LITTLE ROCK—Buying a used gas guzzler isn’t necessarily a money-losing investment.

Traders in used vehicles have been buying SUVs that are being shunned by American car owners and selling them where demand remains high. Drivers in a number of oil-producing countries in the Middle East, West Africa and Mexico enjoy subsidized gasoline and can afford the low-mileage vehicles.

United Traders of Little Rock specializes in shipping vehicles to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait. The company is owned by four brothers — Abdul, Hani, Troy and Jamal Abunasrah. Abdul Abunasrah, a U.S. citizen who was born in Kuwait said his company ships through the port of Jacksonville, Fla., which moved 500,000 vehicles each year.

Jamal Abunasrah run a lot in Memphis, Tenn., where he sells to dealerships. His brother Abdul buys the higher-end vehicles in auctions. Cars that don’t sell quickly in the country are exported Hani and Troy Abunasrah are office managers.

“We sell (vehicles ) over the phones. We sell things in the auction, and we just have so many different connections,” Abdul Abunasrah said. He said about half the 150 to 200 vehicles he sells each month are exported to the Middle East.

The company was founded in Helena-West Helena in 1992 and moved to Sherwood in 2004. Many of the companies that sell vehicles overseas are often run by immigrants who business connections in their native countries.

Mike Raney, owner of JRB Transport in Beebe, said he sees many foreign-born exporters at car auctions. And it’s not just high-end models that are heading for the docks. Trade-in vehicles with 200,000 miles head to developing countries, in West Africa, for instance, where they take on new life. “The (export) car business is always going to be booming,” Raney said.

The used-car market is forecast to shrink in the Middle East, but in West Africa, vehicle sales have been growing for the past seven years to about 25,000 vehicles a year, according to the Commerce Department.

“Now the gas guzzler has got cheap; there is more supply here in the states than there is demand.” The average wholesale price of a used, late-model Chevy Suburban fell more than $3,000, to about $19,200 in May from about $22,600 in January, according to the National Automobile Dealers Association.

Steve Landers, owner of Landers Toyota in Little Rock, said he is seeing the impact.

“There are a lot of Middle East shippers in the Little Rock market buying cars full-size SUVs... Sequoias, Land Rovers, Yukons, Tahoes, Hummers,” he said.

Adesa Inc. auction in North Little Rock operates at least 60 separate auctions in the United States, according to the company’s Web site. Abdul Abunasrah said he is a top buyer from the auction.

Abdul Abunasrah says the competition is getting stronger because of the influx of traded-in SUVs in auctions nationwide. Agents for companies based in other states are participating in some of the state’s auctions.

“Sometimes when business is very strong, I go to Chicago and buy cars,” he says. “I go to Texas and buy cars.”