Eulogy for a Renault 5

[xdaniel]

I guess "eulogy" is the most appropriate way to put it... Anyway, earlier today two close friends and myself finally brought the car that one of them drove for the last 5+ or so years, a Renault 5 from (IIRC) 1993, to the scrap. At 170.000+ kilometers, with a whole lot of faults, it either having failed or would fail the TÃœV vehicle inspection, and him having gotten a replacement - a somewhat younger (1996?) Opel Astra with far less kilometers -, it was time...

 

I complained a lot about the thing when we went somewhere with it, especially initially, but I warmed up to it after a while. Also, some of those faults were responsible for memorable events or running gags among the three of us. Like the one time the intercooler broke down, smoke started rising from it and the whole car stunk like dead fish! Or how the car sounded much more "potent", like something with far more horsepower, because the exhaust was all rusted and loose and created a lot of noise - which also contributed to what we dubbed the "Renault effect", where the people in the front of the car couldn't hear what those in the back were saying, because everything was so loud. Or of course the stuttering and jumping speedometer, which ex. sometimes indicated 30km/h while waiting at traffic lights, and needed to be tapped from time to time, so that the needle would jump to the correct position.

 

Well, a lot of memories with that thing, but with repairs being completely uneconomical by this point, its time has finally come. Here's to that rusted, old red R5, with the black racing stripes ("they make it go faster!") - thanks for the memories!

[Spire]

He'll get a nice ride that'll turn to shit in a few years and you'll be back in troubled automobile bliss. I know what it's like to say goodbye to a love-hate car. My last one had the worst screech every time you'd even tap your breaks. No one could figure it out. The AC had oil leaking into it or something, so the air was slippery. Lots off odds and ends with that car, my old black '99 ford taurus. Shit car, but good memories.