Dacia Duster

Lex Luthor

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUppwdpVCB8

Will it sell here for this kind of price? Could it be a Quashqai beater ?

colm_mcm

Seen them in the flesh, they're miles behind a Qashqai, you'd wanna see the spec list on it, it's shocking.

I can't see anyone buying it on looks, but you may see people who would normally buy a small car buying one.

They're doing an MPV called the Lodgy as well which is also gammy looking.


Can't wait.

MidlandsM

Fifth gear did a review on it, and gave it a glowing recomendation (for the money).

They do look SSSSSanyongish.......

245

Lex Luthor wrote: »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUppwdpVCB8

Will it sell here for this kind of price? Could it be a Quashqai beater ?

Maybe on price but little or nothing else:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/carreviews/7979829/Dacia-Duster-review.html

"Then all you will be left with is a completely outclassed austerity crossover that looks like it came out of Seventies Japan. The Duster is a surprisingly pleasant retro trip, but what purpose does it serve? "

Haven't seen doors flying open in a crash test in a long time:

http://www.euroncap.com/results/dacia/duster/2011/421.aspx

"The passenger compartment of the Duster remained stable in the frontal impact but the rear (luggage compartment) door opened during the test and the car was penalised. Protection of the chest was rated as marginal for both front seat occupants, based on dummy readings of chest compression. Measurements in the dummies' knees and femurs did not indicate a problem but, on the driver's side, structures in the dashboard were considered to present a risk of injury to occupants of different sizes and to those sat in different positions, and protection on that side was rated as marginal. In the side barrier impact, the driver's door opened and the car was penalised. No doors opened in the more severe side pole impact but protection of the driver's chest was rated as weak because of dummy readings of rib compression. Protection against whiplash injuries in the event of a rear-end collision was rated as marginal."

veetwin

Saw one in the flesh recently and have to say it looks far nicer than you would expect it to. Could see it do very well here where spec counts for little if the price is right. Also saw the 5th gear recommendation. The Qashcow could be in trouble if they offer a low tax version of this for several €K less. Think they come with have similar (renault) 1.5D engines.

-Corkie-

veetwin wrote: »

Saw one in the flesh recently and have to say it looks far nicer than you would expect it to. Could see it do very well here where spec counts for little if the price is right. Also saw the 5th gear recommendation. The Qashcow could be in trouble if they offer a low tax version of this for several €K less. Think they come with have similar (renault) 1.5D engines.

Your dead right. Spec means nothing to people in this country, if the car is in tax band A and does 80 MPG it will sell even if you get a vice grips as a steering wheel..

ION08

They're decent cars imo and there's a reason why they're so popular in continental Europe.

They are what they are and for the money you really can't be THAT fussy.

You see them everywhere around Europe, even in Switzerland.

You might say they are miles behind Qashqai and other brands, but they are doing well for what Dacias used to be.




Could easily see Dacia becoming the next Skoda in terms of evolution and popularity.

Lex Luthor

-Corkie- wrote: »

Your dead right. Spec means nothing to people in this country, if the car is in tax band A and does 80 MPG it will sell even if you get a vice grips as a steering wheel..

Post of the month..:p

If they're mega cheap and the family (couple and two kids) fit in them comfortably I reckon they'll sell away nicely with the 1.5 diesel in them. In fairness they'll do the job grand, I even though the spec is poor, e/w, abs etc is standard?

I'll admit I didn't look at that clip fully, and I don't have an idea what price the OP is referring to either :pac:

€15,000 ish presumably??? €5000 over a discounted Clio type ballpark?

pred racer

I think they look allright. I see alot of them in france. Looks like a small quasqai. Interior very spartan though.

A mate of mine is friends with the shop steward in the dacia factory In romania. He said that the duster would be coming to ireland late this year at an import price of 12k.

