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I STRONGLY advise anyone buying a used car ESPECIALLY here in lebanon to do an extensive research on the car they're buying before doing so, getting a machanic to check it out isn't enough!! I HIGHLY recommend checking the car's history by either googling its chassis number or checking it's car fax.

I got my car last summer, it looked perfectly clean, my mechanic(who we trust a lot and have been working with him for over 5years) thought it was the cleanest he has every seen(sherkeh), and 3months later we found a small oil leak in the front right side of the car, it costed us $120 to fix it but it was no biggie, so today I googled my chassis number just for the hell of it, and found out that my car had a huge accident that caused it to be wrecked on the front right and back right of it. It explained A LOT of tiny problems I saw and niglected in the car.


So my advise to everyone buying a used car is to make a research about the car they're getting no matter how clean it looks, dig as deep as you can, don't hassitate to pay the $50 fee most car fax websites ask for because it might protect you from losses later on.
tough luck ..get a better grease guy ..
How do you get the chassis number from a used car ? Will the dealer simply tell you what the number is ?
And what websites do you use to search for a car ? (i tried google but got no results)
Flakk wroteHow do you get the chassis number from a used car ? Will the dealer simply tell you what the number is ?
And what websites do you use to search for a car ? (i tried google but got no results)
It's written on the car. Look for the VIN.
Carfax.com
You have to create an account to check out the cars.
my experience, buy a new car , ALWAYS.
I know some of you will say you want a bmw or a mercedes but you can only buy used ones... just forget them, buy a asian cars, all are very good these days; even.hyundai and kia are much much much.better then a used mercedes or bmw; in plain arabic: arya7 lal rass!
Metalloy wrotemy experience, buy a new car , ALWAYS.
I know some of you will say you want a bmw or a mercedes but you can only buy used ones... just forget them, buy a asian cars, all are very good these days; even.hyundai and kia are much much much.better then a used mercedes or bmw; in plain arabic: arya7 lal rass!
You sir, unlike many of the Lebanese think right.

I just don't understand this Lebanese mentality where one would prefer to buy a 7 year old German car over a brand new Japanese one with guarantee and everything for the same price.

I wish the masses would get over the shallowness and get something neat, clean, efficient and does the job of taking you from place A to B. If one can afford a brand new BMW, Mercedes or Audi then great, but used? Why? And please the argument of "more quality" is not valid on used cars that you never knew who drove them, how and why they got sold.
As a numbers person, I would tell you that buying a new car is a bad investment. It loses over half of its value the moment you drive it off of the lot. That being said, the same could be said for buying a car that over 6 years old or a car with a lot of mileage on it. There is a reason why car warranties only go a certain period--once you run past the warranty period, then you are rolling the dice. Numbers are one thing--some people prefer the piece of mind of a new car and that's understandable

Advice for buying an old car: Carfax (if you can do it), mechanic (goes without saying) and finally someone you can trust who works in a body shop. Mechanics know how the engine works, but they can't see signs that the car has been in an accident like damage to the frame which the mechanic may not be looking for.

Live and learn I guess--I have bought 3 new cars and 2 used cars---I learned my lesson on the first used car when the car was sideways even though I was driving straight (or so I thought). Bent frame from hell....aside, from that, the car ran great. ;)
I got a E350 last year ( used ) from USA / Texas Dealer and certified, 3000$ more expensive than the used cars here but never been happier with it. I've only changed the oil and brakes; Clean title and one owner. No fleet/rent/theft/flood/salvage or any noticable scratch.

If you want to buy a used car, don't ever get one from Lebanon... NEVER. I've spent more than 650$ at Ghargour inspecting 4 cars over 1 year and all were damaged.

The only one I was about to buy and payed some cash in advance since the CarFax said the car is CLEAN with low mileage was one I saw at car expo before the Casino; It was immaculate. Upon inspection at Ghargour, they removed all the backseats to find that the car went into a fatal collision, split into two pieces and the chassis was restored and frames realligned.

There an old saying: We're never too rich to buy a secondhand car.
@Xabart, you're exagerating a little; a brand new.car lose 20% of it is value of their value at first not 50%, it takes alot of.years to reach the 50% marge, and whem.they do tjey stick with it.
We had a Peugeot 407 lost more than 40% of it's value within 2 years. From 29000$ to 16000$. Depends on the car itself.
P.S. for any wanting to buy a car from abroad and want to pay customs and Duties (jamrika) for the car. Here is how:

Customs Duties and Taxes calculation for imported used vehicles
Customs Duties and Taxes are based on the CIF (Cost + Insurance + Freight) value of the imported used vehicles, where the Cost is obtained from international references such as the Blue Book and Super Schwache Liste, and are calculated as follow:

