MG 3 - why so cheap?

So I thought I wanted to replace our 2005 Nissan Note with a 2017 /18 version for the same. Then someone pointed me at the MG3 - and now I have a partner who wants to buy a new car! For under $20k its hard to argue with . We drove it and liked it , we lose a bit of load carrying space, and I'd have to get used to using a key to start a car but its pretty nippy going up Ngauranga Gorge. It was kinda retro and cool hearing it change gear. Having all the electronics in English rather than Japanese is quite nice too.

It seems to good to be true $1990+ORC 5 year, unlimited km warranty. What on earth am I missing? I know it uses more fuel than the new Note - but probably not more than our old Note!

I guess it’s priced low in an attempt to gain traction in our market where Chinese-built cars are viewed with a fair deal of skepticism.

I’d be skeptical too - 5 yr unlimited warranty? That’s good in NZ I think?

missing a 0

I too would be very hesitant to buy a Chinese car, i think the likely low long term resale value, would destroy any initial savings choosing it.
Found this item - they do not seem too bad for reliability(mg3).
https://www.osv.ltd.uk/are-mg-reliable/#:~:text=This%20is%20backed%20up%20by,it%20comes%20to%20MG's%20dependability.

You get what you pay for. I wouldnt be buying one until they've been on the market for a few years and theres a clearer picture on depreciation and likely problems. There will be corners cut where there shouldnt be.
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One of the reasons it's cheap is it's effectively ten years old. The current model was released in 2011. It's had two facelifts, but is still the same car under the skin.

Here's a review of the current model:
https://www.caradvice.com.au/731365/2019-mg-3-review/ Owner reviews are mixed, which indicates quality control might not be too good: https://www.productreview.com.au/listings/mg3

Ahem, the MG3 is a British car Sir, yeah I know MG are owned by the Chinese maker SAIC which is why they are so competitively priced. But MG always had quality issues, you don't buy them for that, you buy them for the untouchable British car experience. The MG3 looks to be inspired by the Suzuki Swift, the Chinese trying to do a bit of Western styling.

‘ it’s getting better all the time’ as another famous English group said. Getting good reviews in Aussie now as value for money whilst still being reasonably well made. Sales growing big time https://www.whichcar.com.au/car-news/mg-2020-sales-boom

As for depreciation yes it will be higher as percentage but probably not in dollars lost.

SAIC owns the MG brand. They are the biggest Chinese automaker, and something like 6th biggest in the world. As with many Chinese products there pricing is aggressive. I would suspect they may be pricing especially low trying to move more volume via the MG brand, and get mainstream acceptance of it in foreign markets.

Regarding the MG 3 model, there is an aussie review here:

https://www.carsguide.com.au/car-reviews/mg3-79788

Note that the car was heaverly refreshed in 2018 and currently doesn't have an ANCAP crash rating.

The 2nd generation MG 3 went in production way back in 2011 and has been facelifed twice. In 2014 it got ancap tested and scored three stars. The 2016 year was given a VSSR rating of two stars.

Also it is pritty thirsty for a new car of it's size at 6.7L/100km on the combined cycle

A 2017 nissan note hybrid is rated at 2.9L/100km (on the ultra optimistic test cycle.

If both cars got their rated consumption, and fuel was $2/L, the note hybrid would be $15,200 cheaper to fuel over the first 200,000km of the vehicles life.

Both cars have similar power (80 vs 82kW), but the note e-power would be the better drive with the 80kW electric motor connected via a fixed reduction gearbox, vs the MG3 with a 4 speed auto.

No idea how the Note hybrid goes in NZ. As with all hybrids, it is capable of putting more power to the road than the petrol engine can generate, so will eventually hit a turtle mode (where power is limited to the 1.2L engine output) if you leave your foot to the floor up an finally long hill. Never has been an issue in my hybrid (even towing a 7.6meter, 1.5T boat), but mine does have a much bigger engine).

Should also be aware that the note is a series hybrid only. The engine only runs a generator to charge the battery, and is never connected to the wheels. I have never driven a note e-power, but the BMW i3 REX has the same setup. Can feel a little odd when you lift off the accelerator, or slow down, but the engine note doesn't change. Worth taking it for a decent test drive (incl a high speed hill climb) if you want to go that route.



I'm fairly sure only the brand was sold to SAIC, And there are absolutely no other links to the brands historic British ownership.

SAIC seems fond of buying up defunct brands and using them on their cars for markets outside of china. Along with MG, they also have the LDV and Maxus Brands.

[edit] - A family member recently purchased a MG ZS EV. Other than the ergonomics of the front mounted charge port I couldn't fault it. Great spec level, good interior space, reasonable boot space etc. I couldn't see any issues with the build. Even had nice Michelin latitude tires, not the Low rolling resistance tires found on most EV's from Japan and Korea.

They said the same thing in the 70's when the jap crap started to appear on our roads.

