Faults:

Cold starting remained very hit and miss and could be very difficult at times, especially in cold and wet conditions - this left me inconveniently stranded often.

I had to replace 3 batteries during 4 years as so often run flat consequently!

There were some brake repair problems also.

Had to get sill under drivers door welded for MOT.

Radiator hose, clutch cable and heated rear window switch broke.

General Comments:

Nice to drive and very spacious.

Very economical on petrol, 45+ mpg

.

A very likable and cheap car to own and apart from the unpredictable starting problems, I thought the car very good.

Other than the battery flattening starting difficulties, only the radiator hose and clutch cable ever stopped it on the road.

5 door hatch was very spacious and flexible. Could get loads of people and stuff inside for the type of car.

Quite comfortable in use, but heater a bit weak in winter.

4 speed gears a bit noisy on motorways.

Plastic fittings seemed cheap and unattractive, but reasonably robust as everything lasted OK.

Faults:

ECU failed

Fuel Pump filed.

General Comments:

My first performance company car, and a real beauty, the 5 GT Turbo was a seriously fast car, with era-defining handling. I am still to drive a better all-around FWD handler including the 106 GTi.

The engine was very laggy and had a small power range, but on song it was hilarious fun and a match for virtually anything else on the road. I remember with great fondness tussles I had on the road with Cosworths, a Senator 24v and a 205 GTi 1.9 where the rickety little French car earned some respect!

What I do not recall so fondly was the horrendously fragile and poorly-built interior, the flimsy seats, tinny panels and boomy noise at speed. This was a seriously cheaply-built car.

I got the fuel economy down to less than 20 mpg with thrashing, and it never bettered 26mpg even on a run.

It was a great car for a decade ago, and still handles well, but we expect better quality with our performance these days. A great introduction to performance car ownership!

Faults:

The clutch cable.

Radiator coolant pipe burst.

The clutch cable.

Exterior light bulbs keep blowing.

Points worn out at 76ooo miles.

Rear windscreen water jet stopped working.

The clutch cable!!

General Comments:

As a first car, the Renault 5 Campus is a really fun, surprisingly nippy and cheap. For a 1.1 it pulls away quiet nicely.

The thing that bugs me is the badly designed interior. There's plenty of little cubby holes and crevices, but none of them are big enough to put anything in!

And as for the clutch cable, I've had replace it 3 times since May 2002, even though it has the manufacturers modifications on it.

But, in general the car has taken me far and wide and is perfect for the first car.

Faults:

Flat battery.

Anti-percolation fan broke.

Massive rust holes under side skirts.

Battery tray rotted away (common).

Rust on almost every panel going (especially the boot).

Cracked windscreen.

Drivers seat heavily worn (common).

General Comments:

I haven't had much chance to drive this car as of yet. That is because it is being totally rebuilt and modified at the same time. In the 4 miles that I drove it home from the place of purchase, I found it a very enjoyable ride. For such an old car, it pulls away incredibly quickly, and puts a grin on anyone's face that is in the car itself.

I have been after a 5 GT Turbo for a while now as a project car, and now I have one, I just cannot wait to have some fun in it. Sadly at the moment it has been totally stripped out, but the finished article will be something to drool over.