Used Eagle Medallion Buying Guide: Renault Roots, Cooling and Recalls

A used Eagle Medallion, sold in 1988 as the Renault Medallion and in 1989 as an Eagle, is a French-built Renault 21 that is now rare enough that finding one matters more than picking a year. Buy the most complete, running car you can find, sedan or wagon, and spend your inspection time on the cooling system, since both of its recalls and most owner stories involve it. Expect to source some parts from Europe or make them up yourself.

I pulled this together on Oct 20, 2026 from a 2018 Rare Rides column at The Truth About Cars, Autoweek's 2022 piece on a wagon spotted in the wild, two Curbside Classic stories (one from 2013, reposted in 2024, and one from this August) and NHTSA's recall data. Hemmings and UPI also covered the car but block my fetch tool, so I've cited them in plain text below. Not much has been written about the Medallion, and the sources disagree on several basic facts.

What it is

The Truth About Cars describes it as a Giugiaro-styled Renault 21, built in Maubeuge, France, with trims added for the U.S. Every American car got a 2.2-liter four with 103 hp, borrowed from the Renault 25, with a five-speed manual or a three-speed automatic. Paul Niedermeyer at Curbside Classic says it was the same SOHC engine used in the U.S. Fuego, mounted longitudinally. That conflicts with the TTAC column, which calls the car an early adopter of a transverse engine. Niedermeyer's description is the more specific of the two, so I'd go with longitudinal. The sedan is 183.2 inches long on a 102.3-inch wheelbase, according to Curbside Classic, and the wagon is 6.5 inches longer on a 108.2-inch wheelbase. The wagon seats seven, with a forward-facing third row.

Autoweek quotes the ads as pricing it at least $1,000 under an Accord, 626 or Camry. Curbside Classic says a loaded sedan came in just over $10,000, and cites a MotorWeek test with 26 mpg, 0-60 in 12.2 seconds and a 17.9-second quarter mile at 76 mph. It also notes a notchy five-speed and some early quality complaints, including wiper blades that fell off and a weak hood prop rod.

Renault or Eagle, and how many

The badge question is confusing. TTAC and Hemmings say it was a Renault through the 1988 model year and an Eagle for 1989, with an "imported for Eagle" badge on the back. Niedermeyer says it switched to Eagle partway through 1988. Use the title and the VIN, not the badge. Our Eagle VIN decoder can help. UPI reported in July 1988 that the 1989 cars got a motorized front seat belt, revised dash and A/C controls, and an LX wagon alongside the DL and LX sedans.

Nobody agrees on the sales total. Autoweek says only a few thousand sedans and wagons were sold over three model years, and that owners think about a dozen wagons still run in the U.S. Curbside Classic's 2026 story says sales were certainly under 40,000 and that sources vary. NHTSA's recall data covers only 1988 and 1989; its lookup errors out for 1987 and 1990. Hemmings says Chrysler had agreed to keep selling the car for five years with no minimum, but Niedermeyer reports 1989 was the last year, with Mitsubishi-built models taking over. Our used Eagle Premier guide covers the bigger Eagle sold alongside it.

What goes wrong, and what to check

Start with the cooling system. The car in Niedermeyer's piece had sat for five years with a broken water pump. Its owners couldn't buy the shaped hoses, so they made them up from straight sections, ordered the overflow tank from France, and did find a gasket kit. The engine also needed a front cam seal and had a misfire on one cylinder. The Curbside Classic car from this August was pulled from a Toronto yard after 15 years off the road.

• Check the coolant level and color, the pressure cap, the overflow tank and the heater core area for leaks or a sweet smell inside.
• Find out whether the water pump and hoses have been replaced and where the parts came from.
• Drive it long enough to reach full temperature, then watch the gauge in traffic.
• Shift through all five gears, and check the wipers and the hood prop.
• Ask the seller for any European parts sources they use. That list can be worth more than a new set of tires.

Prices are all over the place. The Seattle sedan TTAC found in 2018 had 192,000 miles and an asking price of $1,500. A very clean, documented one is a different car altogether.

Recalls

• 88V087 (1988-89): the pressure cap isn't adequate, so an overheating engine can build pressure beyond what the cooling parts can take.
• 97V226 (1988-89): the heater core end cap can fail over time.

Both relate to cooling. Run the VIN through our Eagle recall check, though after more than 35 years you shouldn't expect a dealer to fix either one. Assume they're still open unless you see paperwork.

Title and history checks

A car that sat in a yard for years may have been titled as junk at some point, so check NMVTIS before you spend anything on it. A history report fills in auction and odometer records where there are any. CarVins is a licensed CARFAX and AutoCheck reseller, independent of both and of Chrysler or Renault. In late October 2026, guests paid around $5.50 per report, members around $4.50, and a CARFAX plus AutoCheck bundle was about $6.75. Buying direct costs about $39.99 to $44.99. The checkout page has the current price.

Sources

• The Truth About Cars: Rare Rides, 1988 Renault Medallion (Corey Lewis, 2018)
• Autoweek: Renault Medallion wagon (Jay Ramey, 2022)
• Curbside Classic: 1988 Renault Medallion DL (Aug. 2026) and Paul Niedermeyer on a 1988 Medallion
• NHTSA recalls for the 1989 Medallion
• Plain-text citations: UPI, July 12, 1988 on the 1989 changes; Hemmings on the Chrysler agreement and badging