Why buying a US-spec car is a bad idea

Thinking of buying a US Spec Car in the UAE?

Read this before you make your decision!

The USA is the origin of many cars that are loved in this region. For example, the Ford Crown Victoria is considered one of the most common cars on Saudi roads, while large families in the UAE prefer American full-sized SUVs such as the GMC Yukon and the Ford Expedition. While these cars are excellent, they are not the only cars that are brought in from the US. Many US-spec cars are imported into the UAE from the US and they almost always go for cheap.

American Imports are not limited to American made, you will find German and Japanese cars that have US specs and have been imported to the UAE. 95% of these cars have been in some sort of accident, some of them have had some serious damage at some point.

Second-hand car dealers will usually restore these cars till they look aesthetically pleasing without really fixing underlying problems. This is the reason why most American import cars look like they have just been polished and detailed, to hide the tragedy that may be hiding underneath that shiny exterior.

There is an age old saying that goes: if it is too good to be true, it probably is. This could not apply any better to this situation. American spec cars are usually bought at auctions held by insurance companies selling cars that have been written off because they are passed economic repair.

This means that the majority of these cars have been involved in a serious accident or have been damaged by flooding. Each of these issues has its own set of problems and different ways of catching them. Flood damage is usually harder to spot because the car can be dried inside and out, leaving the hidden parts to rust or till the wires rot and become a very dangerous hazard.

Accident damage is usually easier to spot because the panels are not properly aligned most of the time due to the quick and cheap repair job. Most written off American import cars have some type of structural damage where either one of the pillars is misaligned or the chassis is damaged.

These problems cannot always be caught by an untrained eye, sometimes special equipment is needed to diagnose chassis damage. American spec imports can usually be distinguished by the units used, speed is measured in MPH and temperature is measured in Fahrenheit. Our advice is to stay away from them altogether.