Well, it totally depends on what you have in mind. If you wish to get into this car import business with an aim to make ridiculous profit by selling accident repaired cars then I suggest you don't and focus on your education instead. Car dealery is a white collar profession, and I wouldn't recommend doing it if you are the educated type of person.
Now, if you want to import a car for your personal use. Rule 1 is to NEVER go for a dealer investment car. Like never. By Dealer Investment car, I mean a car any dealer is selling where he has invested his own money in it. Because invariably in such a case, he will try to make as much profit on his investment hence giving you a lemon. Because a good 4/5 A/B grade low mileage car can never be sold a the FUDGED market prices of JDM cars in Pakistani market. Those rates are FAKE and not in line with the buying price from Japan auctions.
The best way to go about this is to only pay for the service, and pay everything from your own pocket right from the auction charges, inland transport to shipping charges to Karachi Port. Of course that includes the buying cost of car from Japanese auction. Pay everything from your own pocket. Pay someone like Sharabi who charges very reasonable price for providing the import service. This is the ONLY way to safeguard yourself completely from buying a lemon in the end. If you think you can manage the whole process yourself, but I wouldn't suggest if you a professional with a hectic job. Let someone else take care of it for a reasonable sum. I did import 2 cars in last 4 years for personal use and followed the process from the word go in Japan till clearance in Karachi and then onward putting them on trailer to Lahore. But it's so bloody time wasting for me, as I have better things to do in life than I would gladly pay Sharabi or any reasonable import SERVICE provider to handle the process while I pay for everything from my own pocket. It's worth it. Trust me on this.
Now, lastly there is NO HONEST importers around who invest their OWN MONEY in JDM cars. None at all. Even if some importer got the a 5 grade car on a lucky bid or something, he would be asking well over the FAKELY CREATED market price for any specific car in Pakistan. Pakistan mein SACH BOLNEY ki bhi payment letey hein log. Keep that in mind. But these business importers never target 5A grade cars in auctions unless pehley sey murgha ghera ho on a reasonable profit.
Please also keep in mind that it's an open auction. So, one can only guess the final closing price for any car. These auctions are not like in Pakistan, where sari setting pehley sey ho gai hoti hai auctioneers key saath key kitni price per bidding close karni hai. It's a free and fair auction, where only market forces of supply and demand act. So, no one can say key Prius X amount ki ho gi aur Insight Y. It depends on what happens on that. One can only guess the market trend by looking at the history of sales for a particular car and in a particular auction house and think it will likely sale between X and Y amount but my TARGET budget for this car is Z, which maybe anywhere between X and Y or above or below both. You only find out once the bidding ends.
So, the best way to buy is to set yourself a TARGET, and don't exceed that. Only exceed is you think you need a certain car beyond a shadow of doubt and willing to overbid for it by a margin.
The real problem is that JDM buyers in Pakistan want a 5A low mileage car in the price of a 3 C or even worse an XX locally repaired car in Pakistan. If they ever come across one and it's 2 or 3 or more lacs higher than the FAKE MARKET PRICES created by shady dealers in Pakistan, they think they are being ripped off because the so-called well-known MARKET PRICE is much lower.
So, sadly, the dealers have created a market with fake price ranges to give credibility to their shady business of accident import cars in Pakistan. I hope, I have explained this conundrum in relative detail.
I am no rishtedar of Sharabi, but I think he is conducting his business in a fair manner. That's the reason behind his growth. But, I would still not buy any car in which he has invested himself. However, I would gladly take benefit of his import services while paying for everything from my own pocket. And Sharabis way of dealing with his customer or potential customers is respectable and he gives them honour and get the same treatment back.
P.S. Sharabi is neither my relative nor I have drawn any monetary benefit or otherwise from him. I have only talked to him on phone twice, and he probably won't recognize me if I called again. So, it's an unbiased opinion from my side.
Wish there were more import service providers in Pakistan who charge extremely reasonable amount. I haven't come across any besides him as yet.
