I’ll be going to live in Taiwan next year. Actually, I am living in Barcelona (spain), and I have a Smart Roadster Car (the Black/grey one on the front in the photo below)
I thought about getting it to Taiwan with me, i checked the customs procedure but I don’t know exactly how is customs going to calculate the cost of my car, and how much they’ll be charging me.
This car was made in 2003, and Smart does not produce them anymore. It’s very difficult to find one in Europe, so i guess it’s virtually impossible in Taiwan.
Besides, one thing troubles me: The technical assistance. The service manual is the same for Smart and Mercedes, so an official MB place should be able to repair it in case I needed to fix something. But i’m not very sure about that.
If i understand what i’ve been reading about the subject, They charge you depending on the cc of the engine, not the horsepower… If that’s true, my 699cc 105HP engine has its advantages… But i’d like to be sure about it
Problem with this cars is, they’re addictive. You CAN’T live without them once you’ve driven them in a curvy road…
You could bring yours, but that will cost a kidney. When you get here you will find the level of service quite shocking and you’ll probably wish you hadn’t bothered, besides most of the Smarts I see look like dodgem cars by the way they have been scratched and bashed all over. Are you sure you want to bring your nice car to Taiwan? Its just like sending your prize mare to a knackers yard for a fresh grazing spot.
I would suggest you come up with a different plan. Besides they don’t make those any more, so spares will become more difficult to get a hold of on short notice, especially on this island.
Thing is, I have a driver’s license from Spain. In my country, I can drive both cars and motorbikes up to 125cc. I see that in Taiwan, with a car license you can only drive cars and scooters up to 50cc.
So, would you recommend:
Try to buy a car in Taiwan (my gf says the cars in Taiwan are very expensive to buy and mantain)
Buy a tiny scooter (I don’t like them very much)
Apply for a heavy motorbike license and try to buy one (thing is, i couldn’t get one in my city because there are too many bikes and exams are f*cking difficult… they turned me down three times)
I like small, agile cabrio cars (smart F2, smart roadster, mini, toyota mr5…). In bikes, I like cruiser, road and custom bikes… but i’m afraid either that kind of cars or bikes are too expensive in Taiwan.
Thing is, I have a driver’s license from Spain. In my country, I can drive both cars and motorbikes up to 125cc. I see that in Taiwan, with a car license you can only drive cars and scooters up to 50cc.
So, would you recommend:
Try to buy a car in Taiwan (my gf says the cars in Taiwan are very expensive to buy and mantain)
Buy a tiny scooter (I don’t like them very much)
Apply for a heavy motorbike license and try to buy one (thing is, i couldn’t get one in my city because there are too many bikes and exams are f*cking difficult… they turned me down three times)
I like small, agile cabrio cars (smart F2, smart roadster, mini, toyota mr5…). In bikes, I like cruiser, road and custom bikes… but I’m afraid either that kind of cars or bikes are too expensive in Taiwan.[/quote]
Without knowing your budget its a bit difficult to answer in regards to what’s expensive and what’s not. I would argue that new cars are very cheap in Taiwan and cars which are in such poor condition that they shouldn’t be on the road are very expensive. Cars here are almost impossible to fail in a government inspection and so even in very poor condition they still remain in the market. Such cars in most developed countries would be scrapped long before that stage of disrepair.
For around 150,000NT you could find a reasonable car in an acceptable state of repair. The most costly thing in Taiwan is not the car but the parking. Parking spaces in Taipei city cost from 4,000~6,000NT per month for an underground personal space, so factor that into your cost. Insurance is relatively cheap though and tax on a small car should cost around 15,000NT per year, so that’s not much either.
Small cars are advantageous here, but finding a nippy and small performance car will certainly be more tricky than a typical run of the mill Japanese family saloon or SUV. I would wait until you get here and experience some of the driving standards for yourself before you make your mind up about purchasing or even setting yourself on the road. Its hairy.
Stay away from European brands if you wish to drive practically as they are expensive to repair, parts are not as easy to come by, mechanics don’t always know what to do with them and they are overpriced because of distance and import charges.
I would recommend the Mazda Miata, Honda S2000 or Toyota MR2 for your consideration.
If you need more information on specific vehicles or purchasing when you arrive you can always drop me a line and I’ll try to help if I can.
Thanks a lot for your comments! Well, I like european cars (mainly because they spend little gas and have a nice performance), but some japanese cars should come into that class, too.
I’ll follow your advice and wait to be there. Anyways, i’ll be in Taiwan once or twice before settling, so i’ll be able to check cars there (and their prices).
Parking cost doesn’t seem expensive to me… I’m paying 110 euro each month for parking my car in my city now (that would be around 5000 NT$, if i’m not mistaken). That cost only lets me enter the parking lot for free, and pick an empty space, i don’t have a personal parking place. And this is one of the cheapest monthly parking fees in Barcelona, so I think that the cost would be similar. About insurance and taxes, i’m now paying around 450 euro (20700 NT$). Maybe people coming for other countries find it expensive, I think that’s OK.
What about that 1000cc regulation saying cars below it cannot go on the Highways. Is this still valid? Just thought about it when I read this Smart has below it.
That would be a huge B.S. I’ve driven my roadster at 160 kph in Europe highways. 105 HP should be enough to enter any highway.
Anyways, considering the multiple advices from the nice people here, i’ve decided to wait until i go to Taiwan and then decide. I think my mum will appreciate if i leave my roadster to her
When you get to Taiwan you will undoubtedly notice the huge number of 800cc micro farm trucks which make about 50hp, are loaded down with twice the amount of stuff the manufacturer sets as the load limit, and are driven by knuckle-dragging inbreds stoned on betelnut and Whisbey. The govt. wasn’t thinking about your Smart roadster when they made that law… just the rather more common kind of 800cc 2-seater.
