1985 Renault Encore LS: Regular Car Reviews

[@jamesherkenhoff6088]

Renault. You thought you were getting a cool European car, but you ended up with a French Buick.

[@kellypg]

What's wrong with Buick?

[@624radicalham]

Kelly Grabill Everything. Buying European was about going against EVERYTHING that was Buick in the 80s. Everything. Design, bad handling/dangerous cornering ride, squealing tires on light turns, odd plastic materials, styling, excess chrome, chintzy gaudy 80's Americana. You bought euro to get away from that shit.

[@grubbybum3614]

@@624radicalham. Yeah, but to us non-Americans, Buick is the luxurious foreign brand.

[@TheCabillaud94]

Hey you know what French cars are, confortable! Anyone that knows the French vs German confort fight of the 80s know that.

[@9inchpp]

@@grubbybum3614 Yeah if you're in China prolly

[@SilvesterHumaj]

In 1992 when I was probably the least popular kid in 8th grade, I was standing at the school bus stop with a dozen other kids on a cold fall morning at 6:40am. The cute brunette with nice curves who was a junior in H.S. was absent. She rolled up out of the blue in a black Renault Encore, pulled up beside us and asked ME, and just ME if I wanted a ride to school. As I climbed into the passenger seat & noticed her cute legs, conservative skirt & perky chest were even more beautiful than usual and I felt immortal! Now, 27 years later I still think of her when (on the rare occasion) I see one of these Renaults. Memories....

[@alfresco4976]

Mammaries...

[@punkybrewstershubby]

Damnation.

[@Thraakull]

you could have just asked her if she needs an inspection of her Renault emblem... ;)

[@PolesAreEverywhere]

Do you get a boner everytime you see an Encore? ( I would)

[@Mabeylater293]

It probably broke down around the corner, and the school bus waved as it passed u by. These cars were JUNK!

[@theodor12]

Saw the title and thought it had an LS engine

[@pocok5000]

We all did.

[@NoSkates]

Given enough time...

[@TheIdiotPlays]

@@NoSkates And money

[@StyrofoamCancer]

On a long enough timeline...

[@TheIdiotPlays]

@@FlameOnTheBeat Soo just put a 5 speed slushbox or swap the tranny to a bigger one?

[@Schmidt54]

Finally a French car. You want THE regular French car? Renault Twingo. Gen 1 or 2. Boom. Regular. Nice to drive, actually, and practical as hell. And cute.

[@driftmeister2244]

He has already done the regular french car, the Peugeot 206.

[@ThirteenMatt]

Yeah, I don't know that much people with twingos even if they were a huge success, whereas 206s are still the most sold french car ever and you still see them everywhere. Oh and people don't make that much fun of the 206...

[@mottmatt7844]

Imagine all the jokes to be made because you can sleep in the 1st gen.

[@TheCabillaud94]

I hope you're not saying this because of all the 4chan bs. But he's actually right, first gen Twingos are really common in France.

[@patrickfagan663]

I just got back from France yesterday and I saw 20+ twingos a day.

[@Fuddleton]

Wait, Connecticut? Holy crap I know this exact car. Would see it on my way to work, and saw it on Craigslist not too long after, and even saw a truck trailering it away on 91 south. I can't escape the damn thing.

[@steverado87]

It came from somewhere near Mystic or somewhere near the coast. It was a pain in the ass to register it too, being that the owner died. 😫

[@grabasandwich]

steverado87 Not sure if it was common, but when I was a kid, one of these rolled down someone’s driveway onto the street RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME as I walked to school. Imagine being hit by an empty car.

[@SteelSkin667]

I didn't know that good old Renault attempted to sell cars in the USA. I'm not surprised it didn't work out, I can't imagine why anyone in the US would want to buy a Renault 11 in the 1980s. Oh my god I just googled it and they also tried to sell the Renault 5 under the name "Le Car". I CAN'T EVEN

[@DrClaw77]

LOOOOL

[@ScottishScot]

SteelSkin667, I can’t imagine why anyone would buy a GM or Dodge product in 2019

[@SteelSkin667]

@@ScottishScotWell, not that we could here, GM products aren't sold in Europe anymore, and Fiat killed the Chrysler brand in Europe too (imported Dodge products used to sell with a Chrysler badge). edit : It looks like for some weirdo reason you can still officially buy a Cadillac in France, as well as either a Camaro or a Corvette.

[@Skullbrothers]

@@SteelSkin667 Because those cars actually sell

[@goclunker]

SteelSkin667 Le yes

[@UndisputedDelta267]

It's so small... IMMAPUTITINMAHPICKUPTRUCK

[@trashrabbit69]

Put it in the back of your Ferd. Did you hear that? That was the sound of you growing three balls.

[@takerhay2197]

@@trashrabbit69 dodge ram anyone

[@thefiveguy5258]

@@takerhay2197 2nd gen 1999 Dodge Ram 1500 2wd 5.9 (360) auto. White with bed cap

[@migueli1539]

The 80s, when even in the cheapest cars (Yugo GV, Renault Encore) you had the whole interior colour matching with the upholstery you choose, whereas now 50k $ luxury imports have all the same black door panels, black dashboard, gray headlining and faux-aluminium trim accents. Modern cars feel and look quite impersonal compared to the older ones, what a shame.

[@planetstupider502]

My 06 crown victoria interior is also finished with one color interior. (Creamy beige ). I miss those days.

[@chazzcoolidge2654]

Reminds me of when I was looking to buy a neighbor's '95 Crown Vic. Gloss white,and a dark blue interior which was a nostalgia trip back to when I rode in my parents' metallic blue Astro with the same color interior as a child.

[@scowler92]

This needs to change. New cars need to be simpler and cheaper, because nobody will be able to confidently lease a car in the future.

