Talk to me about Dacia Dusters...

[Starsky80]

I've been on the hunt for a new (to me) family car over the last couple of weeks and have been obsessing over these a little. Budget is 6k and probably a diesel (as I'm doing 300 miles per week). I'm of the generation where a BMW/Mercedes was seen as aspirational and indeed, I have owned several but I'm no longer convinced. Expensive parts prices, reliability/quality nothing to write home about and in recent years they have lost the aura of desirability for me. I'm just after a reliable workhorse, cheap to run and fix that offers good value for the money.

This week I have test driven a 2016 Peugeot 308 GTline HDi hatchback, a Renault Captur dCi and a 2017 Dacia Duster 1.5 dCi Prestige (2WD). Now the Peugeot and Renault were both very nice cars: comfortable, refined, decent to drive etc. In comparison, the Duster felt quite cheap inside (I never thought that I would describe a Renault as premium but in comparison the Captur was) and also pretty agricultural (quite slow steering and lots of engine noise compared to the Renault, which is surprising as they share the same engine)! However, I quite enjoyed driving it, the engine was punchy, it absorbed the bumps really well, it had a 6 speed manual (the Captur only comes with 5), it averaged 50mpg and it just had everything you need (electric windows, AC, cruise, nav) and nothing you don't like the annoying keyless entry that has broken on our other car (2015 Clio) and the HVAC controls on the touchscreen, which I wasn't a fan of on the Peugeot). It had an endearing utilitarian feel like an early LR Discovery and surprisingly it's probably the one of the three that I would have gone for and has the benefit of being the most spacious/practical. Duster was 6k on the nose, Captur 6k but older and the 308 7k. Unfortunately that particular Duster sold to someone else later that day though.

Looking a little further afield, there are more similarly aged Laureate/Prestige-spec Dusters in that price range, some with 4x4 for a little bit more. Do I need 4x4, probably not but I wouldn't mind it and I think the 4x4 versions get independent rear suspension, so ride a bit better? There are even some higher mileage mk2 Dusters available in budget. One in particular, a 2019 car in Prestige spec, 4x4 in orange with a tow bar but it does have 130k on the clock (the mk1 that I looked at had 75k). Realistically all the car that you'd ever need and can you go wrong for 6k? Am I better off going for a mk2 Duster (just a bit better/more refined/slightly nicer inside) or a lower mileage mk1 for my budget?

Or do you get what you pay for and will I regret buying a Duster (our last cars in Canada were a high spec mk7 Golf Estate and a high spec Mazda CX9, which both felt quite premium/refined in comparison)?

[nikaiyo2]

We have a Duster as a pool car. It’s ok. It’s cheap. It’s slow. It does not handle well. It’s reliable enough. It’s cheap.its hard wearing inside.

The interior is where the cost savings were made and it shows, but it’s not really a bad thing.

For the price it’s difficult to be too critical of it.

[_Rodders_]

I wouldn't say 4x4 is a necessity.

FWD and all season tyres would cover 99% of people.

They are bit more desirable though so residuals and overall cost of ownership might come into play.

[croyde]

I was one of the lucky ones that bought a Duster brand new in 2021 for £10500.

It's was a 1.0 litre 3cyl petrol Essential model. It was bought as a stop gap after the ULEZ forced me to sell my owned for 23 years BMW 323i SE.

I hadn't driven one and it was ordered on the phone from a dealer 140 miles away.

Knock on the door one cold snowy morning and a driver handed me the keys.

I actually fell for it immediately. Despite the tiny engine it was zippy in town yet could sit at 80 on the motorway.

Useful for carrying loads and people, I travelled all over the UK in it. 2wd version but good at soft roading.

Loved it.

I stupidly sold it 3 years later because I wanted an Abarth. In hindsight it would have made more financial sense to have kept it.

It did sell for £1200 less than I had paid for it, after 3 years and 18k miles.

So the Abarth made way for an Alpine 110, which was fantastic but I needed to go back to a sensible car. The Dacia had made such an impression on me that I now have a Bigster

I really rate them.

[nobrakes]

I saw one nearly topple in front of me on the motorway when it changed lanes quickly. All 3 lanes behind it as it veered off to the hard shoulder.

I’m sure they are great around town though.

[_Rodders_]

nobrakes said:

I saw one nearly topple in front of me on the motorway when it changed lanes quickly. All 3 lanes behind it as it veered off to the hard shoulder.

I m sure they are great around town though.

There's nearly 3 million of them on the roads, they're not all falling over.

They're fine on the motorway.

[Huzzah]

I've a mk2 1.0 tce

It's OK & for us fit for purpose.

