1985 Renault 4 GTL 1.4 cc petrol
Summary:
Paradise for amateur mechanics
Faults:
I rebuilt the car entirely. Nothing wrong yet. CV joints aren't OK. Small rust holes on rear floor. Erratic starter solenoid.
General Comments:
I bought it from a friend.
It's very easy to work on, everything is accessible and the gearbox & engine are easy to take out. The engine is upgraded to 1397cm3, has a 34-34 carburetor, 4 to 1 exhaust manifold, R18 GTL camshaft, R9 electronic ignition, CD player, 1" widened wheels with Goodyears GPS-2, etc... Performance is awesome, but i'm still trying to tune it up right. Front disc brakes (originals from 1984) are a great improvement from old drums, but still short of power for safe braking. In the future i'll bolt on a servo. Dash is stock R4 (+ RPM & oil pressure gauges). The interior is narrow and noisy, but gives a great feel of the car.
The R4 is usually overlooked for tuning up, since people prefer the R5. But it's great to have this R4, stock on the outside, but with a lion's heart that eats Fiat Unos for breakfast...
It cost me about 1000 Euros + 200 euros for building it up, and it's worth every penny.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 29th June, 2003
1st Jul 2005, 23:01
So far I replaced lots of other things, brake compensation valve, rear brake cylinders, I re-wired the blinkers circuits to have also hazard lights, upgraded non-functioning hand brake for one from a R18, replaced front and rear floor pans, fixed rear hatch (dumb taxi driver rammed it).
I can´t imagine myself driving anything else. Will keep my R4 for some time.
I get great feedback from other drivers, and girls too... except when they get up because the noisy upgraded engine. At least once a week someone asks me if i´d sell it, to which I answer not for the moment being, thanks...
Even though there were a lot of R4 made here in Argentina, R4 became somewhat scarce because of government-sponsored car renewal plans of recent years.
The R4 owner is a special character.. half of the times I cross my way with another R4, we both blink our headlights at the same time, a way of saying "hi there!!"