Le-Organiste - Regie 5 and Maestro Update

[theorganist]

Hello all, it's been a long time since I have posted on Autoshite. I hadn't visited for a long time but have been lurking for the last few weeks. It seems I have missed a lot of fireworks and sadly several old faces seem to have disappeared. 

Anyway I thought I would be brave and post my latest purchase, I have my old car mojo back. It seems that the cars which seemed to get the most interested when I joined over ten years ago now seem to be not so popular. 

I have recently been running an Austin Maxi and my Renault 5. The Maxi whilst solid needed a respray and some bodywork, I have sold it to an enthusiast who has the money to get the work done, I didn't want it to rust away. I have just purchased this Maestro which has been off the road since 2005. It is one of the last Mayfairs with the 1.6 S series engine. It has optional PAS fitted which was quite rare on Maestros.

I haven't seen it in the metal myself, these photos are from the marketplace advert. I am having it transported directly to my mechanic so he can look at what needs doing. Apparently it doesn't run after a previous keeper changed the carburettor. At £500 though it seemed to good an opportunity to miss, I have been wanting another Maestro for some time, it has only done around 52,000 miles.

 

[theorganist]

This is my other car which I have had on the road for a couple of years. I have done a pretty shonky repair on the front O/S wing but will get it properly done at some point soon. Would like to get the seats repaired at some point.

[wuvvum]

Nice fleet.  A petrol Maestro with PAS is a rare beast indeed.

[theorganist]

3 minutes ago, wuvvum said:

Nice fleet.  A petrol Maestro with PAS is a rare beast indeed.

Thanks. I hadn't even realised it was an option then. I had a very late diesel with PAS.

[Noel Tidybeard]

we have a winnah

[rob88h]

Is that a 1.4L R5? They are truly excellent fun and the very car that brought me to this forum.

 

[Andy F]

Loving the increasing amount of Maestro/Montego content. Phwoar and moar please. We were a big Austin/ Rover family until I went French and everyone copied! 

[loserone]

Brilliant.  I was just thinking today it had been a while since you were on here

 

Here's my dad's old maestro, E510GCN

 

[drum]

Hello from a fellow maestro and Renault 5 owner.

[brownnova]

Welcome back!! What a super purchase. Lots more maestro and Montego content here lately! 
 

1 hour ago, theorganist said:

It seems that the cars which seemed to get the most interested when I joined over ten years ago now seem to be not so popular. 

I think it’s less that they’re not as popular and more that they’re becoming out of reach in terms of cost so there are less on the forum! 

[Noel Tidybeard]

1 hour ago, loserone said:

Brilliant.  I was just thinking today it had been a while since you were on here

 

Here's my dad's old maestro, E510GCN

 

*anorak on*

that's Chantung Gold- slightly lighter than Cashmere that preceded it

*anorak off*

[theorganist]

11 hours ago, rob88h said:

Is that a 1.4L R5? They are truly excellent fun and the very car that brought me to this forum.

 

It certainly is. It is fun, a good power to weight ratio, well the car weighs about a pound of sugar I think! It has usefully high gearing so it is a good car to drive at higher speeds. I had a 1.2 before and that was similar.

[theorganist]

10 hours ago, drum said:

Hello from a fellow maestro and Renault 5 owner.

Hello you have an interesting looking fleet.  What model Renault 5 is yours?

[theorganist]

10 hours ago, brownnova said:

Welcome back!! What a super purchase. Lots more maestro and Montego content here lately! 
 

I think it’s less that they’re not as popular and more that they’re becoming out of reach in terms of cost so there are less on the forum! 

Thank you.

That is true, I am surprised at how much prices have risen in a couple of years.  I have been quite lucky in finding ones which seemed to have had little interest.

The Renault only cost £250, I think partly as it had a rusty wing and ripped seats. Also it has a sunroof so didn't attract the OMGturbo reshell brigade. 

The Maestro seller had reduced the price down to £500, I think partly because it is a non-runner although I am "confident" it is a minor problem.

 

[theorganist]

11 hours ago, Andy F said:

Loving the increasing amount of Maestro/Montego content. Phwoar and moar please. We were a big Austin/ Rover family until I went French and everyone copied! 

 

I shall have a browse of the forums and see what I have missed.

[Slartibartfast]

The Maestro does look a bit crusty in places. I hope there's no fatal hidden grot.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

Winner!

