The lowest advertised number is rarely the lowest comparable export cost.
Define the decision
Separate vehicle price, inspection, preparation, inland transport, export handling, port charges and freight. Record currency, validity, tax basis and whether the quoted car is new or registered used.
Evidence to collect
Use one worksheet per VIN. Record production date, mileage, keys, tyres, repairs, service history and included accessories so equipment and correction costs are not averaged across unlike cars.
Risk and export exposure
Ex-yard and port-delivered quotations can look similar while assigning different obligations. Unresolved DCT behaviour, body repair, missing documents or destination emissions work can erase a discount.
Apply it to a candidate
Compare offers at one delivery boundary and add expected and adverse correction cases. A cheaper car with weak history may have a higher risk-adjusted cost than a documented candidate.
Build the VIN record
Create a dated folder named by VIN. Record exact version, condition basis, inspection scope with source documents, photographs, diagnostic output or inspection results. Keep china-side charges, freight and insurance, destination reserve as named actions until the responsible reviewer closes them. A replacement vehicle starts a new file rather than inheriting another candidate's evidence.
Independent review
Assign each field to a reviewer with the relevant competence. Technical, legal, shipping and destination questions should not be answered by one general seller statement. If records conflict, preserve both versions and request the exact document, test or image that resolves the difference before payment.
Commercial hold points
Connect payment to evidence. Confirm identity before reservation, condition before final technical acceptance, contract wording before a major transfer and loading condition before handover. A changed VIN, beneficiary, delivery point or accepted exception reopens the relevant approval gate.
Arrival and ownership control
Freeze the odometer, warning state, keys, accessories, body condition and unresolved exceptions before loading. Compare the arrival vehicle with that record before cleaning or repair. Preserve evidence for claims and give the destination workshop the exact version, service and diagnostic baseline.
Compare two candidates on the same boundary
Use identical columns for exact version, condition basis, inspection scope, china-side charges, freight and insurance, destination reserve. Mark a blank as unknown rather than zero, absent or passed. Attach the source date beside each entry and exclude unverified equipment from value. The better candidate is the one that satisfies the destination task with acceptable evidence and complete cost, not necessarily the newest or cheapest listing.
Record what could change before shipment
Odometer, warning state, software, tyres, seller authority, quotation validity and carrier instructions can change after initial approval. Name the items that require a fresh check before final payment and loading. Keep the earlier evidence as history instead of overwriting it; a visible timeline makes substitutions and late changes easier to detect.
Write the approval result
Finish with pass, hold or reject. A hold must name the missing evidence, owner and deadline. Approval means the buyer understands the remaining limits; it does not turn an unknown into a confirmed feature or remove destination responsibility.
Record the evidence date and the person who reviewed it. If a candidate changes, repeat the affected checks instead of carrying an earlier approval to another VIN, model year or seller.
Geely Coolray Price and Export Budget Guide: checklist
Mark every item confirmed, unresolved or rejected and link its evidence to the candidate VIN.
- Exact version
- Condition basis
- Inspection scope
- China-side charges
- Freight and insurance
- Destination reserve
Normalise the quotation before ranking price
Convert each offer to one currency date and one named delivery point. Separate vehicle condition corrections from logistics, because a discount on the car does not reduce port or destination charges. The landed-cost worksheet carries the comparison through registration, while the history check tests whether a low-mileage premium is supported.
Buyer questions
Why do Coolray prices vary?
Years, powertrains, trims, condition and quotation boundaries are often mixed.
Is Chinese retail pricing an export quote?
No. Export, freight and destination costs remain separate.
Should low mileage command a premium?
Only when history, condition and service evidence support it.