adminhave a chance to buy a car in reasonable condition at a low price until “the economy improves”.
As we have argued before, most of these imports from the major source, Japan, are less than half-way through their working life and have been properly serviced.
They are dumped not because they are useless or worn out but because of Japanese policies that make it almost impossible to keep a car older than five years on the road, even if it is in perfect condition and the engine is still being run in.
We still hold, though, that drivers who import these cars, or buy them from an importer, would be very wise to have them checked by a competent mechanic on arrival and to change the tyres to a type designed for tropical conditions.
Odd faults can develop while the car is in a container or on a transporter. Tyres do deteriorate in storage and there are different tyre standards depending on the climate.
Minister of Transport, Communications and Infrastructure Development Nicholas Goche, when announcing the suspension of the ban, dwelt on the incapacity of the local motor industry to supply enough new vehicles and on banks to put in loan schemes.
These are factors. But even if assembly capacity was vastly increased, and even if there were loans for many, there would still be the problem of affordability.
Even most Zimbabweans defined as “middle income” do not earn enough to qualify for a loan to buy a car costing tens of thousands of dollars, and could never save for such a vehicle.
Almost all of the tiny minority who earn enough to afford a new car are already buying new cars, albeit imports from South Africa.
People do not buy second-hand cars because they like them; they buy them because they cannot afford a new car.
But the demand for inexpensive small cars could possibly be met by a new attitude in the motor industry.
India, faced with the similar problem of vast numbers of people moving out of desperate poverty and able to afford a few thousand dollars for a vehicle, has industrialists trying to rap that market.
Two Indian companies are now producing basic cars, and Tata has managed to design and make a car that retails new at a little over US$2 000.
Renault are also, reports say, looking at a car that could retail for below US$8 000.
Sure, these cars are not fancy. If you want to open a window, and with no air conditioning you probably will, you slide back the glass or wind a handle.
They do not have power steering; radios are optional extras.
The description is not that different from the modest cars that we could buy new 20 years or so ago, but now having a more efficient engine, better lights and a safer design.
The Transport and Industry Ministries need to get Zimbabwean industrialists to start looking at and testing these cars.
In fact, it might well be a good idea for the Transport Ministry itself to import a handful of the basic Tatas and allocate them for testing and evaluation to some middle-ranking civil servants, the sort of people who
now come to work in a kombi and who will be only too happy to upgrade to the most modest car available.
Perhaps they are not suitable for Zimbabwe; perhaps they need some modest design changes.
The point is we do not know.
Considering the size of the African market for inexpensive cars, we are sure that those Indian and other industrialists who are starting to make them would be delighted to listen very carefully to any ideas for improvements Zimbabweans might make.
And if they are suitable then Zimbabwe could even become a beach-head for these industrialists, assembling cars for export to neighbouring states.
Right now Zimbabwe has just one assembly plant, Willowvale Mazda, and with the currency switch there is no longer any limit on the import of kits to assemble Mazda vehicles.
But that plant is not yet back in full production, partly because many of those who can buy new cars prefer other similarly-priced models, but mostly because so few can afford the sort of cars assembled.
This opens opportunities for others to look at different types of vehicle, types that could well break the barrier of affordability.
It would obviously be better for Zimbabwe to assemble or make new cars than import used cars, but the new cars have to be priced within Zimbabwean means.
This is why we hope the suspension of the ban on the import of older used cars will be kept in place until adequate substitutes at the same price, or preferably even cheaper, are available.
When that day dawns, then of course we will need to protect our industries and start banning second-hand car imports, just as most car-making countries do.
But until that time, most of us have the simple choice of a kombi seat or a second-hand Japanese car. And that large number is grateful that the Government has thought through the whole concept and changed its mind.
Online Reporter