[theorganist]

20 minutes ago, Slartibartfast said:

The Maestro does look a bit crusty in places. I hope there's no fatal hidden grot.

Yes I think there are few spots which need some work. As you say hopefully there is nothing nasty underneath. If the worse comes to the worse I am sure I can find a buyer for it if it was too much. As ever you take a risk buying blind, I have only regretted it once so far!

[drum]

1 hour ago, theorganist said:

Hello you have an interesting looking fleet.  What model Renault 5 is yours?

It's a 1.4 auto. 

[Spurious]

2 hours ago, theorganist said:

It certainly is. It is fun, a good power to weight ratio, well the car weighs about a pound of sugar I think! It has usefully high gearing so it is a good car to drive at higher speeds. I had a 1.2 before and that was similar.

I'd had the same engine (I think) in the phase one Clio. 

Always thought of it of a bit of a warm hatch. Quick enough for what it was. 86hp from the single point injection so it was poky and fun to drive. 

[Eyersey1234]

Phoooar one chodtastic Maestro. My dad had a couple back in the day, an A reg one after he got his licence back after a drink driving ban, silly man, then later a G reg one, though I don't remember the A reg one as I was only about 3 at the time. He had a couple of C reg Montegos as well, a saloon which I barely remember, then a blue estate reg C441 MWE which I loved. 

[theorganist]

53 minutes ago, drum said:

It's a 1.4 auto. 

That is lovely. What are the auto's like to drive? I have looked at a few, there seems to have been as many auto's for sale as manual ones recently, they were obviously popular. However I keep reading scare stories about the auto boxes imploding! I was going to look at one but it sold.

There is a lovely Renault 11 auto on Marketplace, its is a turquoise colour, a lovely colour but apparently has an occasionally rumbling diff.

I like the 5 and 11 auto's as they seem to have quite a plus spec. 

[ProgRocker]

I like the Maestro. 😀

My sister had a 1987 E reg 1.6 Mayfair in a darker shade of metallic blue (early 90s). The aftermarket alarm system kept draining the battery. 

[Spurious]

5 minutes ago, theorganist said:

That is lovely. What are the auto's like to drive? I have looked at a few, there seems to have been as many auto's for sale as manual ones recently, they were obviously popular. However I keep reading scare stories about the auto boxes imploding! I was going to look at one but it sold.

There is a lovely Renault 11 auto on Marketplace, its is a turquoise colour, a lovely colour but apparently has an occasionally rumbling diff.

I like the 5 and 11 auto's as they seem to have quite a plus spec. 

This Renault @theorganist ? 

https://autoshite.com/topic/33448-renault-11-automatique/

[theorganist]

6 minutes ago, Spurious said:

This Renault @theorganist ? 

https://autoshite.com/topic/33448-renault-11-automatique/

Yes that is the one, shows how much action I have missed over the last couple of years!

[drum]

1 hour ago, theorganist said:

That is lovely. What are the auto's like to drive? I have looked at a few, there seems to have been as many auto's for sale as manual ones recently, they were obviously popular. However I keep reading scare stories about the auto boxes imploding! I was going to look at one but it sold.

There is a lovely Renault 11 auto on Marketplace, its is a turquoise colour, a lovely colour but apparently has an occasionally rumbling diff.

I like the 5 and 11 auto's as they seem to have quite a plus spec. 

It drives well. Quite nippy with the 1.4 engine. I had to put a new oil cooler on the gearbox though  after an FTP. Thought I'd killed the box, but after cooling down and an oil change, it was fine. First start after winter hibernation the engine temperature got a bit hot and the mot is up, so it's off the road just now.

My maestro is under a cover in a shed too. 

[loserone]

14 hours ago, Noel Tidybeard said:

Chantung Gold

Did they really call that silver colour "gold"? Project Drive had an example set to it already then..

[vulgalour]

Maestros are what all the cool kids are buying these days.

[theorganist]

18 minutes ago, loserone said:

Did they really call that silver colour "gold"? Project Drive had an example set to it already then..

I had an Allegro which was demonstrably Gold and yet was stated as being Silver on the V5. 

[theorganist]

Just now, vulgalour said:

Maestros are what all the cool kids are buying these days.

Really, oh dear, I had better sell it. I have spent over 40 years repelling any thoughts of being cool, I didn't think buying a Maestro would land me with that nomenclature!