BUYING TIPS

1 LOOK FOR RUST

Body panels rust, but are easy to inspect – many are single skin – and replace. The wings, for example, bolt on. Arches and sills can go, too.

2 CHECK ITS CHASSIS

The 4 has a sort of skateboard chassis, a lot like a 2CV but a fair bit wider, which is crucial to the integrity of the car. New galvanised chassis are available, but it’s obviously better to start with a solid one. Rear suspension mounts are particularly corrosion-prone.

3 SEALED FOR LIFE

The 4 was one of the first economy cars to use a sealed cooling system with an expansion bottle, as is standard on cars today. It would be fair to say Renault overestimated quite how low maintenance it was, however; the coolant should really be replaced after two years now that the cars are so old. If you find ancient-looking cooling, expect a silted-up cylinder head.

4 LOOK INSIDE

There’s very little to go wrong in the interior, but what is there can be hard to replace on earlier Renault 4s. Seat frames are particularly hard to find, for instance. Rear seatbelt mounting points were only fitted from 1972 on, and are a bit of a rust trap.