the options are suzuki swift,citroen c-2 and VW jetta.

suzuki is localy made,quality's great,cool shape and color,5 speed MT,ABS,airbags,CD player and AC of course.but it's not roomy,engine's too small only 1.3L,worste thing is it's not cheap enogh, 75'000 yuen,about $10'000.that's not a good price for such a car.

citroen has all the advantages above plus one more "cheaper price",68'000yuen which is about $8'500, the engine is bigger, 1.6L,that's enogh for me.but it's too small even less roomy than suzuki which is also i don't like.

VW jetta even has better quality than those 2,powerful engine and the price is not too bad for a VW,76'000yuen,about $10'700.bad part is the design is too old,old fashion shape and inner equipments.the gilrs are not gonna like it. that's terrible.

i can't post big images here for chinese websites only provide valid links for partner sites. u can check the links bellow.

SUZUKI swift
http://car.autohome.com.cn/photo/3543/1/139678.html
http://car.autohome.com.cn/photo/3543/10/147359.html

CITROEN c-2
http://car.autohome.com.cn/photo/2588/13/68270.html
http://car.autohome.com.cn/photo/3363/10/133833.html

VW jetta
http://car.autohome.com.cn/photo/2484/1/76163.html
http://car.autohome.com.cn/photo/1846/10/76169.html

Here's my tip, I've owned a lot of cars (and I used to teach race driving)...

First off I'm from the USA and they don't sell Citroen here and I've have very little exposure to them, so I can't realy comment on them intelligently.

One of the good things to keep in mind is that the Suzuki is locally made in your area. The reason this is good is because you'll have a lot of available mechanics to choose from should it ever need work, the parts will be inexpensive, and labor will likely be inexpensive as well. Suzuki makes a good, solid, reliable, get-around-town little car and it's good on fuel, probably better than the other two. That little Swift is kind of sporty as well. I wouldn't worry too much about the small engine if all you're doing is driving around town. You're not racing the car afterall...

The VW... expensive parts, expensive labor, even the brakes and tires are expensive to replace. It's not terrific on fuel economy (compared to the Swift) either. The pro's of the VW though is that it is VERY responsive, well built, and comfortable. I'm a gal, and personally I like the way the Jetta looks. Always have. Avoid any Jettas with too many miles on them too... (ask me about my Audi that blew up 2 weeks ago, it's more or less the same car as teh Jetta.)

So yep, that means if I were you, looking to make a smart buy, the best value, best long term mainenance costs, go with the Suzuki.

wow,this is faster and better than i expected.i did not expect a race teacher.thanks a lot for your advices.

i was almost thinking the same way about suzuki. for it's loacly produced,the parts labor and even guarantee mile is longer.additionally the buyers can also have discount on the tax and insurance for the buying rises local econemy.i think that will be a smart choice.

VW jetta also made in china,parts and labor is not quite expensive but compare to suzuki it's not cheap.well,i'll think about it.

thanx for replying.i'm still waiting for the other's opinions.

What are you going for? A family vechile (oh god my spwelling) or something for road trips.

If its just here and there but your going to put alot of use on it I'd go for the Suzuki because as MMW said, its going to be easy to keep in shape and its already well built with a decent engine..

btw how expensive is fuel in your parts?

alright man. this what i thing. ive also owned a few cars in my days. i presonaly think that you should go with the VW jetta. heres my reason. the older body style of the car is not a bad thing at all. in fact you can do a lot with the older body style to make it look so clean, and vary nice. plus the car gets great gas. its got decent power. vary reliable car. and you know space in the car wont really be a problem. they are going to be a little harder to get repaired but then again the jetta is a reliable car. just keep on regular maintainence and it really shouldnt be a problem. so i hope this helps you. and not trying to be rude but repairs, and parts are not to terribly expensive. the cars fairly common.

No problem legend-K, my pleasure.

I love cars in general, just 2 weeks ago I had to buy a new car. I thought long and hard about that decision as well. I had an Audi A4 (which is basically the same car as the VW Passat 1.8T) and I had nothing but trouble with it over the 4 years I owned it. Now, I will say... as far as driving goes, Audi/VW for the price, can't be beat, they handle great, they're pretty good on fuel, they look nice, but maintenance on them is crazy expensive here in teh US, I'm assuming the same would be true for you. Mine needed front bushings and I chose to sell it rather than fix it. The engine also blew up at 60K miles. Not saying all of them will be like that, some may not... but no matter what, the repairs and parts are spendy. Also, to keep those VW/Audi's in tip top condition, you have to run Premium expensive gas in them.

I'm not much of a Japanese car fan either (except Mazda's who make a stellar product in my opinion) but Suzuki has very good warentees, inexpensive parts and labor and you can put tires on them for pretty darn cheap. Brake jobs are simple, quick and inexpensive as well.

