Buying a new Dacia - advice?

[Deleted User]

All the private hire drivers round my area drive LPG converted Logans. Cheap taxiing they say...

CoastingHatbox

If you are spending considerable time in a Dacia each day, I think you will soon start to resent how harsh, noisy and unrefined they are. I would only consider it if buying cash, as I would be concerned about financing one and getting into a negative equity situation - especially given the uncertain times we are in.

I would look at buying something used, 1 owner, polished more than driven with a full history and a good MOT history. Ideally for sale because the owner has stopped driving. I've had a couple of old BMWs this way and they have turned out to be quite reliable and dare I say it, frugal (6 cylinder auto's a bit thirsty on an urban commute but 50mpg attainable on motorways). Obviously, you need to do your research up front and when you see the car, look for the signs it has been well looked after. Matched tyres, no dodgy shut lines/panel gaps, fresh coolant, clean oil that's not gritty, fresh coolant, cold engine when you arrive that starts on the button, smooth shifting, direct steering etc.

All cars have their Achilles heal - parts that wear out prematurely. On whatever makes it onto your shortlist, find out what those are and budget for addressing those problems. For instance, on Nineties and noughties BMWs it is always the thermostats and suspension bushes.

There are some really good used cars out there which can return fairly frugal ownership costs if you do you homework.

virginblue4

CoastingHatbox said:

If you are spending considerable time in a Dacia each day, I think you will soon start to resent how harsh, noisy and unrefined they are. I would only consider it if buying cash, as I would be concerned about financing one and getting into a negative equity situation - especially given the uncertain times we are in.

I would look at buying something used, 1 owner, polished more than driven with a full history and a good MOT history. Ideally for sale because the owner has stopped driving. I've had a couple of old BMWs this way and they have turned out to be quite reliable and dare I say it, frugal (6 cylinder auto's a bit thirsty on an urban commute but 50mpg attainable on motorways). Obviously, you need to do your research up front and when you see the car, look for the signs it has been well looked after. Matched tyres, no dodgy shut lines/panel gaps, fresh coolant, clean oil that's not gritty, fresh coolant, cold engine when you arrive that starts on the button, smooth shifting, direct steering etc.

All cars have their Achilles heal - parts that wear out prematurely. On whatever makes it onto your shortlist, find out what those are and budget for addressing those problems. For instance, on Nineties and noughties BMWs it is always the thermostats and suspension bushes.

There are some really good used cars out there which can return fairly frugal ownership costs if you do you homework.

Thanks for your reply. Obviously you are probably right in regards to noise / comfort etc, but I’m coming from an 18 year old Renault, surely it’s going to be similar to that? I have no issues at all with  the noise and comfort of the Renault. I’ve not had the luxury of driving anything other than this, so I’m pretty sure I’ll already be used to it. I will be buying it with cash, not on finance. 

I also think with the approx £1000 fuel savings of the LPG, I can just put this money aside to cover any potential repairs. 

[Deleted User]

Why are people suggesting 10 year old BMWs and Mercs?

They are not generally MSE and are indeed potential money pits. 

Kia are a respected brand and come with 7 year warranty so might be worth looking at 3 year old examples that still have 4 years manufacture warranty left. 

The quality and refinements will be much better than Dacia. 

Goudy

The Sandero isn't a bad looker from a distance and if I was to be tempted back, I would go for the diesel even though it wouldn't make complete sense due to my trips, but the oil burner drives much much better.
Mine was a stop gap, I bought it when it was a couple of years old after my Abarth was stolen so I wasn't in a big rush to replace it.
It cost me peanuts really and I ran it a year, it hardly depreciated in that time. I didn't plan on having it quite as long, but the Clio took nearly 4 months to choose and another 4 to build.
When I did start shopping around for a replacement, all the dealers eyed it with glee as there's actually a strong market for used models with that engine, though now I've owned one, I can't really see why.

