Dacia Duster

corks finest

Drummerboy08 wrote: »

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.

Good,reliable,cheap motor,having driven in Romanian for years,any car that survives there is obey good

newfranko

I have been driving one of these daily for 5 months and clocked up 4,500 kms, it's a metallic bronze signature model 4x2, apart from fitting a spare wheel kit brought in from England to replace the crappy inflation kit, the car is bog standard, there is no rust anywhere that I can see and none where others have spotted it on white cars. It has performed faultlessly and I beleive I have bought wisely, the 3 year 100,000 kilometre warranty is very comforting and good to know it can be extended to 5 year unlimited mileage for 549 euro extra at any time within the first year. It is a cheap car and may not have all the luxuries that other makes have but imho it is more than good enough, sound proofing lets it down but you get used to the wind and engine noise. So far so good and I hope that I will still be happy with it in years to come. It has attracted a lot of attention from my neighbours and mainly got positive views so much so that one of them is going to buy one ! I hope this post helps anyone who is considering purchasing a Duster, you will not be disappointed.

MidlandsM

newfranko wrote: »

I have been driving one of these daily for 5 months and clocked up 4,500 kms, it's a metallic bronze signature model 4x2, apart from fitting a spare wheel kit brought in from England to replace the crappy inflation kit, the car is bog standard, there is no rust anywhere that I can see and none where others have spotted it on white cars. It has performed faultlessly and I beleive I have bought wisely, the 3 year 100,000 kilometre warranty is very comforting and good to know it can be extended to 5 year unlimited mileage for 549 euro extra at any time within the first year. It is a cheap car and may not have all the luxuries that other makes have but imho it is more than good enough, sound proofing lets it down but you get used to the wind and engine noise. So far so good and I hope that I will still be happy with it in years to come. It has attracted a lot of attention from my neighbours and mainly got positive views so much so that one of them is going to buy one ! I hope this post helps anyone who is considering purchasing a Duster, you will not be disappointed.

Its ok. I'll pass

Renegade Mechanic

Good. More Dusters for the rest of us:D

JohnBoy26

Hard to beat a good aul duster to be fair

Renegade Mechanic

Keep an eye on the white bits;)

JohnBoy26

I will

dr.fuzzenstein

Funny how the people who give out most (and the loudest) about the Duster, telling us how sh*tty it is, etc... are people who don't actually own one or drive one.
I could say Opels are an appalling piece of crap and I wouldn't be seen dead in one, but what do I know? I drive a Ford. Queue abuse from people who, you know, don't actually have a Ford.
If you've driven a car for a few years, you are allowed to give out about it.

colm_mcm

Someone who thinks a Duster is crap is hardly going to buy one though

There is some truth in what you say, people are very quick to slag it.

newfranko

I am in my sixties and as you might imagine I have owned quite a few different cars up to now, some have been truly awful even though I thought they were great when I bought them, others have been excellent and I drove them for years. One thing I have learned is that buying a car whether new or used is a gamble and all you can do is research as much as you can and if you are luckyyou will make the right choice. If you drop a clanger and end up with a lemon God help you, I am sure lots of us have done it and all you can do is put it down to experience. As dr.fuzzenstein says if you have no experience or knowledge of a car then you are not qualified to "give out" about it. So for non Duster owners take a test drive and then tell us what you like/dislike about it so others may benefit from your experience. Otherwise say nothing at all.

MidlandsM

newfranko wrote: »

I am in my sixties and as you might imagine I have owned quite a few different cars up to now, some have been truly awful even though I thought they were great when I bought them, others have been excellent and I drove them for years. One thing I have learned is that buying a car whether new or used is a gamble and all you can do is research as much as you can and if you are luckyyou will make the right choice. If you drop a clanger and end up with a lemon God help you, I am sure lots of us have done it and all you can do is put it down to experience. As dr.fuzzenstein says if you have no experience or knowledge of a car then you are not qualified to "give out" about it. So for non Duster owners take a test drive and then tell us what you like/dislike about it so others may benefit from your experience. Otherwise say nothing at all.

I did drive one...and found it naff, in nearly every way. That ok?

