[vickic]

for short term (3 years) stint in HK, lease or buy a car? we have little ones so we will NEED a car..but do we buy one or lease one? questions abound!..thoughts? thanks!

[KnowItAll]

Buy a used car. You can get some really decent deals on used cars here in Hong Kong, specially from expats who are leaving in a hurry.

Have the car looked at by the auto association before you buy, if you're looking at purchasing from an individual. The cost of the inspection should be shared..

[KnowItAll]

http://www.geoexpat.com/classifieds/index.php?cat=2

[jaykay]

Originally Posted by vickic

for short term (3 years) stint in HK, lease or buy a car? we have little ones so we will NEED a car..but do we buy one or lease one? questions abound!..thoughts? thanks!

Heh, heh, heh. Need a car, well the concept of needing a car is very different in HK compared with elsewhere. If you're planning on living somewhere around Sai Kung for example then yes you could need a car. But if you live HK island side or Kowloon for example the a car is moe of a hindrance than a benefit.

[KnowItAll]

Jaykay : If you have the parking space .. a car can be really useful. Just yesterday, I needed to get from Pokfulam to the Movieland in Stanley.. would not have been possible using public transport and would have been way too expensive via taxi.

We use our car a fair bit during the week and on weekends for errands, shopping, taking our kid out ... not as much as buses, but we do need the car.

http://www.batgung.com/drupal/cars sums it up

[jaykay]

KIA - not arguing that at all. I have a car myself and use it for work as I travel all over HK. I sometimes use it for weekends, but not a lot. What I am saying is that if you are in paces such as Kowloon or parts of HK island then it can be more of a hindrance. An example would be if I travel to Mongkok. For me a 5 min walk to station and then a 6 min train ride. And I'm there. If I go by car it can take anything from 10 mins to 30 mins depending on traffic and then I have to find a parking spot which can sometimes take just as long and the of course I have the same trying to leave.

The opposite is true if I am travelling to places such as Tsueng Kwan O, or Tsuen Wan which take me about 20 mins and 10 mins respectively by car or 45 mins/1 hour by public transport. In the end it's a balancing act of what is best - I just questioned the term "Need"!!

[KnowItAll]

Well, we all get to a point where the line between need and want blurs.

[jaykay]

True, very true...........and we still try to convince ourselves that it's need above want!!

[Expatriate]

I think a car is quite useful if you are disabled. Or have three small kids and no amah, which is probably the same.

If you live on an island, and many families with kids do, then a car is quite useless, except maybe in Tai O or Tong Fuk.

In Delivery Bay (so named because just about everyone there seems to be either pregnant or just out of labor) private cars are not allowed.

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There was just an report by the German Engineers Association that the cost of owning a car sums up to around EUR 310,000 for the whole active driving life (from age 18 to 72). Which is about HK$ 160 per day.