Having grown up with a Saab 99 and two Saab 9000 turbos in the family, I’ve always had a fascination with the Renault 16. Before the Saab, and like the Saab, this car had a longitudinally mounted 4-cylinder with the engine behind the transaxle, front wheel drive, four doors and a hatch, and if you believe the Renault website, even a turbocharged engine. The TX even came with a 5-speed as of 1973, and you could get power front windows and locks. All models had an unequal wheelbase, and massive suspension travel for passenger comfort, as can be seen in this US-market TV advertisement:
Posts Tagged ‘under $2000’
Subtle Innovation – 1970 Renault 16
June 12, 2013Free Car! 1976 Alfa Romeo Spider
June 9, 2013Those of you who’ve been reading for a while will know that there’s a 1977 Alfa Romeo Spider that’s responsible for my involvement in the hobby, this blog, and the hole blown out the side of my wallet. Well, here’s a chance for a lucky person in or near Clifton, VA to go down the same rabbit hole, without that silly initial investment I paid. That’s right folks, this car on the AlfaBB is free!
And for free, or even for a smaller 3 or 4 digit sum, this is a pretty good deal. You could probably get that money back in parts, but thanks to an owner who doesn’t want to deal with a non-starting car, you don’t even have to pay that! So what do we have here? Well, according to the owner, it was his daily driver until 5 years ago, and he was amazed by the fact it would always start, even in cold weather. He started it regularly even after that, but now it’s given up the ghost. If you zoom in on the picture, you can also see the rockers are fairly crusty. While the top is faded, it seems to be intact. So the answer to the question is – assuming the rust is not terminal (and it takes a lot for that to happen, even if it looks bad) a fun top-down beater. And if some light repairs don’t cure the problem, you can always salvage/sell what’s valuable (drivetrain, interior bits) and get rid of the rest. Hmm, 24 Hours of Lemons here we come?
Blue Car Friday – 1968 Austin America
June 7, 2013Normally we stay away from non-running cars here at RustyButTrusty, and this car is more than a quick tuneup away from being driveable. Austin Americas and all their ADO16 derivatives are fascinating for the fact that they offer similar performance to the Mini, but are more unusual (bonus!) and more spacious. Also, they’re fairly attractive in that European 1960s idiom, much like a Type 3 VW or Fiat 1100. My experience with one of these is limited to one I test drove several years ago, and back when I was just a glint in my Daddy’s eye – he had an America as his winter beater in Montreal.
On to our feature car, which is available in Modesto, CA for $850 (judging by the windshield, the price has already dropped once). It looks pretty straight and complete, with all its trim and no noticeable rust – the seller says as much. Seller also says he could maybe get back the original engine, but honestly, it shouldn’t be too hard to find a good option, what with the explosion of Minis here over the last decade or so.
The blue really does look good on this car too. With any luck, this is fairly easy to get to “running project” status, from which point you can debug the car while enjoying it on the road. Or if you’re feeling adventurous, do as the seller was planning and drop in a junkyard Japanese engine with a little more power.
Rusty But Trusty 