[@SodomySnake]

Old car interiors are the best. Like riding down the highway in your grandma's living room. New ones are like some kinda fake spaceship BS. Grandma > spaceship, every time.

[@hlavco]

People today treat cars as appliances... they'll buy whatever's on the lot instead of waiting on a special order, and the dealers only stock boring "safe" options that people are willing to settle for. So they're all white or grey with a black interior and automatic transmission. Oh, and AWD because it snowed that one time.

[@michaelovitch]

The suspension was tuned for the american market where all was "boatined" No "boatiness" at all here in France on those cars ( Renault 9 or Renault 11) There is a dual barrel version of that engine ,with 90 hp thanks to a different ignition curve,and a a 2 in 1 exhaust manifold.

[@69eddieD]

Back then, Americans liked that floaty-boatey ride, with lots of body lean and tire squealing. American taste in cars has changed since then, primarily because Japanese cars have dominated the market for decades. Americans don't even really like American cars any more; and the domestic offerings are embarrassing compared to the Japanese cars here, which have defined the market standard here for over 20 years. I remember when Renault entered the market here to much fanfare. I knew someone that bought one new and it was fantastic at first, but within 5 years was completely destroyed by rust. The driver's seat was falling through the floorboard because of rust. They use lots of salt on the roads here and the condition of the roads and bridges is awful and getting worse. Even the most durable cars will pretty much last 20 years tops if daily driven.

[@LeMecanoDuDimanche]

no it is not, the split headlight is common on the R11 . regards from France @@Neyghene

[@michaelovitch]

@@Neyghene Produced until 2000 in Turkey as renault "broadway" ,but since it's not in Europe,it's not an answer to your question lol

[@michaelovitch]

@@69eddieD Renault had a problems with rust protection,or simply didn't protected their steel that well ,and was not the only manufacturer with it. They were also designed to be used in Europe,mostly France,not the USA. We don't have that much snow,and do not use that much salt,or whatever substance you use,following the state. That's why they rusted that quick i guess. There are a lot of mercedes vehicles from the 2000's wich rust like mad,even if they don't roll on salted roads at all. Primarily utility vans and cargo vans.

[@69eddieD]

@@michaelovitch A lot of manufacturers had problems with rust in the "Rust Belt." Some Toyota pickup trucks had frame rust problems. I'm not talking about surface rust; I'm talking part of the frame is gone. Hyundai had recalls for control arm and subframe rust damage. The control arms broke while the cars were driven. And some years of Nissans are well known around here for the floorboard rusting completely out. I personally had to give up two cars that ran perfectly fine because rust had destroyed the undercarriage to the point of compromising structural integrity. One was a Toyota Tercel, and the other was a Subaru Legacy wagon. Both cars were 20 years old and both cars ran perfect. The Tercel was bending in two. The Subaru was rusted completely out around one of the rear control arm moorings.

[@edwartvonfectonia4362]

"Liking obscure things does not make you any more interesting than hating popular things" Well said, right on point.

[@merl-lv7dp]

I completely disagree with that.

[@lukedodson3267]

Fun fact: He mentioned that AMC had to give up its defense division because of the Renault buy out. That division was called AM General and the contract they had just landed was for the HMMWV.

[@KakerMix]

Which wraps all the way to when Chrysler tried to sue General Motors over the Hummer and the grill design. The reason why the Hummer looks a lot like a Jeep is because, at the time of the original design, Jeep was owned by American Motors which owned AM General. Of course the HMMWV looks like a Jeep, they were half-brothers! By extension the Hummer, which looks like a HMMWV, looks like a now Chrysler-owned Jeep.

[@lukedodson3267]

@jbiehlable AM General is doing great, they're still producing the HMMWV and they have contracts to assemble units for other larger car companies.

[@mervynstent1578]

Yes AMC defence was highly profitable & it’s Jeep division was all Lee Iacocca wanted and canned the rest!

[@JL-sm6cg]

As I mentioned in a previous post, now I understand why my father bailed on American Motors before they went bye-bye upon the absorption into Chrysler. He used to work at AM General (more specifically LTV Aerospace and Defanse) and was actually on the design team for the HMMWV.

[@morecoffee998]

Analyse de Voiture Régulière, I loved that detail :D

[@morecoffee998]

@Ian Norton Oh no! What a travesty, how am I supposed to enjoy the video now?

[@taunusv4power]

I can't believe there's one of those still alive in the states. There's a guy i know who worked for chrysler back in the 80s. He told me they had that car in the shop for 2 months! All because the manuals didn't say anything and the electronics were too complex. It ended up being an $8 electronic thing but oh man, i love the design but the car is really bad. It's a miracle this is still running.

[@bvedant]

internet forums help a great deal I imagine

[@taunusv4power]

@@bvedant yeah they do. I found all the info i neded for my car. If i had that Renault, i would try to put the digi dash and the voice synthesizer and turn it into a renault 11 electronique. I really like those cars. But the Renault 25 was the amazing one, it's a shame everyone talks about the crysler voice machine, but nobody knows renault did that too. Cool cars really

[@Kyush4]

why is it bad if it keeps running? in europe they still run and were great cars for rallying

[@taunusv4power]

@@Kyush4 that was the testimony i got from a guy who used to work with them in the states back in the late 80s. I know those cars still exist in France and Argentina where there are still plenty of parts. I even remember seeing them back in 2005 kinda regularly in Perpignan. I'm kinda ignorant with very old Renault electronics, but from experience, i see them failing all the time, my friend's kangoo, my other friend's scenic, my nissan primera, every component broken was made by Renault. That brand has failed to me so many times and have such high prices in my country that i dare to say they are bad.

[@624radicalham]

taunusv4power You can sorta kinda almost get a Renault 25 here in America as the Eagle Premier or Dodge Monaco. But so Americanized that it was never as cool. They are great cars though and rarely rust. The Renault Medallion a.k.a. 21 was gorgeous. Love your idea about the eletronique

[@FinalLegion89]

No better way to start a video than a Monty Python reference

[@boktorinator693]

WAIT WHY DID I NOT NOTICE where is it?