Because I had to replace my poor Audi, I did buy an American car for all the reasons I mentioned above (I bought a Ford Mustang GT) -- bascially any half-wit mechanic (including me) can work on them for cheap, the parts are cheap, and it looks sharp and has power, which is something I personally like, but it's not required really because I never drive more than 8 miles a day. Hence the reason I could buy a 4.6 liter V8 and not have it drain my wallet in fuel costs.

Where you are, Suzuki is a great choice for all the same reasons.. warrenty, fuel, brakes, tires and maintenance costs will be low-ish. And I was surprised... that little Suzuki is sporty looking! I haven't seen that body style here yet (we might have it here and I just haven't been paying attention).

Good luck! I hope you find the car that's just right for you!

thank InHuman and loathed muskrat.

in my city gas costs about $0.75/liter,almost 3 bugs per galon, really not cheap for our salary. however there's no big differenc btw 1.3L and 1.6L. i used to drive jetta for mouthes that was very impressive, i love the power and good contral.like loathed muskrat said jetta is absolutely a RELIABLE car,that's true.

new car will be basicaly for family use. my current car is also a suzuki. the quality is great but it's too tiny.i also like to drive for a weekend tour with my parents or friends,the road condition is ok mainly hi ways,so swift will be fine with the road which means i don't really need a jetta to deal with the bad road.but suzuki is a little expensive it doesn't make me feel like a smart buying.

well i'm still thinking but your opinions help a lot.thanx.

special thanx for MMW.proffessional sugestions from expert that's just what i need.

in my place suzuki has all those advantages that u mentioned above,and so does jetta.cause jetta is also made in china,not in my city but this model is very pop all over my country.parts,labor,regular maintenance and repaires also cheap,well might be a bit exp than suzuki but not that much which likely threat my wallet.

and your comments about suzuki are so right, cheap, simple but reliable as well.a regular maintenance for swift costs only $17,even in china that's very inexpensive.

swift is not made in US,i think it's for UK and Asian market for it's not roomy enogh for americans. well i thinks i will make a choice btw suzuki and jetta. i'll post my new cars pic here at the very first moment.thanx a lot.

I would actually go for the vehicle that is the safest.

I'm happy to say I've just bought my very first car, a holden Nova 1989 awesome first car, not sure if theyre available in Japan or wherever you are mate, but since you're looking for a reliable around-town car and weekend trips I suggest go for the suzuki. I'm sure you won't be dissapointed.

two words,
subaru outback

I have 1 and i think it's the best car ever,30 mpg,140mph top speed,reliable,5 star safety,all wheel drive,good prices and extermly nice interiors.(not the one in my avatar,the one in my profile pic)

they also have impreza,the only difference from outback is room.impys are only 16000 and are slightly faster.

subaru website

I don't recommend the jetta. Take one of the other, or Honda Civic, type r. Sportive, roomy, and the ladies will fly on it.

thanx for all the advices and recommendations.i think i'll pick up suzuki swift unless VW could give a brand new jetta model soon.among three of them swift is the newest tech.

we don't have subaru manufactured in china. considering the repairs and parts cost to get a localy made car would always be a smart choice. in my city there are suzuki,ford,mazda and volvo.suzuki is the only auto maker which produce inexpensive cars.

sorry,didn't know you were in china.

gl with your new ride.

I live in the UK, i used to have a suzuki vitara fat boy, it was a cool ride and very reliable. If this helps you then great, i own a galaxy at present, but hope to change soon for the c4 grand picasa.
Like others have said stay with reliabilty and cost and you can't go to wrong, unless money is no object of course

Personally? Mazda is my favorite of the ones you mentioned above. My competition race cars were Mazda Rx7's (Rx8 is the new model) But I'd have to be crazy to recommend a rotary engine car to anyone just looking for a nice little daily driver--reliable they are not, or not within reason. Mazda's do tend to be quite a bit more expensive than the Suzuki's as well. But one thing Mazda always nails is their styling. Their little Miata's, 626's and Protege's are fantastic looking little cars for a relatively small price. But if you have an initial purchase budget, Mazda's are initially going to be more expensive, but they ARE very mechanically sound and reliable (sans the Rx8, avoid it--i love it, but avoid it. LOL).

I'm still voting Suzuki for ya, unless you want to lay out the price of a Mazda, which you probably don't.

Are you very handy with a wrench ?

Get yourself an old air cooled VW

Cons : You will be doing occasional maintainence
Pros : You can do most things yourself. Adjustings valves, timing, tune ups. The carbs can be somewhat touchy though.

But good luck. It's nice to see that you're research ahead of time and not just jumping into your purchase.

* Has a Miata, loves it to bits *