1999 Dacia 1310 L 1.4 gas

Summary:

Cheap car, cheap car parts but no quality!

Faults:

You can expect everything to go wrong! My first Dacia from 1979 is more reliable than the new one! Electricals, suspension, carburettor. It can go wrong but anyone can fix it.

Strange sounds from everywere, leaks, no insulation inside. It is like Dracula's castle!

General Comments:

It is very cheap (3000 usd) but if you fix one problem, it will find another so be brave and try not to fix if it is not important!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 14th November, 2000

5th Mar 2001, 04:20

I had my Dacia since September 1996 and I haven't encountered any major difficulties. The car is extremely cheap, even when you buy it new. When you appreciate this car you have to take into account that it is at least 3 times cheaper than any other car in its class. In this case you shouldn't be surprised that it takes about 15 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 100km/h, nor by the multitude of noises, comming mainly from the dashboard.

Indeed, it is annoying to have a top speed of 140km/h (I drove mine with 160 and nothing bad happened), but the main problems of the car are due to the bad roads in Romania, and the careless drivers who don't take care of them. They should understand that a car that costs only 3000 USD when it's brand new cannot have the reliability of a Rolls Royce. You have to remember that this is the only new car affordable for the vast majority of the Romanians, not to mantion that not few of them can only dream about a new Dacia.

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1991 Dacia 1310 TLE 1.3

Summary:

Very cheap, but very poor quality

Faults:

Almost everything.

I had to fix (read re-build!) most of the parts, from engine to paint, from electric circuits to chairs.

If you rely on the original spares, you can replace the same part twice in two months.

With some Renault 12 replacements (more expensive) you might have a chance.

General Comments:

Is one of the cheapest cars in the world, but the quality is alike.

You have one year/10 000 km warranty, but you have to pay tips to the workers in the service to get it fixed "for free". And you might expect problems any time, even in the warranty period.

You cannot leave the city without a complete toolkit, and some mechanical knowledge. Otherwise you might get stuck in the middle of the road.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 23rd May, 2000

27th Apr 2001, 15:33

You are right. The painting, the steel, all the materials are of very poor quality, but it is fun: you buy one and in about 2-3 km you can begin to repair something. It will be never OK, something will be out of order any time, but you will be able to travel where you want ignoring the situation, the engine will work for about 40000-70000 km without repairing.

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