[@dragontamer8740]

"A man with a tape recorder up his nose"

[@WolfHreda]

I actually missed it the first time, which makes me sad.

[@jochenstacker7448]

It makes me deliriously happy that someone else spotted this.

[@vinnydaq13]

dragontamer8740 You forgot to preface your comment with “And now for something completely different....”

[@benanderson89]

Renault 11, for those in Europe :)

[@INUMIMI28]

Mr. Regular, the first American in recorded history to pronounce Renault correctly

[@RobCamp-rmc_0]

Does the stress go on the first syllable like that? I always thought it was on the second.

[@sprolyborn2554]

it always gets me about how french as a language has such a hard-on for silent letters. Just spell it as "Renau" and you get to completely ditch two useless letters. Unless its all about looking fancy in which case "Renault" looks a hell of alot better visually.

[@audi8799]

i dooooo

[@nthgth]

@@sprolyborn2554 Britain caught the "extra letters will make us cooler" bug at some point too, I think that's when they started adding "u" to words like color and neighbor.

[@Eis_Bear]

I'd love to see you guys do a RCR Europe, flights within the EU are cheap so you could visit France, Germany and Italy. Or come to the Netherlands, as we never had much of a domestic car industry we didn't/don't have a biased car culture, which is true for most european countries now.. but it has always been that way here, so you'll also find a wide range of classic car culture.

[@jeroen3657]

He can do a road trip, he does not even need to fly. Hope he goes to the french part of Belgium to so he can judge wich roads are worse. American or Belgium. I bet he has a large network of fans willing to help out across Europe.

[@ThirteenMatt]

@@jeroen3657 He sure has. I'm part of it!

[@lillexus5589]

Well, a lot of people in The Netherlands drive VAG cars, especially Volkswagen, because people tend to think its "reliable". Further on the car scene in The Netherlands is influenced by all the people leasing cars, the sheer amount of "lease grey" Renault Mégane's is huge. I wouldn't say the car scene is that unbiased, maybe less then other countries.

[@grubbybum3614]

I'd love to see him back in ANZAC too. So many Holden and Ford Falcon models yet to review. He hasn't even done a ute yet!

[@mottmatt7844]

I would so love for RCR to do the 1st gen Twingo, Alfa Romeo 156 or a Volvo 480.

[@AfterDark33]

Hon Hon Hon! I am a Frenchie, and your silly American cars are no match for my Kenosha spank bank!

[@Totoofwarful]

Hon hon hon (intensifié)

[@mr.bonez3150]

Your mother was a hamster

[@iamicognito4203]

And your father smelt of elder berries!

[@dep.deity3605]

j'aime faire la baguette.

[@EddieMillerStudios]

If it weren't for us Americans, you Frenchies would be speaking German. We saved your hide during both world wars.

[@ConfusedSoul24]

my parents had a Renault 9, which is the sedan version of this. You failed to mention, that it gets good gas milage and more performance than one would expect from those figures, because it was made of tin foil. Birdpoo would dent the roof, and the hood would flex from your pinkie pushing on it. The whole door weighs less than the rearview mirror on a cadillac. It was made before crash tests became a thing, so it is about as safe as juggling chainsaws.

[@airenesivad2975]

Nice1

[@JT-un7dc]

I remember pushing dents in a encore with my finger.

[@MTLoveridge]

So French, the exhaust gases smell like garlic

[@batterybuilding]

Torrent garlic originated and is grown primarily in China.

[@Jose-mf3br]

@@batterybuilding but is heavily used in French cuisine

[@batterybuilding]

Jose Fernandes far, far less than Asian food. It is heavily used in every region in the world. Look it up for yourself. Where did you pick up that stereotype anyway?

[@cofeecardinal3]

Suspension looks like a frogs leg

[@gumballguy34]

@@batterybuilding just let it happen bro

[@sergiovboas]

Never thought the US had the Renault 11(Euro designation). 1.7L here was a luxury, 1.1L was the norm. And still we had the TURBO!

[@1985toyotacamry]

I know it there's more models by AMC partner the the Fuego Le Car and one other model. But yeah it's very interesting cars.

[@syxepop]

Godless Toyota, during Renault's administration of AMC they brought the R5 (Le Car), R9 (Alliance), R11 (Encore), R17 (Fuego), R18 (in both sedan and wagon / estate), R21 (Medallion, also in sedan and wagon / estate) and R25 (Premier, altered with a trunk vs. the European hatchback). The only one transferred further into the next Chrysler administration was the R25 / Premier, which Chrysler used the FWD platform to make the LH family of large cars (Intrepid, LHS, New Yorker...).

[@1985toyotacamry]

@@syxepop oh yeah

[@loyp4328]

@@syxepop the Renault 17 was a 12 derivative, while the Fuego that replaced it was built on the 18 technical base.

[@boggy7665]

1.4L OHV was the base engine in the USA. I owned one. It was slow. But it did go highway speeds, eventually. I had a 4 speed manual, and it wasn't the slowest thing on the road in the era. The automatics were hopelessly slow though.

[@Operationalexcellence263]

Great review and pre pandemic 2019 I miss you

[@oddballaklyama4395]

Oh man, I thought you were going to do review all in French.

