Korean Job Discussion Forums

John_ESL_White · Joined: 12 Nov 2008

I know, I know, it's stupid buying foreign cars in the Korea, but, I am interested in knowing if anyone out there has bought a Honda while in Korea.

I know a few people who bought CRVs and Accords here and they paid over 30,000,000 won for cars that would've cost them in the low to mid 20s in the states.

I know there is mark-up and I know why there is mark-up, I am just wondering how much of that mark up is dealer "inflated". You know, the dealer says, "hey, foreign cars are heavily taxed in Korea, we can not go any lower, blah blah blah."

Bottom line is that I need a new car and I want a civic coupe for the safety, reliability and the performance. It's a nice car.

An EXL stickers at -20K in the states, but will sell for +18K.

I imagine here the same model should be 24K which would be acceptable.

Any experience with foreign car purchases is welcome. Thanks

digsydinner · Joined: 24 May 2009

i don't own a car here...but i would think the resale market would be as inflated as the new car market. therefore, the depreciation could be similar as back in the states if you are planning on selling it after a couple of years. the only thing is...obviously you need more funds to finance the deal to begin with.

tegu · Joined: 10 May 2006

i got a s2k here...

for import cars the markup is this

the cars value right now ( if less then 2L engine 30% import duty + 7% registration fee + $7000 in testing costs)

so it adds up fast.

ALL imports have to be modded to meet korean standards! even normal straight out of the factory cars.

actually the CRV is the #1 most popular import in korea Very Happy

madoka · Joined: 27 Mar 2008

What's awesome about the U.S. is that we get some of the lowest prices in the world. The Lexus IS F retails for about $65K in the U.S., yet sells for over $100K in Japan. Similarly, I believe the Hyundai Genesis sells for about $10-15K less in the U.S. than it does in Korea. For whatever reason, we just get cars cheap in the U.S. So comparing car prices to the U.S. will just make you sad.

pkang0202 · Joined: 09 Mar 2007

For the price of a Civic, you could buy a nice Sonata.

Hondas are dubious. 10 years ago the cars were great. Nowadays, not so much. Its not hard to read about widespread transmission, engine, or other problems.

The transmission on my Accord went out after 4 years. Looked on the Internet, and sure enough, my generation of Accords have a record of transmission problems. In almost all the cases I read, the symptoms started after 3-5 years.

Toyotas are much better than Hondas.

Xuanzang · Joined: 10 Apr 2007 Location: Sadang

Xuanzang · Joined: 10 Apr 2007 Location: Sadang

IlIlNine · Joined: 15 Jun 2005 Location: Gunpo, Gyonggi, SoKo

Yeah, I don't think it makes any sense to pay luxury car prices for an econobox, when you can easily have a quality Korean car. Seriously, k-cars are great - since they're still working on their global reputation they're trying really hard to build good cars. Honda, Toyota -- they're at or near the top, so they can rest on their laurels.

Look what happened to Mercedes Benz in the 90s! In the 80s, their cars were so far ahead and so bulletproof, they were ahead by miles... then, they started concentrating more on the bottom line and.. 90s were disaster.

My point is, that public perception always follows behind truth. Once people start saying 'they'll be find in 2-3 years' - that's when the time is to buy.

With motorbikes (hey, mine's a honda), it's different because of the lack of choice in Korea - if you want a certain kind of bike you HAVE to buy foreign... but if you're gonna spend that kind of money for a plain-jane civic, accord, or CR-v, well .. I don't think it makes much sense.

Xuanzang · Joined: 10 Apr 2007 Location: Sadang

Hondas are just a higher class econobox here.

FMPJ · Joined: 03 Jun 2008

The I love the Korea and the Honda.

tefain · Joined: 19 Sep 2007 Location: Not too far out there

VanIslander · Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 7:43 am Post subject:

John_ESL_White · Joined: 12 Nov 2008

Xuanzang · Joined: 10 Apr 2007 Location: Sadang

Then go to Hannam or Gangnam Honda and buy what you like. You know what you have to pay and why you have to pay it. There`s no chance you`re going to get a price close to the MSRP on Honda USA`s site.

D.D. · Joined: 29 May 2008

In Aus I had a new CRV and loved it, but sold it when I went to China. When I got back I bought a black Sonata with nice rims and it was a lot less than a CRV. I enjoyed the Sonata more, people loved it and it had a huge boot. Problem in Korea is the taxi drivers all drive Sonatas so they look common. A nice Sonata looks cool, is fun to drive and is quite cheap.