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This page: An owner praises the Renault 25

Never let it be said I don't plug more recent cars as well as the pre-1980 motors! Dave dropped me a line, championing the case for the Renault 25 as a future classic. Do you agree, or is the 25 still too modern to be grouped in with established classics? Read Dave's interesting story below, about the cars he's had, including examples of Renault's large hatch. Do you own a similarly aged car that could be considered a 'modern classic' or future classic? drop me a line and I'll feature it in the your car stories section.

Why I chose a Renault 25

"To start at the beginning, I learned to drive on my dad's Sunbeam Alpine fastback, which we all loved at the time. My 1st car was a '65 Cortina GT, which is still my all time favourite car, but was sadly written off whilst parked outside my student digs. Second car, a '66 Cortina GT- sadly rotten as a biscuit and rather short lived.

Since then, I've had a couple of Minis (great fun, but, Oh, my back!!) a Triumph 1500, a Mk 3 Cortina 200E estate, and a Mk 4 Cortina 200E saloon. When the Mk 4 succumbed to tin-worm, we were shopping for a replacement, and had our eye on an E reg Cavalier. However, by the time we had the finance sorted out, it had sold.

Some years earlier I'd seen the TV ads for the R25, and always thought what a nice car it was, but WAY out of my price range. The forecourt pf the garage from which we were going to get the Cavalier had a Maroon, B reg 25 GTX sat on it, and the salesman saw me looking at it and suggested I take it for a test drive, as it was for sale at the same money as the Cavalier, being 3 years older than it. Very shrewd!! As soon as I drove it, I knew I had to have it - it made the Cavalier feel like a horse and cart!! We ran it for 10 years, and it NEVER let me down- I was in love!!

Eventually, a combination of dodgy electrics and rust in one sill following a bodged accident repair led to it's replacement - with another GTX, which lasted 2 years before going the same way. By now totally hooked, I looked for another Renault 25, and found a K reg TXE auto which looked very nice, but it turned out to suffer from the gear box problems they have a sadly justified reputation for, and it had to go after another 2 years. That was just over a year ago, and 25s are now pretty scarce, so I wasn't sure I'd find another very easily, but a look on e-bay revealed a very nice looking J reg TXE, but it too was an auto! I spoke to the vendor and it had been a well cared for car and was in very nearly A1 condition, so I started bidding.

I was actually beaten in the last 30 seconds, but the purchaser backed out of the deal! I was unaware of this until I saw it readvertised on e-bay. Unbelievably, the same thing happened again - I was outbid, then the purchasor backed out again. At that point, the vendor called me, and said, "this car is clearly destined to be yours!" A deal was done for what we both felt was the right price- a ludicrously small amount of money for what is a LOT of car!! In fact, an occasional glance on e-bay has revealed others, apparently as good, going for even less!!

The car has, indeed, been cherished, and is in extremely good condition - it looks, and drives, practically like new, and I hope to have it for many years to come. Being a '91 car, I realise it's not nearly old enough for classic status, but remember, they've been around since '84, so the actual design is getting there. However, as a Classic in waiting, it has all the credentials, I should have thought, and good ones can be had insanely cheaply if you look around.

I would love to be able to treat mine the way it deserves - keep it in a warm garage and only take it out on fine days, but sadly I can't afford that sort of luxury. It's my daily driver and, as such, it's refined, comfortable, and reliable. Why would I want to spend 10, or even 20, times as much on a car which wouldn't be as much of a pleasure to drive? I hope that is of some interest, and let's see if any other fans come out of the woodwork if the story goes onto your site.

cheers
Dave."

Thanks for making the case for the Renault 25 - are there any other R25 fans out there who also see the this French machine as a future classic, or is it destined to fade away and not feature strongly in preserved circles in years to come? Please let me know your thoughts!!

[Added Feb 2006 - and lo! another vote for the Renault 25 as a future classic, read all about it on the Renault 25 - Part 2 page.]

This just one of a number of stories & images of older vehicles owned by surfers who have called by my oldclassiccar website - why not send me your details and see your car on the web?? Click on the image link below to find out more!

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