[@Vanux867]

he has an english degree, not a french degree

[@penelopeboivin3191]

unhappy chinese bear If only

[@penelopeboivin3191]

"1985 Renault encore LS Bienvenue à mon Tik Tok! Ça s’appelle utilise ton imagination! DANS L’ÂGE DE LA PORNOGRAPHIE"

[@elJowi99]

My grandfather had a Renault 11 (it's name here in Europe) with the 1.7L 85HP gas engine (I live in Spain). I loved it. It drove very well. Now he has a Renault 21 GTS with the gas 1.7L 90HP. I love it too :) 90's Renault cars here in Europe are very good cars. Much better interior and exterior quality here. And the gauges are different here too in our Renault 11

[@glenlarson4933]

I owned one of these, black, shown in the catalogue at 2:28. The engine never failed (a lot of what surrounded the engine, unfortunately, did) but once, when the timing belt broke. When I gave it up it had over 150,000 miles on it with the original clutch. I averaged 26- 28 mpg.

[@nikonfan2407]

My family had the same model of car in the 80s. Though in Europe it was known as the Renault 11. I remember being in the back of it as a child and the engine caught fire. This prompted my father to pull into a petrol station to see if they could help extinguish the fire! So I guess my father's brain power was well matched with 80s French engineering :D

[@ibrahimerturk7649]

its a Renault 11. Also it has sedan version called broadway and spring.

[@SSC3034]

Holy shit! My father told me a similar story with a Renault 5, but he was the only one in le car

[@indiekiddrugpatrol3117]

Apollo Mead people call British cars from that period bad but at least our cars never spontaneously combust

[@nikonfan2407]

@@indiekiddrugpatrol3117 Very true, but with 70s and 80s British cars you're lucky if the car gets built at all due to strikes or it simply rusts immediately and then falls apart. Good old British Leyland :D

[@indiekiddrugpatrol3117]

Apollo Mead in fairness 70s British leyland products rusted a lot less than other European cars so sadly despite being really ugly and shit you can find the ugly bastards dumped in fields all over Britain while other cars of the period have rotted away

[@mougmeduro7017]

A Renault in the USA... *hmm...🤔*

[@rattlehead999]

@Wyatt Altizer yup

[@TheJudge531]

This is beyond science 🤔

[@jeanheonofficial]

@Wyatt Altizer Renault failed in usa but succed in the province of Quebec (Canada) with Renault 5 (Renault 5 No Renault LeCar). Do American want return of French car manufacturer ? (Sorry for my English because I'm speak French)

[@Mabeylater293]

Mipmip..... Right after the hell of it constantly breaking down and eating your wallet for breakfast.

[@CarringtonHollister]

@@Mabeylater293 or your wallet committing suicide

[@byrnc927]

I got a Red 1985 Renault Encore Sedan as a loaner when our car was being serviced. Had it for three days. The ride was so smooth compared to our compact Sunbird. I remember the rocking seats as well. Chevy later in the 1995 -2001 Luminas had a similar feature as standard equipment. I wish all cars without power seats had this feature.

[@nathanwilson3182]

My Uncle had an Encore when I was a child. To this day he still talks about how much he loved this car. Surprised to see one has survived through the years.

[@TorquilMcLeod]

This was fun. The car my driving instructor had was an Eagle Medallion with the same colour interior and exterior.

[@overwatch1774]

You think this is floaty? Now find a Citroen Bx. Or any hydropneumatic Citroen.

[@TheCabillaud94]

* One that has a standard Hydropneumatic. Boy if he drives a Xantia Activa, he's gonna be fast. Mr.Regular is going fast.

[@Trashkhan]

.. never been so roadsick than in my grandfather's Citroen GS.... floaty was a euphemism... :)

[@Three60Mafia]

My dad had a BX and the thing spent 50% of its lifetime lying flat on the belly because the suspension would occasionally crap out and lose any semblance of pressure. So you'd wake up in the morning, look in the window and see the Citroen flat on the ground, and you knew that you're taking the public transit to school that day.

[@burlatsdemontaigne6147]

Three 60 Mafia ____ They're always flat on the ground until you start them up. It's how they sleep.

[@philipthepirate1762]

@@Three60Mafia If nobody drove it that morning or during the night, it will be flat on the ground. The pressure drops gradually and it is normal for it to go down in a few hours (hours, not minutes). Had a BX that was ancient when bought and it ran just fine, just regular maintenance and a starter for 5 years.

[@45AlfaCharliePapa]

As a kid I toured the Kenosha AMC plant and watched them make Renault Aliance and AMC Eagles.

[@JCTsFascinatingHobbies]

The seats, apparently, for the similar Renault 9, the floorpan had been engineered in such a way, that conventional seats would not fit, so, the rails were placed closer together, and positioned more toward the centre, rather than in a more conventional outer edge setup. The seat had to be raised on the secondary set of rails, so that you still have enough room under the seats, so that rear passenger feet, would fit under. If you get a moment, search for the 'Renault 11 TXE Electronique (or Electronic) to get an insight into the digitial, talking dashboard option, we had, in Europe.

[@emjayay]

The digital dashboard was in the American brochure for these in at least one year, but I don't know if they really made any.

[@robertaxel]

My coworker had a Renault Alliance in the mid 80s. She got it new, and since her former car was a Chevy Monza, which refused to downshift going up a steep hill, the Renault seemed.....decent..

[@X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X]

40mpg in a 1985 compact car? This goes to show the hypocrisy of modern fuel efficient crossovers and SUVs!

[@bitrexgm]

modern drivers want cars that weigh more than a golf cart and I can't remember if this is the car where during 35 mph crash test the steering wheel severs the dummy's head, but it was a car like this.

[@X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X]

@@bitrexgm What you describe is progress of engineering rather than progress of taste. The former makes cars safer, the latter is to blame for SUVs.

[@bitrexgm]

​@@X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X I don't think it's just taste it's also that new car prices have well-outstripped inflation and real wage growth. At one time it was possible for a family on even a fairly modest income to own both a sedan and a wagon or truck but if you can only have one a box-on-wheels that handles more like a car than a truck makes a certain logical sense. Also the US has near twice as many people in it as it did 35 years ago, it's the job of many family vehicles to be stuck in traffic much of their working lives now so comfort/convenience/trying to be larger and more intimidating than your enemies in traffic beside you take priority over performance/style. I'm not a fan of the crossover either but i'm fortunate at this point in my life I can often just buy what I like and not necessarily what I need.

