RC ADVENTURES - Heavyweight Ultra - Test forces & weaknesses
Import of cars can be a bit of a gray area in the UAE, literally gray imports, as they're called, are cars that have found their way to our market via channels other than regional distributors.
It's thriving business for imports of this type mainly from the US, Japan and Europe and one of the main reasons why these vehicles end up here is the cost of new vehicles are cheaper in the US that they are not here, and this is reflected in their second-hand values this makes it lucrative to import here, even after shipping and taxes local import in the UAE have been taken into account.
The case is a little different with imports from Japan, the new cars are generally expensive Land of the Rising Sun, but they attract an annual road tax significantly higher as they age, prompting the owners to unload and buy a new a huge percentage of these unwanted vehicles end up being exported at almost throwaway prices, and many of them find their way to our shores.
The other incentive for the supply of a gray import is that it gives you access to brands and models of cars that are never offered here as new vehicles Examples of these may include the hulking Toyota Tundra pick- up, Ford Mustang Boss 302, the Pontiac Solstice is also a flourishing trade in the older classics, like Chevy Camaros and Corvettes, Pontiac Firebird and Ford Mustang 1960 and 70 as it happens, the former editor of Kevin Hackett national car itself is making noises to want to get their mitts on a Triumph TR6 built and sold from 1968 to 1976 as former owner Triumph twice myself, I can see why it supported this way, but its subject for another column.
There are two basic ways that you can take if you're eyeing a gray import is to take care of the whole process yourself, which involves the supply of the vehicle you want from the country where it is located, the organization of shipping and customs formalities and the payment of import duties once he landed here last step is to take the RTA to get it inspected, registered and equipped with plates local registration another solution is to go somewhere like Al Awir Used cars Complex, in the industrial area of Ras Al Khor, Dubai Sá this haven for dealers who mainly specialize in the supply and sale of gray imports they take care of all administrative procedures and formalities for you, but more on that later.
I alluded to the benefits of buying a gray import, but there are also many potential pitfalls for the unwary, especially the history and condition of the vehicle you are interested in may not be clear this is a sufficient deterrent for some, including Bob Farrow, director of the consulting firm Management consulting self BFM.
I would never touch a gray import, he said, in theory, there are sites like Carfax for cars from the United States where you can check the history of these vehicles, but floods and hail aren t often said that I know of a case here where a car dashboard had to be dismantled to repair a fault with the wiring loom, and the technician discovers a pronounced watermark behind the dashboard, showing the vehicle had was submerged at some point in his life another potential concern of gray imports is that they don t have the engine cooling systems GCC-spec and air conditioning, so they may not be extreme heat we are facing here.
Farrow also alluded to the fact that the warranty of privately imported vehicles if it is new enough to still be covered by one may not be honored by the dealer in question here, even if all the guarantees are theoretically supposed to be a another potential global problem that some gray imports sold life began here as a motor vehicle right before being converted to left hand drive for our market The problem here is that many of them will have their wiring harness, steering systems and pedal boxes set up by a little guy with a clamp that would be enough to put me off.
Other factors to be wary of include tachometers which are calibrated in miles per hour instead of kilometers per hour, which could lead to fines for excessive speed expensive if you are unconscious of this fact, many gray imports donation t come with service documents, and you can never be too sure that the odometer has been tampered with to show a lower reading than is actually the case.
Unless the car is something with a real novelty value, like a Jaguar E-type, I do not think buying a gray import is worth the small amount of money you save I certainly wouldn t be buying a Corolla import-gray, Farrow said.
There are always two sides to every story, and John Samuel Al Awir global mercury-based Motors says it's nothing to worry about when buying a gray import, provided you wear the due diligence required .
I recommend taking a car that you are interested subjected to a bumper to bumper control Tasjeel or competent garage for about dh300 to DH400, Samuel said the main thing is that the frame should not be damaged or have been tampered with in the past Tasjeel performs a visual scan of the frame, and if in doubt, they refer to the tests, on a frame-screening machine which detects defects.
For vehicles from the United States, Samuel also recommends pay a small fee and connect Wine vehicle identification number or car chassis number from online resources such as Carfax or national information on the title of vehicles NMVTIS system to motor to know its history These sites provide information about the vehicle's title, most recent odometer reading, history of operating accidents and in some cases historical data theft.
The authorities of Hurricane Katrina, the United States reported lorryloads flooded vehicles are removed from Louisiana to other states as far away as the Midwest, where they were dried, cleaned and prepared for sale to unsuspecting consumers in States that gift flood vehicle brand t prospective buyers of these vehicles may not have known that the vehicles had been subjected to saltwater flooding that made the vehicle electrical systems, including their sensors' airbag more prone to failure.
One objective of NMVTIS is to prevent the historic vehicles such as these to be washed or hidden, it's designed to serve as a national repository of information on the kind of vehicle, however, the system doesn t yet cover all the US states, so you should not treat it as a panacea.
Most gray imports offer here aren t covered by a manufacturer's warranty, but Samuel said companies such as Gulf Warranties can offer peace of mind with a guaranteed after-sale price you pay for it will depend on the age, condition and type of vehicle Samuel said many of his car dealership sells are covered by such a guarantee, the cost integrated into the vehicle's sale price.
Samuel said his dealer specializing in car less than three years, the majority of them being BMW X5s and X6S, Range Rover, various models Mercedes-Benz, Toyota Tundra, Ford F-150s and so on If you are looking to use Range Rover that you otherwise cost about Dh280,000 to Dh290,000, we can sell it to you for about Dh200,000, it is good for buyers on a budget, Samuel said.
In describing the process by which these sources concession cars, Samuel My contact says the United States is a good car for me and then organizes shipping They are then placed in a shipping container and arrive here after 30 to 35 days once they've landed here, I pay an excise duty of 5 percent on the value of each car, based on the price on the invoice the next step is to take the cars and customs documents Tasjeel where I DH200 pay for each car to be inspected once every car has passed inspection of the vehicle, they are ready to be registered and equipped with local license plates.
Although Samuel recommends buying a gray import savings you can reap, he warns against it can have a ripple effect on the time comes for you to sell it, because it will probably be worth less than a similar age GCC-spec vehicle also emphasizes that cars coming from colder climates can be equipped with devices such as heated seats and winter tires, which are obviously unnecessary here.
You can get a good idea of the types of gray imports on the supply and the prices charged for them by taking a walk through Al Awir complex used Because here you will find over 130 specialist dealers in cars that go public Offbeat to collectibles that are as rare as hen's teeth it its true one-stop shop, because there are also auto loans providers, car insurance companies, testing services for vehicles and inspection, the traffic police service and Tasjeel center for car registrations.
There's ample opportunity for negotiation, but one of the tricks here is not to appear too keen on a vehicle, even if you don t sweat and if the make and model of vehicle you looking is not to find on the premises, as most dealers will be happy to source for you if you give them the details of the model.
Once, I came close to buying myself the gray import It was immaculate 1991 Porsche 944 S2 advertised on Dubizzle imported from Japan, he had been fastidiously maintained, so that it looked as if she had just launched the exhibition hall, although there were about 90,000 km on the clock he rode well too, but unfortunately I passed as I needed a daily driver, not something I would want to protect parking mall shops and daily wear-and- tear.
Personally I would have no reservations about buying a gray import, but I'd make damn sure do my homework thoroughly on the car in question first, you must do the same if you plan to s' venturing down this path.
Gray imports vehicles that rolled in the UAE through channels other than regional distributors, gray imports, vehicles.