Hong Kong imports

[kusanku]

Just come accross a low mileage 129 series SL500 for sale, which has taken my fancy. Sounds really good, but transpires it has been imported from Hong Kong. Does anyone know what the implications of this might be?

thanks
Simon

 

[jaymanek]

Verifying the history is your main issue. Insurance is another. Companies are still taking advantage of this issue even though the cars are not really any more risky. Would involve a bit more shopping around. Getting parts/servicing may also turn into a problem depending on the dealer and what exact differences there are with the car.


Jay

 

[janner]

The high temperatures and humidity during the summer months may have damaged the interior, especially the leather.

 

[KLP 92]

If you are buying one from RADFORD COACHWORKS then DONT. I have driven them and they all show 40k on the clock and are the grey-black metallic. In my opinion they are not genuine mileage as there is alot of wear and tear on the leather. Also the climate controls are different and didn't seem to work properly. I wouldn't get it as the service history are very shady.

 

[jaymanek]

Yes it is v easy to mess around with mileage on an import. But doesnt mean it has been.. just need the history and condition of the car to back up the mileage.

Jay

 

[scotth_uk]

The sheer cost of running a car in Hong Kong is astronomical, but generally the people are in for a penny/in for a pound and have them serviced well. I saw a lot of decent looking mercs over there last month, but they do tend to spend a lot of their time in monsoon conditions and sitting in traffic overheating.

Also be aware of the high numbers of stolen ex-HK cars. For quite a few years in the 90s it was common practise to steal a Merc and get it to the dock, drive it onto the back of a waiting speedboat and straight over to mainland China never to be seen again.

 

[janner]

The sheer cost of running a car in Hong Kong is astronomical

Hong Kong has a 100% car tax
It's on a sliding scale but over a certain amount it's 100%.
If you plan on buying a Maybach 62 in HK you'll need to take around £600,000 with you!
Lots of cars from this part of the world have genuine low mileage but that doesn't mean they're in great condition. That heat/humidity really does kill the interiors.

 

[kusanku]

Thanks for the advice. The car is indeed up for sale by Radford-Coachbuilders, so I will give it a miss.

 

[KLP 92]

There are plenty out there so just wait till the right one comes along. I managed to find a 70k 500sl cheaper than what Radford Coachworks wanted and in much better condition. Also the strange thing was that the cars had small dings and scrapes in places and the paintwork was in a dire need of a polish. He's asking top money for 1991-1992 cars but they are still imports and are slightly different in spec. The resale value will again be less than a uk car.