[@Bartonovich52]

1) The crossovers and SUVs are safer due to the offset crumple zones, side impact reinforcing, rollover protection, air bags, and lots of active and passive safety systems. 2) The crossovers and SUVs are generally a ‘do everything’ car. I have a modern car that gets 40 MPG (highway only) but isn’t suitable for hauling a family on a long trip or going camping etc. This way you could have one vehicle vs two. They are far better than traditional body on frame SUVs. 3) One casualty of lower emissions is higher fuel consumption. Just look at the VW scandal. Saving fuel isn’t necessarily better for the environment.

[@X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X]

@@bitrexgm You make a good point about the financial side of things. While I am European, I see a similar development on our side of the pond. However, I fail to see what SUVs do better than other cars (especially station wagons) rather than being "more intimidating than your enemies in traffic beside you". Which is - also - why I despise them so much. Strong cars for the mentally weak.

[@tomdelisle8955]

I had a three door Renault Encore and I loved it. Lots of fun to drive. And for the Buick haters, I have one thing to say, 87 Park Avenue, best car I ever owned.

[@fran97hs]

Everytime I see an american review on an european car I know they are going to say "iT dOeSnT hAvE cUPhoLdErS"

[@daveh2612]

Buh...buh.. where mah gonna put mah BIIIIIG GULP???

[@sprolyborn2554]

i mean, thats because we have shit to do. its not often americans get to trot around a narrow curvy road for a mid-morning wednesday drive simply because its a leisure activity.

[@KasparOnTube]

hehe.. yes even premium cars up to early-mid 90s in Europe was without cupholders, for example bmw e32 :) car just wasn't place for us where to drink and eat I guess..

[@paftaf]

In Europe we don’t drink and drive. ...

[@techfour4921]

Not having cupholders is ridiculously annoying to be honest.

[@Inferno_Assassin]

My dad had one of these in college in the 90's. His was a 4 speed. He put over a grand into speakers, amps, subs, etc... He loved his Renault. Since then he's had mustang's and large trucks, but still tells me how much he loved that little French car!

[@jeiku5041]

Renault Encore. The most American European car.

[@Nanorisk]

Jeiku Furame isn’t that the description of Opel?

[@jeiku5041]

@@Nanorisk I mean that's GM for you. A lot of Opels and Vauxhalls come to the US as Buicks, what used to be Saturn, Pontiac...

[@GetToHellOut]

If you count Russia as an European nation, the most American European car would be Volga Siber, as it's based on second gen Chrysler Sebring.

[@XxmatixX6videosdiariosdenadav]

This encore is sold as the Renault 11 in Argentina and it's just a low end old Renault I don't know why they brought that to the USA and not the Renault 21

[@indiekiddrugpatrol3117]

XxmatixX - 6 videos diarios de nada :v they did bring the 21 but under the dodge and eagle brand

[@mrgmc6314]

I absolutely love seeing your shadow running recording the cars as they go down the road .... it's always a blast

[@grubbybum3614]

I'm waiting for the Alfa Romeo 164 review. 😎

[@nikolanikola8543]

*Alfa

[@grubbybum3614]

@@nikolanikola8543. Every damn time I spell it 😖

[@MrCarGuy]

164 Q4!

[@Michael-vl4of]

💉🔞💉💉🔞💉🔞🤡💀💀💀🤡🤡🗡🗡😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎

[@GVNZ9]

...it's just wishful thinking OOOOORRRRRRRRR??????????

[@comfortablydumb2137]

My mom had one of these! It was a replacement for her hand-me-down '80 (I think) Ford LTD, which her friend stole and wrapped around a telephone pole at 60 MPH in a failed suicide attempt. According to her (my mother, not the friend), it was an alright car until it wasn't. She much preferred the '70s Pinto (which she got for a case of beer, mind you) that she got after the Renault died. If that doesn't say something about this car's general reception, then I don't know what does lol.

[@Blueee51]

Last time I was this early for a KZbin video, youtubers were still getting monitized

[@MaxW-er1hm]

7:40. Line the shifter knob with blu-tak Very effective for such things.

[@bigcrowfly]

The Encore/Alliance competed with and was priced against the Chevette, Escort and Omni/Horizon, all cars that half would only make it to 60k miles before a major failure costing more than their resale if in good condition. Only problem is that these would only make it to 25k miles before an expensive repair. Word got around and the dealers could not give them away.

[@lawrencegenereux8567]

When I bought mine I traded in a Datsun 310GX. Having had experience with small car engine head torque issues with the Datsun, I asked the Renault service manager how long I should wait before having the initial checkup head torque performed. He said he didn't know, because they'd never had one last long enough to worry about it.

[@kevinkeeney6693]

My sister bought one with 18 K miles and traded it in on an Escort when it had about 85 K on it. It was attractive for its time, gloss black paint, 2 door, tan cloth interior, a sun roof, and had cheap black and gold hubcaps that believe it or not looked good on the car. For the most part it was a reliable. It had an air horn that needed to be warmed up when it was below freezing and the speedometer gauge cracked on a hot summer day when the windows were rolled up. We figured the French designers didn't consider American weather in its designing. It had an automatic, good on gas (ALWAYS important when you are making minimum wage), and was like pretty much like all cars in the 1980's SLOW. But when other drivers have similarly SLOW cars it no big deal. One thing that I am amazed with today's cars is how HEAVY they are. If you were to put a modern fuel efficient engine in an Encore, it probably would get 45 to 50 mpg on the highway.

