Zero-Mileage Cars Sold as 'Used' to Dodge Tax — Smart Buy or Shady?

A growing share of "used" imports hitting Sri Lankan yards right now have barely a few kilometres on the clock — registered once overseas, but mechanically brand new. The Ceylon Motor Traders' Association says this lets buyers land an agent-spec SUV for noticeably less duty than the identical car bought brand new, because the law still gives any vehicle classed as "used" a flat 15% cut on its CIF value for tax purposes, zero mileage or not. CMTA pegs the resulting revenue loss at around Rs 120 billion and wants the concession scrapped. For buyers the math looks simple: same spec, lower price, and if it drives like new, why care how it's classified on paper. But going this route usually means no agent warranty, you inherit someone else's registration and import history, and resale buyers down the line may still haggle you down as "used" even though it practically wasn't. Would you buy a zero-mileage "used" import over paying full price for an agent's brand-new unit, or does the paperwork risk wipe out what you save? ලාභෙට ගන්න පාරක් කියලද මේක, නැත්නම් පේපර් ප්‍රශ්නයක්ද?