Some minor problems, but not bad for the money

I've never owned a generator and bought one of these, about 4 years ago, during a heat wave/power outage in Michigan. As I recall, I paid just under $600.00 for the thing - at Walmart. This thing has gotten a lot of use, because shortly after I bought it we moved from the city to a rural area which is famous for it's power outages. I'm on generator power, right now, as I write this....!!! Two things went wrong with this: (1) the gas/fuel gauge on the top quit working after the first use, and, (2) after the first use it will not start - EVER - without having the carburetor primed. Priming the carb involves popping off a plastic cover and shooting a little gas, horizontally, into the carb - I use a small syringe that came with some doggy medicine. But, the engine burns very little oil and - after it's primed - it start with a couple of very gentle pulls. These lower end units are all made in China and they're all pretty similar. Maybe I got lucky, but this thing has saved our butt, over and over.