I have decided to purchase a car to get around and out of shanghai on the week-ends for some fresh air, and since I will only use it for the next few years or so I don't want to spend too much on it. Can anyone recommend a car model, chinese or not, in this price range?
So far I found the Nissan Tiida and Ford Focus particularaly appealing in terms of design and price but since I am a total noob when it comes to cars I am not sure wether they're good or not.
Thanks in advance.

Is that cost including the 40-50k you will need to register the car in Shanghai?

Is that cost including the 40-50k you will need to register the car in Shanghai?

No it doesn't. No sure if I will buy a shanghai plate though. A friend told me it goes for >50k...zhereas you can get it for 2/3k in the neighboring provinces.

from what paople say on the forum if you have an out of town plate there is a lot of restriction where you can drive better check it first

me_myself_&_i wrote:from what paople say on the forum if you have an out of town plate there is a lot of restriction where you can drive better check it first

My friend told me about that. It seems that you cannot use certain highways during rush hours. Not a big issue for me since I currently live and work in MinHang and during rush hours the traffic is generally stuck on those highways and it's much faster to go through normal roads.

Ford Focus looks nice. How about Volkswagen Polo or GT?

Ford Focus looks nice. How about Volkswagen Polo or GT?

Don't really like the VW Polo or Golf here. Too many people have them. Thanks for the suggestion though ^^

Choose Ford Focus black colour.

Choose Ford Focus black colour.

Yeah so far it is my 1st choice.

Buy a focus, dark colour with a boot (then its easier to re-sell) looks cool with smoked headlights
IS still top of its class for handling and enjoyment!!

Watch out for older cars. It seems some cars only a few years old do not meet pollution equipment standards and can't get certain tag (the one he showed me was green) that is displayed on private cars. Someone I know sold his van and bought a newer one for this reason.

did you ever consider a used car if it comes with a shanghai license plate?
If yes, you should try www.shangcar.com

did you ever consider a used car if it comes with a shanghai license plate?

Yes I did, but after searching the net I found out that for some reason the price of used cars (shanghai plate not included) is almost as high as the price of new ones. Most of the used Ford Focus cars I found are only around 10k cheaper if not the same price...
Can someone explain that?

I'd get a 206 Pewgott - pocket rocket. 80 for the car, 50 for the plates. Then I'd probably get in so much trouble that they'd deport me or put me behind bars forever. That's one reason I don't want to drive here.

It's an option. I have never been too fond of peugeots' cars design though. The only model I like is the 206 cc. You gotta love that car!

jesusizbak wrote:

Is that cost including the 40-50k you will need to register the car in Shanghai?

No it doesn't. No sure if I will buy a shanghai plate though. A friend told me it goes for >50k...zhereas you can get it for 2/3k in the neighboring provinces.

Some have claimed that new users of out of town licence plates can not keep their cars more than a week in shanghai while others said that if a foreigner has his/her work permit issued in shanghai then he/she can not apply for a licence plate in other regions.
Can anyone confirm or deny that?

Santana the way to go...........everywhere and anywhere you want....

Some have claimed that new users of out of town licence plates can not keep their cars more than a week in shanghai while others said that if a foreigner has his/her work permit issued in shanghai then he/she can not apply for a licence plate in other regions.
Can anyone confirm or deny that?

My Shanghainese friend for reasons unimportant to this discussion drives a vehicle with a Shandong plate - he has to purchase a special sticker that goes on the window and every 7 days the car needs to leave the city and a new sticker purchased if he wants to keep the car in Shanghai's boundary- apparantly the fines are large if he overstays...

can't u just get some counterfeit licence plate? Do cops here even have a computer in their car? haha

i was in the same position. really wanted a 4x4 (SUV) as an experienced 4x4 enthusiast from NZ and also since i travel into mountains often in China, and the mountains are numerous here in Zhejiang province (don't live in Shangers any longer), but if i didn't want to spend more than rmb150k then only Chinese branded 4x4 were an option. despite their look, and apparent quality and even i was really interested in buying, many people Chinese and laowais told me not to for a variety of reasons. some could be put down to prejudice, by both Chinese and a few laowais (the Chinese outnumbered the loawais) some laowais i know have 4x4's that one or two year old and have had numerous troubles, mainly associated with slack steering boxes, or poor alignment, shaking and numerous squeaks...

how about looking at a suzuki swift.... or suzuki sx4?