So thats that sorted then eh

If it does arrive at that price, what would the rrp be after the gov get their cut?

colm_mcm

RoverJames wrote: »

If they're mega cheap and the family (couple and two kids) fit in them comfortably I reckon they'll sell away nicely with the 1.5 diesel in them. In fairness they'll do the job grand, I even though the spec is poor, e/w, abs etc is standard?

Nooooooo...... I'll dig out the spec levels now, you'll be surprised.

On the French spec,
A radio
Split folding seats
Electric mirrors
Side airbags
Coloured handles, bumpers or mirrors
Alloys
Fogs

ARENT STANDARD

colm_mcm

This is whats included in the French base model, they seem to have added spec like electric windows as standard now. still quite low.

SECURITY

Alert unfastened seat belt passenger
€ 0.00

Alert unfastened belt driver
Front side head-thorax
€ 0.00

Spare wheel
€ 110.00

Kit inflation (unless the option spare tire)
3-point rear seat belts
Front passenger airbag deactivation
ABS + Brake Assist Emergency
3 rear headrests
COMFORT

Cigarette lighter and ashtray
Automatic Windows
manual before
Electric front windows
€ 0.00

Driver front airbag
Heated rear window
Tinted Windows
One-piece folding rear seats (seat and back)
COMFORT-

Manually adjustable side mirrors
Central locking with remote radio-frequency
€ 0.00

CONDUCT

Power steering
PROFESSIONAL INSTALLATIONS

Reinforced suspension
ACCESSORIES

Set of 4 mats Madrigal 4x2
€ 35.00

Set of 4 rubber mat 4x2
€ 45.00

Pack Bruiser (plus tax)
€ 475.00

Style Pack (plus tax)
€ 390.00

Fix Child Seat Kid
€ 239.00

Protection in aluminum engine (installed)
€ 320.00

Sill outside (put)
€ 65.00

Coupling beam 7B + (plus tax)
€ 420.00

Car Handsfree Kit function
€ 259.00

Parking assistance (plus tax)
€ 335.00

Set of 4 mats 4x2 monitor
€ 35.00

Front center armrest (put) (4x2)
€ 175.00

Bin single transverse
€ 49.00

Roof rack cross / long
€ 105.00

Pack film tinted AV + AR (Bulb included)
€ 465.00

Semi Integrated Video Pack 2écrans
€ 499.00

Alarm (plus tax)
€ 315.00

Garmin 1340LMT
€ 249.90

Kenwood HP or SONY (posed)
€ 99.00

Body Protection and Scellerie
€ 189.00

Tube look forward (posed)
€ 235.00

Box of 4 lock nuts
€ 39.00

External appearance

Black longitudinal roof bars
€ 90.00

16-inch steel wheels
Opaque paint, Navy Blue
paint opaque, Glacier White
€ 0.00

Northern Monkey

I saw a couple of them this week in France and thought they looked OK.

L and K

I have driven the Dacia in Europe and the quality is awful. The car just looks and feels cheap. I have never seen such poor quality finish on a car and the plastics are so crap. I don't think it will ever sell in the UK or Ireland. People would rather buy a two year old car than this heap of cheap junk ....!

dphillp

hi all,
im a newbie ,so please exscuse any errors in following thread etc.
my question .any news of date the dacia duster 4x4 is to arrive in
ireland

colm_mcm

You can register on www.dacia.ie for their newsletter.

101sean

I remember the original Dacia Duster, appalling little 4x4 on tiny 14" rims. A few were sold in the UK after the bad winter of 1987, I think most had rotted away by 1990.

dphillp

thanks for info on dacia duster, judgin by what i have read the 1.5 diesel 4x4 will be 15,000-16,000euro on the continent ,even before the government add on there cut.

mjpmclean

Seen plenty of them in France and think they look the business, and if they are that cheap I reckon I'll nab one about two years old when the reach that, as I am a total cheapo when it comes to cars

Mycroft H

Whats the problem about them being paddy spec? They will sell loads of them and thats only a good thing.

