DAC

anyone got any views

thinking of a phase 1 model - for shopping runs etc.

Reffro

Renault 19 16v's have a habit of going pop I'm afraid, one reason why they are cheap. Be very careful when inspecting the car, pay particular attention to the cambelt and head gasket.

hail-hail

My mate just got one for £300 on a J plate, not the cleanest example you'll ever see, but runs well.
And if it blows up in two months then no harm done

bioforger

iTrader: (1)

and gearboxes are a weak link, otherwise cheap fast motoring. Probably one of the best handling 16v cars from the early 90s

camk

My wife had a newish one a good few years back, drivers door fell off and it went through 3 new sunroofs(never bothered to get the 3rd one fixed). Clutch pedal had a known fault where it broke at the cable. No engine or major mechanical trouble. If you are buying it for a few hundred quid then its no big deal but eletrical niggles are also common with the toys(remote locking).

Cheers
Cammy

[Edited by camk - 1/24/2003 1:37:05 PM]

Squizz

Goes fast, drives well, great on petrol.

igratton

Had a R19 16v Phase 1 before my scoobies.

I can safely say the steering feel on these cars is far better than a scooby - and for FWD they handle nicely too. Underated back in the day partly I think due to the looks. I loved mine.

The tend to have a habit of snapping cam belts if they are not serviced and looked after. Head Gaskets can go if they are regularly 'caned'. The other problem is the HT leads can perish as that little scoop in the bonnet starts to leak - I would silicone round that ASAP - the HT leads are dealer only and approx £150 a set My plug chambers used to get quite full of water because of that bloody scoop leaking LOL.

Ian

skiddus_markus

Mine filled up with water too.Siliconed up the scoop and plug cover and no more running on 2 cylinders.Quick car for the cash and no matter how much I thrashed it,it still did at least 28mpg.Decent brakes and handling.

brendy

Had a phase 2 model for 3 years with no problems - I would buy one of these as excellent car for very little cash. I had no reliability probs - 2 clutch cables in 3 years (known problem) and very little else.
Also can be seviced by any mechanic so very little cost for that.
Once on song at over 4000 rpm with a good exhaust are very quick until rev limiter. If you don't cane the engine you will think it is a slow car.
Only problem is remember its a group 15 car and insurance will be expensive.

Attu

I had a phase 1 and the only problem i remember was also the water in the plugs thing i used to carry a large suringe with a flexible straw on the end of it so i could suck the water up.
Some places wanted Subaru money to change the clutch as its ment to be an engine out job but my local garage did it for about 1/3 of the price halfords(yeh i didnt know any better in those days ) or Renault wanted without taking the engine out.
It realy was a nice car, i had full leather 16inch TSW wheels full Scorpion exhaust different brake disks ect ect.
I sold it and bought a nearly new laguna 2.0 16v which wasnt half the car the 19 was.

Andy

[Edited by Attu - 1/24/2003 11:04:04 PM]

Sprint Chief

I had a Renault 19 16v phase 2 which my better half now runs...

I bought it a few years back with just under 70k miles on the clock... it is still going strong with around 150k on the clock...

Problems had since owning car: (at least the ones I remember...)
Front wheel bearings both died around 100k miles
Clutch went around 100k miles, Renault wanted about 1200 but got a local garage to do it for around 400 by not removing engine (OEM clutch parts as well)
Front brake hoses replaced at around 100k as well for MoT
Clutch cable has gone twice and is very fiddly to replace - tight squeeze between the brake servo and bulkhead, but can be done using string and a screwdriver as a lever and a lot of fiddling

Otherwise just the usual consumables (exhausts, tyres etc.) plus headlight unit replaced when someone drove into it in a car park (don't think that had anything to do with it being a 19 though...)

They are known for problems with head gaskets and gearboxes, but mine has been okay (touch wood), very important to keep a close eye on fluids (particularly gearbox, which is "sealed for life" and easily forgotten), engine oil gauge in car is easy to check when ignition on so there is no excuse!!!

fatherpierre

So avoid 100k motors then

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

This is taking me back a few years
The phase 1 cars originally suffered from dodgy front suspension (ie it broke ) and so should have been replaced (it should have a blue mark on the suspension turret i think).
The electrics can go wrong, they have rattles from day one (well mine did from the sunroof ) but they have one of the best weighted steering wheels ive ever found on a car, lots of feedback and they grip well too
The engine doesnt really come alive until 4k rpm and even though i had my car for 48k (4 years from new) the only problems i encountered were a replacement rocker cover, the heater matrix and a fuse that went which controlled the engine fan.
These cars do need full service history as the engines need alot of care and attention, if you find a good one then ****** it up but there are alot of ragged/crashed/stolen cars out there so be careful when you choose.

Tony

GM

I had a phase 2 for about three and a half years - bought new in 93. Cost a lot more money than I expected to get through the first MOT - new brake disks and a new headlight unit because the adjuster in one had seized and it couldn't be aligned properly.

(Saw the car a couple of years ago - still looked very tidy)

Sprint Chief

Hmmm around the 100k miles was a bit expensive now you come to mention it but at least it didn't need a new engine! I think the track rod ends were replaced with the wheel bearings, total cost of bearings+brake lines+rod ends+clutch would have totalled around 700-800 quid, which come to think about it is probably about the value of the car these days...

I got pretty good at driving it without the clutch after a couple of practice runs too, although living out in the country makes not stopping a lot easier... well stopping is easy enough (stick it in neutral) just getting going again without a clutch is a bit tricky!!!

We plan to run ours now as a second car until something breaks which costs more than the car, which with 150k miles on the clock, shouldn't take much...