By continuing you agree to eChinacities's Privacy Policy .
Sign up with Google
Sign up with Facebook
Q: Who owns a car?
Just watched a video on Youtube of this American couple blogging in Korea, and they both own a car, and the dude also has a motorcycle.
I was just wondering how many foreigners here own their own transport.
8 years 49 weeks ago in Transport & Travel - China
Lifan 320 (Mini copy!). Bought it new 3.5 years ago. Still driving well for a cheap Chinese car with 65k km on the clock. Quality okay, runs well, good fuel consumption & gets through traffic good due to small size. A good investment.
I'd love a motorbike but they're banned in Guangzhou city limits. Maybe one day if I move out into the sticks (Panyu!).
Lifan 320 (Mini copy!). Bought it new 3.5 years ago. Still driving well for a cheap Chinese car with 65k km on the clock. Quality okay, runs well, good fuel consumption & gets through traffic good due to small size. A good investment.
I'd love a motorbike but they're banned in Guangzhou city limits. Maybe one day if I move out into the sticks (Panyu!).
6 year old Chery QQ. Bought 2nd hand. It was the world's cheapest car in 2008. My wife drives it almost every day. I don't actualloy have a license, but I plan to learn for one when I emigrate to Germany.
There have been some repairs necessary, partly due to my wife getting the hang of driving (licences are too easy to get here). But it's still going strong, and repairs & components are dirt cheap. We usually spot half a dozen identical QQ cars during an average road trip, most of them also canary yellow. It helps that the car is small, so we don't have many agonizing maneuvers when we park or navigate traffic.
I get a chuckle watching those fools with oversized face-cars tiptoe their way into tight parking spaces. But their mianzi is very real to them, and it won't fit into a small car.
The Chery QQ is actually quite spacy inside; a nice high roof and legspace for a tall guy like me. Many larger cars aren't that spacious inside.
The only problem is that this retro-engineered copy of the Mini Cooper design doesn't protect the front-seat passengers well during a serious collision...
Hotwater:
I looked at the QQ & BYD F0 when I bought my Lifan. Didn't like the 1 litre engine in either of them (the Lifan is 1.3L). In the BYD you'd have banged your head on the roof if you hit a bump. What put me off the QQ was that the wings felt like they were made from cardboard.
coineineagh:
There are 0.8 and 1.3 litre models of the QQ. Yes, the "hull" of the car is a bit thin, but that adds to the space inside, making a small care quite roomy. And less weight means more fuel efficiency. The driver is fucked in a full-on frontal collision; I don't know if it's the same from the sides. My wife frequently ferries guests around, 8 people on board (incl. babies), and it's not even that cramped. But we won't take it on the interstate. We never left the city/prefecture; never been t Chengdu in it. But that's because my wife is not that confident on the road.
Hotwater:
Didn't realize they had a bigger engine option. You should get out on the highway with it, I find it's less stressful on the bigger roads!. I get all around Guangdong in mine & drove to Yangshou last year. Would love to have more spare time for a proper road trip in it.
Suzuki SX4, bought new in 2010, wife's car.
Had a Dongfeng Shuai 1.6L van as company car for personal use, bought new in August 2010, till February this year. 105k km of abuse, never had major problems., apart normal wear and tear (shocks were shot last). Did all the regular and preventive maintenance though. Changed for a new Mazda 8. Done 5k km so far. Great car and very comfortable cruiser but I miss a bit the trashability around corners of the Dongfeng. It had a incredibly well balanced and neutral frame for being a van. I ashamed loads of cars 3X more powerful.
Mazda 2 (2013), love it. No complaints whatsoever... It's 100 kg lighter than others of the same size, so it's very snappy! Steering is so sharp. Best car I've ever had...1 and a half years / 25 k now. 
andy74rc:
Mazda is following a VERY good philosophy: make cars light. Best way to improve fuel efficiency and handling. 
manasyt:
Yes! I had an old 626 in the States...even that one rocked!
Also the new designs, amazing, the 2015 models look even better! ;)
I have 2 cars and a motorcycle in Suzhou. It is not unusual for people in the US to have multiple vehicles. I drive 1 car, my wife the other. I ride the motorcycle into the mountains near Anji on weekends to get away.
