This is my new (to me) 1983 Renault Alliance DL. She's a five-speed manual, with an 85 CID (1.4 litre) engine, four doors, air conditioning, 55,912 original miles, and not much else. She was the 14,827th Renault Alliance built.

The Face Only A Mother Could Love
Seen here: the front of the car. One of the four headlights worked. Notice cracked grille and scuffed bumper. More pictures...

I saw a listing in the Autotrader for a 1983 Renault Alliance, red, which was supposed to work but had a few small fuel system problems, for $295. The car pictured was a hatchback, so I assumed the seller wrongly pictured a Renault Encore, or R11. On March 3, 2001, I drove to Buford, GA, and found that the car pictured was a Hyundai of some sort (the picture was small and grainy) and that the car I'd driven hundreds of miles for was this white car here. And it would probably run, but hasn't really been driven since 1990. And its battery is bad, and there's no radio, nor gearshift knob, and many other weirdnesses. Since I've got the trailer in GA already, the seller and I agree on $260, and I load up the Alliance and head North, thinking I'll get this car going someday.

On March 6, 2001, after half-hearted attempts to get the car going, I go to the DMV to get a title. They tell me that I need a letter from a court in Georgia in order to get it, since the person who sold it to me was selling it on behalf of a deceased person. Blarg.

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On March 30, 2001, in an amazing display of patience, I sell Emma and purchase Kelly, after less than a month of ownership, still with 55,912 miles on the odometer, having driven her once, approximately one metre forward, having started her about three times total. Sans title. The seller seemed more interested in the car than the $1000. "Still what we agreed on, right? $1000 and that little white car? Let me have the keys to that little white car." He was going to get the car in running condition and resell her, but I've since seen it on the roads, AND recently saw that he's selling his truck, which means (I think) that he likes the Renault enough to keep it as his daily driver. With fuel prices what they are today, I suppose I can't blame him. Alliances get about 50 MPG. (Just an exaggerated estimate; don't quote me on that.) Update: I bought a Renault Alliance brochure, and sure enough, in 1983, they got 52.