RE: Dacia Duster for £9K
Friday 29th June 2012
Among the more unexpected debuts happening at this weekend’s Goodwood Festival of Speed and today’s Moving Motor Show is the Dacia Duster, launching with the headline grabbing starting price of just £8,995. Not perhaps the most obvious car to be talking about on PH but the Duster is an interesting piece of kit and one blessed with the kind of honest, unpretentious credibility we can all get behind.
No frills but capable and cheap to buy and runCertainly country folk – those of us who grew up with Subaru Brats, Panda 4x4s and the like – are going to love it, the Duster’s back to basics, affordable and knockabout toughness a pleasing riposte to fashion victim 4x4s and trendy crossovers. You’d buy a Duster because you need something simple, cheap and dependable – it’s transport, not a status symbol and the kind of vehicle that won’t get much love and affection over its life but will probably do its owners very nicely indeed thank you.
4x4 versions start at just £10,995And with all your transportational, day-to-day needs addressed for such a modest sum that leaves you money to hit the classifieds and buy something more decadent and fun to run alongside it. Or tow behind it to track days if you’re going really hardcore. Reason enough for us to celebrate the Duster’s arrival!
Dacia Duster for £9K
Renault's budget brand lands in the UK - should we care?
No frills but capable and cheap to buy and run
That Dacia can sell you a basic front-driven, 1.6-litre petrol Duster for less than 10 grand or a more fancy – relatively speaking – version with three-mode four-wheel drive, Renault’s excellent little 1.5-litre dCi diesel and all the basic requirements required of modern motoring for the same as a boggo supermini is simply astounding. And while hardly beautiful there’s a certain utilitarian coolness to the looks too. It’s not often you’ll read a press release for a mainstream car that boasts of “making an enemy of the unnecessary” or takes great pride in saying there are only two options (stability control on diesels or metallic paint) but it’s all part of the Duster’s refreshing anti-fashion stance.
4x4 versions start at just £10,995
Discussion
Had one as a hire car back in February in France, did about 400ks in it. Mine was the oil burner with leather (or leatherette). It was ok, the dash layout and dials were clumsy and couldnt work out the stereo but for a cheap brand new motor its not bad.
Personally I wouldnt buy one and would buy a second hand x3 or something but some people want new so this may be for them.
Personally I wouldnt buy one and would buy a second hand x3 or something but some people want new so this may be for them.
If I was in the market for a Qashqai, this would now be jumping out at the top of the list for me. At this price you would be stupid not to consider/look at it.
Of course this could also mean that they will end up outselling their Renault Nissan owners for this type of model....would that really be a bad thing though?
Of course this could also mean that they will end up outselling their Renault Nissan owners for this type of model....would that really be a bad thing though?
The problem budget cars like this are always going to face in the UK is that we have such a good VFM second hand market - for the same money you can get so much more car if you go a few years old.
When 12 grand will see you in a 2011 Vitara the 4x4 Duster doesn't look that good value.
When 12 grand will see you in a 2011 Vitara the 4x4 Duster doesn't look that good value.
In an era where everything has to be "cool" and fit in with your lifestyle of windsurfing with your group of impossibly happy friends, one of whom is obviously black because we aren't racists or anything, this makes a nice change. In fact, maybe it's so deliberately uncool that it is in fact cool?
KaraK said:
The problem budget cars like this are always going to face in the UK is that we have such a good VFM second hand market - for the same money you can get so much more car if you go a few years old.
When 12 grand will see you in a 2011 Vitara the 4x4 Duster doesn't look that good value.
Maybe not if you look at it sensibly but people buying brand new cars often don't look at things sensibly and are blinded by the "It's new so it will be reliable" and believe that anything that hasn't jsut rolled off the production line will break down every 10 mins.When 12 grand will see you in a 2011 Vitara the 4x4 Duster doesn't look that good value.
No air con, a petrol engine, no radio, and wheels straight off a 1982 Ford Granada (which I quite like) means they won't sell many of the basic model, except perhaps to security companies and others wanting a slightly imposing, cheap pool car.
Still value but this is really a £12k car, not a £9k one.
Still value but this is really a £12k car, not a £9k one.
Edited by CYMR0 on Thursday 28th June 15:51
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