Some have claimed that new users of out of town licence plates can not keep their cars more than a week in shanghai while others said that if a foreigner has his/her work permit issued in shanghai then he/she can not apply for a licence plate in other regions.
Can anyone confirm or deny that?

I would also like to know.

how about looking at a suzuki swift.... or suzuki sx4?

Yeah the swift looks ok. But isn't this car a mini cooper knock off for the poor? Plus, I would be interested to know if one could drive it for regular out of town trips.

szwliew wrote:can't u just get some counterfeit licence plate? Do cops here even have a computer in their car? haha

When has the police in a patrol car ever pulled over a vehicle? Just saying I've seen speeders cut off patrol cars on the hwy and in the city and no reaction from the cops...they just let them go.

Speaking of which, we recently had a visit from the local police selling magazines...which they claim they have to fill a quota of subscription. Now if they actually start issuing tickets for traffic violations (eg run red lights, wreckless driving, speeding), they'd be raking in some RMBs!!!!

suzuki swift is damn good car in its own right... yes its a compact or subcompact but its very very user friendly... it has heaps of headroom for taller people, compared with some bigger more expensive cars, its loaded with many goodies, it small, nimble and down right quick, its light on the wallet at the petrol pump, easy to maneuver and park, and its environmentally friendly. its also was voted car of the year 2005 and 2006 in a couple of the major motoring magazines... yeah you can buy a mini cooper for 4 times the money, for what... suzuki swift is still sexy, and a perfect balance for china.
i have one... and use it more often than any other aside from my motorbike in amongst my other vehicles, and i have done 17000 fun filled kilometers in it in only 4 months...
its also price competitive, and is well built by its JV partner (suzuki has 2 JV partners in China) the swift is produced by the better of the two...

the SX4 is a 4x4 car, sits a little higher than the swift but is not as small, though not as big as the suzuki vitara (suzukis real SUV)

yeah ok, i'd like the audi quattro TT which i hyper-salivate over and can afford, but at ten times the price of the swift... i'd be asking for trouble...
oh and did i mention that the swift is well s w i f t... quick of the mark and if driven the ways its designed to be... hehe alot of fun up against bigger more expensive bruts

oh and the SX4 isn't as sexy looking IMO... especially in the basic model variant. the SX4 with the full body kit and roof rack is not bad though... also does good mileage... in some ways the SX4 maybe a slightly better option for China, 4wd, higher body... been some places where it would have been a little handier than a 2wd low slung car like the swift

suzuki swift is damn good car in its own right... yes its a compact or subcompact but its very very user friendly... it has heaps of headroom for taller people, compared with some bigger more expensive cars, its loaded with many goodies, it small, nimble and down right quick, its light on the wallet at the petrol pump, easy to maneuver and park, and its environmentally friendly. its also was voted car of the year 2005 and 2006 in a couple of the major motoring magazines... yeah you can buy a mini cooper for 4 times the money, for what... suzuki swift is still sexy, and a perfect balance for china.
i have one... and use it more often than any other aside from my motorbike in amongst my other vehicles, and i have done 17000 fun filled kilometers in it in only 4 months...
its also price competitive, and is well built by its JV partner (suzuki has 2 JV partners in China) the swift is produced by the better of the two...

the SX4 is a 4x4 car, sits a little higher than the swift but is not as small, though not as big as the suzuki vitara (suzukis real SUV)

yeah ok, i'd like the audi quattro TT which i hyper-salivate over and can afford, but at ten times the price of the swift... i'd be asking for trouble...
oh and did i mention that the swift is well s w i f t... quick of the mark and if driven the ways its designed to be... hehe alot of fun up against bigger more expensive bruts

wow...that good, huh? You've convinced me to go to the suzuki car dealer!
By the way, how much did you pay for yours?