[@LeMecanoDuDimanche]

ALERT French guy comment here : Very cool video, but you don't realize how luxious this Encore is... in France, it was called the R11 and the average one had far less equipement. This one has obviously seen better days, but seems to work fine. Thanks for your this video, guys, much appreciated.

[@jpjude68]

I own Renault Super-Cinq from the same year (came from my gran that can't drive anymore, she thought it was good to discard, but i asked if i could keep it instead.. it was too cute, and it had no rust spots whatsoever). The engine is a 1.1L "Cleon-Fonte" engine, 45hp, carburated (and timing chain!). I do around 5.8L/100km (40.5mpg). It seems like the Renault Encore was also called "Alliance", and it had a 1.4 Cleon-Fonte engine option. A bit of trivia : Renault made its name by building cars, vans, trucks and buses for the professionnal market. The large majority of cars it produced can be seen as the work horse for the modest french people both at work and at home.

[@syxepop]

OK... The Alliance you mention was the US version of the Renault R9 sedan (saloon as some call it over there), the R11 / Encore was the hatchback version. Both had a - 55hp FI 1.4L I4 as base and this 77hp 1.7L was the top line engine option. If those fuel consumption numbers RCR mentions were from brochures should be from the 1.4L, not this 1.7. By the time the R9 / R11 were brought to be built in Kenosha, Wisconsin (minutes NW of Chicago) AMC already was owned by Renault in its entirety and the Encore (model name now used by GM's Buick brand for their subcompact crossover SUV) replaced the Gremlin / Spirit as their small hatchback. RCR was correct in his appreciation of Chrysler not wanting anything to do with Renault cars once they bought AMC. They just wanted one thing: JEEP (also what Fiat wanted when they bought Chrysler from Cerberus). For those from "the other side of the Atlantic" should be interested in learn what happened with VAM, the Mexican outfit which was making AMC cars under license before and after Chrysler bought AMC from Renault as they altered some of the AMC stuff. That can be learned both via Google and in quite a few Spanish-language YT videos.

[@bitrexgm]

You can get 40 mpg highway in a 3,200 lb 2019 Hyundai Elantra with a 150 hp 2.0L four no problem I don't get why anyone is impressed with the fuel economy of cars like the one in the video vs. what you have to trade for it.

[@jpjude68]

Sure, it's pretty much on-par with the fuel usage of today's economy cars. I still find it impressive because the date difference is so important (34 years), yet the fuel consumption remains about the same. You are however correct: the efficiency isn't the same, there's less power and less weight to move around with older economy cars. Power and weight isn't what interests me with that car i own: the cost isn't outrageous (fuel and insurance), it's fun to drive, it's cute, and it still has plenty of life left.

[@juanmj93]

Those cleon-fonté engines are freaking bulletproof, ridiculously reliable and easy to mantain, they had it up untill the earliest twingos.

[@hrq007]

I have a 1997 Clio mk1 built in Argentina powered by a Cleon-Fonte, it's a 1.6L Single-point Fuel Injection making around 76hp (according to the manual). I had the engine rebuilt as soon as I got it cause it came with no maintenance history, so we cracked it open, I imported new a new waterpump and housing, but the engine internals where good, despite all the old oil gunk. That little thing has a nice amount of torque at low RPMs. I love it.

[@verdantacres4460]

I had a 1983 2 door automatic. I LOVED it. Quiet smooth ride. Great on gas.

[@624radicalham]

One of my all time favorite quirky cars. This and the Fiat Strada. I've owned both and you've gotta do a Strada (or any Italian economy car from that era! )

[@jeffm5808]

My mom had a 1984 renault encore , whhich bacame my first car. i loved my Encore

[@akishot6735]

4:38 Niceeeeeeeeeee. Alos the Renault is legitimately cool though it looks like a cheap Saab 9000

[@noisepuppet]

This was the comment I didn't know I was looking for until I saw it.

[@eredruin]

My dad had a Renault 11 (the Euro version of this car) with the 1.4 carb engine when I was little. It was the first car I ever drove. I still remember how incredibly soft the pedals, wheel and gear shifter felt. I've never driven anything quite like it since then.

[@ExOAte]

3:57 That's it. That's how you pronounce Renault!

[@WisconsinJuice]

Figured I'd check this video out, an 86 with the 1.4l and 4 speed manual popped up for sale near me. Blue with tan interior! For $2000!

[@aaronf4841]

It was built in Kenosha? That car looks exactly like what I imagine a car made in Kenosha would look like. (Greetings from Wisconsin)

[@BogotaMotorCity]

It’s amazing to acknowledge how priorities change: here in Colombia, for instance, the Renault 9 (sedan) sold big time and it was a small, sturdy, plucky and efficient family car, the one you bought when good times began on your life. The 1.6L engine was more than enough and the car was as practical as it gets. Good to know some Encores survive in the U.S.

[@LuckyKnightJP]

4:36 spotted Mitsubishi delica star wagon on the left there

[@Twominutedevotions]

You reference Python, Star Trek, and Wrestling regularly. The best of culture, humor, and satire.

[@bobmarleyevo]

I've never been this early to a rcr vid

[@pattycheeze]

Me too by a lot. Congrats!

[@dogwalk3]

i LOVE the videos where you talk about the personality of the hypothetical owners and get artsy fartsy with it, as opposed to the videos where you focus on the cars themselves and stats. strokes for folks, but just saying that THIS is the rcr that feels like coming home :)

[@WKZworks]

AMC should've imported the 5 Turbo and Alpine GTA....at the right price, those would actually have sold.

[@gavinmatthews5903]

A little late maybe, but congrats! they did import the 5 turbo! They're expensive as heck, but they exist in the states.

[@ynotw57]

The intro was enough to satisfy my appetite for another RCR vid, but thankfully it also had a car review. Excellent MP reference.

[@TC-rc1zf]

That joke about the Iranian hostage crisis :D

[@danielspinali920]

Awesome Python reference! My dad had had an '82 Renault 18 sedan from 82-97, and this video has made my week!

