Thinking Of Buying A Great Wall...

[ARTZ]

so just a quick comparo for anyone interested..

About 18 months ago I buy Mazda BT-50, few months later another guy at work who I suggested should buy a Mazda instead bought a Great Wall ...with LPG conversion the cost price of the great wall was equal to a new Mazda BT-50..fuel economy is equal $ per km.. now keeping in mind, me being a bit of a hoon I do give my ute a hard time, he is an older more mature driver and not a hoon that i know of..Both cars are seviced regularly with oil and filters as required..

Great Wall

has done only 100,000kms ..has needed 4 new tyres and has already needed new brake pads, also at 90,000kms it blew a head gasket which wasnt covered under warranty due to having a gas system fitted, they quoted 4 weeks to fix which he said no to, when he tried to fix it himself despite having a mitsubishi engine not one of 3 different gaskets fit, leaving him off work for some time= more loss of income

BT-50..

I have done 150,000kms now......I havent needed to change anything at all...

Needless to say the poor bloke is wishing he had bought the mazda now...

[hamiltonau]

[ARTZ]

Yeah I thought so, I tried telling the missus but she was more interested in The Block.

So I said don't worry about it, I may as well tell a bunch of people on the internet who don't care..

Tomorrow she will probably complain I spend too much time on here...

[DVS JEZ]

Tomorrow she will probably complain I spend too much time on here...

Story of my life

[turboedsloth]

Thats what you get for being a tightass and buying a bitsa vehicle. Have people coming in all the time at work complaining about the pieces of crap

[hamiltonau]

Story of my life

+1

mine sometimes wants me to come to bed BEFORE i have rechecked all the threads i am posting in for new comments

WTF woman?!

[iseekool]

so just a quick comparo for anyone interested..

About 18 months ago I buy Mazda BT-50, few months later another guy at work who I suggested should buy a Mazda instead bought a Great Wall ...with LPG conversion the cost price of the great wall was equal to a new Mazda BT-50..fuel economy is equal $ per km.. now keeping in mind, me being a bit of a hoon I do give my ute a hard time, he is an older more mature driver and not a hoon that i know of..Both cars are seviced regularly with oil and filters as required..

Great Wall

has done only 100,000kms ..has needed 4 new tyres and has already needed new brake pads, also at 90,000kms it blew a head gasket which wasnt covered under warranty due to having a gas system fitted, they quoted 4 weeks to fix which he said no to, when he tried to fix it himself despite having a mitsubishi engine not one of 3 different gaskets fit, leaving him off work for some time= more loss of income

BT-50..

I have done 150,000kms now......I havent needed to change anything at all...

Needless to say the poor bloke is wishing he had bought the mazda now...

Rather normal wear and tear IMHO - Doesn't matter the brand of vehicle. Unless you run your tires to the belts and pads to the metal....

"if" both vehicles were not on LPG, I'd imagine the Mitsu powerplant will be just as good as the Mazda.

Adding aftermarket LPG to any vehicle not designed for LPG is considered a modification, so obviously it will be running outside the manufacturer's specs.

[ARTZ]

Yes, normal wear and tear is exactly what they would like you to think I imagine.. As long as people are stupid enough to believe that they keep making money..

But, the Bridgestones that come on my mazda are good for 180,000kms..whatever comes on the great wall (Kumhos i think) don't last half that long..as for pads, mine are probably about nearly due for a change but again, they have done 150,000 and are still ok..Im pretty sure he said he was on his 3rd set (not certain), but again they haven't lasted half as long..

as for the LPG, my old b2600 had an aftermarket LPG and did 230,000kms before it needed a new head due to burnt out valves, not a gasket.(my comp test was 45,120 115,0 and it was still hauling 800kg pallets..lol)....which is still a damn site more than this great wall has done..I replaced the head with hardened valves and did a further 250,000kms without issue..Even if he hadnt got the gas he would have spent quite alot more on fuel..making the initial saving on the vehicle pointless..

No, I dont run things to the ground, I service them as needed and not before, its how I make money

I have got 200,000kms out of decent brake pads before (bendix ultimates actually) these were still good enough to pass a RWC when I sold it..