Renegade Mechanic

Its a belief, ingrained into our psyche that the cheaper something is, the more the reason for it. And unfortunately its largely proven time and time again. Pay with peanuts, get monkeys etc etc..

Chinese imitation products generally last less than their higher priced counterparts. In a professional environment, a Draper (Expert) toolkit will outlast a Rontools one hundreds of times over, while itself being outlasted by, say Beta or Snap-on. A Jeep Wrangler will make bits of a Mahindra on a Death Valley trail.

There are many reasons you could take the asking price of a new Nissan Patrol or Toyota Land Cruiser and buy three Dusters. The interior is completely utilitarian. Its a bit noisy inside but the seats are acceptable and everything else is plastic bar the carpet, which is slightly ill fitting but in parts you wont see anyway. Simpler body construction methods have been employed with a platform that is shared between it, the Sandero, the Stepway and the Logan MCV. You are more likely to be hurt in an accident with 2-3 star safety ratings but if they were going to put the same engineering into them as the 5 star Renault range, youd just have cars priced like everything else and besides, the majority of vehicles traded in are in such states that they were actually more dangerous to begin with!

Thats the only real "cheapening" part though. Everything else? Its been done already. Electronics are Renault older stock. (No, not the Megane). Switches, Relays, Sensors, Looms, Stalks, Computers etc are all already tried and proven. CanBus is only active on the engine management circuit. The initial research,development and trial costs, numbering in the tens of millions were all absorbed by Renault. Dacia are simply getting the complete product at the cost it takes to assemble them with machinery that Renault already built and would no longer use otherwise making those parts very cheap.
Same goes for Mechanicals. I immediately recognised the Sandero power steering pump as being that of the '00 on Clio. Majority of those are still dry and working 14 years on so the system clearly works. Why develop/try to implement one of Renaults new electric steering systems when they can all be re made for much less?
The only thing they haven't been able to save on is the powertrain. They could save thousands per vehicle and use blueprints for older, proven engines. Then, even with nicer interiors and more robust bodies they would still have been cheaper than they are now. But with EU emissions legislations, they simply have no other choice but to use the current engine range. To put it into perspective, the Renault 2.0 dCi M9R engine, used in a variety of higher spec Renaults and Nissans, costs more to buy than a Dacia Sandero. I know this because Ive priced both. Modern powertrains, in particular diesel and to a lesser extent, high performance, low capacity petrols, are ridiculously complex and expensive in vehicles now, in order to be as efficient as possible, and make up far more of the price of any vehicle than people realise.
So any dacia will have identical engines to their parent company. Be it thr (relatively cheaper) 1.5 dCi, the new TCe petrols or the (much cheaper but still adapted again for Euro V) venerable 1.2 n/a clio engine.

At the end of the day they are indeed cheaper because they are more cheaply built. But they still have to pass European tests to be eligible for sale across the EU. So what if I have to buy a new drivers seat in five years. Itll take five minutes to replace. Who cares if the hazzard light switch fails. Itll probably cost a tenner. I neednt worry about the Uch failing and refusing to turn off the lights when it receives the command from the stalk, costing me 200 quid to replace because its not there. The stalk is the switch itself, like older cars. Someone wants luxury and the latest tech, Buy a Renault. These cars are cheap to buy, and I highly doubt youll get 15 years out of them but how many new car,buyers actually think "yeah, I want to have my car for over a dechade". Only a few and to be honest they would be better looking elsewhere (though I may stand corrected..)in the meantime, however, theyll also be cheap to keep. I think thats the attraction.

MidlandsM

But they are not cheap to buy. The one i drove....boggo base sepc started at 17.7k. A better speced up one was well over 20k

newfranko

MidlandsM wrote: »

I did drive one...and found it naff, in nearly every way. That ok?

Ok so not your cup of tea.

newfranko

MidlandsM wrote: »

But they are not cheap to buy. The one i drove....boggo base sepc started at 17.7k. A better speced up one was well over 20k

I paid 19,000 top spec, 4x4 was 21,500. A new Yeti was 30,000 and not that great. A Kia Sportage was 35,000 and a lovely car but too rich for my blood.

