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gseries89 said:
I have been debating whether I should ship my TT to Hong Kong next year...
You need to do a lot more research.
As others said, Hongkong is RHD. LHD cars are BANNED in Hongkong. It is impossible to register a LHD car. There are a very few there but they are all being driven on dealer plates. The reason is to block Chinese cars from coming across the border into Hongkong. In fact, I have never seen a car being driven on the streets of Hongkong with a foreign plate.
First registration fees are VERY high in Hongkong. Not as bad as Singapore but not so far off either. Look at paying close to the value of your car in taxes.
The mainland is not a signatory to the various driving conventions. This means your foreign license and registration will not be honoured there. Getting Chinese plates for a Hongkong registered car requires business dealings and serious connections and even then, will only allow you to drive without an escort in Guangdong.
Some people do buy cars and keep them across the border from Macau where there is a race track. Then they go visit them. Import duties into China are also high but not as high as Hongkong.
Similarly, many car enthusiasts will actually keep their cars garaged in Europe and then visit them there occasionally where they can take full advantage of them.
People will buy and sell parking spaces in Hongkong in the same way people buy and sell houses here. Figure on paying about the same amount for a parking space in Hongkong as you paid for your house in San Francisco.
Traffic laws are enforced mercilessly. Your will always see at least one speed trap on the road to the airport and that road is only a few kilometres long. Dropping a passenger on a double-yellow line will guarantee you a fine. You must know exactly where you are going and be in the correct lane. Crossing a solid white line is never done. Photo radar is everywhere. I know of no other place with higher fuel prices. Most parking garages fill quickly and the fees are quite high. Parking is only allowed where specifically signposted (unlike most of this world where you can park unless there is a sign saying otherwise). Insurance isn't that cheap and there is no assigned risk pool so if you cannot get insurance for your particular car then tough.
Public transport in Hongkong is some of the best in the world. You have an unbelievable selection of conveyances. Taxis are also cheap.
I never even considered buying a car there. Where my house is the mode of transport for the well off is the golf cart. Last I knew, golf carts were trading in excess of US$100,000 - i.e. a golf car is worth more than your Porsche.
Having said that, if I were to live in a remote part of Lantau or somewhere up in the rural New Territories - not that anywhere in Hongkong is really rural - then I might consider a small econobox. I quite like the Audi S3.
And if you think the situation for motoring is tough, then take a look at the general aviation situation there.
Enough said?
Stephen