Hello from an enthusiast

This is my first post so please be gentle.

I see very little of the Alpine Renault marque here in the UK. They are rare back home but expected more with you being close to their homeland.

Should I buy right hand steer or left hand so that I can use it everywhere?

I love the GTA and A610, very exotic and romantic.

welcome aboard...

'back home'...... where?

RH drive is about half the price by the way.

You can forget about getting any romance once you have one of these to repair!

You can forget about getting any romance once you have one of these to repair!

Ha Ha Ha. I am looking forward to meeting up with fellow Alpine Renault enthusiasts. I have worked in so many countries that I almost forget where "back home" is however it is Slovakia and I have had an A310 and a GTA V6 Turbo as you know them.

Repairing Alpines is a labour of love in itself but my Turbo was beyond repair as a truck ran into it from behind crushing it. I will be in the UK for 2 years so it would be good to find a nice A610 but all of yours are right hand steer. This is good in the UK but not when I take it back. I don't know how easy it would be to convert later if I wanted to.

[BIG_MVS]

Welcome

I should start up a Renault matchmaking website:

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/449636.htm

Is it true love Britfrog

Is that one of the D503 cars?

i think you are right simon, looks like it has all the extra stuff to give it less powerrrr

Welcome

I should start up a Renault matchmaking website:

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/449636.htm

Is it true love Britfrog

Thank you for the nice welcome.

I would think about this car for a 1 night of pleasue but I desire an A610 for full commitment.

I am in no hurry but I think I have more possibility to find a good car in France where there are many more cars and I holiday in the summer.

Welcome

I should start up a Renault matchmaking website:

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/449636.htm

Is it true love Britfrog

And this car is in this months Classic & Sports Cars as a "case History" p 218 "Should I buy it? If you're after a hughly entertaining drive..."

The problem is good cars sell quick and usually only rubbish is left.

I saw a red left hand steer in advert, good but I think the price was a mistype and sold to a dealer before I could see it (also not leather).

Blue A610 on Ebay, perfect body, no problems but seller sold to his friend before I had bid.

So I am interested in

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/590328.htm

Miles a little high but I think condition is most important and price indicates condition is good.

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/582700.htm

Car sounds good but has had many problems so is probably not good car. Also not leather so would be hard to sell.

My work friend in our French office has told me of 2 cars left hand steer.

Red 1992, 160000Km, mechanics very good but bodywork needs respray €16000. A respray is about £3000 so it is getting expensive.

Blue 1992, 130000Km, body good but windscreen has dent and needs clutch plate, seller is selling by price invitation. Clutch and windscreen is easy and cheap to fix but what else is wrong - probably bad car.

I can only go to see these at the end of this month so if good they will be sold.

My English work friends smile when I tell them about Alpine Renault Nobody has heard of Alpine Renault and when I show them photograph they say they have never seen one.

I forgot to mention the red damaged car on Ebay but I was distracted by the worry of a bad insurance history. I am not sure if I could register a badly damaged car if I wanted to take it out of UK.

[mettersl]

Be careful about mechanical work, some A610 parts can be expensive, clutches are £500 plus fitting (from Renault, and hard to source elsewhere)- and its an engine (and often subframe) out job. If you don't do it yourself, it could be a £1500 pound bill.

I am full of thanks for the warning but I have researched the price today and clutch is £548.57 from Renault or less from Simon in Germany. Please believe me, that there are many other exotic cars where a clutch is very very more expensive. £1500 labour is cheap for specialist labour in a good workshop.

My friend has spent this much just on a service on a Porsche 997 and that is nearly a new car.

I changed clutch on my V6 and it is not difficult and is enjoyable but I do not have my workshop here so I would pay to do this. It would be a good time to make new suspension and rust protect subframe.

But I am worried that the car is not loved so what else is in need of repair.

[mettersl]

There is a good valuation/guide on this website which tells you what to look for. They aren't such a problem really.
For me it would be bodywork first- A610's may have composite bodies, but there is metal in there and its not well rust proofed. In terms of rust look at the subframe (but its un boltable, so could be changed), rear suspension towers, front wheel arches (they all seem to go, but a repair is simple) and door pillars (not such a problem on 610's as GTA's).
Most have some paint blistering and its usually only cosmetic, but of course a respray would be needed to eliminate it.
Mechanically brakes are simple and now discs are available again from third parties, relatively cheap. Drive shafts are expensive and A610 specific, but easy to change, the engine and gearbox are robust items, but the special A610 only bits of the engine can be pricey.
Headlights can be difficult to find, but all the glass is common to the GTA.
Overall there are few real problems to watch out for, and most parts are available.
Good luck with the search!

Thank you for your help. These are all things I know much of but it is good to hear other people talk too.

I have found another but I would need to think with much care before investing as the car is €34,000 .

http://www.webmycar.com/zonecar/webacar ... 450066DE67

I was hoping to spend about half this amount or less if it was UK car.

[BIG_MVS]

Thank you for your help. These are all things I know much of but it is good to hear other people talk too.

I have found another but I would need to think with much care before investing as the car is €34,000 .

http://www.webmycar.com/zonecar/webacar ... 450066DE67

I was hoping to spend about half this amount or less if it was UK car.

Yes they are half the price but they are all Right Hookers and you said you wanted LHD? From what I can assertain you have A610 tastes with GTA pockets. So get a UK RHD A610 (There is a nice looking Blue one in the adverts section of this site or Geoff's well fettled Red one) or a LHD GTA