Seriously, car is only useful on the weekend, even that, you can still take public transportation around the tourist point.
If you have a garage here in Taipei then you are ready to go. Just take public transportation during the week and use your car for the weekend.
I was there for a year w/out a car and I did just fine! But I did miss my car… 
What kind of mid to large SUV sport utilities are popular?
[quote=“MiakaW”]Seriously, car is only useful on the weekend, even that, you can still take public transportation around the tourist point.
If you have a garage here in Taipei then you are ready to go. Just take public transportation during the week and use your car for the weekend.[/quote]
A car is also a necessity when your job frequently takes you outside the Taipei metro area. Public transit is not as developed outside Taipei, and taxis a lot more scarce (you have to call for one on the phone).
Good point on the parking too. If you are bringing something nice or special, better have a secure indoor or underground space for it before it arrives.
The most popular mid size SUV would be the X-Trail, simply because it’s affordable, by virtue of being Taiwanese assembled. For the more expensive imports, the Lexus RX330 is pretty popular. Is the Infiniti FX35 considered mid-size?
[quote=“Ben”][quote=“MiakaW”]Seriously, car is only useful on the weekend, even that, you can still take public transportation around the tourist point.
If you have a garage here in Taipei then you are ready to go. Just take public transportation during the week and use your car for the weekend.[/quote]
A car is also a necessity when your job frequently takes you outside the Taipei metro area. Public transit is not as developed outside Taipei, and taxis a lot more scarce (you have to call for one on the phone).[/quote]
That I must agree. When I was working in Taipei County, a small town about 30 miles away from Dan Shui, I have to borrow my aunt’s car and drive to work everyday and it was def. a pain!!! The commute is about 1 + hours and there will be no way for me to take the bus / MRT because it will just take forever! ! !
But I guess it depends on the OP why and what he really needs the car for.
An s2000 would totally look kewl here, a friend of mine had one and frankly it was a bit too small except for everyday use and if its your sole car its probably not an option as its not very spacious and the biggest issue is the air pollution here.
I am not sure where U R from, but the air quality in Taipei is significantly worse than what U would find back “home” (an western country) so U can pretty much safely rule out any convertible, best to get something that has good A/C with filtered air if possible.
If you were living outside of Taipei I would totally go the s2000 route, otherwise i think the sedans with the large displacement engines is the best bang for the buck with resale and luxuries.
how expensive is it to maintain a pegeout 205 here… the old ones, had one in Copenhagen, and loved it.
[quote=“Mr He”]how expensive is it to maintain a pegeout 205 here… the old ones, had one in Copenhagen, and loved it.[/quote]Not expensive at all, the scrapyards are full of them 
dude, take ur rant somewhere else.
It’ll fit in. There’s a good number of them on the roads as they sell them here. One thing’s for sure – with a motor that ugly, he won’t even need to lock it! 
dude, take your rant somewhere else.[/quote]
There are rants and then there are rants with a point. I think the OP has gotten the idea, partly from my rants, and partly from the contribution that my rants encouraged that: 1) Air pollution is a problem here. 2) Traffic is a problem here. 2) Parking is a expensive and a hassle. 3) Inside Taipei the public transit is good. 4) If you must have a car a smaller one is better than a larger one.
I’d call that productive.
All comment, including rants with a point, have added to the overall picture.
The purpose for car: Drive to/from work which will not be far since living/working both in town; running around nights and weekends with friends, the more the merrier; dating; listening to my own music when I want; carrying my toys around.
Tango: No need for a small call. I have a wide car and I can squeeze down alomost every alley that I ever need to go down in Taipei or other cities. There is supposed to be room for the fire trucks and ambulances on the back alleys so as a rule there is supposed to be room. The difference between a fat car and skinny one usually isn’t more than 20 cm. With that said, I still wouldn’t go for a Hummer or other wide body SUVs. Go for the smaller ones. You were on the right track when you said BMW X5, that is one of the more narrow European ones.
Regards,
Hobart
Thanks Hobart. I’ll skip the hummer I think. But a good SUV is more my style so now have to narrow it down.
