Buying Guide

Renault 5 range
Words: richard dredge Pictures: tom wood October 1972: The 5 goes on sale in the UK 845cc (5L) and 956cc (5TL). August 1974: A floor-mounted gearchange becomes optional on the 5TL; until now its been a dash-mounted affair. May 1975: 5TS arrives with a 1289cc engine. Apr 1976: 5GTL debuts with detuned 1289cc engine and longer gearing. Oct 1977: All 5s get extra equipment. Jan 1979: Threespeed auto offered with 1289cc engine. Apr 1979: The normally-aspirated 5 Gordini debuts; named the Alpine in France. Sep 1979: Five-door 5 is introduced, based on GTL. TL now has an 1108cc engine July 1980: A five-door 5TL joins the range. March 1981: GTL and TS models dropped. November 1981: Revised GTL and TS 5s are introduced. March 1982: Fivespeed box for 5GTL, Gordini turbocharged. August 1982: 5TX arrives with 1397cc engine, alloys and PAS. May 1984: 5 becomes Le Car 2. October 1984: Gordini Turbo (Le Car 2 Turbo) is axed. March 1985: Second generation R5 with an all-new bodyshell and transverse engines produced until 1996.

1972-1984

How to choose the best of the first-generation French superminis

hink peoples car and chances are youll think Beetle or Mini. Though 5.5 million Renault 5s were built, the car is largely forgotten. Survivors are rare: they reckon fewer than 500 first-generation (as opposed to the restyled second-generation) cars are left. By far the most collectable early 5s are the midengined Turbo 2s, but theyre too specialised, so were covering the standard models up to the Gordini Turbo, as they offer far more practicality, economy, comfort and affordability.

surround; the bodywork can get very frilly here. Vinyl roofs can split or discolour even if the covering is intact, its worth looking at the state of the metal underneath. Look across the whole roof for signs of bubbling. If in doubt, assume major repairs will be needed across the panel.

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Which is which?

ENGINES

BODYWORK

Most 5s have had plenty of remedial work, so the outer panels as well as the structure need careful scrutiny although rust-proofing was improved from 1983. Replacement panels are generally unavailable from Renault, but pattern panels and new-old-stock items crop up regularly. Door skins, rear wheelarches, bonnet and tailgate feature returned edges, so water gets into the metal and corrodes from the inside out. The front wings can suffer from large holes along their top edge; use a magnet to check for filler. Also look for evidence of repairs around the headlamps, which can be popped out to get a better view, with no tools required. Next, check the base of each front wing (and the trailing edges), plus the area along the leading edge of the bonnet, which gets battered by stones. On all except Gordini models, the top of the nearside front wing needs close inspection, as the silencer is located directly underneath, which leads to accelerated corrosion of the metal. The air intake vent at the base of the windscreen is another likely candidate for rust, and so too are the sills and wheelarches especially those at the rear. The inner rear wheelarches rust very badly around the vertical supports for the dampers; check for rust bubbles on the panels from inside the boot. The sills have drain holes which tend to block up, leading to the water eating its way out; its the same for the rear light housings. The door bottoms corrode when their drain holes block up, and the doorskins also crack just above the door mirror. Its a similar story for the fuel filler cap

The original 5 featured engines from two families in a variety of displacements. The 845cc Ventoux unit was derived from the 4CV of the 1940s; in France a 782cc unit was also offered. This engine was also fitted to the Dauphine and 4. All other 5 powerplants were derived from the Sierra family: 956cc, 1108cc, 1289cc and 1397cc editions were offered. This later engine was an advance over the Ventoux unit, thanks to a fivebearing crankshaft, but it was introduced in 1962 so it was hardly cutting edge. It was also fitted to the Renault 6, 12 and 15. All 5 engines have an alloy cylinderhead, so check the condition and level of the fluids. Look for plenty of anti-freeze in the coolant; without it, the head will have corroded internally, leading to blockages in the cooling system. The head can also be irreparably damaged if the engine has been allowed to overheat because of the thermostatic cooling fan not cutting in, so make sure it does. If it doesnt, a manual override should be wired up. If the head gasket blows, the liner seals can fail too check for white emulsion in the oil filler cap. Even when in rude health these engines can be noisy, largely because of valve chatter. Both the Ventoux and Sierra powerplants are durable, with no work usually needed until at least 100,000 miles have been racked up; two or three times this is surprisingly common. When work is needed, with used parts available so cheaply, most owners simply cannibalise a spare 5.

TRANSMISSION

Most 5s had a 4-speed all-synchro manual gearbox; this was the only transmission offered until the arrival of the 5-speed manual Gordini and 3-speed 5 Automatic in 1979. All cars used a dash-mounted change until 1975, when a floor-mounted option was introduced; from 1978

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Price Check

Mint: 2000-2500 Average: 300-1000 Rough: 50-250

fault finder
Cooked engines are often beyond economical repair, although decent secondhand units can be sourced fairly cheaply.

