for the servicing....

[Jimmycrackcorn]

HBOL just ordered for the princely sum of £4.88, soon be skinning my knuckles.

Also just remembered it has those terrible screw on terminals, the negative is fine but the positive is just crap so I'll fit a proper clamp, sure I've a couple spare somewhere.

[JohnK]

I remember recovering one of these about 7 years ago - a girl had 'borrowed' (read TWOC'd) it off her grandad and smashed it through a hedge. The company I was working for had the police contract and I was called out early on the Saturday morning to take it away.

 

It was plonked in the corner of the yard and at lunchtime decided to get it on the ramp and look at the damage. Fortunately it has got away with just a knackered radiator. Story was she had been going a fair old pace too! It seemed fairly sturdy for a small car.

 

The old boy rang up to say he didn't particularly want it back so I offered £50 for it.

 

I never actually used it, just whacked it in the free ads on the Monday for £200. Some Asian guy spent over an hour checking it out (yes for a £200 car) and despite me being honest about the knackered radiator he was adamant he was going to drive it. We stated that he would fuck it if he did and offered recovery which he declined. At closing time, after all the trucks has been locked away he decided he wanted recovery so we charged him something stupid like £90 to chuck it on an A-Frame and I dragged him the 6 miles home behind my Mondeo (yes it was an auto!)

 

Anyway, I digress - looks like it could be perfectly cheap and cheerful running once it's sorted. What's the auto box drive like? That one I mentioned about was a 1.4 RT Auto too and I only ever blasted it up the road and back due to it losing water but it seemed peppy enough and changed through the gears well.

[Jimmycrackcorn]

Runs through the gears great, seems quite a torquey little motor.

I had hoped to have it in for a re-test today but the trackrod end I had to remove for the steering gaiter is completely borked.

New one ordered for £2.48 delivered  because ECP are twats. I ordered the RH spring while they're at a tenner so I'll order a RH track rod end next week once it's MOT's and get the tracking done on it. Then probably new rubber.

Apprentice has offered to sort the dent but after fucking up pretty much every job he's been given including passing me a hammer I think I'll steer him away from it.