1997 Dacia 1310 TLX 1.4 petrol

Summary:

If you have a Dacia... sell it

Faults:

Almost everything.

The spare parts are cheap, but this will never make me buy another model of this car.

I changed the disc brakes three times (in warranty - which is limited to 10.000 km or one year) because it vibrated and the people from Dacia told me the reason is the cold water on rainy days.

The bodywork starts to become damaged after only 2 years.

General Comments:

It is a bad car!

I will never buy such a car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 28th February, 2002

13th Jul 2004, 13:57

The Dacia is a fine car. I have a 1985 Dacia 1310 and it hasn't had one problem and the body integrity is nearly perfect. I've never seen an American car like a Ford or Chevy last that long while still holding it's body integrity and cleanliness. Even though Dacia's aren't the best car in the world, they can get you from point A to point B comfortably. Plus the 55 horsepower engine can take you to 144 km/h quickly. All the American cars have about 250 horses, but only go up to about 200 km/h. It doesn't matter what anyone else says, the Dacia is still the most popular car in Romania.

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1996 Dacia 1310 TLX 1.4 petrol

Summary:

A cheap, easy to use and repair car

Faults:

The main problem with this car was the gearbox. Although it has been repaired several times it makes strange sounds, especially when the first speed is selected.

Small problems with ignition - easily fixed.

The left rear shock absorber needed to be replaced.

General Comments:

This car is based on a completely obsolete technology and it has very blocky shapes. The cabin is almost bare, but the seats are quite comfortable.

No attention to finish details and the paint is very thin.

Reliability was quite good for a 3500$ car. Also the spare parts are very cheap and easy to find.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 13th January, 2002

1996 Dacia 1310 L 1.4 petrol

Summary:

Own one and you will get good driving skills and excellent mechanical knowledge

Faults:

I had to replace the water pump for the windshield washer at 4000km, never had to do it again afterwards.

I replaced two light bulbs from the tail lights during all these 5 years.

At 40000km I had to replace the bearing from the left rear wheel.

At 20000km I had to replace the joint bushes of the right front wheel.

I had the braking pads (front wheels) replaced every 8000 km as I am driving it quite hard.

General Comments:

If you want to take some performance out of the car you have first to do some adjustments of the engine yourself, and then you must scream the engine at 6000rpm. This is not a particularly good treatment for the engine but I have driven it this way the first 40,000km and nothing went wrong. A replacement of the cam shaft with a slightly sporty one is strongly recommended.

There are some strange noises coming from the dashboard when driving on bumpy roads.

The huge majority of problems are due to the bad Romanian roads and especially to the careless drivers who are expecting the reliability of a Rolls Royce from a 3000 USD car.

Overall, the car needs to be taken care of, but if you do that it is quite rewarding to see that it drives nicely afterwards.

One more thing to have in mind when you appreciate the car: even though it is so cheap, there are a lot of Romanians that can only dream about having a new one.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 5th March, 2001

27th Mar 2001, 07:35

Did anyone smash the front screen by tipping the passenger seat? The head rest connected with the glass, I laughed at the bad design.

28th Apr 2001, 23:50

I have to disagree, my Uncle has had his Dacia since 1973 and the little thing is still running strong. I live in Canada and let me tell you, if ANY North American was faced with the conditions the Dacia is faced with the car would come apart. On a recent trip back I saw a brand new Chrysler 300M and the thing looked beat to pieces, none of the body seams lined up and the front end was out of alignment. I would have to say that the Dacia is the perfect car for Romania, it is durable, simple and cheap to fix. He just bought a brand new Dacia 1600 Drop Side, and having driven it let me tell you, it is an awesome car for what you pay for, decently powerful, great brakes and handles well. It could be worst guys, you remember the Trabant, Olcit and the Dacia Lastun??

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