Renault 4TL 1981.
Discussion
I purchased the Renault 4 about 2 weeks ago after looking, off and on, for one for a while.
Using a bit of man maths, I decided to use some of the extra pay I receive for having to quarantine at a hotel in Norway for 5 days, prior to going offshore on every trip. It is a Covid car, if you will, and something positive to come out of 2020 and the current situation.
I am in Spain, where there are still plenty for sale, with asking prices all over the shop. Generally you need to pay €1500 for a complete and useable one. Many are priced from €2000 to €4000 with examples all the way up to €8000. I paid €2500 which is rather nearer to the low end of the Renault 4 price range. I like to think I got a good deal, even if it is a long way over shed money. Who knows maybe the prices start to go the way of the Citroen 2cv?
My Renault 4 was owned by an elderly chap from Badajoz, for most of its life, where it only did very short and occasional local trips. It was then bought by the owner of a local car sales garage in Merida (very close to Badajoz) where it sat as an exhibit in his garage for the last 10 years. It was never used in all that time. The mileage is therefore very low at just 51000 km or 32000 miles over 39 years.
I appear to be quite good at buying cars but terrible at selling and getting rid (maybe a common PH thing?) so this is car number 5 in the fleet and the second of the 5 which was bought unseen (Boxster S being the other).
Mérida is a good 4,5 hour drive from Malaga. I was unable to find someone to come along with me, so I ended up renting a car trailer for the day and collecting the Renault myself.
As it had sat for so long I paid extra for a general service (oil, coolant, filters belts etc) plus brake overhaul (still feels like it has no brakes lol), fuel filter and pump and a new battery.
Friends of mine purchased a similar model earlier in the year and named in Le Blanc. I think I will call mine Le Bag based on the number plate.
Here are some pics:
I collected the trailer the night before, brought it home and left at 5am next morning. The trailer was massive and could have coped with a small lorry. At over 400kg , it was well able to swallow the Renault’s 695kg.
Couple of pics of how it sat as an exhibit at the garage for the last 10 years:
On the way home, at one of many fuel stops. Over the roughly 900km round trip, I managed 19.6 mpg on the way and 15.9 mpg on the way back. I was pushing on a bit on way home and the ML55 felt very stable at err fairly elevated velocities. Could have got two or three of them on the trailer.
Some random pics of it home and in a local olive grove, where it feels very at home. It is wonderfully utilitarian.
Side pipe exhaust requires caution when entering and exiting whilst wearing shorts, as I found out and singed my leg.
Unusual kind of push pull and twist reverse gear lever.
Many have, as mine does, a retro fitted temperature gauge towards the middle of the dash, as they were not fitted originally and can overheat on occasions if not monitored. From the factory if came with tiny gauges for fuel and (amazingly) battery, can just about see them below the speedo on each side.
Hi Tec heater control!
Good to know that on occasions, I can squeeze it into my garage with his 3 new friends. Only the Fiesta has to be outside in the car port now.
Overall, I am happy with it, but have barely used it as it needs an “MOT”. It runs a bit roughly, so will need something done there and there seems to be something wrong with either the steering or the front suspension, as it is way more unstable than it should be, even at modest speeds, which is all it really does come to think of it!
Everything apart from the windscreen washers seems to work. Indicators (non cancelling) on the right stalk is a bit strange, especially as the left stalk is for full beam, where you operate it like an indicator stalk. I have not used a manual choke in decades!
There are 3 flaps on top of the dash. The outer 2 are meant to direct air in when you open them. The middle one is an ashtray. Was thinking it could get a bit messy if you were to get confused and mix them up, as they all look the same!
Some spec.
1981
0,8litre
34 bhp @ 5000rpm
43 lb/ft torque @ 2500rpm
695 kg
34 ltrs tank
40mpg combined
0-60 in 23.4 sec
Top speed 73 mph
Tyres 135/80x13
Price 2500 Euros
Road tax 9 Euros per year
One interesting thing I found out, is that the wheelbase on the left side is shorter than on the right! I think you can see it in the pic of the rear.
Engine pics. The heart of the machine and so much room around it. The silver rod going across the top of the engine is the gear selector and is connected to the dash mounted gear lever.
[
I will update with any progress, or lack of progress depending how things go
Using a bit of man maths, I decided to use some of the extra pay I receive for having to quarantine at a hotel in Norway for 5 days, prior to going offshore on every trip. It is a Covid car, if you will, and something positive to come out of 2020 and the current situation.
I am in Spain, where there are still plenty for sale, with asking prices all over the shop. Generally you need to pay €1500 for a complete and useable one. Many are priced from €2000 to €4000 with examples all the way up to €8000. I paid €2500 which is rather nearer to the low end of the Renault 4 price range. I like to think I got a good deal, even if it is a long way over shed money. Who knows maybe the prices start to go the way of the Citroen 2cv?
My Renault 4 was owned by an elderly chap from Badajoz, for most of its life, where it only did very short and occasional local trips. It was then bought by the owner of a local car sales garage in Merida (very close to Badajoz) where it sat as an exhibit in his garage for the last 10 years. It was never used in all that time. The mileage is therefore very low at just 51000 km or 32000 miles over 39 years.
I appear to be quite good at buying cars but terrible at selling and getting rid (maybe a common PH thing?) so this is car number 5 in the fleet and the second of the 5 which was bought unseen (Boxster S being the other).
Mérida is a good 4,5 hour drive from Malaga. I was unable to find someone to come along with me, so I ended up renting a car trailer for the day and collecting the Renault myself.
As it had sat for so long I paid extra for a general service (oil, coolant, filters belts etc) plus brake overhaul (still feels like it has no brakes lol), fuel filter and pump and a new battery.
