Bought an Encore 4dr in LS trim. It had the 1.7L and 5spd. Drove it for eight years and 115,000 miles. Problems were few and far between and mostly minor. The biggest repair I remember was valve cover gaskets at 90,000. Never failed to start or left me stranded. Cheap comfortable economical transportation.
My Dad sold these in Rhode Island. Mom had a 1.4 Limited in Hunter Green with saddle leather seats. Was soooo slow with the automatic. But the car was comfortable, had great fuel economy and other than a battery she replaced at 3 years old when we moved to Phoenix, the car served her amazingly well for 6 years and 90,000 miles. Dad had a silver/blue interior 1986 Encore LS. That was 1.7 liter with 5 speed manual and a pop up sunroof. Was not as fancy as Mom's Alliance. When I turned 16 in 1988 , given a choice of whose keys I could get, I picked the Encore each time. I really loved the car at the time, and had great MPG typically 38-40 mpg. Once we moved to Arizona Dad started to sell Chevy's and then Oldsmobile. Was very sad when I came home from school one day to find the Zippy little Encore was traded in for a new 88 Chevy Celebrity Eurosport with the 2.5 Iron Duke and automatic. The car was ok but missed the manual. Mom's Alliance was traded in for 1990 Oldsmobile Cierra Brougham with V6. Personally liked that car a lot better than the Celebrity. The v6 made it much better car. Not that it matters much, by then, I had my own car. Dad got a great deal for me on a 1984 Pontiac Sunbird coupe with a 5 speed that was traded in with 48,000 miles. $1,500 was a great deal for a solid 1st car.
I LOVED my Encore! I had the bronze color shown in this video. I didn't like the color but it grew on me because the car handled so well and was so comfortable !
My Uncle, who owned an AMC Jeep dealership at the time, suckered my sister into an Alliance. In some ways it was a neat little car, if basic, and the ride always amazed me for the size of it. But the thing was an absolute piece of trash. Electrical glitches, zero power from that tiny engine, and it overheated on a trip, left her stranded and toasted the engine. A couple of years later we were in a town visiting some friends, and watched one burn to the ground in the middle of town. They seemed to enjoy doing that. Noticed many of them on the highway that had done the same.
Renault put the water pump at the top of the cylinder head on the C-type (1.4) and F-type (1.7) engines. If there was even a slight coolant loss the engine cooling stopped. No wonder why they overheated. French cars were (and still are) very unforgiving of regular fluid checks.
No it was not the American workforce, My uncle had to if these cars I can say that front end issues seem to be common I don't remember too many electrical problems but I will say the entrance were very tiny and let's face it Americans run the hell out of cars.
@@Superta7 The 1.6L engine Cléon could have easily made 80+ hp's with some modest EFI and modifications, easily making 100+ hp's with some moredate modding. Could easily outperform the v8's
I loved this car !!! Mine flat out refused to die no matter how badly I neglected it. Eventually, Michigan rust made it unsafe. I bought mine for $300 in 1995 and drove it across the state to Detroit and back more times than I could count. It had a long list of needed repairs and somehow just kept going. Great memories !!
Well they weren't really that bad it's just a matter of people traded them off. Like all cars in that era, particularly common cars that you're at their bound to disappear. Happens to be honest I'm seeing less and last 90's cars of the same concept which was economical point a to point b type of cars they're not exactly built to run forever though there are diehards that keep them going. I'm in the 80s was kind of weird for cop car it's like Chrysler went through you spells missiles on the cake series but the k cars were literally stripped out cars they were basic transportation AMC attempted to do the same thing with the Renault offerings! And to be honest they were fierce competition that's not to say they didn't have a few problems but they certainly were not junk.
Here is Argentina was named RENAULT 11 and it was a total sucess, was the hutchback was a 4 door instead of a coupe and the one with the trunk was names RENAULT 9, also a big sucess here
I bought a base 87 Alliance 2-door right after the Chrysler buyout. They were on fire-sale. When I say base, I mean base. 1.4L, no radio, no A/C, 4-speed manual, crank windows, no power steering, black bumpers. Mechanically, it was decent if extremely under-powered. Build quality was pretty attrocious. I remember the sun visor falling into my lap while driving one day because the factory didn't put all the screws in! The rear shocks started leaking after a couple of years and the muffler rotted out, but I still have fond memories of that little piece of junk.
Have you seen last Roger moore' s James bond from a view to a kill 1985.?? He destroy Renault 11 TXE 1.7L 82 hp during a chase!! Cut in 2 parts along the Seine river embankment located in Paris France
Well there you go, first keyless entry. I saw two rare GTA 2.0 coupes for sale as a package deal a year or so ago for 5 or 6k in WI I believe, hell of a deal on two nice running GTA's. I think they really effed up by not dropping a Renault turbo mill in these during the hot hatch wars. The mills and trans were available. Same fate as the Fiero GT: It died when they got it right. Those 2.0 GTA's generated impressive G's on the skid pad and could be had in convertible as well.
