Used Cars for the Third World

“El Dorado” is commonly known as the mythical city of gold. In Hamburg and other German cities, however, used-car scrap yards, known as “dorados,” challenge the traditional meaning. The “dorados” are huge fields, divided by fences, where dealers sell German cars that no longer meet safety or emissions standards, most destined for Africa and Eastern Europe. Despite appearances, there is nothing illegal about the lots because customers expect little more than a car that runs. Most vehicles are priced at about 500 euros, and most sellers come from countries like Russia, Chechyna and Turkey. Few get rich, and writer Erich Wiedemann suggests that the scrap yards represent capitalism at its shabbiest, with discarded products of the developed world meeting the barest needs of the developing world. Pitfalls await those looking to participate, but a seller from Chechnya can make a profit of 400 euros off a car considered junk in Germany – and that can feed his family for half a year. – YaleGlobal