MidlandsM

newfranko wrote: »

I paid 19,000 top spec, 4x4 was 21,500. A new Yeti was 30,000 and not that great. A Kia Sportage was 35,000 and a lovely car but too rich for my blood.

Did you get Leather for your 19k?

newfranko

MidlandsM wrote: »

Did you get Leather for your 19k?

No I got the signature model as opposed to the alternative. The car was bought as seen in the showroom, I would have had to order one and wait for delivery if I wanted leather which I did'nt want anyway.

MuppetCheck

newfranko wrote: »

I paid 19,000 top spec, 4x4 was 21,500. A new Yeti was 30,000 and not that great. A Kia Sportage was 35,000 and a lovely car but too rich for my blood.

A basic Yeti with the equivalent engine and spec to the top spec Duster is about 26k, the sportage is about a grand more. I don't know where you're getting your prices from unless it's to serve a purpose of making the Duster seem like a bargain.

JohnBoy26

newfranko wrote: »

I paid 19,000 top spec, 4x4 was 21,500. A new Yeti was 30,000 and not that great. A Kia Sportage was 35,000 and a lovely car but too rich for my blood.

I've been in both the yeti and the duster and tbh the yeti was miles better and that's hardly surprising really.

If you found the yeti to be "not that great" I can't fathom how you went out and purchased a duster.

MidlandsM

I dont think the duster is cheap at near 18k entry.


With its fit, finish, equip etc, id see it at 10k or so. Now that would be a bargain, but not at 18k ish.

newfranko

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

I've been in both the yeti and the duster and tbh the yeti was miles better and that's hardly surprising really.

If you found the yeti to be "not that great" I can't fathom how you went out and purchased a duster.

Just simply by value for money and by "not that great" I mean I found the Yeti a very plain looking car.

newfranko

MuppetCheck wrote: »

A basic Yeti with the equivalent engine and spec to the top spec Duster is about 26k, the sportage is about a grand more. I don't know where you're getting your prices from unless it's to serve a purpose of making the Duster seem like a bargain.

Not at all I just looked on the internet at these cars, but prices do vary. The Duster is a bargain without me trying to make it seem so.

anewme

I had a Yeti Urban last year (25K) and loved it. Cannot speak highly enough of it. Very well quality finished and the panoramic sunroof really made it. Quirky, different, some people loved it and some hated it. It drove like a dream and the interior was excellent quality. I dont think its plain, I think it's different.

I really dont know how anyone can say a Duster is a better car. Well I can, its just peoples choices I suppose. To me a Duster looks cheap and very poorly finished in comparison. The one I looked at did not even look like it all joined together. It did not seem iike it would be something that would last years. It has the words DUSTER in huge letters across the back of it which just looks terrible.

They are selling very well, see a load of them on the road (mostly in white or in an interesting shade of brown) will be interested to see how the resale values hold up.

newfranko

anewme wrote: »

I had a Yeti Urban last year (25K) and loved it. Cannot speak highly enough of it. Very well quality finished and the panoramic sunroof really made it. Quirky, different, some people loved it and some hated it. It drove like a dream and the interior was excellent quality. I dont think its plain, I think it's different.

I really dont know how anyone can say a Duster is a better car. Well I can, its just peoples choices I suppose. To me a Duster looks cheap and very poorly finished in comparison. The one I looked at did not even look like it all joined together. It did not seem iike it would be something that would last years. It has the words DUSTER in huge letters across the back of it which just looks terrible.

They are selling very well, see a load of them on the road (mostly in white or in an interesting shade of brown) will be interested to see how the resale values hold up.

Skoda make fine cars including theYeti, they are well spoken of. I do not think the Duster is a better car than the Yeti I just had a finite amount of money to spend and the Duster is my choice and preference in this price range, 25k was beyond me however. To each his own, good luck with your Yeti.

Zubeneschamali

newfranko wrote: »

The Duster is a bargain without me trying to make it seem so.

There's a difference between simply being cheap and being a bargain.

delthedriver

MidlandsM wrote: »

I dont think the duster is cheap at near 18k entry.