This is Taiwan. Badly-written half thought-out laws, random enforcement, poorly trained and overly-excitable drivers. Think southern Italy, and then multiply by at least two. Don’t bring any kind of prized possession here, certainly not a car that you love. It will only end in tears.
Rant : They Never Ever think… They write laws, plucked from the trees, debate over them for a decaded and when they come in effect, they all are already outdated…
Guess my ARC won’t be renewed now
As for your Smart, leave it in Spain to drive on the Ramblas. Getting it here is one thing,keeping it here in good condition another.
Yeah, i’ll probably leave it here. As for driving in the Ramblas, it’s forbidden. They don’t want some aspirin-snorter local to run over a couple of tourists… Now it’s only taxis, buses and neighbours. If you enter the Ramblas with your car, the police is waiting you on the other side… And the cameras have gotten you from so many angles you can have a photobook of your car!
Where you plan on living when you’re here? If it’s anywhere in or around Taipei city, Taichung city, Kaohsiung city, stay the hell away from buying a car or bringing a car here.
There is such a wealth of buses, subways/elevated, trains, plus you can walk a block or two from and to any of these things, plus worst case you can take a NT$100 taxi anywhere else, and worst worst case you buy a scooter for US$1000-3000 depending on age and size and brave it.
Unless you’re living in a small city or you need to daily commute more than 10k and outside of normal traffic areas, you will not be well-served by having a car here, the traffic’s a bitch, the drivers are inconsiderate, negligent, and/or spiteful, parking’s a bear, and anything but basic repairs aint cheap.
[quote=“TwoTongues”]Where you plan on living when you’re here? If it’s anywhere in or around Taipei city, Taichung city, Kaohsiung city, stay the hell away from buying a car or bringing a car here.
There is such a wealth of buses, subways/elevated, trains, plus you can walk a block or two from and to any of these things, plus worst case you can take a NT$100 taxi anywhere else, and worst worst case you buy a scooter for US$1000-3000 depending on age and size and brave it.[/quote]
Taipei and Kaohsiung have good public transport inside the urban sprawl, but Taichung? Forget it. No subway, scant few bus routes. A taxi from downtown to the nearest hot spring or hiking trail at the foot of the first hill will cost you NT$400~500. Taichung is far, far behind the two largest cities as far as civic amenities, standard of living, public transportation and crime are concerned.
I would say that if you live in Taipei or any other major city then there’s even more need for a vehicle just so that you can get out and fetch some sanity for yourself once in a while. Just like not having a scooter, I can’t imagine not having a car and that’s not just because I have achild who needs some safety, but also for the added once in a while drive to somewhere that a motorcycle can’t venture comfortably. I have always called cars mobile air-conditioning units to some people who can’t understand the need for one. Walking’s for smelly people in my book.
I’ve stayed in Taichung a few times no longer than a week apiece, and I never had any problem getting around by either bus or taxi or walking, but then again I was in the city the whole time. I’d also say that the scooter in Taichung is safer than in Taipei. But I’ve never lived there for an extended time or outside the city, so I’ll defer to those with the experience.
As for the whole “getting away from it” need for a car, you can rent a clean newer car for about US$50 a day for those few times you need to do it, or you can get out in one of 100 trains all around the island for a pittance, or you can grab a bus out of town.
If you are anything but a car fanatic or you MUST have a car for psychological reasons, or you live way out in the sticks, I just can’t see it. Hell I’m A-merkin, I’ve always had my cars since 15, if anyone should want a car it’s me, and I’m tellin’ ya, it’s been a pleasure the past few years not having or needing or very much wanting one.
Ignore Redwagon’s comments about Taichung, I think it’s just his time of the month.
Although I must say that anyone who lives in Taichung and uses public transport for any extended period is made of strong stuff. That’s fine by me because I like driving and Taichung is one of the better places in Taiwan to own a car (big roads, easy parking, more houses with decent sized garages). But unless you live in one of a handful of areas the public transport system is useless.
If you live in those certain areas and only want to visit certain other areas then the bus system can be okay. For example on Li-Ming road they have upgraded some of the busier stops with electronic signs that show how long you have to wait which is a nice touch.
But I think this is all besides the point because our OP is obviously into cars and likes to drive, not necessarily because he has to.
[quote=“llary”]Ignore Redwagon’s comments about Taichung, I think it’s just his time of the month.
Although I must say that anyone who lives in Taichung and uses public transport for any extended period is made of strong stuff. That’s fine by me because I like driving and Taichung is one of the better places in Taiwan to own a car (big roads, easy parking, more houses with decent sized garages). But unless you live in one of a handful of areas the public transport system is useless.
If you live in those certain areas and only want to visit certain other areas then the bus system can be okay. For example on Li-Ming road they have upgraded some of the busier stops with electronic signs that show how long you have to wait which is a nice touch.
But I think this is all besides the point because our OP is obviously into cars and likes to drive, not necessarily because he has to.[/quote]
Easy parking…yeah sure, if you own a POS and don’t mind the dings it will surely get…ahem!..what about the front and rear bumpers on the wagon that were in pristine order when it went over to you?..what do they look like today? …and that self made cheat line on the right side of… …it ain’t rosier here for parking than any other place on this island…no matter how hard I try to park as far as possible from other cars in a lot, I’ll always come back to find another car next to mine (and no other car in the spaces around)…I believe the locals think that having another car next to yours in a parking is to act as a door stop!..just open it and let it go 'till it stops on the other guy’s door or fender…nice and convenient!
…and that self made cheat line on the right side of…