Also got 190,000 out of michelin tyres..but only 60,000 out of a set of nankangs..They were 3 times more expensive though..

At the end of the day, they say you get what you pay for but despite us paying roughly the same money the BT50 has not had a single issue while the GW has had many.. I could gaurentee you my ute would pass a RWC as it sits..Might need front pads, maybe...

[GTR32G]

I would be more worried over its safty in a crash.

Good luck to anyone who has an accident in one may need to buy a new face...

[iseekool]

Yes, normal wear and tear is exactly what they would like you to think I imagine.. As long as people are stupid enough to believe that they keep making money..

But, the Bridgestones that come on my mazda are good for 180,000kms..whatever comes on the great wall (Kumhos i think) don't last half that long..as for pads, mine are probably about nearly due for a change but again, they have done 150,000 and are still ok..Im pretty sure he said he was on his 3rd set (not certain), but again they haven't lasted half as long..

as for the LPG, my old b2600 had an aftermarket LPG and did 230,000kms before it needed a new head due to burnt out valves, not a gasket.(my comp test was 45,120 115,0 and it was still hauling 800kg pallets..lol)....which is still a damn site more than this great wall has done..I replaced the head with hardened valves and did a further 250,000kms without issue..Even if he hadnt got the gas he would have spent quite alot more on fuel..making the initial saving on the vehicle pointless..

No, I dont run things to the ground, I service them as needed and not before, its how I make money

I have got 200,000kms out of decent brake pads before (bendix ultimates actually) these were still good enough to pass a RWC when I sold it..

Also got 190,000 out of michelin tyres..but only 60,000 out of a set of nankangs..They were 3 times more expensive though..

At the end of the day, they say you get what you pay for but despite us paying roughly the same money the BT50 has not had a single issue while the GW has had many.. I could gaurentee you my ute would pass a RWC as it sits..Might need front pads, maybe...

going slightly off topic.

You mustn't be a hoon then. lol. I've never had a tire last longer than 80,000km and I drive like a granny. Brake pads last roughly 60,000km at best. I do around 80%~90% urban driving.

Do you do mainly hwy kms?

[Mayuri Krab]

I would be more worried over its safty in a crash.

Good luck to anyone who has an accident in one may need to buy a new face...

I don't think my R33 would fair much better in comparsion...

[xALmoN]

well there was some guy who crashed his 32R head on, and survived, with a broken leg an arm if i remember correct. so you'll be fine.

[DVS JEZ]

well there was some guy who crashed his 32R head on, and survived, with a broken leg an arm if i remember correct. so you'll be fine.

Aaron is very lucky to be alive.

Lol at the vid. Airbags? Marvelous

[mad082]

Yes, normal wear and tear is exactly what they would like you to think I imagine.. As long as people are stupid enough to believe that they keep making money..

But, the Bridgestones that come on my mazda are good for 180,000kms..whatever comes on the great wall (Kumhos i think) don't last half that long..as for pads, mine are probably about nearly due for a change but again, they have done 150,000 and are still ok..Im pretty sure he said he was on his 3rd set (not certain), but again they haven't lasted half as long..

as for the LPG, my old b2600 had an aftermarket LPG and did 230,000kms before it needed a new head due to burnt out valves, not a gasket.(my comp test was 45,120 115,0 and it was still hauling 800kg pallets..lol)....which is still a damn site more than this great wall has done..I replaced the head with hardened valves and did a further 250,000kms without issue..Even if he hadnt got the gas he would have spent quite alot more on fuel..making the initial saving on the vehicle pointless..

No, I dont run things to the ground, I service them as needed and not before, its how I make money

I have got 200,000kms out of decent brake pads before (bendix ultimates actually) these were still good enough to pass a RWC when I sold it..

Also got 190,000 out of michelin tyres..but only 60,000 out of a set of nankangs..They were 3 times more expensive though..