The Gordini became the first Renault 5 to offer a five-speed transmission.

5 TL (pre-1979) ENGINE POWER TORQUE TOP SPEED 0-60MPH ECONOMY GEARBOX LENGTH WIDTH WEIGHT

5 TL (post-1979)/GTL (post-1982)

5 GTL (early)

5 Gordini

5 Gordini Turbo

956cc/4-cyl 44bhp@5500rpm 48lb ft@3500rpm 86mph 20.6sec 40mpg 4-speed manual 11ft 5in (3.48m) 5ft 0in (1.52m) 1627lb (740kg)

1108cc/4-cyl 45bhp@4400rpm 63lb ft@2000rpm 86mph 20.6sec 45mpg 4-speed manual (5 for TL from 1983, plus all GTLs) 11ft 5in (3.48m) 5ft 0in (1.52m) 1627lb (740kg)

1289cc/4-cyl 42bhp@5000rpm 61lb ft@2500rpm 89mph 14.3sec 51mpg 4-speed manual 11ft 5in (3.48m) 5ft 0in (1.52m) 1668lb (758kg)

1397cc/4-cyl 93bhp@6400rpm 85lb ft@4000rpm 109mph 10.7sec 30mpg 5-speed manual 11ft 5in (3.48m) 5ft 0in (1.52m) 1813lb (824kg)

1397cc/4-cyl 110bhp@6000rpm 109lb ft@4000rpm 116mph 8.0sec 29mpg 5-speed manual 11ft 5in (3.48m) 5ft 0in (1.52m) 1876lb (853kg)

Specifications

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Buying Guide

The owner

Brenton West passed his driving test in an R5 in 1977, had bought his first Gordini by 1979, and raced in the Renault 5 TS Challenge for three years in the early 1980s. Hes what you might call a committed Renault fan. Brenton has bought and sold up to 100 of the vehicles over the years, and has owned a pair of Turbo 2s (the much sought after midengined road racers). After an 18 year stretch without any 5s, he now owns the featured car, plus a racing Gordini and Le Car 2.

fault finder
Finding replacement interior trim is virtually impossible, so make sure whats there is undamaged.

all 5s had a floor-mounted change, with later models having five gears. Autos and cars with the dash-mounted change have all but disappeared, so any 5 you buy is likely to have a floor-mounted gearchange and a manual gearbox. While the box itself is strong, the linkages can develop play the nylon bush under the stick is easy to make on a lathe but the ball and cup joints at the front are more durable. Gordini Turbo boxes are the most problematic, with second and fifth-gear synchromesh becoming weak. If the box is allowed to run low on oil, the fifth gear bearing can fail catastrophically. Although the CV joints in the front driveshafts are reasonably strong, their gaiters can get damaged by road debris, leading to lubricant leakage. Take

a close look at the rubber to make sure there isnt grease seeping out and also that dirt hasnt got in, wreaking havoc with the CV joints. Gordinis have a roll pin which needs to be removed before the driveshaft can be withdrawn, so slowly drive in a tight circle, listening for knocking from the front.

STEERING & SUSPENSION

The rack-and-pinion steering rarely gives problems, but you need to check for wear as decent rebuilt racks are hard to find. Some cars featured power-assisted steering, but there are no inherent problems, so just check for leaking fluid and make sure the system is working OK. Theres torsion bar suspension at each end. At the front its longitudinally mounted; at the rear its

Need to know
LIVING WITH ONE Practicality is key thanks to the space on offer, the easy maintenance and that hatchback configuration. As such theres plenty of room for the family, although space in the back is a bit tight if youve got a couple of porkers up front. The 5 is economical too. Aside from the Gordini models, performance is leisurely, but in typical French fashion theres comfort aplenty thanks to the soft suspension. KEY PROBLEM AREAS  Blown head gaskets  Corroded bodywork  Rotten rear suspension mountings  Failed rear suspension bushes WHAT SHOULD I PAY? Aside from Gordinis, you should buy on condition rather than specification or age. Non-Gordini project 5s fetch up to 200 if complete; good cars are 3001000, while the best examples are up to 1500. Worthwhile Gordini Turbos start at 1100; nice ones are 2,000-2500, with the best examples commanding 3k or slightly more. KEY SPECIALISTS R  enault Turbo Spares 01254 886885 F  orums on www.r5gordini.co.uk L  ifestyle Renault, Tunbridge Wells 01892 524655 R  enospeed, London 0208 694 1435, www.renospeed.co.uk SCARCE PARTS  New interior trim  Most original panels  Some bumpers  Rear trailing arm mounts and bushes COPING WITH UNLEADED No problem hardened valve seats are standard on all cars. IDENTIFYING MARKS The earliest 5s featured a diamond-shaped chassis plate on the bulkhead, with details of the chassis number. There was also an oval-shaped plate nearby with details of the model series. Later cars had a rectangular plate instead of a diamond-shaped one (but still had the separate oval plate). Later cars have chassis numbers etched on the boot floor or under the drivers seat. OWNERS CLUBS  Renault Classic Car Club www.renaultclassiccarclub.com  Renault Owners Club www.renaultownersclub.com BEST BOOKS  Renault 5 by Yann le Lay & Bernard Vermeylen. (ETAI, ISBN9-782726-885857; French text) T  he Renault 5 Turbo by Peter Meaney. (P&P, ISBN 1-85847-800-6; OOP)

