Worst locality to buy a car? (insurance, first vehicle, engine, Benz)

[johnnytang24]

Where do you think is the worst place to buy a car? Crazy insurance, taxes, traffic, etc.

I would put Hong Kong on the list. Bad traffic all the time, not sure about insurance, but imports are taxed incredibly high:

Transport Department - Guidelines for Importation and Registration of Motor Vehicle

Converted to US$
Class of Motor VehicleRate of Tax I. Private cars (a) on the first US$20,000 40% (b) on the next US$20,000 75% (c) on the next US$26,000 100% (d) on the remainder 115%

So a car with a $100,000 MSRP has a tax of $88,000! Want a $250,000 Ferrari? $260,000 in first time taxes.

This doesn't include the $600-$1500 yearly registration fee (dependent on engine cc)

[Pruzhany]

This thread should say country and not locality. Import fees and VAT outside of the US basically doubles the cost of vehicle if it imported compared to being purchased from a dealership in that country.


The OP's numbers are based on imports and not dealerships. So using a more common car like a Hyundai yields nearly the same price as buying one from a dealership in the US.
http://www.hyundai.com.hk/price_list

[Retriever]

Okay!
The OP has convinced me to NOT journey from the US to Hong Kong in order to buy a car.
Because...you know...otherwise I probably would have spent a few thousand $$ for a round-trip flight and another few thousand $$ to transport a car that probably couldn't be registered in The US.

[johnnytang24]

Originally Posted by Pruzhany

This thread should say country and not locality. Import fees and VAT outside of the US basically doubles the cost of vehicle if it imported compared to being purchased from a dealership in that country.


The OP's numbers are based on imports and not dealerships. So using a more common car like a Hyundai yields nearly the same price as buying one from a dealership in the US.
PRICE LIST | Hyundai Hong Kong

Edit:

Sorry, that looks like it does include first vehicle tax. And the prices reflect that.

Genesis: HK $60,000. US: $27,000
Elantra: HK $21,000, US: $17,250.
Velostar: HK $26,000, US: $18,000

When you start getting in to pricier cars:
http://www.mercedes-benz.com.hk/cont...rice_list.html
MB C63: HK $161,000, US: $63,000
MB S65: HK $558,000, US: $215,000

[Mandalorian]

There are countries like North Korea and Cuba where a Hyundai Accent will run you $300k in the rare chance the government actually lets you buy one

. On the plus side, there's no traffic.