Renault 18 (1984) – Enthusiast Wanted

A manual choke, simple black bumpers and no airbags or abs: welcome to the 80s. But wait; is that an air conditioner? Yes! This originally Spanish Renault 18 from 1984 was already equipped with air conditioning at the factory; a piece of comfort that was not even possible in some countries – including the Netherlands. When ordering a Renault 18-based Renault Fuego, you could also tick an air conditioner in the Netherlands at the time, but the bread-and-butter model always did without – except in Spain, among others.

That is where this Renault 18 GTS spent the first almost forty years of its life, in the province of Málaga, in the very south of the country. There was a time in Spain when you could deduce from the license plates where a car belonged, and the ‘MA’ of the license plate still on the car stands for Málaga. In – and probably also around – that province, the Renault has covered just over 130,000 kilometers to date, which is not too bad for a car of this age.

White on the outside, brown on the inside: the 80s on the Mediterranean.

A life under the sun

According to its provider, the Renault 18 does not rust, which is undoubtedly due to its predominantly sunny country of origin. According to the car company, there are also negative signs of that history, but we do not see them easily. Although the plastic on the outside is somewhat dull, the dashboard does not appear to be cracked and the clear coat is also in good condition at first glance.

He would like €5,695 for the Renault. Yes, quite a lot for an old 18, but find a car of a similar age and with air conditioning for less money. You may not be able to do that at all. In addition, the car still looks neat, it has a nice Mediterranean finish – look at that interior! – and with about 100 hp it still comes along just fine today. So: who will ensure that this Renault gets its yellow plates? Summer is almost starting!

Button!