I wouldn't count on a Kia or Hyundai being much better, I have looked hard and long at them and hired quite a few, each seem to have their problems. The Picanto/i10 and Rio suffer from the dreaded long legged eco gearing that has you stirring the gearbox like the Sandero, the fit and finish is poor and the trim might look nice but it's pretty nasty.
The Cee'd  suffers from fit, finish and trim, plus a few other niggles yet there's no financial gain, they cost the same as everything else in it's class. 
The Sportage is anything but, it's weight being it's biggest issue, it's over half a tonne heavier than the Suzuki Vitara and you feel it (and notice it as the pumps).

I'm not going to tell you to buy a BMW, but I agree with the sentiment that perhaps a used car with a bit more quality might be a better bet. There's soon to be a glut of PCP/lease returns on the market, almost all will be 2 or 3 years old with lowish warrantied mileage, service history and if you choose wisely, the remainder of a warranty.
Keep an eye out for cars that tend to be bought by private owners and are considered "sleeper" models, things like the Toyota Yaris or Auris, Seat Ibiza or Leon (always sold new with a big discounts that effects used prices) or the Skoda Fabia/Rapid.

Ditzy_Mitzy

virginblue4 said:

Ditzy_Mitzy said:

I don't know a lot about Dacias, sorry, but I do know that they are Renaults underneath.  The engine you mention is a Renault unit.  Seeing that you haven't really got on with Renaults, buying another one seems counter intuitive.  You've got quite a healthy budget, you could get something far nicer than a Dacia Sandero for that second hand, a nice Focus or Golf or Merc even.

I have nothing against Renault, the issues I’ve had have been more related to age than anything else. I’d prefer to stay away from 2nd hand cars ideally. 

They really don't sound like age related issues at all, instead they sound like the typical symptoms of a not very good car.  I've not had a Renault but I have had Citroens and they've done similar: got to a certain age and then quite literally fallen apart, like Coco the Clown's car.  It's not typical behaviour.  The majority of cars will last 20 years with a bit of TLC.  For example,  I've now got an '06 registered Ford, which is hardly any newer than your Clio, that gets driven quite a lot.  There's nothing wrong with it.  All right it's a bit tatty, but that's to be expected however the engine runs as well as it ever did, everything works.  It's a bit primitive by modern standards, if that's really an issue, but I've got no reason to change it.  There are thousands of second hand bargains out there, it would be a shame to pass up on them following bad experiences with one car.

DoaM

AdrianC said:

The Sandero and Logan are the same car - they just differ at the back.
Sandero - short overhang, hatch. Logan - long overhang, boot or estate.

We have a Sandero, and I walk past a Logan every day when walking my dogs (and have driven behind another one quite regularly). They don't look like they're related at all.

AdrianC

DoaM said:

AdrianC said:

The Sandero and Logan are the same car - they just differ at the back.
Sandero - short overhang, hatch. Logan - long overhang, boot or estate.

We have a Sandero, and I walk past a Logan every day when walking my dogs (and have driven behind another one quite regularly). They don't look like they're related at all.

Should've gone to Barnard Castle.

Absolutely identical B-pillar forward, minor change to back edge of rear door.

jimbo6977

Essentially a Sandero IS an 18 year old Clio. It's not a bad car, especially if it's to be used overwhelmingly for shorter trips.

However a former colleague used one as a rep-mobile, doing hundreds of miles some days, and found it tiresome from a noise and comfort pov. 

I would look for a pre-reg from another marque, but of course that might not be easy to do at the minute.

DoaM

AdrianC said:

DoaM said:

AdrianC said:

The Sandero and Logan are the same car - they just differ at the back.
Sandero - short overhang, hatch. Logan - long overhang, boot or estate.

We have a Sandero, and I walk past a Logan every day when walking my dogs (and have driven behind another one quite regularly). They don't look like they're related at all.

Should've gone to Barnard Castle.

Absolutely identical B-pillar forward, minor change to back edge of rear door.

That addition changes it from Meh to !!!!!!.