Identify the candidates behind both quotations
Collect VIN, production record, original market, battery, driven layout and current equipment for each offer. The model-identity dossier connects Sealion 7 and Sea Lion 07 EV naming without making specifications globally interchangeable. Determine whether the local proposal is an official-market supply or another independent import. A locally advertised car does not automatically carry every official support condition. Keep translations beside original wording and resolve conflicts before comparing amounts. Both proposals should identify actual available candidates rather than using a generic brochure vehicle as the clean baseline against which the China offer appears discounted.
Match essential use rather than every brochure feature
State occupants, luggage, driver needs, ordinary charging and essential longer travel for the same receiving location. Use the market-version guide and actual fitted equipment, not a translated high-trim name. A local candidate may have useful receiving arrangements the China car lacks; another import may already meet this owner’s task without every premium feature. Retain differences rather than assigning automatic value to the largest option list. If one candidate cannot support essential use, do not let a smaller price determine the choice. A comparison becomes useful when the buyer knows which actual differences matter and which are merely preferences.
Resolve receiving requirements independently
Ask responsible authorities or appropriately qualified providers about the exact proposed import and necessary original records. Keep steering, classification, conformity and registration questions candidate-specific through the export process. China-side completion does not establish receiving road use, and another locally approved market configuration cannot supply blanket approval by name alone. Record what is confirmed and what remains conditional. This method does not provide a country-specific legal conclusion or universal duty amount. If a consequential receiving requirement cannot be established, keep that gate separate from the advertised saving rather than assuming a contingency payment can make any configuration legally usable after arrival.
Compare charging, ownership access and actual support
Verify installed charging and practical locations on both candidates through the compatibility review. Test legitimate key and account transfer with the digital-access guide. Keep software, regional services and current operation distinct. Ask actual receiving providers about diagnosis and relevant components for the original-market configuration. Retain applicable written warranty or seller scope; a local demonstration does not prove transferred services on an independently imported vehicle. Avoid assuming support is either universal or entirely absent. The value comparison needs usable providers and clearly stated limits for each actual offer, especially when a major battery or charging difference changes the required assistance.
Normalise accepted acquisition and recurring consequences
Build the China route through the landed-cost worksheet, with current sources, inclusions and exclusions. Compare it with the local offer’s accepted ready-to-use boundary rather than an isolated ask. Seek suitable local advice for receiving expenditure instead of inventing a global percentage. Count included work once and distinguish setup, defined correction and unresolved diagnosis. Use the three-year cost worksheet for labelled recurring and disposal assumptions without guaranteed import-price recovery. A cheaper initial figure may remain useful, vanish after necessary setup or become irrelevant if an essential acceptance question is unresolved. The explanation should identify which outcome follows from the actual evidence.
Retain the reason for choosing the route
Summarise original identity, practical equipment, confirmed receiving requirements, legitimate access, support and the prepared difference. Carry the accepted candidate into the purchase equipment schedule. State whether an accountable import saving justifies accepted limitations, whether the local arrangement better serves this owner or whether further evidence is required. A replaced VIN or changed destination reopens affected checks. Keep speculative resale and future activation promises outside confirmed value. The decision should remain understandable without treating a common model name as proof of equal connectors, batteries, installed services or transferable coverage across every market.