If it’s an SUV you want, get a Suzuki Jimny.
homepage.mac.com/antims/PhotoAlbum1.html
Buy it locally in Taiwan, rather than importing it - much cheaper, and you’ll have the warranty. Not sure where you are coming from, but these are not sold in the States (they used to be, under the name Suzuki Samurai).
off-road.com/suzuki/samurai.htm
Why the Jimny? It’s 4WD, but small - easy for parking, easy on gas, easy on the environment. And it’s cool.
cheers,
DB
[quote=“tango42”]Thanks Hobart. I’ll skip the hummer I think. But a good SUV is more my style so now have to narrow it down.[/quote] There will be a new ML next year, but I think you don’t want to wait that long. As I said there will also be a new X5. Maybe an X5 4.8 as they are rare here. The hybrid Lexus 400H might be a good choice as it will be in very short supply for years to come with most of the stock going to USA, Japan and Europe. If you could bring over one of the first ones, then you would be set for about 2 to 3 years with a car in HOT demand in Taiwan. Taiwan people love Lexus about as much as Benz and BMW. Another choice might be the recently released Volvo XC90 V8. I saw that Volvos use to lose their value quick in Taiwan, unlike the USA, but the XC90 has been holding its value very well in the resale market here in Taiwan. I think the new V8 version might be a good choice as they will be rare in Taiwan for a couple of years and it just hit the market. By the way, a hummer is rare here and it would be a real head turner. I have seen several though. Mostly in Tien Mu. It would be tight on quite a few alleys, but still not a bad choice in terms of residual value and ease of resale. Also in Taiwan, the rule of right of way is only about who is bigger and nothing else! Whatever car you get, make sure it is a safe one with air bags and a strong chassis. Violent crime is very very low in Taiwan unlike the USA, but the only dangerous thing here are the roads. Not that bad, but it makes good sense to be a vehicle with a high safety rating.
Imported cars are almost exactly double the price due to the IMPOSSIBLE to avoid import taxes. However they do tax the vehicles slightly differently for their engine size. That is why you will see cars that you would never see in the US like an SLK200 or an E200 or a BMW318. I think in the US the Benz’s start with the 230 engine size and sometimes the 350. For example I think the new SLK, the smallest engine size is the SLK350 in the USA. By the way, gas costs a little more than the USA, but not much more. I think it works out to about US$2.50 per gallon, so maybe a gas guzzler is not a good idea. The gas station does give you gifts though like water and tissue paper or toilet cleaners and with your points you can even choose a vibrator for your girlfriend at one of the stations I went to recently.
Finally, I really think you can make money importing a car with no taxes. You are really lucky. Oh yea another one to consider is the Porsche Cayenne. That is the cream of the crop of SUVs or the new Land Rover that just became available. I would offer to buy it off of you in a couple of years, but I am sure you want make a nice profit and sell to the highest bidder. If you want to make some quick bucks, I will also buy it as soon as it arrives, then just get a Suzuki or take a taxi. OK?
To be serious for a millisecond, I’d probably go for a VW Golf - small and tough, and not completely unpleasant to drive. Don’t forget whatever you bring in needs to be safe - from what I can see the accident rate is quite high here.
You appear to be concerned with resale value. You’ve got to consider a medium-sized BMW or Merc. But if I were buying the perfect car for here I’d get a Toyota Corona.
What about a Land Rover? They’re hilariously expensive here.
Subaru Forester 2.0XT if buying here, 2.5XT if importing from the US 
I’ve always fancied the turbo-charged version of the Forester. But they use those horrible 4-cylinder engines.
[quote=“hexuan”]I’ve always fancied the turbo-charged version of the Forester. But they use those horrible 4-cylinder engines.[/quote]The Subie boxer is horrible? :fume: 
← loves his boxer
Thanks Hobart.
Not sure about the Lexus 400H hybrid. Will it really be popular in Taiwan? It releases here in US 15 April. Maybe a regular Lexus RX SUV is the way to go.
Test drove the X5 the other day. It rides terrible. Fast and quick yes, but rides like a brick. Gas pedal is very responsive meanign difficult to smoothly start from dead stop. My friend bought a new one last year and sold it again within a month.
Porche Cayenne does not appeal to me and I have seen the new ones sitting on the side of the road waiting for a tow truck. I would go 911 if buying a porche.
Volvo is not extremely popular here. It mostly a niche market. Nice looking and extremely safe. Not many extras.
Land Rover also a niche market. I may give it a test drive.
A new crossover here the looks and rides well is the Chrysler Pacifica. Are they in Taiwan?
What else would you be interesting in picking up at a good price?