1998 Dacia Nova GTi review from Romania
"It's a pity it wasn't produced in the 80's, with a little bit of attention to details.."
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Doors needed to be tuned in order to close properly.
The interior heating system needed to be replaced at 15,000 km.
Loss of cooling water at 20,000 km.
The engine started to have a bad noise at 30,000 km. One of the safety rings from the valves fell. I was lucky the engine survived!
The exhaust system needs to be replaced every two or three years because of rust.
After only one winter it started to rust! Everywhere!
The headlights switch needed to be replaced after using them on high beam for a long period of time.
The signaling relee needed to be replaced.
General comments?
+ Very good stability in curves.
+ Very good braking.
+ Pretty good acceleration, considering that the engine is a 35 years old design by Renault, with a 10 years old monotronic injection by Bosch.
- Engine/injection not tuned properly. It fluctuates when standing; probably this is the cause for a high fuel consumption in city (10-12 l / 100 km).
- Poor quality of interior components resulting in a loss of image. A lot of noise when driving on the bumpy roads of Bucharest.
- Could have been a great car if it wasn't for the poor quality of components and assembly.
Recommended Reviews:
 | Good car to begin with |
 | 1998 - Nova GS 1.3 Dacia Automobile Engine Romania It's a JOY for an engineer who can fix it everyday |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Don't Know |
| First year of ownership | 1998 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.6 Bosch Monotronic Injection Manual |
| Performance marks | 8/10 |
| Reliability marks | 6/10 |
| Comfort marks | 7/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 6/10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 8/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 0 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 40000 kilometres |
| Previous car | Dacia 1300 |
| Date of Entry | 28th August, 2003 |