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For the buyers who aspire to own a car but cannot afford the sky-high prices, the Car Haat Ltd, an open air weekly market of reconditioned cars in the capital, is the perfect place to fulfil the dream of riding own car.
Buying reconditioned or used cars is a favourite choice for the Bangladeshi middle class for years as it does not break the bank but realises the dream of having own car.
The Car Haat Ltd has become a trusted place to buy reconditioned cars, gaining reputation through more than two decades of devoted service.
The Car Haat has been organising the weekly car market every Friday on the playground of Rajdhani High School at Manik Miah Avenue in the capital for the last 24 years.
Set up by six friends, the haat has become the capital’s biggest market for used cars over the years.
Md Billal Sarkar, involved with the venture since 2000, told The Business Post, “Enthusiastic customer service, adequate security and maintenance of accurate legal procedures in selling or buying a car are the main reasons behind the success of the market.”
The haat was started by FK Zaman Nahid, Rasel Mahmud Rusu, Al Zaved Shimu, Alim Al Mehedi Suvo, Shamim Ahsan Sumon and GA Montasir Ripon. It was Suvo’s idea to start the haat, but he died soon after the venture started.
According to sources concerned, the haat generally runs from 8:00 am to 8:30 pm every Friday and the cars are displayed in six rows. The haat has some specific rules for sellers. A booking must be made every Wednesday to secure the place for showcasing the car in the haat. Only then the seller will be able to display his cars on Friday. Otherwise, the seller has to come again next Wednesday. The booking fee is Tk 500.
As per the rules of the haat, the sources said, sellers must bring all necessary documents and give consent to perform tests on the cars. The car’s price has to be fixed in accordance with the market rate, and the seller has to submit required papers to the organisers before displaying cars in the haat.
Md Siddique has been selling cars for more than 10 years. He buys cars from all over Dhaka and sells at the haat. He said, “Selling cars here is hassle-free if you have proper documents. The haat authorities act as a middleman doing all the legal works on behalf of the buyer and seller.”
Shafik Mia, a businessman from the Mohammadpur area came to the haat to sell his Toyota AQUA car asking for Tk 13,35,000. “This haat is here for a long time. I considered this market the best place when I made up my mind to sell my car,” he said.
Sources said every car displayed in this haat is given a token ID. The ID, printed on paper, contains the name of car, production year, registration year, engine details, interior details and asking price.
People from all around Dhaka come to the market to buy cars. Toru Khan came to the haat with his family to buy his first car. He is searching for a good-looking car with good engine condition.
“It is a trusted place. I just need to choose a car within my budget. The rest will be handled by the authorities,” he said.
Rajjak Sordar, another buyer, said, “Choosing a car and test drive it before buying is more reliable than buying online. That is why I have come here from Gazipur.”
After a buyer chooses a car, he has to pay 5% of the buying price in advance. Then the haat authorities will check the papers. If everything is accurate, the buyer will have to pay the rest within Thursday. The Car Haat Ltd takes a service charge of 2.5% of the car’s price.
Like other businesses, the pandemic and recent global inflation have hit this used car market hard.
“Our sales have reduced drastically in recent times. During the pandemic, we had to close the haat for three months. The whole world is now going through an economic crisis, forcing the people to spend less.”
“Nevertheless, people’s attraction to this haat and its reputation gained through dedicated service of many years are not fading soon. There is no better alternative to this haat, if one wants to own a car at an affordable price,” he added.
