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Q: I am thinking of buying a car. Got any suggestions?
Well, I caught myself browsing through some cars last night. Even though I told myself I would never buy one in China (I told myself that about an apartment as well)... I am starting to give in. I love riding my motorcycle around town but come Winter... I get really annoyed waiting 20-30 minutes in the cold for a taxi.
Transporting stuff without a car in China is also very MA FAN.
So anyway I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions. I was looking at Hyundai and I like some of their SUV models, the Audi Q3 looks decent... or perhaps the Volkswagen Tiguan. Doesn't have to be an SUV but my wife wants this to go camping sometimes.
I know nothing of the Chinese brands but I saw a BYD or two that looks decent.
Looking for something in the price range of 100k - 300k RMB.
I like a vehicle with a good balance and quality for your money.
Any suggestions? For car owners, what are you driving now? Would you recommend it?
9 years 44 weeks ago in Transport & Travel - China
This is the one I am leaning towards the most (not this actual post) but the model:
http://www.edmunds.com/volkswagen/tiguan/2013/?sub=suv
Anyone own or know somebody that owns one? Seems to have really good feedback.
you will go crazy driving in China,haha.my husband got a car in China,finally we sold it.the traffic was crazy and drivers are crazy too,you will none stop wachting other cars around you,otherwise you will get hit easily and deal with scammers who hit your car.and police wont solve well by law and let you two solve peacefully.good luck.
Robk:
Where do you live? I agree totally.
But I live in a smaller city where the traffic is SOMEWHAT tolerable. My apartment is on the outskirts of the city center so it isn't too bad.
I was warned off BYD cars by Chinese colleagues.
I only wanted something basic so bought a new Lifan 320 (Mini copy!) for 45K rmb. They also did an SUV at the time for about 80K. 3 years later I'm still happy with my shanzai mini. Lifan's seem to be a reasonable balance of cost versus quality.
Though if you can afford a VW then go for it.
Just make sure it has four wheels or it might be a motorbike. Made that very mistake myself once only to find it had no wheels at all. Turned out i'd spent 60,000 yuan on a frisbee. We live and learn, eh?
dokken:
thats why you should always get a mechanic to look at it first. in case its a frisbee
mArtiAn:
No story, besides getting dropped on my head as a child that is. But yeah, as Dokken quite rightly says, always consult a mechanic when buying a car to avoid mistakenly buying a frisbee from an unscrupulous car dealer. It really is rule number one.
The tiguan is a good choice, in the expensive end for what it is but i think its worth it. For a bit less than 300K all in including the bullshit fees and taxes. Itll come with leather a huge sun roof nav ( English) backup camera ( you might think you dont need it but in china where people dont give a shit about dying its actually usefull. Ive driven the 1.8T. Decent power. Really sturdy and smooth ride. The interior is best in class. Feels really comfortable in the front and back.
The hyuandai sante fe isnt a bad choice but itll be almost the same money for less car. Unless your looking at chinese once its all said and done your gonna be looking at 250-300k for a smaller crossover suv.
Check out the highlander if you like camping. Should be about 250 all in, more truck based feel than crossover. But sturdy and would be the best for back roads.
I wouldnt get Q3. Its just an A3 hatchback with a taller wheelbase. Its engine doesnt handle the extra weight well and it feel lile a cheap Audi when you sit in it. China is screwing with people as usually and it based on the old platform while everythibg else in the segment is based on the new MOQ platform . way better. I love Audi and drive one now and did back home as well but the Q3 is a dud.
Robk:
Yeah I saw the Hyundai and that looked good.
I guess the best SUVs right now is the Honda and the Mazda. I get worried buying a Japanese care because of that retarded Chinese crazy movement smashing up Japanese cars and restaurants.
Yeah, Q3 is out now. It just looks overpriced in comparison. What kind of Audi did you get?
Id suggest, whatever you get, to have 4 cameras installed - constantly filming front, rear, and left & right... for when the accidents do happen, you''ll have video evidence that it was some other wanker's fault! (remember to have it upload to a server either regularly, or when you hit a particular button.... so you can have it posted to various places for when the police/judge decides not to agree with you, you can post it online)
Most cars I've seen sell for under 250,000, so money shouldn't be a problem.
I drive a Mazda 2 (2013 model, 1.5 AT), maybe too small for you. 
