Beware of the Damaged Cars That are Being Imported to Pakistan

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Cars have been imported to Pakistan in large numbers lately. Although the sales of locally produced cars in last fiscal year shattered all previous records, the imports were as high as ever as well. The sale of locally assembled cars rose to 17pc (sedans and hatchbacks) in FY2015-16 compared to FY2014-15. Whereas around 53,600 units of used cars were imported in M12FY2015-16. That is an increase of almost 67pc compared to the figure of imported cars (32,100 units) in FY2014-15.

Click here for Auction Sheet Translation  Section

Also Read: Pakistan Spent Rs75bn on Imported Cars During FY2015-16 – A New High!

We talk about the poor built quality of locally produced cars all the time. Only recently Honda Pakistan launched 2016 Civic and photos of its poor finish went viral in hours. The car had poor weld finish and interior, and dashboard panels had poor fitment. Overall it felt like the car was hurriedly made. But since the assembler is operating in Pakistan, it is very easy to point out at the faults and ask them to fix it immediately.

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But same is the case with a lot of imported vehicles. The same case study cannot directly be applied to imported vehicles since they are being assembled somewhere else and are second hand. But the fact of the matter is, a lot these shiny Japanese cars you see on the roads were damaged when they were imported in Pakistan. The importer is a businessman. He wants to make as much on his product as possible. Importing accidental cars are always going to be cheaper compared to imported regular cars.

Also Read: Japanese Car Auction Sheet Explained

Japan has very different market behavior compared to Pakistan’s or for that matter, any third world country. We don’t mind fixing our cars that have been in an accident. No matter how severe the accident, we always find a workshop or a specialist who can fix it for you. We don’t mind even putting a new roof on cars that have been in a rollover. But that is not the case in Japan. They usually discard their vehicles that have been damaged in an accident. And those vehicles sell for cheap. Far cheaper than a normal car.

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The type of the accident can be as bad as a fatal crash, or just a fender bender. Depending on the crash intensity, the price of a car drops accordingly. I have seen vehicles with major frontal damage being imported to Pakistan as well as cars with just a normal bump. A close friend of mine imported a 2013 Toyota Passo that had a damaged back lid. Rest of the car was absolutely fine. But the back lid had a big dent in it. The car was around 1.5 lac rupees cheaper than the regular Passo in the market.

Also Read: Japanese quake affected cars stolen and smuggled overseas by foreign and Pakistani companies

For this Passo, at least he knew the car had minor damage. He bought the door from a scrap market and got it fixed cheaply. But he could’ve bought a badly damaged cars that has been repaired in Pakistan and then sold as a unrepaired vehicle. The auction sheets are being tampered, and it is becoming very difficult for the new buyers to verify the legitimacy of the sheet. So what can one do?

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Well first of all, always seek the help of someone, maybe a friend, who you trust and who can detect a damaged vehicle. Treat your such friends good because they can save you from a major headache. Or if you don’t know someone who can do it for you, there is PakWheels Vehicle Inspection that can check the vehicle for you. CarSure is an independent third party that has no ties with the dealers or sellers. You can trust them to help you find a better vehicle. It’s good that we have so much choice in the used car market in Pakistan but beware of the prevalent practice of selling repaired cars without clearly informing the buyer.

 

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  1. echo bandit says

    great article ! there should be a checklist out there for such purposes …

  2. Hisam Jamal says

    I think every one knows that mostly japan imports are damaged cars. If they buy less than 3 years old cars in good condition, pay transport charges , duties , taxes etc then it will cost more than new car. How will importer earn?
    So simple solution is to just buy less than 3 years used cars from scrap yard.

  3. blueazure says

    please whatsapp me at 0321-4468629

    i have original , unadultered verified auction report JDMs

    i will also help verify you auction report

    japanese imports are STILL way better than the crappy cultuses we have here

  4. rkk says

    But even their repaired cars look and feel better than the locally assembled cars. Vitz, Vezel and many other cars are much better than local mehrans, civics and corollas. however one can be careful when buying them and mostly japanese cars give no trouble in that case. Atleast they are good value for money.

  5. Content writers says

    Paid Articles… written on PakWheels…. Content writers work for websites and write what is asked….. They monitor comments, delete comments who reveal reality.. This happens in world….. Thats it…

  6. Israr Khan says

    Imported cars are much much better than local crap. I have been to the factories of Toyota, Honda, and Suzuki. The only problem with imported cars is ground clearance.
    I suggest that instead of inserting spaces and replacing tyres Japanese must be approached to increase ground clearance in a systematic (engineering approach) way before dispatch to Pakistan.

  7. kkk says

    Infact be aware of the local manufacturers who are giving worst quality and no features in their cars yet costing as much as a merc or an audi (example civic). Whats good is people are more aware now and in the big cities you see the change. Many who would normally book a civic or corolla are opting for vezels or other hybrid cars even. Just a matter of time these local companies will suffer.

  8. farok sayer says

    The writer is taking money from the three looters in Pakistan who are selling junk to the helpless customers.Everyone knows how to detect a damaged car and there are well known importers who import excellent cars.If imported cars are banned we will wait 2 years for a corolla .I am sure indus motors will be very happy.

  9. farok sayer says

    u dont know what u are talking about.Go and check the market and if u cannot see a damaged car take a mechainic with you and pay him 1000 rupees duh!!

  10. Naved Ahmed says

    sometime pakwheels blog pots feels like written by a completely novice writers.. like seriously?.. whats wrong with the level of copy here..

  11. Muhammad Asad says

    Any proof of such serious allegations?

  12. Zulfiqar Ali Soomro says

    why such hate on the author? he is simply warning us guys from getting ripped off. I have a friend who like spots any repairs on a vehicle from a mile and trust me he is really good at that, he regularly tells me how the auctions sheets are false of those particular cars. ofc its not true for every car that is imported but it is necessary that we have them checked by an expert before buying and to see if it conforms to the details on the auction sheet.

  13. Umair Chaudhry says

    LOLz… Then why on earth your comment is still showing to readers.

  14. Guest says

    Why not file a writ in the court against PW Blog if you are so confident of your allegations? Journalists are accountable by all means so go ahead and do it.

  15. Zaid Bilal says

    It`s better to beware people from the car dealers rather than from the damaged cars here dealers sell total loss total damage cars by saying bumper to bumper genuine janab ! huh … we should look into our selves damage car peeche se damage price par hi aati hai it`s the dealer`s who sell them on the peak prices ………… without informing the reality of the product !!!!!

  16. Allah Badshah says

    Be aware of damaged cars that are currently being built by Atlas & Indus DAKOOZ 🙂

  17. Allah Badshah says

    Sir, proof to Sunny Leone ke khilaaf bhi koi naheeen 🙂

    Opinion VS. Allegations! All written here are opinions only. Allegations are those that make it to courts.

  18. Shams Twistaa says

    Bro we don’t have problem of that kind because we are used cars dealers since 1996 in uae so we know which car has what kind of damage. My dad can tell from a far distance what’s wrong with the car or from where it is damage. but I am worried about aam awaam because they don’t know anything about it.

  19. Salahuddin Makki says

    if any one have accident cars for sale call me 03328771500 i am buyer

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