Most of the expatriates prefer to buy used cars in Saudi Arabia. Although the trend of buying used cars has been reduced significantly since the time banks and other dealers such as Abdul Latif Jameel have started leasing new cars in Saudi Arabia still a large majority prefer used cars.

However, there are several risks involved when you are dealing with a used vehicle. Moreover, markets of used cars are not as established in Saudi Arabia as in many other countries. In this article, I will be educating you about the full details of buying used cars in Saudi Arabia.

How to search for a Used Car in Saudi Arabia?

As mentioned earlier, the market for used cars is not established here in Saudi Arabia. There are some ways you can search for a used car in Saudi Arabia.

1. Search for a used Car through References

The most trustable way of searching for a used car in Saudi Arabia is through your REFERENCES. Ask about the car you are looking for from all your friends living in Saudi Arabia and hopefully, you will get the reference from someone of the person who is selling your desired car.

The vehicle you will look for through reference will have at least one security of no major repair. This is the major inherent risk in buying a used vehicle in Saudi Arabia. The person who is selling through reference is a person to whom you can contact later on so he will not lie to you in the fear of losing his name.

Car purchase through reference is slightly expensive but you actually pay for the increased surety you are receiving about your car.

2. Search for a Car through Used Car Markets

The second way is to go to the used car markets in Saudi Arabia to search for the car. This is the open market with all the risk involved that you might land into a bad deal. For example, in Jeddah, there is Haraj where you can find numerous used cars.

Before going to buy a car from Haraj, it is better if you just make up your mind what kind of car do you really want. If you don’t make up your mind, you will be confused with the number of options available to you.

Cars available here are cheaper than the other sources but it really takes a hard time to search for a good car from used car markets. However, the risk of buying a car with major defects is very high if you go to buy a car from used car markets. It is better to go there with your mechanic but generally, people are not able to look for an appropriate car on the first day.

3. Abdul Latif Jameel Used Cars

The third and most expensive option is to go to the used car dealers. For example, Abdul Latif Jameel in Saudi Arabia is the dealer of Toyota car in Saudi Arabia. Abdul Latif Jameel purchases the used cars from the general public and then resells it to the public after working on minor defects.

You can always go to Abdul Latif Jameel used cars showrooms and buy a car from there. There are showrooms for Abdul Latif Jameel Toyota used cars in Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, etc.

If you buy a used car from Abdul Latif Jameel, there is no risk of major repair and maintenance. In fact, after purchasing the car from the seller, they scan it properly and fix the issues in it. However, they charge a hell of the amount for this security. They charge at least 30% extra price than the price of a used car in the market.

4. Search for a Car on the Internet

Last available option to expatriates living in Saudi Arabia to search for a used car in Saudi Arabia is through the internet. There are several websites which are posting free ads. Buyers and sellers get together from one virtual place to buy or sell the used car. The most used website in this regard is Expatriates.com.

Every day more than 100 ads for used cars are posted only in Jeddah. It saves a lot of time of people searching for a car as they can see the pictures of the car and look for the desired car only. If they find any suitable car, they will have to contact the seller to fix a meeting with him to see the car. If everything goes fine, the car deal is finalized in two or three meetings.

The prices quoted on this website are at least 10 to 15% higher than what the seller expects to receive. So, the buyer should negotiate with the seller to get an appropriate price. However, here you need to ensure that you are not buying the car from a car dealer.

Car dealers are experts in hiding the major defects of the car through different techniques. They can roll back the meter, paint the car to show that it is newer than the reality. There are two ways you can detect a car dealer on the internet.

• If you call him and he asks you which car you are talking about, it means that he has posted more than one car on the internet to sell and he is a car dealer. Avoid him.
• During your visit ask him if he is the owner of the car. If he reveals that it is his friend’s car or something like that, the car dealer is spotted.

Transfer the Car Ownership

Once you find the car you were looking for, the next step is to transfer its ownership to your name. We have explained in detail the procedure to transfer car ownership in Saudi Arabia.