It's big enough for me and my wife (we are both short LOL). I've had 4 laowais in the back a couple of times hahah. And I can even fit my mountain bike with the seats down (without taking the tire off). I think its amazing for a small car, especially the steering (sharp!) and handling...and it's fast! The tank is full with 200 kuai and you can go around 400-450 km with that. Easy to park and useful in a traffic jam. The traffic in Xiamen isn't too bad. Cost us 95K, all taxes / insurance included. Never been happier with a car.
I agree with mike695ca, I test drove the Q3 a couple months ago when me and my wife were also planning on buying a car and I didn't like it. I felt like it was made just so they can fill that gap between the smaller cars and the Q5. It also had that function where the engine stops every time you come to a complete stop (at red lights). Hey I'm all for saving the environment (as it uses less gas) but there is a noticeable thud when your engine stalls. I felt like I was about to swallow my tongue every time it happened.
I will give you fair warning though. I just broke 100,000 km of driving in China (in a company car, we didn't end up buying one for ourselves yet) and yea like everyone said, the driving here is crazy. BUT what they don't tell you is that you start driving like them. It's like the "Hey, When in Rome do as Romans do", but this is more like "Hey, When in Rome do as Romans do or we crash into you" You really do end up picking up a few of their driving habits, which I think is necessary for survival on the roads here. It's funny though, when I went back home (US) and I was driving through my suburban town, I would stop/hit the brakes at every single intersection even though I knew I had right of way (oh god how I miss that concept). But it only took a couple days to switch back in gears (no pun intended).
Driving in China is really love-hate without any love. You'll probably hate every bit of it but once the automobile refills that niche in your life, you're hooked. Ever since I started driving in China, I've hated it but at the same time it's allowed me just SO much freedom.
mike695ca:
My Audi has that start stop function too. I hate it. But at least on mine I can turn it off. But still when i forget and my car "stalls" i feel like my new ride is broken.
I will get a new car in march. Also looking for some nice things, but honestly cars in china are so overpriced it is not even funny.
don't really wanna spend 250+ for an audi a3, so i take the shorter end and mostly will go with a vw passat.
if you like cheaper suvs you can check out kia sportage r.
otherwise bmw x1 is surely not bad.
for eyes i prefer audi a3, bmw 316i or better mercedes slk.
infinity worth checking out but guess out of your price range.
Robk:
Yeah, I like nice vehicles but buying a car in China is a lot more than back home. It's not really worth the extra money here.
I was looking into some Lexus SUVs, they are pretty nice.
dom87:
lexus looks overall very nice, all their cars.
but the prices of the cheapest car starts already at 250k+
the suv is like 450-500k
We bought an 8 yr old Peugeot 307 and it's fantastic. Like a small limo. Couldn't possibly be happier. Cost Y50,000.
Cars are crazy expensive here. Unless you're on a Western salary.
Now if we want to go out we just get in the car and go. Life in China changes for the better with the freedom of a car.
I didn't want one but turns out the wife was right. Again.
Think we'll drive to Turpan for New Year.
Go for it, Rob.
Robk:
That's a good price. Where did you buy it from?
I am always a little worried about buying used vehicles from Chinese.
royceH:
Yeah, that's true. My wife bought it from a woman she knew. And had a man she knew who's in the car game and apparently knows cars very well to confirm it was sound.
We've only had it a couple of months and it looks like we might have got lucky.
Like you we live in a small city and someone usually knows someone....
You might get similarly lucky if your wife can ask around.
Chinese on reasonable salaries often want to upgrade after their car when it's only a few years old and so 2nd hand bargains can be found.
its not a car i would buy in the uk but if the mg3 or mg6 is cheap in china i would think about it. would not have the foreign tax yet its reasonable quality. a new mg6 might be 150000 and mg3 would be 100000. its made in china but has some british design and i think it looks quite good.
the new nissan tiilda (tiiga in china?) is one ugly car but is really nice inside with all the gadgets, reverse parking cameras ect
i heard any audi below a q5 is not imported and has inferior parts. or partly made in china. not sure of the accuracy of this statement
i think the new mazda 6 is really nice.
let us know what u get. you re a brave man. at least on a bus i can close my eyes in a bad situation
mike695ca:
Thats not true about the Audi's but insee where you get that from. Even the Q5 is made here locally. But for most models you can choose local or pay a premium for imported. Or imported will have larger engine sizes. Thats what i did with mine. Only the imported one has the faster engine but i mostly paid it for the peace of mind.