[@sauerOFkraut]

AMC eagles are the best American subaru

[@compu85]

I think these had something like 5 stage shock absorbers... that's how they got to have such a soft suspension and still be somewhat safe.

[@theSwedessayshello]

Le'Brown!

[@penelopeboivin3191]

the Swedes Le brun

[@jrea424]

My favourite part of these videos is how your car park driving shots involve you running along side it..

[@whatevernevermind5960]

It would be great if Renault started selling cars in the US again. They look and drive really well and are very well equipped. They could also be sold through Nissan dealerships.

[@GlamStacheessnostalgialounge]

No, trust me, the last thing you want is a modern french car. Frenchies have always had problems with their electronic, though I gotta say everything else is usually superb on their cars. This wasn't much of a problem back in the 80's but it sure is now.A guy I know has a pretty new Peugeot 307 with really low mileage and he had to replace the power windows 3 times in 5 years. And I personally drive an old Peugeot 309 and that thing doesn't even have a ECU in it yet I need to rewire half the car because most of the lights are messed up, and the alternator is failing at 90k km. Other than that nothing's wrong on it (because it's so old there is nothing to go wrong)

[@Skullbrothers]

​@@GlamStacheessnostalgialounge That is really not due to quality but more as quantity. I see everyone complaining that the Clio 2 is fucked with electronic problems, full of flaws and just oversteers. I have one with 200k with no problems so far, same with a lot of people in the forums I visit and I am part of. I guess some cars just have those problems, but not all. My grandad already had problems with his Clio4 (1 month old), but so did my dad in his Ibiza (2 months old). But if you want a good french car, nothing beats the 80s/90s

It's planned for Citroën or its "luxury" brand DS to resume selling cars in the US in 2020.

[@whatevernevermind5960]

Glam Stachee most of the modern ones use Nissan parts I beleive

[@whatevernevermind5960]

Zephyr López Cervilla all they make are mainly crossovers nowadays, they sell 1 or 2 sedans but only in China

[@daveymfd]

Best part was right before 4:00 when an ad came on. Good work. Almost.

[@Bahraini_Carguy]

My uncle used to own a 1990 Renault 25. Let's say that its been rusting and collecting dust dor over a decade due to lack of parts compared to our 1992 Toyota Cressida. I wonder why Renault didn't return to US?

[@624radicalham]

ToyGTone Hell Fiat returned better than before, owns Chrysler and designs engineers and produces all those Hemi Charger/Challengers and Ram trucks people ADORE and their reputation was worse than Renault's

[@mottmatt7844]

@@624radicalham Renault owns Nissan. So most of those have the same platforms.

[@dcanmore]

they did, it's called Nissan these days.

[@Legacy_jake_]

These just keep getting better and better love channel keep up the BROWN!!!

[@ehhhh9287]

This is the sort of car you lose in a poker bet.

[@IDann1]

I bought one of these in England back in 1985 brand-new, here it’s called a Renault 11, I bought the TSE model. The car came with standard (stock) orange front fog lights. A few weeks after I bought the car the police stopped me and told me that I wasn’t allowed to have two different coloured lights on the front of the vehicle..... I thought what....! This was a standard car straight out of there factory., I did nothing and carried on my journey,Anyway the car was used for business use ,for a driving school, and we all know the reliability of these French cars ,pretty much falling apart after three years. I’m not sure if you have the same seats as Europe, but it is possible to stretch out in the back and put each leg either side of that swivel seat, so possible to see peoples feet from the back in the front, I think a good feature, and I found the seats very comfortable. This was a blast from the past thanks for the video. Ps. The next 1986 model (although Americans would call it a 1987model year 😝)(we couldn’t ever get away with that in England because the year was always printed on the car registration, but that’s for another conversation) anyway it came out with the electronic version,which had a pure electronic dash Instrument panel. I quite liked to have one of them.

[@Revenant_Knight]

My parents had one of these when I was kid. My mother, who had the Corolla GTS prior to this, hated it. Eventually the Encore died on the side of the road. My dad took the tag off, and left the car on the swale, and never returned.

[@ilovemanunited6179]

Revenant who in their right mind would trade the Corolla GTS for this?

[@dboxodb]

Oh my gosh! My father had one when I was a kid. An 83 model with the 1.4 engine. I fondly remember rocking myself in the front seat while being driven to school. My father kept that car right until 1997, but I was still too young to learn to drive it. Every now and then, I dream that my father’s Encore resurfaces and that I get to drive it.

[@ferrofilos]

In argentina we got the same car but its called renault11 + a sedan with trunk vercion called renault9

[@calbob750]

I purchased one of these that had been off a two year lease. The salesman strongly suggested I buy the extended warranty. Best advice ever. 20 miles before the warranty expired I drove it back to the dealership with failing CV joints. Any car that had its origin in France was notoriously subject to major failures. The AMC Alliance proved it. On the plus side it was comfortable for four people, had a roomy trunk and good gas mileage. If you are a Mopar fan, pray that FCA doesn’t merge with Renault.

[@Legotruck82]

oh god with those "tucked" rear wheels it almost looks like the Citroen DS's dumpy slighty overweight sibling....at l east from the side

[@mysock351C]

Oh god its one of those. Remember them from back in the 80's when my grandparents had one. Slow, hot, noisy, and had so much preignition up hills you could take the distributor out and not even notice.

[@grunkohlaktionar7474]

Mitsubishi Delica spottet at 4:36 ! Review that thing!

[@624radicalham]

Grünkohlaktionär Shit I saw it too and found it insanely out of place in America but didn't know what it was

[@syxepop]

Yea, that little van wagon on the left, like a shrunken version of the one Mitsubishi did sell on US-spec in the '80s.

