MELAKA: A workshop in Durian Tunggal charges only RM1 for a used vehicle to the needy buyer.

Shikh Muhammad Makhdad Haron, who runs the Makhdad Workshop at Kampung Gangsa, does that for the needy so that they can have a car to make a living.

Working together with several technicians and workshop operators, Makhdad, who is good at repairing old cars, launched the “RM1 car” program during the coronavirus lockdown.

Together with the technicians, they repaired an old car while the workshop operators looked for the car’s spare parts.

The car would be sold to the needy for only RM1 after repair.

Makhdad sold the first RM1 car to a single mother with five children.

The single mother was selling nasi lemak at her roadside stall when her only car was damaged in a road accident.

She had no choice but to look for a cheap used car.

Makhdad had a car left by a customer for a long time. He told the single mother to buy the car at RM1 but she would have to transfer the car’s ownership which cost less than RM500.

“If she were to buy a very cheap used car, she would still need to fork out RM2,000 to RM3,000 for one,” said Makhdad.

Instead of taking RM1 from the single mother, Makhdad told her to buy a copy of Quran and send it to the nearest mosque.

For the non-Muslim, Makhdad would ask the buyer to buy stuff for a temple or charitable organization.

Since the launch of the RM1 car, Makhdad said he had gifted about six cars and four motorcycles.

He once spent RM1,000 to repair a used car and gave it to the needy for RM1.

“I was motivated to do more by the recipients’ smiles,” he said.

Makhdad once ran a “Friday free car service” to raise close to RM20,000 for his daughter’s religious school to have cement floor and an awning.

The campaign is still ongoing.