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Price Check

Mint: 2000-2500 Average: 500-1500 Rough: 50-250

buy according to condition rather than specification

fault finder
Lots of areas need checking for corrosion; many arent obvious without some delving, such as this inner rear wheelarch.

transversely located. The front suspension bushes can fail , but its easy to remanufacture them. The rear set-up is more problematic the mounting points rot out unless kept scrupulously clean and regularly rust-proofed. Repairs are tricky, so once the metal has corroded its a serious bargaining point; check carefully before buying. The trailing arm bushes fail at around 100,000 miles, leading to strange handling and knocking from the rear over bumpy roads. Jack up the car to check for vertical play and look through the hole in the rear of the sill to see if the bush is rotating in its housing. If so, it needs replacing, but new bushes arent generally available.

although degradation through exposure to the sun causes problems. Chrome trim for the rain gutters and hubcaps is hard to find, but everything is available on a used basis. Interior trim is more of a problem as it has largely disappeared. Early cars were trimmed in vinyl, while most later ones featured cloth. Its all reasonably durable, but some damage is likely. While youre checking the state of the trim, also make sure the seat frames are in decent nick; they can break if asked to transport heavy people, and replacement is the only option.

The specialists

ELECTRICS

WHEELS & BRAKES

Most 5s came with pressed-steel wheels to keep down costs, but sportier editions had alloys. All first-generation 5s had a three-stud hub at each corner, so swapping between variants is easy the mid-engined Turbo 2 had a four-stud hub. The 5s dual-circuit braking system is utterly conventional so gives few problems. Ventouxengined cars were fitted with drums all round, while Gordini editions had an all-disc system everything in between featured a disc/drum setup. Early cars had no servo but the larger Sierraengined (1289cc and 1397cc) 5s were fitted with a brake booster, which is long-lived so unlikely to give problems. Incidentally, Ventoux-engined 5s had a handbrake which activated the front drums; Sierra-engined models used a more conventional system with the handbrake working at the rear.

The 5s electrical system is pretty simple, but you do need to check the wiring to the tailgate, which tends to fracture between the body and the tailgate. Check that the reversing lights, heated rear window and rear wiper (if fitted) work. Also, the thermostatic cooling fan can seize if the car isnt used regularly. Its not fused, so if it does seize it could result in a major fire which is why its worth fitting an inline fuse.

CONCLUSION

TRIM

Theres little exterior adornment on a 5, although there are some bits and pieces. Things turn up occasionally at autojumbles and some parts are available from Renault, such as front grilles and some bumpers. In the case of the latter theyre made of plastic, so corrosion isnt an issue,

Although the 5 is now largely forgotten, aside from the performance editions, there are plenty of reasons to buy one. Comfort and practicality head the list, plus brilliantly low running costs helped by the very frugal engines. Your biggest problem will be finding a good one, so buy according to condition rather than specification. These cars have always appealed to those who see their car as mere transport, so neglected and abused 5s are all too common, while restored cars and mint low-mileage examples are rare. If youre really keen to become a 5 owner, your best bet is to cross the Channel where theres a greater selection of good cars. Youll have to settle for a left-hand drive example, of course, but its something you can soon get used to. 

Tony Topliss has owned no fewer than 65 Renaults, having bought his first in 1967. As the R5 registrar for the Renault Classic Car Club, Tonys current fleet comprises of five Renaults. Says Tony: Ive always admired Renaults engineering as well as the styling. The latest 5 is my wifes daily runner and, with just 46,000 on the clock, its good for another few years yet. Andrew Berridge inherited his first 5 when he was 15 hes still using it as a daily driver, 17 years later. He runs www. r5gordini.co.uk and has owned more than a dozen 5s. Today, he has two TLs and a Gordini Turbo. His wife runs a convertible, and he shares a Turbo 2 with his father.

Thanks to: Brenton West and Tony Topliss plus Andrew Berridge

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