With its fit, finish, equip etc, id see it at 10k or so. Now that would be a bargain, but not at 18k ish.

Perhaps, however there are a lot of Dusters about on the roads.

Obviously not every owner is of the same opinion .

The value of the car is what someone is prepared to pay for it.

€10k is very optimistic on your part. LOL Really looking for a bargain, perhaps a Sandero would suit you Sir!

Perhaps Duster owners could comment please

Renegade Mechanic

10K!?!? Only possible to come close in a country with a relatively strong currency and without an assaultingly high "vehicle registration tax".






Like England.

delthedriver

Renegade Mechanic wrote: »

10K!?!? Only possible to come close in a country with a relatively strong currency and without an assaultingly high "vehicle registration tax".






Like England.

Correct, my local Renault Dacia Dealer, Holdens, were selling Dusters at £10k last week

colm_mcm

Uk basic spec is even more basic than irish AFAIK

Marcusm

colm_mcm wrote: »

Uk basic spec is even more basic than irish AFAIK

Which is probably fair enough - it's effectively a mainstream car in Ireland unlike in the UK.

colm_mcm

Marcusm wrote: »

Which is probably fair enough - it's effectively a mainstream car in Ireland unlike in the UK.

No, much as its easy to make a dig at the Irish buyer, dacia is very much seen as a 'cheap and chancey' brand here.

newfranko

Our European freinds do not see them as 'cheap and chancey', they have been driving them for 4 years and are now buying a new facelift model, I'd say tried and proven. If it's good enough for them.....

newfranko

OSI wrote: »

Given much of Europe are wannabe socialists and would happily see us all driving around in Trabants, I wouldn't take their preferences with much credence.

Trabants !! Would you beleive they are now becoming collectable!

Marcusm

colm_mcm wrote: »

No, much as its easy to make a dig at the Irish buyer, dacia is very much seen as a 'cheap and chancey' brand here.

No dig intended; given the high relative cost of cars in Ireland (largely thanks to VRT and limited financing options), for a large part of the market, the Duster would be the only new purchase option for a lot of folk. Those folk would want more than an entirely low rent spec level. By contrast, in the UK it is much more of a niche rather than mainstream option and thus a very low spec level would seem to be acceptable without damaging the creation of the brand (which I don't think they're actually targeting in the UK).

roy16_1977

any one know of garages offering good finance rate on the duster, maybe from people who have purchased not car 'snobs' please

newfranko

Check out the Dacia finance plan on their website, apr 6.9%.

listermint

Id assume Renault France Dealership at Belgard Motors would be one of the most competitive out there. As their rates are from Renault Direct. 'renault bank finance so to speak'

roy16_1977

Thanks for replies, will they or did they ever offer 0% like others?

listermint

roy16_1977 wrote: »

Thanks for replies, will they or did they ever offer 0% like others?

Ive no idea, try phoning them?

sneachtaman

Hi

Looking at one of these for the missus.

Has anybody moved one on yet? What kind of money are you being offered for one from main dealers for trade in?

Buy or avoid?

newfranko

Car buyers guide [CBG] lists 4 2013 Dusters at average price of 18,471 euros. You do the maths!

JohnBoy26

sneachtaman wrote: »

Hi

Looking at one of these for the missus.

Has anybody moved one on yet? What kind of money are you being offered for one from main dealers for trade in?

Buy or avoid?

If resale value is of high importance Id be avoiding tbh

colm_mcm

I reckon they'll hold up well second hand. That said there's a heap of rental ones this year so relatively plentiful supply.

newfranko

Maybe renting one for a week before you make up your mind to buy? Would'nt do any harm to try before you buy.

IrishWhiskeyCha

Have mine just over a year now (22,500 miles) and it is great. MPG is stable with real world mixed driving of high 40's to low 50's and actually does really well in city and country road driving. Motorway driving can see you fall to 40mpg (but I usually drive fairly hard there). So all good there for me. Yes you can get even more with more expensive cars but it's still good. I may not call it a bargain but I would call it good value.

Why?

