Seen plenty of these compacts around lately and since the starting price apparently is set at 30.000 for the basic model I am interested to know if any foreigners here have driven it or maybe even have bought one?.
I know the design is a Peugeot 107/Toyota Aygo ripoff but I still like it a lot and it has made me rethink the whole I'll-never-buy-a-car-here issue. What do you guys think about it? If you don't recognize the name then here is a link. I'm sure you've seen them on the roads.
I think it is a car, so you shouldn't buy it. What will you use it for, in a city like Kunming?
And *what* made you rethink the issue? Be clear.
Get out of town on days off,, explore Yunnan. Those kinds of things. Maybe I am just a bit baffled over the price since the cheapest cars where I am from usually cost 4 times as much. It's is a good looking little compact though,, gotta say I am tempted.
They certainly look quite nice, I didn't realise that they were so cheap.
I was up at Metro a few months back and they had a VW Beetle knock-off type car selling for 40+k. I can't remember the make or model
I personally would like to get my hands on the Great Wall Hover. I've been told that the basic model is 80k or so but if you want to get all the gadgets and gizmos they're a bit over 100k.
www.gwm.com.cn/eng/html/models/hover.asp
The issue is always whether the thing is reliable long term and how much money you spend on it and how much time it's in the repair shop.
My current car is a complete piece of junk (old Cherokee) but the engine was built in the states. So whilst the outside of the car is falling apart, it still rumbles around fairly happily despite its age. The only real maintenance work I have to do on it is minor.
I quite often ask taxi drivers about prices and quality of cars. They often seem to know which cars are fuel efficient, break down a lot etc. Failing that, ask a Chinese friend if they know anyone who works in a garage to give you some tips.
If you do buy it, it would be great if you would write a review of the process and any issues that arise.