First For CIF value up to 20 Million LBP, Customs and Excise Duties is 5,000,000 LBP
And For CIF value above 20 Million LBP, Customs and Excise Duties rate is 50%
And VAT equals (CIF Value + Customs and Excise Duties) x 10%
Practical Example 1:
A used vehicle priced $23,700 according to Super Schwache Liste, and paid $1,000 for transport and $300 for insurance and other costs. The CIF Value (Cost & Insurance & Freight) is therefore equals to $25,000 which is equivalent to approximately 37,500,000 Lebanese Lira.
Customs and Excise Duties = (5,000,000 + 17,500,000 X 50%) = (5,000,000 + 8,750,000) = 13,750,000 LBP
VAT = (37,500,000 + 13,750,000) X 10% = 51,250,000 X 10% = 5,125,000 LBP
Total to be paid = 13,750,000 + 5,125,000 = 18,875,000 LBP
Practical Example 2:
A used vehicle priced $9,700 according to "Pvt_Party Good" in the Blue Book, and paid $1,000 for transport and $300 for insurance and other costs. The CIF Value (Cost & Insurance & Freight) is therefore equals to $11,000 which is equivalent to approximately 16,500,000 Lebanese Lira.

Customs and Excise Duties = 5,000,000 LBP
VAT = (16,500,000 + 5,000,000) X 10% = 21,500,000 X 10% = 2,150,000 LBP
Total to be paid = 5,000,000 + 2,150,000 = 7,150,000 LBP
Source http://www.customs.gov.lb/customs/others/faq.asp
Metalloy wrote@Xabart, you're exagerating a little; a brand new.car lose 20% of it is value of their value at first not 50%, it takes alot of.years to reach the 50% marge, and whem.they do tjey stick with it.
Not an exaggeration--it depends on where you are and the type of car you are buying. In this country where tariffs and the cost of ownership are high, then it doesn't fall to this level. In areas where there are lower taxes and a lower cost of ownership like the gulf states and the US, then this adage will more true than you think.

Other factors include how well the car holds up its value, how many are in the market, the number of similar cars for sale, etc...
I have a BMW320 1997 for sale if anyone interested
It depends on the original price not the %
for example, if you buy a 25k-30k car and lose 50-60% in 5 years it is ok, you have used it for the 15k.
but if you go and buy a nice bmw, mercedes, audi etc from the company 60-80k) than that same % makes a higher loss.
6 years later
Bump! Hi guys.

I am interested if anyone has imported a car recently and whether these prices have changed (improved or worsened). The website seems to have not changed since at least 2012 (which can be noted by the VAT is still being 10%). Any advice on importing relatively pricey/ less desired cars to Lebanon?

Any and all info appreciated.
TrollFatGuy wroteBump! Hi guys.

I am interested if anyone has imported a car recently and whether these prices have changed (improved or worsened). The website seems to have not changed since at least 2012 (which can be noted by the VAT is still being 10%). Any advice on importing relatively pricey/ less desired cars to Lebanon?

Any and all info appreciated.
I have the Mercedes and Toyota import fees that were published on Monday. They are the latest. Let me know if you're interested in these brands.
Hey @Xsever.

I am interested per se, but not in the way you would imagine. I am just checking out the best options for a non-realistic goal. Specifically, I am looking for import rates on sports wagons as they are not highly available in Lebanon, and if they are available, they are way overpriced. From Mercedes, I'd be looking at the E63 AMG Wagon. Thank you for your quick replies.
If your mechanic through that it was clean then maybe it was properly fixed.
The assumption in your post is that whenever a car is fixed then it is garbage.
I disagree, some places actually fix cars well, especially in other countries. For example a friend had a VW in Canada, and he was in a minor accident that damaged the door. He took it to be fixed and they replaced the whole door with a new one.
So there you go fixed does not mean badly fixed. Yes if it's a major accident then I guess it will not be 100% as good as it was before. After all the chassis gets stressed, etc. But it does not mean that it's garbage either.
TrollFatGuy wroteHey @Xsever.

I am interested per se, but not in the way you would imagine. I am just checking out the best options for a non-realistic goal. Specifically, I am looking for import rates on sports wagons as they are not highly available in Lebanon, and if they are available, they are way overpriced. From Mercedes, I'd be looking at the E63 AMG Wagon. Thank you for your quick replies.
Hello,

I only got the Toyota and Mercedes tables since that's all I'm interested in. You can download them from here

https://www.dropbox.com/s/qk9vlbzfzxyu6mn/Customs%20Fees%20March%202018.jpeg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/acf4yymxn4myzvf/Customs%20Fees%20March%202018_2.jpeg?dl=0
Thanks Xsever. I see that some models are missing from that list. Do you know the procedure for such cases?