Moving to Chengdu, Need a Car and Apt.

[muell]

Can I ask why you want to buy a car in the first place?

I guess you are probably American and I’ve heard it’s hard to get around in the US if you dont have a car. However it’s a totally different story here. Its actually much more hassle to get around WITH a car in Chengdu.

The most carefree way to get around is by far taxis, which like Charlie already mentioned are ridiculously cheap here in Chengdu. For 1-3$US you can get to most places in the city and you got your own private chouffeur, what else do you want? Coolest way and sometimes faster too are bikes, but I understand thats not for everyone or all weather.

Now lets look at buying a car: You’ve already seen the prices. Since you dont speak Chinese (I assume) buying one will be the first hurdle: Signing the contract,  all the formalities… you always have to get someone to go with you every time you interact with the dealer, garage, police. Driving itself is not as crazy as many people might think (I like driving in China, but then again that depends on yourself), the traffic jams though, especially during rush hour are no joke; Seriously: If you road rage easily like me, it’s not for you! Then there’s parking of course, though to be fair for a mega city like Chengdu it could be worse (and certainly will be soon).

Renting a car on the other hand is, for now, pretty cheap and straight forward (zuche.com or avis.cn – check them out, both good). So why not come over here first, get a Chinese license after some time, and if you ever feel like you have to drive or your legs are gonna fall off, rent a car and do some trips around Sichuan, which I can garantee you’ll enjoy a lot more than driving in this hell-hole of a city –/car rant over. sorry but it had to be said

[Brian]

Having a car is great if you want to get off the beaten path in China (and if you stay here very long, you’ll want to). One way is to take a bus and then hire a driver in nearby town, but the negotiating/haggling/death-wish-driving has been comical sometimes.

muell is right about renting – fair prices and it eliminates a lot of headaches. But it’s not super cheap.

As far as owning a car goes, the used car market is great for sellers, bad for buyers. Decent new cars  are quite pricey, except for the (old style) Jetta, which is still made here. Someday I’ll write up my experiences at owning a car here, but for now I’ll just say that Chengdu DOES have smog testing for older cars, and its kinda a big deal.

[Henry78]

Hey guys,

Will take your advices.. Actually I just love driving for no particular reason but partly also for the convenience when go for major grocery shopping. I just love to buy stuffs when I can still afford to.

Ya Brian its a great idea to share ur driving experience here from the process of buying/owning/selling one to cost of maintaining it eg. mechanics reliability/cost etc.. that will help many people to overcome the fear or be more fearful of owning a car in China.

thanks again 🙂

[Rainbow]

Hi Henry, check this apartment to see if you like?
http://irainbowconcept.com/rainbow-fair/

its a big apartment with many rooms in it, most roomate are single Chinese youth.

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[Henry78]

Thanks rainbow for the offer. Actually I prefer to stay alone. I got a bit of an OCD (obcessive compulsive disorder) and need things arranged to my liking and hate it when my stuff is being tempered with or when my food goes missing unless its taken by my immediate family members (I do give exception in some cases if the person is a hot chick). So basically its difficult for me to live with others and vice versa 🙂 Rather make friends than enemy especially in a totally new place.

[Rainbow]

I understand! Good luck in Chengdu ;-D

[Kim Duistermaat]

I’ve been driving in Cairo and in Chengdu and I can tell you that driving in Chengdu is muuuuucch more civilized and organized than in Egypt. Still, the chances of getting involved in an accident are bigger than in the states or Europe, and the consequenses of causing a lethal accident here are rather unpleasant I would think. Also, driving is only really practical when you are going out of town, over the weekends, so we are renting a car only when we need one. In town, the metro, bus, taxi’s, scooters and bicycles are the best way to get around (but don’t let the kids ride their bikes on the street). Getting the Chinese driving license is a chapter in itself (there are threads on this forum and elsewhere), but if your residence permit is from Chengdu you should be able to do that without too much hassle.
Have fun in Chengdu!

[Author]

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