Good morning! We’re kicking the week off with a couple of not-so-hot little red numbers. They’re both as rare as rocking-horse poop these days, both manual, and for some reason, both equipped for towing.
I have to congratulate you all for a job spectacularly well done with Friday’s silly scenario. The Olds took home the winning vote count, but at least one person made a compelling case for each car, and some of your ideas were practically fully formed treatments. And I’d watch the hell out of those shows.
I had a TV show kinda half-formed in my mind, with the Olds as the hero car, but honestly, it wasn’t as good as the ones you all came up with, so never mind. But hey, if one of your shows gets picked up by Netflix, just keep in mind where it all started, and who gave you the idea.
Now then: The goal of today’s cars is mainly to make you have the same reaction I had when I saw them: “Holy crap, I haven’t seen one of those in a while!” One of these came from the Underappreciated Survivors group on Facebook; the other is a spot from my buddy Sam Blockhan over at Opposite Lock. Let’s check them out.
1985 Renault Encore – $4,600 Canadian (about $3,300 US)
Engine/drivetrain: 1.7 liter overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Odometer reading: 154,000 kilometers
Oeprational status: Runs and drives well
Quick – What do Wisconsin and France have in common? They’re both justifiably proud of their cheese, and they have both been home to Renault factories. As part of Renault’s partnership with AMC in the 1980s, the Alliance and Encore, known as the Renault 9 and 11 in Europe, were produced in AMC’s famous plant in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
The Alliance and Encore were powered by one of two four-cylinder engines: the old 1.4 liter pushrod engine dating back to the ’50s, or a new 1.7 liter overhead cam four, both with fuel injection. This car has the 1.7, along with a five-speed manual. It’s a one-owner car, with only 154,000 kilometers (about 96,000 miles) to its name. It has British Columbia collector’s plates on it, so it sounds like it has been retired from daily driver status.
Ace AMC designer Dick Teague and Renault’s Robert Opron teamed up on the Alliance and Encore design, and if you are familiar with AMC cars, you’ll immediately see Teague’s influence on the interior of this car, particularly in the seats and door panels. The Encore was a little bit fancier than the Alliance, and this interior looks mighty inviting. There’s a cover on the driver’s seat, but since it’s pulled down in the photos, I have to believe its purpose is to protect the upholstery, not hide it.
Outside, it’s very clean as well, with two-tone paint and vinyl graphics that have held up well over the years. Personally, I’ve always preferred the hatchback Encore to the Alliance sedan. It’s sportier, and of course, more practical.
1988 Buick Skyhawk – $6,500
Engine/drivetrain: 2.0-liter overhead cam inline 4, four-speed manual, FWD
Location: East Longmeadow, MA
Odometer reading: 52,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives, just taken out of storage
When General Motors introduced the J-body compacts in 1982, every major division got their own version except of course GMC. The Chevrolet Cavalier and Pontiac J2000/Sunbird are the best-known, and the Cadillac Cimarron is probably the most infamous. Oldsmobile’s Firenza and Buick’s Skyhawk are barely remembered.
The Skyhawk and Firenza both ping-ponged back and forth between the “Chevy-style” overhead valve engine and the “Pontiac-style” overhead cam; as far as I can tell, in 1988 the Skyhawk was only available with the overhead cam engine, displacing 2 liters. The Skyhawk also has the distinction of being the last Buick available with a manual transmission until the 2011 Regal Turbo. The seller describes this one as being a “4 speed with overdrive,” which could mean a Getrag five-speed, but it could also mean the older Muncie four-speed, in which fourth gear was an overdrive. Since the rest of the car looks pretty basic, I’m assuming it’s the four-speed.
This car has only 52,000 miles on it, and has just been awakened from a fifteen-year slumber. It seems like it’s in running condition, but we all know that a car is going to need a lot of attention after being parked for that long. The tires will need replacing, for one thing, as will every fluid and every part that holds said fluids in place. Low-mileage long-term-storage cars can be cool “time capsules,” but they can also be a Pandora’s box of pains in the ass.
It’s in really nice condition inside, but the outside has some blemishes, and at least one piece of missing trim. It’s not a big deal, I suppose, but for the kind of money they’re asking for this car, it can’t be just a rare car. It has to be a really clean rare car. Hopefully, there’s some wiggle room in the price to account for the condition.
Cars like these are neat to see, but when it comes down to it, would you really want to see one of them in your driveway every day? That’s a question only you can answer, but for our purposes, you must choose one of them. I’m not letting you off the hook with a “neither” option. So which will it be – the Franco-American tin can, or the Cavalier’s less popular cousin?
(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)
The Encore is much cooler than the Buick
The Renault, because it is the first family car I can remember. My mother had a 1986 GTL 5 door (which I think had the 1.4 litre pushrod engine) which she kept for around 15 years.
He car was very reliable and practical and I remember it fondly.
I was expecting the Buick to be in showroom condition at that price. It’s not. Even if it was, I wouldn’t want it. A friendly reminder to all who are smoking that dank nostagia, 80’s GM products have basically nothing going for them.
At least the Renault is sort of interesting.
I like the Buick, but that price is too rich for that car. Oui oui for the Renault.
Too bad the Renault isn’t a Fuego! I’m hot for one of those! Lol
Somebody is vastly overestimating the Radwood cred of a slightly tatty old Buick. Reluctant Renault today.
If you are going to “change every fluid and every part that holds the fluids in place” you’re talking a new transmission housing and engine oil pan and I don’t understand why? And I’ve got radiator overflow reservoirs and wiper fluid reservoirs that are a LOT older than this that still work OK although they do get more opaque with the years.
Renault! The one to watch.
