EXW means you pay only for the car at the seller's yard—you handle everything else, including inland transport in China and export clearance, which is impractical from overseas. FOB includes delivery to the port and export customs clearance; you pay for ocean freight and insurance. CIF adds freight and basic insurance to a named destination port. For a first-time buyer, FOB is usually the best balance: the exporter, who knows Chinese logistics, handles the complicated part, while you control the freight booking and can shop rates among forwarders. Watch for exporters quoting unrealistically low FOB prices and making margin on inflated 'shipping services' later. Get a separate freight quote before signing, and compare the exporter's CIF offer against FOB plus your own freight estimate. Ask explicitly whether the price includes inspection, export license fees, and port charges—ambiguity here is the most common source of disputes.

Many car owners do not have their first maintenance done at authorized dealerships, leading to gaps in early data. In such cases, we do not blindly trust the odometer; instead, we analyze the tire production dates and wear levels, as well as the depth of grooves on the brake disc edges, using the "gold standard" of physical wear to infer the intensity of early use.

Under CIF terms, the beneficiary of the insurance policy will be endorsed to the buyer. Once the claim is successful, the insurance company's foreign currency compensation will be directly deposited into the buyer's designated overseas company or personal account.