MG cars are relatively cheap for several reasons. Firstly, the brand is known for offering entry-level vehicles at affordable prices, which means that they are not targeting the high-end luxury market. Secondly, MG cars are made in China, which allows the company to benefit from lower labor and production costs. Thirdly, MG cars are not as well-known or prestigious as other car brands, which means that they do not command the same premium prices. Overall, these factors contribute to making MG cars relatively inexpensive compared to other brands.

Should note that people like myself try and avoid products from china where there are viable alternatives for ethical reasons where I can.

Many products don't have viable alternatives, but cars are one area where there are.

Yes I'd found that review - seemed pretty positive. I don't get how a car with 6 air bags and traction control can be called unsafe? Don't think the 2005 Note I drive now as traction control , and probably not 6 air bags either! Also doesn't have a reversing camera or parking sensors (what are those anyways?) The other stuff is just more electronics to go wrong surely?

The reviews are interesting - some are just silly - you can't complain about the size of a car after you've bought it LOL - but some are interesting

We test drove a 2018 Nissan Note- 1.2 petrol - and the drive was horrible - didn't even bother doing the standard test up Ngarunga. It actually appeared to have less power than the 2005 we are replacing!

Thought long and hard about the hybrid. But we're nervous of the ownership costs - its seems that you are paying all the normal ICE maintenance costs plus the (completely unknown as far as I could find ) cost of replacing that battery and some completely unspecified time in the future.

We won't go pure electric - because our other car is a motorbike - so this one needs to be road tripable.

Several have mentioned depreciation - and frankly that's why, apart from my very first car, a very long time ago in outback Australia, I've always bought 2nd hand. But my partner is rather taken with the idea of owning a new car now, and if we hold it and drive it for 10 years or so - the residue value is pretty low anyways.

Is it really a better deal to buy say a 2018 Honda Jazz with low kms for $5k more? That's what's doing my head in.

I do think some of the comments on this thread suggest that they are pricing to get into the market and to counter the resistance to a Chinese built car. I've been to China more than once - give the scale of their engineering on show there in most of the big cities I'd buy a Chinese built car over a UK built one anyday

Short version. Gutless,thirsty,depreciate like a stone. Last comment based on older product — rust prematurely

There is a big difference in philosophies between those two countries re product improvement. The Japanese knew that in order to win customers over their product had to be built better and cheaper, not just cheaper but LOOKS like it its built ok for what it costs.

They are gaining traction in Aussie.
https://www.caradvice.com.au/930453/vfacts-mg-leads-another-surge-in-chinese-new-car-sales/

I see them as if you get 10 years use and the first 5 years are covered then dump it, good motoring if you haven’t paid big money to buy you can’t lose big money 💰

(!)who makes that epitome of British excellence, JAGUAR isnt it somewhere that used to be called The Sub Continent(.2).Hyundai were the car to be avoided when they started now look at them. !

The The Nissan Note's N/A 1.2L engine makes 58kW. Not surprising you found the performance lacking.

With hybrids, in general the packs last the life of the vehicle in private (non taxi) use. Of course the note e-power is to new to have data for this particular model. In general even if a battery replacement is replace, the non plug in hybrids have fairly small packs, and the cost of a re-manufactured pack is general in the $1k - $3k range so more than covered in fuel savings.

All good with the Pure EV thing. Cheap Pure EV's are pritty much the domain of multicar households (like mine) at the moment. A leaf with a 110km range is not really a viable road trip car.

RE the Fit / Jazz, it is regarded one of the best car's in its class, so some premium could be expected. The 2018 is also a fairly old design (safety tested in 2014), but at least it got 5 stars in that test. It is also significantly more economical on fuel than the MG3. And it is much more common so you are less likely to be waiting on parts etc. If it is worth the price premium depends on your preferences.

As you say if you are holding the car for a decade, deprecation on these cheep cars will average out to be well under $2,000 a year, which is fairly palatable. And on that basis, getting what you want to own should have a high priory.

Personally I have never brought a new car, but I imagine it must have an appeal all of it's own vs a used car.

its mindboggling how delusional some people truly are.
https://insideevs.com/news/492387/hyundai-confirms-kona-electric-fires-cause/
thicker seperator= more save but less power. more power thinner seperator . dendrites also punch thru separator causing uncontrollable discharge,,

They were wrong then but they are not wrong now. The Chinese Communist Party are the death of the world as we know it. I'd rather cut off my arm and bleed to death than buy one of their 'cars'.

Air bags don't magically turn an unsafe car into a safe car. The most important factor is how the body structure behaves in a severe collision. An airbag won't be much help if the steering wheel ends up in the back seat.

hope you check everything that you buy them just in case it's made in China including the computer that you are using, your tv and just about everything else you use on a daily basis. You do realize that they are the biggest car manufacturers of cars in the world now

Omg. You couldn't of picked a worst car to buy