[@dannork1240]

I grew up two towns over from Kenosha, so these were EVERYWHERE. Then in about 1995, every one of them just disappeared. I can’t remember the last time I saw one! These got awesome MPG, and were very comfortable to ride in (especially if you were a skinny kid like I was at the time) Normally sized Americans found them too small, and like they said, the oil crisis was over, so... right car, wrong time. Then when the timing belt snapped and broke your engine at 50k, you either junked the car and bought an Explorer, or pushed it into your backyard and had it towed away 10 years later, and now these cars are rarer than Hemi Cudas!

[@MoolbniBrie]

1995? Wow they offered an automatic in the Renault Encore in 1995? You had to wait 10 years before getting an automatic. That's crazy.

[@brandonhightower5666]

You bring meaning to my life....You're the inspiration

[@DarkNinjaTwo]

Gonna need an edit @regularcars ya said 1995 instead of 1985 in the first minute or two

[@colombianguy8194]

Nice to see Mr Regular reviewing a Renault. Those French cars are very popular in Colombia, we even have an assembly plant. The Renault 9 was the closest version of this one that we had, good cars overall. At least, parts and skilled mechanics were plenty because the important market share, and cars sold in developing countries are more basic, so no complicated electronics, suspensions or auto gearboxes = more reliable and easy to fix cars.

[@grantjohnstone9787]

When the tyres are as skinny as my jeans.

[@TheFatLobster]

The features you mentioned still hold true to modern renaults. Cheap to buy and efficient to run with surprisingly comfortable ride (adaptive suspension etc) but the big downside is the unreliability.

[@maximeb6662]

Its 4:02 my dudes

[@jxun4l3ht10]

It's 11:21 am my dudettes

[@misterbikerman7888]

Its almost 4:30... Im not going to fucking school

[@bruhbbawallace]

It is currently 5:07 AM my brethren

[@Jake-ix1od]

I’M $&?/ING OFFENDED NOW. WHY DOESN’T GOOGLE AUTOMATICALLY PROTECT MY ENTITLED SAFE SPACE?

[@transamericanlife]

I spent many years as a child in my dad's black encore WITH NO AC in Los Angeles. Ugh. It did have decent seats and was somewhat light. I learned to drive manual with it, so not all lost.

[@vo7zo]

only real ones post at 1am

[@laranaarana]

In the '80s my father bought me mostly foreign cars: Mercury Merkur, British-Leyland MGB, Renault Le car 5. Then I moved into the American made:1982 Plymouth Reliant K (the one with the Mitsubishi 4 cylinder 2.6L Hemi engine, 1989 Ford Taurus GL 6 cylinder 3.8L).

[@daniluvsuall]

I had no idea you had Renault's in the US..

[@truantray]

They sold a gazillion Renault LeCars in Canada, especially Quebec.

[@syxepop]

Daniel Collins, as I've explained in another post, Renault sold during their tenure of AMC versions of the R5, R9, R11, R17, R18, R21 and R25. Before that Renault sold in USDM quite a few of their European-built cars like the rear-engined Dauphine since the late 1950's.

[@emjayay]

Years before the AMC deal they sold Dauphines in the US. They did pretty well until everyone realized they fell apart even faster than the later ones did. Later they sold some 16's and after that a few other models, all sold at dealers that also sold maybe Peugeots or Fiats or other low selling European cars.

[@barking.dog.productions1777]

I got a lot of these cars in for blown head gaskets when I owned a repair shop in Florida. Timing belts weren't really an issue because the head gasket would blow before the timing belt wore out, so it would get replaced at the same time. We got enough blown head gaskets in that we had "actual working time" for a head gasket, and timing belt change down to well under 2 hours... If we didn't have to wait a day on the machine shop to surface, and pressure check the head, then we probably could have done the whole job in an hour give or take 10 minutes... pretty simple cars to work on, and not a bad car for a dirt cheap econo-box. My educated guess as to why the gauges don't work is because the pointer hand curls down from being in the sun. Cheapest fix is to heat it a bit, and bend it back up to where it doesn't rub the gauge face.

[@gabita6646]

Drive the dacia 1300

[@___Steinn___]

The romanian Renault 12?

[@alextenie]

@@___Steinn___ yes

[@perforators]

Pubg! pUBG! pUBg! PuBG! PUBG!PuBG!

[@Gabesafish]

I had the sedan version of this...an 86, Beige, 1.7L Alliance automatic. Although the two were on the same platform, they had unique interiors. The alliance did not suffer from body roll and soft suspension like the Encore. The issues mine had were bad motor mounts, broken seat frames, and automatic transmission fluid coolant line leaks, which were caused by the motor mount issues. I also had a hole arc welded through the hood from contacting them he battery posts. You know those little plastic terminal covers? Turns out those were especially important on this car!

[@chrisheisey9654]

"And now a man with a tape recorder up his nose"

[@mhmrules]

"And now a man with a tape recorder up his brother's nose"

[@chuckstephan]

I have a 85 alliance convertable and she still runs great! One real bad things is the window regulators. Mine are shot. I just ordered universal power window regulators and switches. Will be fun to convert the windows. Also these have independent rear suspension. I put some grippy tires in it and have no problems pushing it in fun curves.

[@miguelreis2851]

Wait. Can I see the road through the driver's side "a pillar"? (9:35)

[@catfish552]

Looks like the door doesn't close properly.

[@miguelreis2851]

Yeah, seems about right for a true french Renault. XD

[@miguelreis2851]

@Pedro DLR Yeah. I watched the video. XD French designed it and the Americans built it. What could possibly go wrong? Not to say that they only design or build "low quality items", but my dad owned the european version of this car, and even him called it a "bad" car when it was almost new.

[@ssj4david]

Omg old Renaults are SUPER rare! My parents had a 1988 Renault Medallion LS... I've only ever seen one other one in all these years...