Your paying for a car with out all the added bits that cost you in the pocket that you may never have specified if you had the oppertunity to do as custom add ons. And yes you really don't have much of a choice to up grade with Dacia but that's the deal you either like the idea or don't.

But what people really need to look at is the basic equivalent model when comparing price as you will have to pay extra for your add ons in all marques like paint etc and that is your call. The Duster only comes in Diesel so you need to compare the closest diesel model to see the true price difference and not the base price range which most other marques start with the cheaper petrol engined models.

Point Being the Duster 1.5 DCi 110 (Basic Model) = €15,990 (Claimed urban fuel economy 4.6l/100km )
The cheapest equivalent Nissan Quashqui
The Qashqai 1.5 DSL XE (Basic Model) is €26,395 (Claimed urban fuel economy 4.2l/100km this wins )
The Cheapest equivalent Skoda Yeti
1.6 TDI/105bhp Green Line = €25,320 (Claimed urban fuel economy 4.6l/100km )

So for similar engine types you are paying 9-10,000 more for your basic trim levels and so called extra safety features.

I said thank you but no thank you and I am driving a perfectly safe, capable and comfortable car.

Yes it certainly feels like a cheaper car but I took the decision and have not have had to fork out those thousands extra for the luxury of having my doors having the VW clunk.

At the end of the day after a few months in a car you forget about what you have or have not.

But what I have I am perfectly happy with and it serves the family more than well. I do miss my Alfa though but the wife and kids don't.

magentis

IrishWhiskeyCha wrote: »

Have mine just over a year now (22,500 miles) and it is great. MPG is stable with real world mixed driving of high 40's to low 50's and actually does really well in city and country road driving. Motorway driving can see you fall to 40mpg (but I usually drive fairly hard there). So all good there for me. Yes you can get even more with more expensive cars but it's still good. I may not call it a bargain but I would call it good value.

Why?

Your paying for a car with out all the added bits that cost you in the pocket that you may never have specified if you had the oppertunity to do as custom add ons. And yes you really don't have much of a choice to up grade with Dacia but that's the deal you either like the idea or don't.

But what people really need to look at is the basic equivalent model when comparing price as you will have to pay extra for your add ons in all marques like paint etc and that is your call. The Duster only comes in Diesel so you need to compare the closest diesel model to see the true price difference and not the base price range which most other marques start with the cheaper petrol engined models.

Point Being the Duster 1.5 DCi 110 (Basic Model) = €15,990 (Claimed urban fuel economy 4.6l/100km )
The cheapest equivalent Nissan Quashqui
The Qashqai 1.5 DSL XE (Basic Model) is €26,395 (Claimed urban fuel economy 4.2l/100km this wins )
The Cheapest equivalent Skoda Yeti
1.6 TDI/105bhp Green Line = €25,320 (Claimed urban fuel economy 4.6l/100km )

So for similar engine types you are paying 9-10,000 more for your basic trim levels and so called extra safety features.

I said thank you but no thank you and I am driving a perfectly safe, capable and comfortable car.

Yes it certainly feels like a cheaper car but I took the decision and have not have had to fork out those thousands extra for the luxury of having my doors having the VW clunk.

At the end of the day after a few months in a car you forget about what you have or have not.

But what I have I am perfectly happy with and it serves the family more than well. I do miss my Alfa though but the wife and kids don't.

Fair play an excellent review.
Best of luck with it.

newfranko

magentis wrote: »

Fair play an excellent review.
Best of luck with it.

Ditto!

delthedriver

IrishWhiskeyCha wrote: »

Have mine just over a year now (22,500 miles) and it is great. MPG is stable with real world mixed driving of high 40's to low 50's and actually does really well in city and country road driving. Motorway driving can see you fall to 40mpg (but I usually drive fairly hard there). So all good there for me. Yes you can get even more with more expensive cars but it's still good. I may not call it a bargain but I would call it good value.

Why?

Your paying for a car with out all the added bits that cost you in the pocket that you may never have specified if you had the oppertunity to do as custom add ons. And yes you really don't have much of a choice to up grade with Dacia but that's the deal you either like the idea or don't.

