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If you’re shopping not just for parts but a whole car, the place to head for is Gloucester Road on Hong Kong island, near the Wan Chai MTR stop. We visited one building that housed several car dealers, and we took note of their prices for comparison to ours. We checked out some representative Japanese makes, and Jaguar for a look at the high end. (See Table below.) Hong Kong imposes a higher tax for cars above 1.5 liters, so the familiar Civic, Corolla, Lancer, Sentra, etc. have a 1.5 engine as standard instead of the 1.6. Toyota Hong Kong has a much longer warranty than its Philippine counterparts, at 5 years/100,000 km. Honda follows a 3 year/100,000 km warranty, same as here, while Mazda offers a 3 year/unlimited mileage on its cars. We noticed that the mainstream cars like the Corolla and Civic were reasonably-priced, but the smaller-volume models, from the Echo to the S2000, are considerably more expensive when compared to Philippine or USA prices. The sky’s the limit in Hong Kong, and you can buy any car you want as long as you can pay the bill. Car ownership is not subject to the draconian regulations of Singapore, nor is it as loose as it is in the Philippines. First registration tax is expensive, ranging from 40% to 60% of a car’s retail price. All the dealers we asked, though, include this in the purchase price. Emissions are strictly controlled, though, and new cars have to pass Euro 3 standards before they can be sold. Hong Kong air may be quite warm, but your face and nostrils will stay clean even after a ride on the tram, as the air looks and smells clean. Hong Kong’s cars are right-hand drive which ensures a steady availability of Japanese models. Their 2001 Corolla looks identical to the Japanese version. Other juicy tidbits from Japan include the Skyline GTR and Integra Type-Rs. Small cars used for driving school are typically Suzukis or the Toyota Echo. Peugeot 307s also scooted about the city. The Civic and Corolla seemed to dominate the mid-class segment, while the larger cars tended to be European. Hong Kong’s has succeeded brilliantly as a city because of its openness and capitalist spirit. As well as any aspect of the city’s life, its cars can attest to its continued energy and infectious vibrancy. |
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