In search of \\\'dream\\\' clunkers

Khairul Islam | Published: April 26, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00

Tamanna Mitu has been pushing her banker spouse to buy a car. For the young couple, it was a long-cherished dream. But it was price that stood in the way. The bargain-hunting couple, who live near the capital's commercial hub Motijheel, was looking for one that will not strain husband's wallet much. Mizanur Rahman finally discovered Car Bikroy Mela, a place where people, like him, throng to snap up used cars. On Friday, the dream came true when the young couple returned home with a silver-color Toyota from the city's open air car hat at Lalmatia.
"It's like Eureka. We got it, finally," Ms Mitu says in her instant reaction.
"We're really happy with the Toyota X COROLLA 2004. It cost us around Tk 1.0 million," she told this correspondent at 2.0 pm on the day.
Ms Mitu, who stays home to tend her school going kid, said she and her husband had been dreaming of owning a car for long and used to visit different places including the online market, to get one that looks good and within their means.
At the Mela, one can find many sellers as well. One was Md Jalal Uddin who came from the city's Mohammadpur area to sell his 5-year-old Toyota car.
He said that his pearl-colored reconditioned car has drawn good response from the buyers.
 "It seems to me that I will get higher price-even more than I expected," the beaming seller said, adding that he has to register with the market authorities to showcase his car at the day-long exhibition at a fee of Tk 400.
Mahbub Murshed, a director of the Bikroy Mela, told the FE around 500 reconditioned private cars of over one hundred models including latest and old-fashioned are being showcased at the market, where hundreds of buyers from across the country visit.
Visiting the venue, this reporter found besides car owners, a group of commercial sellers also parked cars at the market. "I've parked a patrol-run Toyota RAV 4 2003 for sale here," Monir Hossain, a reconditioned car trader, said adding that he also buy cars from the market for business purpose.
Besides, a group of middlemen also found bargaining with the buyers to sell parked private cars on behalf of the owners.
"I've been employed by the market authorities to assist the car owners selling their cars," a middleman said preferring anonymity.
Claiming the market to be one of the largest places for reconditioned cars, chairman of the hat Gazi Monir Uddin Tarim told the FE that around 52,000 cars have been sold since the inception of the market in May 2004.
He, however, said currently the market is facing trouble because of political instability.
"Our sales have almost halved to 8-10 cars a day, versus 15-20 cars in the past," the chairman noted.
He denied the presence of cheats and middlemen at the market place, saying they closely monitor the market.
"We provide all sorts of support for both sides to ensure a fair environment," Mr Tarim noted.  
The company chief said they don't allow cars to be parked at the market unless owners have proper documents.
"Here, trading is safe and secure for both sides," he added.
Mr Tarim said that the government earns a handsome amount from the market as taxes while the authorities share Tk23,800 with the government for every 1,500 CC private car sale and the amount goes up with the increase in engine capacity rises.
khairulisalmdu@gmail.com