Hello. Two questions, related but not necessarily so:
One
I want a new manual vehicle. Yes, they're a dying breed, yes modern auto-gearboxes are just as if not more efficient etc... don't really need to play out those arguments here.
I took a look at the BMW 118i yesterday, of which a limited stock of manuals will be imported this year. The Mrs wasn't a huge fan (too low, she's tall)... but option is still on the table given limited choice. I recall Mini also imported a small batch last year, as with Suzuki Swift.
Mercedes A-class, VW Golf... both w/ manual options abroad, not available in HK. Ditto for Mazda 3. Called up agents: they won't even bother importing for you if you put an order.
Not interested in fancy sports cars or huge behemoths: < 1500cc is perfect, but <2,500cc acceptable. For reference: currently drive a Mercedes B200, but i'm not beholden to Benz.
Any suggestions? I could always mull a recent second hand manual, with certain models only recently axed locally, but my better half not a huge fan of used vehicles either. That leads me to:
Two
Does anyone know anything about car importation?
I've scoured the web, seems actual shipping fee is cheap (e.g. £750 for a shared container), and then there's the admin costs... but if I buy an A-200 from the U.K., claim back 20% VAT, then pay the FRT in Hong Kong... with a buffer for misc. admin costs and BS, I estimate it would be no more than a brand new A-200 from Zung Fu... AND i'll get a manual. (But of course no warranty).
Is there anything i'm not taking into consideration here? Or any reason it's a terrible idea?