Diesel fuel will be around for years yet, I think it will be a long time before we see HGVs using batteries. The unknowns are more to do with at what price per litre and also to what extend diesel vehicles are increasing discouraged or banned from urban driving.

Dusters are basic unpretentious no-frills cars - and all the better for it to my thnking. The 1.5 diesel engine is probably the best of the lot, it's one of the best small diesels and durable. Make sure it's been serviced correctly and also the cambelt changed. Some engines you can get away with delaying it but not this one.

John, you might find it difficult getting a vehcile other than the Dacia for that price, given 4x4s aren't cheap at the best of time and are obviously more complex than 2WD counterparts, which could add to the reliability risk and consequently the cost of ownership.

Do you really need a 4WD and a diesel? No problem if you do (live in a remote or very hilly rural area with poor roads, or you need the load-lugging capability, for example), though you can get some benefit, especially in cold weather, via using good quality all-season tyres or a combo of summer and winter tyres (if you have the storage space at home for the other set of tyres/wheels when not in use).

Many modern (around the last 10 years) are also quite fuel efficient, getting averages around the high 40s - low 50s mpg.

Some older-designed non-DPF diesels and even petrols (like my the 1.6 petrol in my 16yo Mazda3) are also higly reliable, though only the former are very good on the mpg and VED front, the latter, for now, are still allowed without financial penalty driving into city LEZs.

Such cars, if well-maintained and in good physical condition, can sometimes be highly dependable workhorses at a very low outlay, and often come shod on sensible wheels and (also common-sized) tyres that are far cheaper to buy and last longer than on more modern cars (last 5-10 years) often larger wheeled, lower-profile, less common tyres.

What you lose on some aspects, like mpg or petrols, you gain on others, like long term reliability, lower maintenance and insurance costs, cheaper fuel and the purchase cost. Some older 4x4s, say from Japan (perhaps not Nissans) might be worth a look if in good nick.

A good idea if you do some rough calculations based on your anticipated usage to how much the overall lifetime cost would be. Too many people look at either the car's purchase cost and/or the mpg and discount all those other factors, which can make a huge difference in the overall lifetime cost.

The Duster could still be the one though if you can find a good'un that's been well-cared-for.

Best of luck.