Buying an American car in the UAE?

07 January 2022

Cars of North American origin are available in the United Arab Emirates and Dubai, and for the past 10 years, they have been sold both by dealerships or showrooms and by people trading these imported vehicles.

This type of imported automobile can be very attractive and when they go on the used car market, they can become an option when you want to have another vehicle for your home or business or even, just want to change your car, but it is important that you don't lose sight of considering those aspects that you should take into account when buying a vehicle imported from the American continent to be used in the UAE.

Cheaper or low price

The price tends to be lower than vehicles that are distributed exclusively in the UAE because they don't have the specifications for this geographical area (GCC), that is, to circulate in Dubai or the territory of the UAE where there are already quite strong conditions which they are exposed.

It is important to know that vehicles of American origin, such as the E.E.U.U. or Canada, meet minimum specifications that are required of their manufacturers in those countries, and of course, these include heat and cold, however, we must take into account that in the UAE, in addition to hot conditions, there are dust and sand conditions that can be quite high, well, very high if we are honest, like and especially, in summer seasons, in certain places near to the desert area and also humidity with salinity in the coastal part, therefore, they are conditions that require specifications with a higher degree of demand in certain cases and that is why it is important that they comply with the GCC specs, because in the event that a vehicle doesn't have these specifications, its optimal operation can be much shorter as well as its useful life.

What are GCC Specs and how to identify if a used car meets them?

Remember, it is always important that you purchase a vehicle with a trusted company or go through the verification process with the RTA

Salvaged or rescued

Let us bear in mind that some of these imported cars and with a very cheap price can be salvage products, that is, the car suffered a crash classified as a total loss in your country or was in a flood, this causes them to be sold by insurers at very low prices to get some money back, they are re-manufactured and sold as imported and even, in some cases, at prices as if they were GCC compliant vehicles when they are not.

Warranty and services

If the vehicle is less than 5 years old, it may have a guarantee, however, when the car is imported and even if it doesn't meet the limit of kilometers traveled or years and it is understood that it is within the warranty period, you will not be able to do validate the same because this is only executable where these are originally from.

The services or packages to which the vehicle may be entitled to the manufacturer cannot be claimed when the car has been imported because these only have a local effect.

Black market

You must be very careful when you are negotiating a vehicle on your own with a private person so as not to be deceived with a car that is stolen or the product of “fraudulent repairs” that want to make the vehicle pass as if it complies with the GCC and even, it may seem so, therefore, it is important that you do the verification of VIN code (Vehicle Identification Number).

Remember, the above is not only important because of the price of a used car in the market, but it is also important for your safety and your pocket, but you also don't want to end up scammed, with unforeseen expenses due to the repair that you must assume or with a problem with the RTA and UAE authorities or maybe, with a burning car (and it is not a “Hot Rod”) on the road.

Be careful and take all due precautions, and if you want to buy or sell a used car, contact us or visit us at our headquarters