But what people really need to look at is the basic equivalent model when comparing price as you will have to pay extra for your add ons in all marques like paint etc and that is your call. The Duster only comes in Diesel so you need to compare the closest diesel model to see the true price difference and not the base price range which most other marques start with the cheaper petrol engined models.

Point Being the Duster 1.5 DCi 110 (Basic Model) = €15,990 (Claimed urban fuel economy 4.6l/100km )
The cheapest equivalent Nissan Quashqui
The Qashqai 1.5 DSL XE (Basic Model) is €26,395 (Claimed urban fuel economy 4.2l/100km this wins )
The Cheapest equivalent Skoda Yeti
1.6 TDI/105bhp Green Line = €25,320 (Claimed urban fuel economy 4.6l/100km )

So for similar engine types you are paying 9-10,000 more for your basic trim levels and so called extra safety features.

I said thank you but no thank you and I am driving a perfectly safe, capable and comfortable car.

Yes it certainly feels like a cheaper car but I took the decision and have not have had to fork out those thousands extra for the luxury of having my doors having the VW clunk.

At the end of the day after a few months in a car you forget about what you have or have not.

But what I have I am perfectly happy with and it serves the family more than well. I do miss my Alfa though but the wife and kids don't.

Well done! Excellent post and feeback!

Enjoy your car

roy16_1977

IrishWhiskeyCha wrote: »

Have mine just over a year now (22,500 miles) and it is great. MPG is stable with real world mixed driving of high 40's to low 50's and actually does really well in city and country road driving. Motorway driving can see you fall to 40mpg (but I usually drive fairly hard there). So all good there for me. Yes you can get even more with more expensive cars but it's still good. I may not call it a bargain but I would call it good value.

Why?

Your paying for a car with out all the added bits that cost you in the pocket that you may never have specified if you had the oppertunity to do as custom add ons. And yes you really don't have much of a choice to up grade with Dacia but that's the deal you either like the idea or don't.

But what people really need to look at is the basic equivalent model when comparing price as you will have to pay extra for your add ons in all marques like paint etc and that is your call. The Duster only comes in Diesel so you need to compare the closest diesel model to see the true price difference and not the base price range which most other marques start with the cheaper petrol engined models.

Point Being the Duster 1.5 DCi 110 (Basic Model) = €15,990 (Claimed urban fuel economy 4.6l/100km )
The cheapest equivalent Nissan Quashqui
The Qashqai 1.5 DSL XE (Basic Model) is €26,395 (Claimed urban fuel economy 4.2l/100km this wins )
The Cheapest equivalent Skoda Yeti
1.6 TDI/105bhp Green Line = €25,320 (Claimed urban fuel economy 4.6l/100km )

So for similar engine types you are paying 9-10,000 more for your basic trim levels and so called extra safety features.

I said thank you but no thank you and I am driving a perfectly safe, capable and comfortable car.

Yes it certainly feels like a cheaper car but I took the decision and have not have had to fork out those thousands extra for the luxury of having my doors having the VW clunk.

At the end of the day after a few months in a car you forget about what you have or have not.

But what I have I am perfectly happy with and it serves the family more than well. I do miss my Alfa though but the wife and kids don't.

Excellent post, might just of made up my mind now!

Lutecia

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

Googling:

The Regulation (EC) No 661/2009 of 13 July 2009 on general safety of motor vehicles foresees mandatory fitting of the following safety features:

• Electronic Stability Control Systems on all vehicles (from 1 Nov 2011 for new types of vehicle and 1 Nov 2014 for all new vehicles)

I think this means that models which were new after Nov 2011 need optional ESC, and it is not compulsory as standard until 1 Nov 2014.

This actually means that new type of vehicles that have been launched after 1/11/11 need to have ESP Standard, and the ones before may have it optional or not at all.
The Duster is a type that is from 2010, so doesn't need it standard.
The Sandero/Logan MCV however was launched in 2012, and that is why it is standard on the 9990€ model.

From 1/11/14, all new cars will have it standard, regardless of when they have been conceived/originally launched.
That means some obscure old cars may leave the market. I'm thinking the Lada Niva that is still sold in mainland Europe and doesn't even have ABS.