At the end of the day, they say you get what you pay for but despite us paying roughly the same money the BT50 has not had a single issue while the GW has had many.. I could gaurentee you my ute would pass a RWC as it sits..Might need front pads, maybe...

driving style and type (city or highway) will make the biggest difference to tyre life. drive in the city alot and take corners at speed and you will chew out tyres much faster than someone who does a lot of highway driving and drives like a nanna around town. the missus pulsar is on it's 4th set of front tyres (2nd set of rears) and it's only done 75,000kms, but they have all been around town with the odd trip. also just had to change the front brake pads a week or 2 ago. my commodore on the other hand, i've put 37,000kms on it driving just over 60kms to work each day (125km round trip). it's pretty much all highway driving. i only just replaced the tyres the other day because i hit a big rock on the highway and destroyed one (and a rim). the rear tyres were a bit scrubbed out on the inside edge from it being lowered when i got it, but the fronts (one of which was the ones that got ruined) still had probably 70% tread left (had 5mm left above the wear indicators, new ones have about 7mm above the wear indicators). on the other hand, the rear tyres i had on my 33 were worn out before it needed an oil change.......

of course tyre compound will play a part as well. some are softer than others, in the same way that some will also grip better than others. tyre life often (but not always) comes at the expense of grip, and vice versa. race slick compounds are an exagerated example of this.

as for the head gasket, etc, you can't base your opinion on one example. do enough research on any car and you will find examples of lemons. i'm sure there are BT-50 owners out there who have had plenty of issues and are probably never going to buy one again. of course some cars will have more issues than others.

[BOOZTJUNKEY]

Haven't heard to much bad about the 2006 and onwards bravo and rangers / couriers but from 98-06 the bravo/courier 2.5 turbo diesel has a few problems

They chew glow plugs

Prone to cracking the head

Generally just run a bit too hot

The 2wd box is weak as shit an generally blows 5th gear

And the 4wd blow diffs fairly easily

My 2 c I'm not a fan of the great walls although I've herd good and bad but i wouldn't tell someone not to buy one if they wanted one

[ARTZ]

the tyres you have to remember they are light truck tyres, they are made for carrying loads so they are very strong in the sidewall especially and are nothing like regular car tyres..I am guilty of the occasional wheelspin and I get my thrills taking corners like a maniac..

there is lots of guys at work running a bt50 with nil issues that i know of, the 4wd guys have had a few however...

as for the Great Wall, its a POS and most know that already..just thought I'd affirm it...

[mad082]

and it's also a shite load cheaper than most others on the market, so what does it matter?

[FineLine]

and it's also a shite load cheaper than most others on the market, so what does it matter?

Plenty if reliability is of any concern to you.

[ARTZ]

and it's also a shite load cheaper than most others on the market, so what does it matter?

The whole point of my OP was proof that it is in fact not cheaper in the long run...Ok maybe you save on initial purchase price, but unless you get the gas or diesel (which is more expensive anyway) you are not really saving anything..you are just paying the same price for an inferior vehicle...

A petrol GW is 18k on road...with fuel economy of lets say (being generous) 450km a tank , with tyres and brakes good for 90k

or

A BT50 22k on road with fuel economy of 700km a tank with heaps more torque and tyres and brakes that last twice as long..

you do the math

[Cowboy1600]

Single cab petrol 4x2 with tray - GW - $18k drive away

Single cab t/d 4x2 with tray - BT50 -$28k drive away. Where the hell do you get $22k on road?

Ten grand difference. Do I need to point out the bleeding obvious?

And I knew a guy with a Falcon that did well over 750,000ks with barely a spanner touching it, so therefore all other cars are buckets of shit and you should throw them away and drive a Falcon.

And to compare tyre life is utterly preposterous. For starters the tyres are KHUMO brand not bloody GREAT WALL. Secondly tyre life is probably dictated 80% by driving style. As is brake pad life.

As for the head gasket, it had an aftermarket LPG system on it and you expect it to be warrantied? And then blame the car for your friends incompetence at sourcing the correct parts?

This thread is full of fail, beginning right at the opening post.

Someone delete it before it contaminates the interwebz.

Edited May 21, 2012 by Cowboy1600