Posted by
jgaviria
20 yrs ago
I am in the process of purchasing a used car. I am thinking on a Mercedes SLK230, 97. I've been looking at cars at the Auto Mall at the Convention Center. Cars are usually low miliage for the age, around 35K klms. My questions are the following:
1 - Is this a good place to buy a car?
2 - Is this a good car to buy? Price is at HK$148K
Regards
J
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Get a mechanic to check it out. People in HK never seem to service their cars, change the oil or take any care over them. Even with low mileage you can get some real dogs.
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No. These places have higher car prices due to the rents they pay. I found one in Cheung Sha Wan (one stop past Sham Shui Po) much cheaper and much more choice. Although the cars on average are not the same standard as the cars in Wan Chai, they are a good deal cheaper. A good Merc will probably set you back around 80K to 150K. For directions take exit A1 walk south past the International School towards the driving range and it is just just behind it. It used to be a mill and looks nothing like a car place though.
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Wincy
20 yrs ago
I have exactly that model car (same year too) and I love it. I paid $124,000 a year ago, and it only had 17,500 miles on it. Price now should be around 100-135,000 depending on extras such as improved stereo, bodykit,etc. I have seen the cars at the Automall and they are generally higher priced than elsewhere. There is an excellent forum for SLK owners where you can learn all about potential problems and what to look for when buying. http://www.benzworld.org/
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Zook
20 yrs ago
At 148K you are paying top money for the car. Make sure that it hasn't had any accident damage and dont just take the dealers word for it.
Is the dealer offering any warranty?? Some will give 3-6 months.
Forget what the millage says they are easily clocked and don't be fooled into thinking HK is so small so the cars probably wont cover many kms. Dont forget many paople live in NT and commute every day adding alot of kms.
Have a good close look at the car and you should be able to tell if the millage is about right.
Check the seats for signs of wear, and if they look too good check to see if they have been painted (yes dealers do paint leather seats)
As well as the Auto Mall there are 5 other car malls you can look at. Kowloon Bay, Hung Hom, 2 in Cheung Sha Wan, one in Yuen Long and another in Fan Ling.
I wouldnt buy anything from the Yuen Long, Fan ling or one of the places in Cheung Sha Wan unless you really know what your looking at.
I do offer a sourcing service, and also can inspect and test cars before people buy. you can have a look at our website and take a look at what we do. www.autowrx.com.hk
Please feel free to call me at 6505 8605, if you have any questions or just need advice.
Alan
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Do make sure that you get any car you purchase independently checked and preferably by a qualified mechanic or someone who is not earning a fee or commission out of the sale of that vehicle. Sorry if it seems like basic common sense, but I am staggered at the number of people I know who didn't do either of these things and are now suffering the consequences
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i bought a 1 1/5 yr old landrover freelander from the automall and regretted it every single day i owned it. it was a total shed. in 18 months i had to get the engine rebuilt cos water was leaking into the engine block, the gearbox rebuilt cos it just gave up, and finally some spectacular overheating.
i will never buy another landrover and i will never buy another car from the automall.
i have also heard plenty of horror stories about car mileages. almost none of the cars at the automall have a service history and none have over 40,000 km on the clock. very suspicious.
for mercedes, you can tell if a car has been serviced by zung fu, the main agent, by looking at the door pillar when you oopen the drivers door. zung fu put a sticker there each time they service it. if it hasn't got those stickers then i would avoid it, no matter where is selling it, especially at that price.
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I have a SLK '97 and 65K klms on the clock. Bought it for 180K 4 years ago. Was told I will get 120K today for it. New tyres and alloy wheels. License until May 2006. I think with a Benz it is no much need to worry where you buy it from. Just have it checked by an independent garage wich certifies the conditions.
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bear1
20 yrs ago
I bought from the Automall about 18 months ago and couldn't have been happier. I got the car independently checked and negotiated a price I was more than happy with. There weren't many, but every fault noted on the mechanical check was rectified before I bought. The manual for the car was not in English so the dealer went out and bought them for me from Zung Fu - no charge to me. I would definitely buy from Catherine at Kingtex Motors again.
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My husband and I, as well as most of our expat friends, have bought second-hand cars from a dealer in Tin Hau (Tommy of Vin's Motors Co.) for the past 14 years. He's a real gem, Chinese speaks great English, totaly helpful and reliable. Has never let us down in 14 yrs. He also takes yr car in PX when you want to upgrade and can arrange servicing, MOTS etc. Go see him, you won't regret it...Office: 2571-5695.
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Since I already gave a deposit for a BMW, I guess I can't get away from purchasing the car at the automall. Better check next time in this forum! I will have it independentely checked.
The seller told me no crashes. How about if I find the car was crashed after I got it checked? AM I still obliged to buy the car?
The car is a BMW 323 CI, the seller is Golden Century Motors.
Thanks!
J
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I have heard that it is very hard to get your deposit back once you have parted with the cash, but you still have time to get it inspected and find out whether it is ok or not and this may give you some bargaining power.Also the reaction of the sales people when you say you want to have it inspected will tell you a lot about the state of the vehicle and thier trustworthiness - better to pay a few hundred dollars now and know what you are getting, than end up with the frustration and bother of owning a lemon! Hamish (Aussie) at HP Cars 2558 0222 can do an inspection for you and he is a BMW expert.
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bear1
20 yrs ago
If you asked and they expressly represented to you that the car had not been in a crash and they won't refund your deposit, you should make very loud noises about misrepresentation. Hopefully it won't come to that.
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