[quote=“theserbian”]Looking into buying a car in Taiwan, I searched the forum and found some good tips but wanted to see if anyone had any information that one should know but may not be obvious.
I am looking into a smaller vehicle, mostly for price and fuel economy reasons. My price goal is around 150,000. I have an ARC and International Drivers Permit from the US. I am considering something like a 2001 March with 1.3L engine, or maybe a Tercel with 1.5L engine.
- Should I buy from private party or a lot?
[quote]2. Is there a need to pay the sales price when transfering ownership[/quote]?
3. Do I always need to have government safety inspection?
4. What is the process on transfering ownership and registration?
5. Will I need to have it reregistered or can I just transfer existing registration?
6. Any recommendations?
7. What is the insurance like?
8. I am assuming I can buy full coverage insurance and registration for about NT$30,000 per year, is this a reasonable assumption?
I know this is a lot of questions, but any information would be appreciated.
Mel[/quote]
How about a hatchback Civic as another option? ocar.com.tw/index/cardetail/id/20457
Or per haps one of these: ocar.com.tw/index/cardetail/id/16157 Mazda Isamu
You can get a very nice Nissan March for your budget, or even a few tens of thousands cheaper. The March is an aged small car model here in Taiwan as it has been outdated by many other hatchback rivals such as the Toyota Yaris, Suzuki Solio (My favorite for versatility for price) Suzuki Swift (best value for money new hatch), Suzuki SX4, VW Lupo, VW Polo and perhaps even more. Therefore the residuals expected on a March should be fairly low. This makes the car good value for money second hand especially as it must be one of the cheapest cars to maintain. There is rumor of the present model March finally being replaced perhaps this year, but nothing is confirmed yet.
I like the March for interior space and usability although it does certainly look its age now and is also not as safe or fuel efficient as many newer cars on the block, but for the slight downsides regarding style and fuel economy compared to others it makes up in price as it is presently far cheaper to purchase second hand as any other models fore mentioned. Another close comparison for price is the Suzuki Solio however, which is going to be more expensive, but bargaining may bring it closer to home and considering the Solio is a couple of inches shorter than a March it is overall a more versatile space as well as being more modern.
Actually that reminds me. I haven’t yet taken my old ad for my old one down.
HERE take a look for an idea. It’s sold now though, so I’ll take the video down soonish.
Insurance is cheap in Taiwan and for a March or Solio for one year it should be around 3,000nt for third party insurance, but that only covers the third person and not their vehicle. I recommend paying another couple of thousand NT to cover third party property as well as person. Of course, that money doesn’t cover yourself either and you will have to pay another few thousand for that too, unless your present health insurance policy covers you, in which case you will perhaps not require any additional insurance.
Your yearly tax on a small engine such as these will be over 10,000NT per year, but I lost the website link for full details. I have printed them on some page in here before though, so do a search perhaps.
You can purchase used cars from owners or garages, but be sure to check the car properly for road worthiness as many if not nearly all vehicles used will have some fault or another and some are even stolen or chopped and shut. Make sure engine and chassis numbers match too and if you can’t do this, then you can always ask me to check it out for you if you are in the Taipei area.
Check out taiwanmotorfind.com for details.
Government safety inspections come after the fifth year of the car’s production date. Cars that aren’t yet five years old do not have to be inspected (a most stupid rule indeed). The safety inspection comprises of a simple look over and a brakes check which most cars will pass, even those that aren’t at all fit to drive. Taiwan has next to no safety standards so again be sure to check for yourself as next to nobody will do it automatically, even the garages selling them.
Yes.
You will be required to first pay a small deposit to show you have interest in the vehicle. The salesperson will then take the car to be tested and have the license transfered to your name before collecting the remaining amount of the price from you
