Dacia Duster Estate (2013 - 2018) 1.6 Access 5d (2014/14) Owner Review

What does this car say about you?

It says (sadly) that I made a bad decision. For a few days I thought I'd made a very practical purchase. Sadly, it proved the nay-sayers right about buying a cheap car.

What do your friends / family / neighbours think of the car?

That I'm well shot of it.

Would you buy this car again and why?

No. I had a long wait for delivery. I then had issues on delivery, then months of trying to sort the problems out. A quick search on any search engine will reveal that rust appears to be a well-known issue on the Duster. Once this is widely known-about used prices are likely to plummet. Mine was a vehicle which appeared to have been sat around in a holding yard for years before being registered. It was one of the first of the revised 2014 model cars. It rusted visibly within a couple of weeks of delivery. This was a huge shock on a brand-new car!! It was a huge shame as in my experience it was otherwise a very practical car.

What are you likely to buy next?

A second-hand 4x4 for the same sort of money.

Type of dealer you bought from?

Franchised

Did you buy this car new?

No

What price did you pay?

£10,500

When did you buy the car?

April 2014

Did you get a good deal and why?

Neither good nor bad. The car was the very basic model with a long waiting list. There was no movement on the price, but none was expected. I paid cash so didn't use finance.

Is there any special reason why you bought this car?

I have 2 dogs and a young family. I wanted a basic car with 4x4 suspension for the unmade forest roads that I use. I was attracted by the new car with warranty etc. I did not want a diesel car as I do lots of short journeys and modern Euro 5 diesels of all makes seem to be unreliable under these circumstances (DPF filters, EGR valves, etc).

What was the dealer like?

Overall pretty good. They were good during the sale process. The car was delayed which was a manufacturer issue and they leant me a replacement. Delivery was a low-point, the rear bumper had a scratch on it. The interior lighting was also not working and the tyre pressures on delivery were all wildly different wheel to wheel (a 10psi difference between the highest and the lowest tyres). However, when things went really wrong later on, the dealer was pretty good (much better than the manufacturer anyway).

What's it like to drive?

Fine. The petrol engine was smooth and peppy and got good mpgs. The ride was good on tarmac and broken surfaces. There is a little cabin noise but it is a cheaper car.

What's it like to park?

Fine. No issues for me.

Have you had any problems with the car?

Yes. Within 3 weeks of delivery it was rusting in three separate locations (both rear doors around the child-lock switches, and on the rear off-side body seam in the rear door aperture).

What's most practical about your car?

Everything apart from the rust!! I was very disappointed as it was a very practical vehicle in every sense, good ride and mpg figures, steel wheels (no issues with scuffing alloys on pot-holes), large boot for the dogs, easily cleaned. Very sad that the car rotted and had to go back.

Favourite gadget, option or accessory?

The lack of gadgets. All the safety kit (airbags, abs, etc) and remote locking, but otherwise plain and simple.