honestly i'd rather we all bought local cars and helped stimulate the economy and create jobs, but since local cars are worse than junk, have no safety features and are WAY overpriced i think that anyone who buys a local car has more money than sense.
HOWEVER, i'm not saying that ALL the imports in PK are any good. most are fully rebuilt from scrap abroad, most have had their meters put back and quite a ew of them have tampered chassis' and paperwork.
however if you are lucky enough to find a good clean car which hasn't been written off in its life then i'd suggest that even if it costs a little more han a lcal car you shoudl consider all the extras you are getting. i'm not talking about stupid stuff like leather seats or wood trim, i'm talking about ABS, traction control, cruise control, multiple airbags, stability control, safety cells, seatbelt pretensioners etc. these are things you shoudl never need but trust me, if the moment arises when you'll need it you'll thank me that you listened to me and bought a car with these features.
don't go for a shiney shiney car, spend some money and get the damn thing checked by a professional.
I shoudl point out that if you get a car which HAS had a few bangs in its life (\abroad) and it was repaired correctly then it is more than likely that the work carried out has brought the car back to it's original spec and you shoudl not be worried. in countries like japan they value their lives and there are strict laws regarding automotive repairs, not like here where a 15 year old boy rebuilds a car with a oxy acetylene torch and some dalda cans.
personally i believe a used import is a million times better than a new local car,.. specially with their current specs and prices. dont' bother about the price of servicxe parts OR body panels. you must remember that local parts are made here by the cheapest possible supplier, imports are also made by the cheapest supplier but they have SOME standards so the parts WILL last longer.
So if you are in the market for a used car, search, take your time, YOU control the prices of used cars. if everyone refuses to pay 8 lacks for a 2004 vitz then the prices will fall (example), just be patient, look around and remember to take a qualified person to check out the car.
Alternatively you could do what i do and just buy from alta with complete peace of mind.