@@runforit420 The 1.4 was a carryover mill from the R5/Le Car. The new 1.7 would have been killer, designed for use in gas or Diesel configurations, torture tested to be the toughest four banger available, five main bearing bottom end. That thing could've taken all kinds of boost!
@@BogattheMoon The 1.4 Cléon only was federalized in the Le Car (with a carburetor) and with Renix single-point injection in the Alliance/Encore in North America, not to mention that California cars had Bosch L-Jetronic injection for even more stringent emission standards. I meant from a financial perspective it would have cost AMC/Renault more money to have the 1.4 turbo meet U.S. emission standards (our Canadian standards in the mid '80s were less stringent than the U.S.). It probably was a financial cost with diminishing returns to offer the 1.4 turbo in the Alliance/Encore and it likely was a bean counter decision (likely why the Alpine-Renault GTA also never came to North America). The Renault 11 had a turbo 1.4 in Europe as an option, but I'm not sure if it was even fuel injected. Was there ever an OHC F-type (1.7/2.0 ohc 4 that was in the Alliance/Encore) engine with a turbo ? I know the RenaultSport Mégane had one and it has an engine derived from the F-type but it is a DOHC motor.
@@runforit420 Ok, beg my pardon on misunderstanding your question. It often escapes me that you guys in the Great White North received many variations of US imports and probably cool Euro makes and models we didn't! Well, you have eliminated the wonder of a blown 1.7/2.0 variant. Did you guys receive that Renault model in Canada or Europe only? Unfortunately we never received the 1.7/2.0 with forced induction from a turbo or supercharger. Supercharged would have been cool, like the option for the Toyota MR2.
@@BogattheMoon I'm pretty sure Canada's Renault models were the same as the U.S., except that the Le Car could continue to be sold here until the Super 5 went into production, the one that was based on the Renault 9/11 (Alliance/Encore). I'm surprised that the Alliance and Encore with the 1.4 weren't carbureted in Canada. Porsche sold the 959 in Canada, but not the U.S. Mostly Canadians got Eastern European makes (Dacia, Skoda) and the Hyundai Pony and Stellar that couldn't be sold in the U.S. because of emissions, not high-end imports. I don't think there ever was a forced induction F3x motor made in Europe even (3 is for parallel valves, single-point injection, x is either P (1.7L) or R (2.0L)) Both the 1.7 and 2.0 were F-type engines, but future versions of the F-type motor had forced induction (the 16 valve motor in the RenaultSport Mégane, for example) Honestly I would love a RenaultSport Mégane here.
Renault HAD The 1.6L version of the 1.4L Engine, that made around 75hp's, with EFI it could have really easily made 90+hp's, if the ridiculous smog free US regulation law didnt exist!
@@gabrielv.4358exactly 1721cm3. Dont know in cubic inch? Power was in France 82hp later 90hp , carburettor double barrel and leadfuel 97. Speed max around 110mph
I always thought these were unreliable hunks of junk. I don't know about the reliability, but the features they offered and the superb handling actually make it a cool little car. Keyless entry in 1984??
In France Renault have more Powerful because no Catalyseur, Just carbu double barrel and lead fuel 97 octane. 1,4L have between 60, 68,72 hp. 1,7L have 82 and later 90 hp. 1,4L reach easily 100mph 1,7L around 110mph. Also Renault 11 turbo 1,4L with turbo charger and intercooler 105 hp later 115hp, 120mph. Fitted with rims from Alliance convertible. I have one of them in 1985, à genuine trap...for girls🍌
“One of the most trouble-free domestic new cars ever.” Speaks to how awful cars used to be right off the line. Too bad these cars turned into powder in short order. So much wasted potential. Can’t believe pedestal seats never caught on more!
@@MrHeem94 The seats most definitely slid forward/back normally like all other cars, on a separate rail. i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/AMC-Alliance-int.jpg
@@djkenny1202 That was the same for most earlier Citroen's and Peugeot's aswell aswell even here in Britain esp stuff like the AX, 104 and Renault 5/9. They were very basic but rugged, stylish and comfy enough little cars but were quite flaky in the build quality department, atleast the Peugeot 205 and 405 was,. Though the engines were always very nippy & lively and they handled well.
0:33......................"The Alliance is also one of the most trouble-free domestic new cars ever".....................don't make me laugh!!!!!!!! However, this IS the perfect car to drive all the way to Cafe Le Euugh!!!!!!!
@@dominiqueroudier9401 France had the catalyseur much later than U.S. or Canada. Even the 2.2 Douvrin was choked down to 91 h.p. in the R18 in North America.
@@runforit420 Catalyseur arrived in France end of 1992. Engine 2.2L have carburettor and later injection. Power between 110 and 125 hp without catalyseur until 1992👍