More VAT/VRT for the Revenue
More jobs for the dealers.
And loads of cheap secondhand cars for the rest of us.

Win win.

mjpmclean

And an added bonus, they aren't German!!

Big Nasty

mjpmclean wrote: »

And an added bonus, they aren't German!!

That's right - they're French!

whomitconcerns

very popular here in romania, being a romanian car, from people that own them very capable cars, very cheap, good sellers, I havent heard any complaints from anyone I know who owns one. And they are nice inside, not Star Trek speced but good for what you pay

MidlandsM

whomitconcerns wrote: »

very popular here in romania, being a romanian car, from people that own them very capable cars, very cheap, good sellers, I havent heard any complaints from anyone I know who owns one. And they are nice inside, not Star Trek speced but good for what you pay

how much is one in Romania?

colm_mcm

MidlandsM wrote: »

how much is one in Romania?

they're doing them for €10450 with aircon on scrappage.

not sure if there's local taxes on top of that though.

Big Nasty

colm_mcm wrote: »

they're doing them for €10450 with aircon on scrappage.

not sure if there's local taxes on top of that though.

That's pretty expensive given the earning power there! :eek:

colm_mcm

There's plenty money out there in some places, I never saw as many supercars on the street as I did in Romania

Big Nasty

colm_mcm wrote: »

There's plenty money out there in some places, I never saw as many supercars on the street as I did in Romania

Yeah, it's funny once you go outside the cities. You can be driving along a country road approaching a horse and cart and a 'Vette will scream past both of you. The Dacia is and always was for the 'ordinary man' though.

yllw.ldbttr

The wife was interested in one of these so we went and had a look, and test drove one at Kearys in Cork at the weekend.

For the price, the spec ain't the worst to be fair, 18100 on the road (the lower spec was not worth looking at). They don't look great inside, cheap feel to the interior, particularly the gearstick, but perhaps to be expected for the price. Loads of room, and the 1.5 diesel engine was not as bad as I would have expected.

Trade in prices were quite low, but I would guess they are working on tight margins.

Overall, not too bad a car for the money, but with me driving a BMW and the wife a VW, I have to admit that I don't think either of us could get over the badge snobbery.

Not a car for us, but I'd say they will sell langerloads of them, much like when the Fiat Punto came out back in the day.

colm_mcm

I think the nearest thing in Ireland I could compare them historically to would be the skoda felicia in 1995, I remember back then you could get a new one for (I think) £6000, it was unimaginable at the time that a golf sized car could be so cheap, the skoda badge was a mixture or joke and unknown quantity back then

Difference now is that Dacia is already where it wants to be with its models and aren't basing them on their own ageing designs, there's no point in pushing dacia upmarket, as renault will realistically bea Premium brand, so no point in defeating the whole excersise.


Incidentally I got an email today inviting me to drive one, must do it for the craic

dr.fuzzenstein

If it's a simple enough car and nothing goes wrong on it, people might go for it, as they might be weary of more sophisticated cars heaping enormous bills on them for various gubbins going wrong.
I've seen plenty of them in Germany, reminding me of what O'Leary once said: "Germans will crawl bollock naked over broken glass for cheap flights" and I might add any other bargain.
The Lada Niva was quite a success in Germany, people loved it's simplicity and ruggedness.
On the other hand, if the Dacia develops a reputation for LOTUS (Lots Of Trouble, Usually Serious), even it's cheapness won't help it.
Cheap'n'Cheerful or Cheap'n'Nasty, we'll see.
At least car test dude pronounced the name correctly.

MidlandsM

yllw.ldbttr wrote: »

Not a car for us, but I'd say they will sell langerloads of them, much like when the Fiat Punto came out back in the day.

I doubt it to be fair.

- Lack of available credit

- Lack of people in a position to buy new

- Mistrust of the unknown

little or no marketing push ....... and sales people can't be arsed.

Drummerboy08

Dacia are like the ryanair of the motor industry.