My Uncle had an Alliance (and a Le Car too). I was little, but the remaining impression is that of a POS. However, it’s better than a Rip Van Winkle Buick. Also, nostalgia’s a hell of a drug.
The Renault 11 was a fine family car, practical and reliable.
Had an Alliance. The one thing it did well was protect me when a drunk guy in a full sized Caprice plowed into me. Other than that it…was a car.
$9,284 to $10,779 was the Original MSRP for a 1988 Buick Skyhawk, so asking $6,500. is insane.
However I went with the Buick only because it is a Manual transmission and is more reliable than the Renault, but the Renault is the cooler car!
Unless I misread, the Renault is also a manual, a 5-spd at that. As for reliability, It looks like the Encore is driven at least occasionally, while the Buick has been stuck in storage. I’m not sure the Skyhawk would be any more reliable. The one advantage is you should be able to keep the Skyhawk running on junkyard parts while sourcing parts for a collaborative car made by a dead-to-the-US brand and a dead -to-the-world brand is likely to be a challenge.
Yes, the Renault is also a manual, my point was that the Buick was manual, which is very rare and the only thing that will make the Buick somewhat fun to drive.
I have lived through the Franco American automotive era and trust me, they were all unreliable.
We had a 1986 11 GTL for 15 years and over 150,000 miles with no problem whatsoever.
Both cars should be in the $2500 USD range.
The seller of the Renault is slightly delusional
The seller of the J-car, as George Carlin once said, has been into the mushrooms.
To be fair, the entire used car market is still pretty delusional, so I can at least forgive the Encore seller. The Skyhawk, however, that is good ol’ fashioned Graverobber-grade crack pipe.
Border town boy here, and most of my girlfriends my whole adult life have been canadian (we all have our kink). Gas prices are insane in canada, 1.69/l I think was the average in southern ontario as of a few weeks ago, BC is considerably more. So think $6.50-8/ gallon. Used car prices are insane as well due to the fact that they have to be damn near pristine to pass inspection. So to Americans, $4600 (3300 US) sounds like a lot for the Renault, it’s really not and especially in BC, they’ll get it. Also I’ve noticed, 75% of all cars have a trailer hitch, usually attached to a rickety 4×8 utility trailer. Ya know, for hauling the mower and toys up to cottage country, eh?
Was in BC a few months ago for work. Stunning scenery (Thompson River Valley) on the drive from Vancouver airport. Cars and roads all looked well maintained and gas for our rental Silverado was bonkers (yea company CC). I understand housing prices are insane in the Province but restaurant and hotel lodging seemed in line with the US.
Not giving a “neither” option is borderline abusive.
I’m taking my imaginary money to the casino and putting it all on imaginary black. That’s just as wise as sinking it into either of these.
I voted Renault because Mark said I had to.
You’re number one to me, Mark. Can you tell which finger I’m using to let you know?
“I’ll take the Renault Alliance” are words that I’d never think that I’d type, but here we are. I have always liked this era of Skyhawk and thought it was the best variant of the J-car, but there would need to be some work done on this in order to get it to where it really should be, and that price is very much in the “I know what I got” range. Frankly I’m not into doing work on any J-car, so rolling to Radwood in the much cheaper Renault which also happens to be in amazing condition sounds a bit better to me.
The Encore at least has the benefit of being something you don’t see everyday (or would have 20 years ago). The Buick is just a generic low-end shitbox that no one cared about when it was new and certainly isn’t worth the premium (can that word even be applied to something this mediocre?) that is being asked here.
Neither for me at those prices, but that Buick is a special level of crack pipe.
I am not familiar with either of these,but the Buick looks better to me at least.
Maybe it’s crap,but I would think they both are anyway.
I reduced these down to the basics: the initials for the Renault are RE, those for the Buick are BS. RE signifies “concerning” and it’s certainly wise to have uh ohs about a Spaghetti-O car (Franco American, get it) this old. However, BS is just BS and nobody needs more of that in their life, especially at this price. Taking the Encore, though it is a bit Gauling.
“That’s so you” but it’s not me so I went Renault.
Mark, stop trying to “Make J cars happen”
jk I love this content, as a former J car owner (’89 Sunbird 5speed). That car with the 2.0 OHC and 5 speed was strangely fun to drive, and was awesome in Syracuse winters.
Skyhawk, please.
The J-car is no one’s idea of a premium motoring experience, but one with a 2.0L and a five-speed (according to the brochure I found here https://www.lov2xlr8.no/brochures/buick/88buick/88buick.html) feels like the best-case scenario. Plus, they built 40 million billion J-cars, so even if some of the trim pieces are unobtainium, the grubby bits should be easier to find.
But yeah, that price is wack.
Wouldn’t I really rather have the Buick?
Like that Skyhawk, but way pricey for a base model – the uplevels got better gauges and sweet covered headlights IIRC; definitely needs bargaining down.
The Renault is oddly compelling, and after two years of Saab ownership I think I’m ready for ownership of an even more obscure (to Americans) brand. There’s something about the interior that reminds me of the brown-over-burgundy Accord my family had when I was young too.
And it’s priced in Canadian loonies! That means it’s practically free!
Oh man, my two uncles who worked for Jeep both had Encores in the 80s and they were rolling piles of shit THEN. And $6500 for a J car has me rolling my eyes so hard I fear they might stay that way.
15 years with a 1986 11 GTL say otherwise.
My mother had a 1985 GTL , until I got my license in 1997, 2 weeks later had to buy a 19 Chamade TR because I totaled it.
That Skylark is really cool but after sitting for 15 years, the list of things that needs doing contains everything. If the storage situation were reversed, and the Buick was driven regularly like the Renault, I’d go for it.
Seems like I do this a lot, qualifying my choice based on individual condition.