We just bought a 2008 Honda Fit, and got the plates from outside of the city. The total was under 120K. The Fit has gotten good reviews, here is one from CAR AND DRIVER:

http://www.caranddriver.com/bestcars/12 ... a-fit.html

szwliew wrote:can't u just get some counterfeit licence plate? Do cops here even have a computer in their car? haha

If you drive out of town (Shanghai) on the motorways there are cameras recording the licence plate details. If you have committed a traffic offence in Shanghai and you have non Shanghai plates then they make you pay on the spot.

Yes they have systems linking the plates nowadays.

Regarding the 7-day rule for outside vehicles:

This is because of the environmental fee. Every time you enter Shanghai you pay 30RMB for a sticker that's good for 7 days.

HOWEVER, if you're keeping the car in SH, you can buy a sticker that's good for a year. There are 16 locations in Shanghai. Here is the list (in Chinese):

http://szj.sh.gov.cn/GL_04_1/guifeizhen ... sp?nKind=1

申领地点 地址 联系电话
第一征稽所 半淞园路589-601号 63142175 63142227
第二征稽所 龙吴路17号 64569443 64569441
第三征稽所 曹杨路1040弄1号3楼 62571234 62570880
第四征稽所 会文路50号 56980208 56981184
第五征稽所 曲阳路851弄9号c幢 65539562 65548540
浦东新区征稽所 祖冲之路1530号 58556960 50791533
闵行区征稽所 七莘路1000号 64924513 64986312
南汇区征稽所 沪南公路9845号 58002752 58004228
奉贤区征稽所 南桥路563号 57414438 57412737
金山区征稽所 临仓街521号 57313442 57315142
松江区征稽所 谷阳北路128号 57815624 57815623
青浦区征稽所 青松路134号 59733698 69711473
嘉定区征稽所 北门环城路1566号 59926643 59927297
宝山区征稽所 江杨北路218号 56496066 56496066
崇明 崇明征稽所 南门港湄洲路179号 69690315 69690906
吴淞征稽所 同泰路128号301室 66630361 56847243

If you drive out of town (Shanghai) on the motorways there are cameras recording the licence plate details. If you have committed a traffic offence in Shanghai and you have non Shanghai plates then they make you pay on the spot.

Yes they have systems linking the plates nowadays.

You mean that these cameras record every single plate on the motorways?

honda fit was also one car that had been voted highly by motoring magazines, i had a hard time between the honda fit and the suzuki, but the suzuki oozes sex appeal and it came with many options for a much more affordable price compared with the honda fit. for the money of a honda fit there are also other cars to be considered.
one car that hit the market about 5-6 mth ago is the nissan lavina (not sure of the spelling) that particular model is imported fully built up so the QA/QC should be somewhat better than just a standard vehicle made in china depending on the JV.

the suzuki RRP is around rmb75k depending on the model variant and excluding on-road costs

Hi PUREXTC88,

How did you get a non shanghai license plate? Did it register under your name?

sinned69 wrote:suzuki swift is damn good car in its own right... yes its a compact or subcompact but its very very user friendly... it has heaps of headroom for taller people, compared with some bigger more expensive cars, its loaded with many goodies, it small, nimble and down right quick, its light on the wallet at the petrol pump, easy to maneuver and park, and its environmentally friendly. its also was voted car of the year 2005 and 2006 in a couple of the major motoring magazines

^Glad to hear this.
Will be looking at buying one in the UK, looks great and drives great, will be perfect for nipping in and out of city traffic and the great country B-roads.

http://fifthgear.five.tv/jsp/5gmain.jsp ... ki%20Swift