I bet youll end up having someone in the car with you selling smokeless fags and scratch cards to your passengers.

Saab Ed

I've driven one and I gotta say its exactly what it should be. Put it this way, you would find it very very hard to be dissapointed at the price. I like things simple so my own view is to buy the entry version diesel and to hell with extras I dont want or need. Infact if anything the rugged look of the entry version on steel rims is more in keeping with the whole theme. My two cents anyway.

Badge snobs wont buy it or get it for that matter, all the better for it I think. You wont need to explain why you bought this car yet your neighbour will have to explain why he/she spent so much more on a Tiguan/Cashcow/8 year old Audi Allroad with 100,000s of KM up

Franticfrank

Dacia are like the ryanair of the motor industry.

I bet youll end up having someone in the car with you selling smokeless fags and scratch cards to your passengers.

I think that's a bit harsh to be honest. I've driven the Logan but not the Duster and it felt fine. It has a renault engine and gearbox - the car is basically a French model produced in Romania. The one I drove was quite comfortable, handled well, had air conditioning...really everything necessary, everything you want in a normal car. The only fault was that the back seats wouldn't fold down. Meant you couldn't carry anything big in the back.

dr.fuzzenstein

As I said before, if it turns out to be tough and reliable, it could work.
A friend of mine just bought an 05 Audi A4 2.0 TDI for less than E6k.
Why?
Because Audi decided to put a pair of balancing shafts between drive from the engine and the oil pump.
After a certain while the chain tensioner snaps (made from chaep plastic, of course), the chain will only run for so long over a sharp metal surface, which lies under the tensioner, should the chains snap, the oil pump ceases to work, your turbos get fcuked and you're looking at a E6k bill to put it right.
Unless you're willing to strip half the engine yourself and get parts here, there and everywhere and you might be able to do it for E2k if you cut many corners.
So your 7 year old Audi is suddenly worth half of what it should be worth, you can sell it, cut your losses and buy a banger to get you around, or you take out a second mortgage to put it right and you will still have to sell it, because you're broke and cannot afford the astronomical servicing bills anymore.
Modern cars are a bit like a reversed lottery. You could drive one for ages and nothing goes wrong, or you get one where you hear "that" noise and you're looking at a 6-10k bill to put something right that has been overdesigned and mostly designed on the cheap and made cheaply by the manufacturer, thinking "Ah, be grand, we'll just let the poor sap who buys the car pick up the bill for that"
So, if Dacia manages to build a cheap, cheerful car that doesn't go "boing" and cost you E10k every time it does, they could be onto a winner.
Some people will always want to buy their premium brands because either the neighbor has one, or they genuinely like them, and a lot of other people are more interested in cars that don't cost them half the purchase price again in things that go "boing".
It worked for these guys:



Actually in Germany you will see a lot of Ladas and Dacias, because there is a big market for cheap, simple rugged automobiles there, if anything it will be Irish badge snobbery that prevents it taking off here.

mrblack

Wouldn't disagree with Dr Fuzz. there at all. My 2004 A4 had its tiptronic box go at 125k miles and was quoted €6K by dealer for a replacement! Luckily I got it reconditioned for < €2k by A&M gearboxes who did a great job. But the experience has put me off Audis totally as it sseems to me that they just want to force trade ins rather than fairly price big repair jobs on cars that are pushing on in years.

With three boys under 8 who eat chocolate/crisps/chocices/99's/sambos and then liberally apply the ingredients to seats windows handles and carpets its sounds like the Dacia duster is perfect for the job of being an unfussy children transporter. If three booster seats fit across the back seat and its reliable cheap to run and service then I's definitely be interested. I would pay a bit extra for the safety upgrades though.

MrBlack

delthedriver

Hi Folks,

Would you like a brand new car for €14999?


http://www.carzone.ie/reviews/new-car-reviews/Dacia/Duster/2013/143/

What do you think?

