| A number of things need to be taken into account | | | | Mind |
| prior to buying a used car in Karachi, Lahore, | | | | Consider the engine capacity as this will largely |
| Rawalpindi or Islamabad. Do you want a Honda, | | | | determine your weekly fuel expenditure based on your |
| Toyota or a Suzuki? How are you going to finance it? | | | | daily running.The other related feature to consider is |
| What features should your car have? All these and | | | | whether your car runs on CNG, Diesel or Petrol. |
| additional factors need to be considered before | | | | Buyers in Karachi and Lahore often prefer CNG due |
| choosing which car to buy. Outlined below are the | | | | to its lower per kilometer cost, as the distances are |
| important steps you should follow before buying a | | | | greater and the roads are more crowded. |
| good used car in Pakistan. | | | | Other features such as power steering, color, sun roof, |
| 1. Come up with a Manageable Budget | | | | luggage capacity can effect the price of the car |
| If you manage your household expenses and balance | | | | substantially and need to be weighed against the |
| your checkbooks regularly this should be a fairly easy | | | | financial implications of opting for these features. Avoid |
| exercise for you. Figure out your monthly expenses, | | | | dark colors in Karachi as the dust tends to make the |
| including groceries, utilities, kids education, entertainment | | | | car look dirty in a matter of minutes and highlights |
| and financial payments. Now figure out how much you | | | | flaws. |
| save in a month and the liquid savings you have in the | | | | 4. Research Used Cars for Sale Extensively |
| bank. Using these numbers you should be able to | | | | After deciding on the make, model and features you |
| come up with a decision as to how much you can | | | | can begin to look for specific cars that match your |
| spend and whether you require any extra financing. | | | | criteria. My last article discusses where to look for |
| Remember that Car Financing is hard to obtain in | | | | used cars in Pakistan. Popular newspapers like Dawn |
| Pakistan these days so it might be useful if you know | | | | and Jang have Sunday classified sections dedicated to |
| someone in the Banking Industry. | | | | used cars on sale in all major cities. |
| If you do require financing, local Banks like MCB, UBL | | | | Online classifieds are also a great place to find a good |
| and HBL are probably your best shot. Processing fees | | | | deal. All you have to do is Google 'Used Cars for Sale |
| are normally Rs. 4000.00 and most Pakistani banks do | | | | Karachi' or the city where you reside and you'll find |
| not finance used cars that are more than five years | | | | several listings with currents ads posted. I normally |
| old. Down payment on the loan is normally fifteen | | | | refer to the first two pages of the search results to |
| percent with interest rates averaging 11 to 12 percent. | | | | find the sites with the most current and frequently |
| You have to get the used car you're interested in | | | | posted ads. Don't assume you have found the right |
| buying appraised by an authorized dealer to decide the | | | | car after an hour or two. There may be even better |
| value of the loan. The easier thing to do initially is ask | | | | deals if you search a few hours more. |
| them for a ball park figure for your particular make, | | | | 5. Organize your Research |
| model and year (mention the mileage as well). | | | | Be organized about your search from the start. Use a |
| 2. Decide on a Car Manufacturer and Model | | | | spreadsheet software or a piece of paper and make |
| The key to deciding on a make, model and year is the | | | | a list of the used cars you've shortlisted. Add columns |
| resale value of the car you're buying. Toyota, Honda | | | | for price, features, seller contact details, questions you |
| and Suzuki are the most common manufacturers and | | | | want to ask, meeting times and dates and comments |
| often get the best resale value in Pakistan. Certain | | | | you may want to add after talking to the seller. The |
| models are far more popular than others and hence, | | | | advantage of using online classifieds is that most of |
| also get better resale value. Plan for the future and | | | | them allow you to save ads you've viewed in your |
| think when you're likely to sell your car and ask an | | | | area of the site for easy access at a later time. List |
| auto-dealer in your city how much your car is likely to | | | | cars by similar makes, models, year of manufacture |
| depreciate in that time period. | | | | and features. Being organized will help you compare |
| In Pakistan, the 2006 and 2007 Honda Civics are | | | | prices easily and negotiate a good deal for one of the |
| extremely popular, as are the 2005 and 2007 Toyota | | | | used cars you've listed. |
| Corollas. Suzuki changes the shape of its cars less | | | | 6. Start Calling |
| frequently in Pakistan and hence most models, | | | | Go ahead and start calling. Just remember to keep |
| especially the hatchbacks and coupes, are always in | | | | updating your list with newly negotiated car prices, |
| demand. | | | | meeting dates and times and any new details you |
| 3. Choose your Car Features Keeping the Budget in | | | | discover along the way. Good luck and happy hunting. |