1984 AMC / RENAULT ENCORE S HATCHBACK 1.4L 4 SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION

Up for bids is THE ONE TO WATCH... my 1984 RENAULT and American Motors ENCORE S equipped with 1.4L 4 cylinder engine and 4 speed manual transmission. It has an impressive 209,000 miles on it. It was built in Kenosha at the American Motors plant in May of 1984. This car is a 3-owner car since new. The man I bought it off of drove it just until last year when the clutch needed replacement. He told me “I loved the challenge of keeping this car on the road” and was his daily driver here in Charlotte NC. AC and heat work but compressor needs Freon charge.

I first spotted the car a year ago while on lunch, and when he was ready to sell he called me. I have owned the car since October and wanted to fix it up but have too many other projects (I own 15 vehicles) and would like to see this car either be appreciated or used for parts for another RENAULT enthusiast. AMC built 600,000 combined Alliance and Encore vehicles but you’d never know that now. His ex wife bought it new, then he drove it the last 25 years.This car has been in the Carolinas its whole life, avoiding road salt. It was sold new in Charlotte. All lights and horn work, as well as wipers. This car passed a full NC safety inspection just last year before being taken off the road.

The engine runs strong but needs a new clutch ($60) and has a new clutch cable. The engine leaks a little oil but nothing awful, it is 33 years old now.

The body is solid and rot free however will need a little body work to remove some of the dents in the passengers side quarter panel. The paint on the car is original so nothing is being hidden, no bondo, etc. The interior will need to be redone obviously, the floor pans are solid.All metal on this car is rust rot free. All glass is in good shape with no cracks.

The previous owner had the ignition switch break on him and he was unable to find a new ignition switch so he installed an aftermarket one on the left side of the steering column in the dash. A RENAULT guy or gal can fix this since us in the AMC/RENAULT circles know how valuable small spare parts are. The driver’s window regulator is broken, a common problem with the Alliance-based Renaults but I do have all the old parts from that, nothing was thrown away.

The car comes with miscellaneous spare parts, documentation back to the early 90's and Alliance/ENCORE factory authorized shop manual, and has a clear North Carolina title. It has 4 good tires with lots of tread, no need to worry about junk tires. Car will need to be trailered home due to not being able to shift after starting, however it can be started in first gear and driven onto a trailer. (you may need to bring a battery to crank it if I cannot find one first).

The following is from the previous owner, an honest write-up of the car he sent me shortly before I purchased it in September:

In the past year I've replaced the clutch cable and the clutch self-adjuster mechanism (which is part of the pedal). I had to order the adjuster repair kit from England, as a Renault 11 part. Now the clutch is dragging - not fully releasing when the pedal is fully depressed. That prevents you from being able to put it in gear with the engine running. That is not a typical clutch failure - usually it's slippage - but I think the problem must be inside the bell housing because I can't find any issue in the pedal or cable.

Here's what wrong with the car:

·The clutch

·Driver’s side window won’t roll up or down – there is now a stick in the door to hold it up. You take out the stick to let it down. The window regulator assembly has a lot of plastic that is old and brittle. I’ve tried to glue it back, but it just breaks again next to where I glue it. Several years ago I replaced the regulator in the right side door with one from a junk yard. It’s an easy enough job, but I’m afraid any part I get will have the same deteriorated plastic.

·Engine leaks oil at the head gasket.

·Has a ripped CV joint boot. I have a spare driveshaft with ripped boot, and two new boots. I had planned to rebuild the spare shaft and do a change out. The one on the car is not worn; it’s a recent boot failure.

·Air conditioner doesn’t work. I think it’s the expansion valve, as the system has Freon and the compressor appears to be pumping it. An expansion valve is a cheap and easy repair, except for the need to evacuate and recharge the system.

·The engine fast idle system is sort of miscalibrated. It tends to run the idle up too fast for my taste. I have the idle speed actuator disconnected and just manually adjust the idle where I want it. In cold weather I have to ride the throttle a little at idle for the first few minutes.

·Needs a battery(has old battery for trade-in)

·Visible deterioration inside and out.

Here’s what’s good about it:

·Starts and runs well. Gets great gas mileage in town and out.

·Very good tires

·Good brakes

·Almost new struts – steering is light and tight

·Relatively new muffler

·Copper replacement radiator

·Comes with a Haynes manual and a genuine dealer shop manual with tech service bulletins

·Box of assorted spares – filters, belt, new brake shoes, spare steering rack

If you have any other questions, please ask! Thanks for looking and please check my other auctions for a 1987 Alliance L 1.7L 5 speed manual hatchback that was also a daily driver until it was involved in an accident in 2015. It has a really nice interior; if you’re low on parts you may be able to make one good car out of the two. For the AMC-only buffs I also will be auctioning a solid 1973 Matador 4 door sedan, a former Perdue Farms fleet vehicle with full ownership documentation. I need to thin the herd!