Friends of mine purchased a similar model earlier in the year and named in Le Blanc. I think I will call mine Le Bag based on the number plate.
Here are some pics:
I collected the trailer the night before, brought it home and left at 5am next morning. The trailer was massive and could have coped with a small lorry. At over 400kg , it was well able to swallow the Renault’s 695kg.
Couple of pics of how it sat as an exhibit at the garage for the last 10 years:
On the way home, at one of many fuel stops. Over the roughly 900km round trip, I managed 19.6 mpg on the way and 15.9 mpg on the way back. I was pushing on a bit on way home and the ML55 felt very stable at err fairly elevated velocities. Could have got two or three of them on the trailer.
Some random pics of it home and in a local olive grove, where it feels very at home. It is wonderfully utilitarian.
Side pipe exhaust requires caution when entering and exiting whilst wearing shorts, as I found out and singed my leg.
Unusual kind of push pull and twist reverse gear lever.
Many have, as mine does, a retro fitted temperature gauge towards the middle of the dash, as they were not fitted originally and can overheat on occasions if not monitored. From the factory if came with tiny gauges for fuel and (amazingly) battery, can just about see them below the speedo on each side.
Hi Tec heater control!
Good to know that on occasions, I can squeeze it into my garage with his 3 new friends. Only the Fiesta has to be outside in the car port now.
Overall, I am happy with it, but have barely used it as it needs an “MOT”. It runs a bit roughly, so will need something done there and there seems to be something wrong with either the steering or the front suspension, as it is way more unstable than it should be, even at modest speeds, which is all it really does come to think of it!
Everything apart from the windscreen washers seems to work. Indicators (non cancelling) on the right stalk is a bit strange, especially as the left stalk is for full beam, where you operate it like an indicator stalk. I have not used a manual choke in decades!
There are 3 flaps on top of the dash. The outer 2 are meant to direct air in when you open them. The middle one is an ashtray. Was thinking it could get a bit messy if you were to get confused and mix them up, as they all look the same!
Some spec.
1981
0,8litre
34 bhp @ 5000rpm
43 lb/ft torque @ 2500rpm
695 kg
34 ltrs tank
40mpg combined
0-60 in 23.4 sec
Top speed 73 mph
Tyres 135/80x13
Price 2500 Euros
Road tax 9 Euros per year
One interesting thing I found out, is that the wheelbase on the left side is shorter than on the right! I think you can see it in the pic of the rear.
Engine pics. The heart of the machine and so much room around it. The silver rod going across the top of the engine is the gear selector and is connected to the dash mounted gear lever.
[
I will update with any progress, or lack of progress depending how things go
Edited by el romeral on Thursday 24th September 08:04
My first car was a Renault 6, bigger bodied 4.
Drove it for 2 years and then took a quick lesson with a mate's dad in his Ford Escort. I couldn't get on with the normal gear shift in the Ford and my mate's dad said that there was no way I'd pass the test.
So I did the test in my Renault 6 and passed first time.
The next day I started work as a van courier. Back to the normal gear shift
Drove it for 2 years and then took a quick lesson with a mate's dad in his Ford Escort. I couldn't get on with the normal gear shift in the Ford and my mate's dad said that there was no way I'd pass the test.
So I did the test in my Renault 6 and passed first time.
The next day I started work as a van courier. Back to the normal gear shift
Thanks for looking and all comments. Can’t seem to multi quote.
Everything is thin on a Renault 4, the seats, steering wheel, exhaust, doors, tyres etc. I guess the metal used was also thin and caused many in northern climes to rust away.
Am not sure what goodies the TL got over the L? Maybe it was the heater. There was a GTL made which may have had something else added, like a clock or head rest.
I can imagine if one were used to an early Renault gear change, then going back to a more conventional one would be quite awkward.
Whilst I was scouring the classifieds, I noticed quite a lot of van versions for sale in Spain. They look cool.
Am hoping my car is rust free, have not looked underneath it yet though!
Everything is thin on a Renault 4, the seats, steering wheel, exhaust, doors, tyres etc. I guess the metal used was also thin and caused many in northern climes to rust away.
Am not sure what goodies the TL got over the L? Maybe it was the heater. There was a GTL made which may have had something else added, like a clock or head rest.
I can imagine if one were used to an early Renault gear change, then going back to a more conventional one would be quite awkward.
Whilst I was scouring the classifieds, I noticed quite a lot of van versions for sale in Spain. They look cool.
Am hoping my car is rust free, have not looked underneath it yet though!
Edited by el romeral on Wednesday 23 September 10:58
maxdb said:
It looks mint - do you have any future plans for it?
Initially, just to get it running more smoothly and sort the handling then get an “MOT”. The friends of mine, who have a similar model, spoke of taking their’s on some classic car type events which are quite popular at weekends on some of the wonderful roads around Yunquera, Guaro and Monda. Could be fun on the twisties!Have a soft spot for these - Mum had a bright blue one in the early 80's when we were kids and I remember going everywhere in it. Seemed to be super-reliable and I remember being fascinated by the unconventional gear lever. When we traded it in, it went to a chap who lived a couple of miles from us and I remember it still being on his drive when we went past it 15 or so years later, albeit looking quite a bit rustier.
Chris
Chris
ScoobyChris said:
Have a soft spot for these - Mum had a bright blue one in the early 80's when we were kids and I remember going everywhere in it. Seemed to be super-reliable and I remember being fascinated by the unconventional gear lever. When we traded it in, it went to a chap who lived a couple of miles from us and I remember it still being on his drive when we went past it 15 or so years later, albeit looking quite a bit rustier.
Chris
Nice, they certainly are cars with character. I imagine that in the UK, at least, the Renault 4 is becoming quite a rare sight? Still fairly plentiful in southern Spain, every little pueblo seems to have one or twoChris
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