Likes
Cheap to buy and run
Comfortable with squishy tyres and suspension.
Utilitarian.
Styling with rufty tufty unpainted plastics.
Light
Uncomplicated

Dislikes
Gearchange notchy and awkward, improves a little when warm, needs working on hills
Seats hard and unsupportive on long runs. (3 plus hrs)
Reversing light poor
Heater takes a while

Problems
The paint fell off the steel wheels, I've had them powdercoated so now ok.
The heater resistor has failed twice, cheap (£10) and easy to replace DIY (remove glove box to access)




Would I buy another? Yes, but probably look for an auto. If I was spending a lot of time in the car I'd want a few more home comforts. The 1.0tce needs working hard through the gears on hills, okay for Warwickshire but I'd think twice if I lived in Wales for instance.

Edited by Huzzah on Sunday 1st March 11:53

[HTP99]

Starsky80 said:

I've been on the hunt for a new (to me) family car over the last couple of weeks and have been obsessing over these a little. Budget is 6k and probably a diesel (as I'm doing 300 miles per week). I'm of the generation where a BMW/Mercedes was seen as aspirational and indeed, I have owned several but I'm no longer convinced. Expensive parts prices, reliability/quality nothing to write home about and in recent years they have lost the aura of desirability for me. I'm just after a reliable workhorse, cheap to run and fix that offers good value for the money.

This week I have test driven a 2016 Peugeot 308 GTline HDi hatchback, a Renault Captur dCi and a 2017 Dacia Duster 1.5 dCi Prestige (2WD). Now the Peugeot and Renault were both very nice cars: comfortable, refined, decent to drive etc. In comparison, the Duster felt quite cheap inside (I never thought that I would describe a Renault as premium but in comparison the Captur was) and also pretty agricultural (quite slow steering and lots of engine noise compared to the Renault, which is surprising as they share the same engine)! However, I quite enjoyed driving it, the engine was punchy, it absorbed the bumps really well, it had a 6 speed manual (the Captur only comes with 5), it averaged 50mpg and it just had everything you need (electric windows, AC, cruise, nav) and nothing you don't like the annoying keyless entry that has broken on our other car (2015 Clio) and the HVAC controls on the touchscreen, which I wasn't a fan of on the Peugeot). It had an endearing utilitarian feel like an early LR Discovery and surprisingly it's probably the one of the three that I would have gone for and has the benefit of being the most spacious/practical. Duster was 6k on the nose, Captur 6k but older and the 308 7k. Unfortunately that particular Duster sold to someone else later that day though.

Looking a little further afield, there are more similarly aged Laureate/Prestige-spec Dusters in that price range, some with 4x4 for a little bit more. Do I need 4x4, probably not but I wouldn't mind it and I think the 4x4 versions get independent rear suspension, so ride a bit better? There are even some higher mileage mk2 Dusters available in budget. One in particular, a 2019 car in Prestige spec, 4x4 in orange with a tow bar but it does have 130k on the clock (the mk1 that I looked at had 75k). Realistically all the car that you'd ever need and can you go wrong for 6k? Am I better off going for a mk2 Duster (just a bit better/more refined/slightly nicer inside) or a lower mileage mk1 for my budget?

Or do you get what you pay for and will I regret buying a Duster (our last cars in Canada were a high spec mk7 Golf Estate and a high spec Mazda CX9, which both felt quite premium/refined in comparison)?

Great cars, reliable and no frills, if going for a MkI, make sure it's the Romanian built one, not the original Indian built version, you= budget though will be a Romanian one.

Of that era, both mkI and mkII, the diesel is probably the engine to get, it's reliable, economic, smooth and has plenty of torque, the 1.2TCe is also a good engine but not hugely common, do not get the 1.6, they are awful, no torque and have to be worked very hard which affects the fuel economy.

Captur dCi will be 90hp, Duster dCi will be 110hp.

4x4 is great off road, it is proper 4x4, however 1st gear is very low, can pull away easily in 2nd, it does feel heavier to drive and there is more drivetrain noise, if you don't need a 4x4, don't get one.

Make sure the cambelt on the dCi has been done, typically 6 years/72k, if the seller says it has been done but there is no proof, factor in that it'll need doing and replace the water pump at the same time, 1.2TCe and 1.3TCe are chains.

Personally I'd go a lower mikes MkI as opposed to big miles MkII.

[croyde]

_Rodders_ said:

nobrakes said:

I saw one nearly topple in front of me on the motorway when it changed lanes quickly. All 3 lanes behind it as it veered off to the hard shoulder.

I m sure they are great around town though.

There's nearly 3 million of them on the roads, they're not all falling over.

They're fine on the motorway.

Mine never fell over nor came close to feeling like it and I mainly drove it like I stole it

[Snow and Rocks]

croyde said:

Mine never fell over nor came close to feeling like it and I mainly drove it like I stole it

I've done endless thousands of miles in various hired Dusters in Morocco and generally drive like a lunatic over the endless hairpins of the mountain roads in the Atlas mountains and also haven't fallen over, not even once.