Faults:

Too many to list; here's some:

- water pumps: four of them

- leaking gearbox

- leaking sump (still)

- rust: the jack went through the floor one time because of this even if it was correctly installed under the "reinforced" lifting point.

- lower right suspension ball joint totally wasted

- rusted exhaust

- electrical problems due to oxidized contacts/wires

- speedometer failed at 55000. Won't replace until rev meter fails too.

- clutch failed in 1995 while in Turkey. Replaced with original Renault part, still going strong.

- many other things loose/failing/rattling/etc inside and outside.

General Comments:

Despite the general opinion that it's a s**t car, it holds together pretty well considering it has been involved in about five crashes, on pretty serious.

The main enemy of this car is not wear & tear, but time as it is quite prone to rusting. Therefore it is best kept in a garage & out of rain/snow.

It is quite solid considering the numerous craters (quite common on the roads here), curbs and other road hazards it has run in/over (dogs and sheep among others).

Spare parts are cheap and easy to find.

The seats are very comfortable.

It handles like a boat on water: soft suspension, ample roll in curves. But once you get used to it it's fun and the tricks you can pull with it are limited only by imagination and how much money you want to spend on repairs afterward.

Since gas is quite expensive (for a Romanian student anyway), it isn't very cheap to run. It does about 10 l/100 km in the city and about 7 @ 90 kph on the road.

With heightened suspension it is amazing what this front wheel traction car can do off-road.

With only one person on board (me) it can be quite fast (90 mph, downhill of course).

It is light enough (900 kilos) to prevent serious injury when it falls on you while you're underside fixing it.

Finally it's like a girlfriend or a wife: it may have a big mouth, it may require constant attention, it isn't very good looking or good in bed, but it's mine.

Faults:

The main problem of these cars is the bodywork: poor (original) painting and poor fittings and joints.

I also had problems with both of my cars' stub axles. Maybe it was my fault to buy cheap, but reconditioned ones and not original ones (that are good for up to 70.000-80.000 km-s. The reconditioned ones were good in my cars only for 1.500-2.500 km-s.

General Comments:

The only thing you can do to stop rusting is to repaint it, both the chassis and the frame.

My Recent Dacia is a 1310 TX and I acquired it with lowered front and hardened rear suspension. It gives the car a more sportier look ad also it is more stable, of course. And now the car won't "sit" down like a motorboat when I have my friends in the back row.

My dashboard does not give any strange noises.

Finally I have to mention that these cars might not be the top quality in engine, or transmission, but they are built tough! My first Dacia was a 1310 TXC. An aged man with a Honda Concerto had cam across my way. Crash. I jumped out of my car unharmed. It took a few weeks to be repaired. Afterwards, in a slimy august dawn my car had slipped with me. I hit a column. Crash. I jumped out unharmed, again! I tell you folks, Dacia has a strong design. It crashes and you survive! Without airbag or anything like active safety!!