A couple of things worth noting

1. It is built in the same place as the Renault Fluence.

2. It shares the same 1.5 DCi engine as Renault and Nissan Quashquai.

Would you buy one?

OldmanMondeo

delthedriver wrote: »

Would you buy one?

Since you will lose a huge amount of money on any car, I would. 3 young kids, large dog, plus other tools in car parks etc, my car is in poor condition. Would I buy a car brand new for 15k, get somewhere near 50mpg and cheaper road tax or spend a bit more on a second hand car, like I did last time, and get bugger all warranty, I will go for the new one.

delthedriver

Dacia are here already, see below

http://www.dacia.ie,

My guess for €15k and 3 year warranty, 50 mpg , low road tax, could not go too far wrong.

Would be interested in comparing it side by side with Quashquai!

readytosnap

OldmanMondeo wrote: »

Since you will lose a huge amount of money on any car, I would. 3 young kids, large dog, plus other tools in car parks etc, my car is in poor condition. Would I buy a car brand new for 15k, get somewhere near 50mpg and cheaper road tax or spend a bit more on a second hand car, like I did last time, and get bugger all warranty, I will go for the new one.

this will be their customer, even with the 5 year warranty the car is cheap and probably will be worth feck all after the five years but at 15500 for 5 years worry free motoring its not that excessive €60 euro a week, could prove a great buy for some people ( obviously excluding the badge snobs)

andyseadog

it doesn't look "that" bad for a budget car, particularly from the front.

i predict they will sell like hotcakes, they tick all the "irish" boxes

probably the cheapest route to a brand new number plate in ireland if you want a "proper" sized car. tick.

poverty spec featuring keep fit windows and steel wheels "less to go wrong" theory. check.

weedy diesel with cheap tax. check.

driving a toyota, i'm not one to talk, but i'd say the quality of trim and fit and finish inside will be sh1t.

would i buy one? probably not, i'd rather a second hand (argueably) better car.

give it a few years and see how they wear, they may prove roubust and then you'd consider one as a day to day shed.

delthedriver

OldmanMondeo wrote: »

Since you will lose a huge amount of money on any car, I would. 3 young kids, large dog, plus other tools in car parks etc, my car is in poor condition. Would I buy a car brand new for 15k, get somewhere near 50mpg and cheaper road tax or spend a bit more on a second hand car, like I did last time, and get bugger all warranty, I will go for the new one.

readytosnap wrote: »

this will be their customer, even with the 5 year warranty the car is cheap and probably will be worth feck all after the five years but at 15500 for 5 years worry free motoring its not that excessive €60 euro a week, could prove a great buy for some people ( obviously excluding the badge snobs)

http://www.dacia.ie/media/att00092458/Top_Gear_Duster_review.pdf

Interesting write up from James May.

I agree €60 per week over 5 years, low road tax and 50MPG , how bad?

Even if for the badge snob , their car will be worth damn all after 5 years.

It is a nice alternative to spending €15k on a second hand car on Done Deal!

Drummerboy08

In the flesh the car looks and feels very cheap. In saying that, it looks like great value at that money and will appeal to a fairly large chunk of the Irish market.

Anan1

What's the next cheapest car of around that size with AWD?

HOw much is an awd duster though?

delthedriver

Anan1 wrote: »

What's the next cheapest car of around that size with AWD?

Dacia Duster Price List incl AWD Version

As far as I can see the car it appears to be competing with is the Quashqai.

I understand they are circa 40% cheaper than the Nissan equivalent

http://www.dacia.ie/media/pdf/att00099938/DusterPriceList.pdf

Anan1

Apologies, I thought they were all AWD!

delthedriver

RoverJames wrote: »

HOw much is an awd duster though?

Awd €18990.

19k for an AWD one, that'd buy a lot of legacy diesel second hand.

delthedriver

RoverJames wrote: »

19k for an AWD one, that'd buy a lot of legacy diesel second hand.

I guess you are right. What would it buy, year mileage, warranty etc?