Car Buying Advice
Discussion
Hi Everyone,
Looking for some advice on buying a car, we have been in Dubai for several months and are currently renting, we intend taking a personal loan and along with savings we will have 25k (140,000dhs) for a car
I had a drive out to Al Alweer last week and seen hundreds of cars but non with prices on them like the UK, after 30 mins of walking about in the heat i gave up and decided to ask for advice!
I would like an X5, my wife would like a Porsche Cayenne, however we have not made any real decisions
Are we better to buy in cash instead of one of these car loans? thee is a big difference in interest rate which seems appealing
Is Al Alweer the best place to buy a car?
Any advice would help
Thanks in advance
Craig
Looking for some advice on buying a car, we have been in Dubai for several months and are currently renting, we intend taking a personal loan and along with savings we will have 25k (140,000dhs) for a car
I had a drive out to Al Alweer last week and seen hundreds of cars but non with prices on them like the UK, after 30 mins of walking about in the heat i gave up and decided to ask for advice!
I would like an X5, my wife would like a Porsche Cayenne, however we have not made any real decisions
Are we better to buy in cash instead of one of these car loans? thee is a big difference in interest rate which seems appealing
Is Al Alweer the best place to buy a car?
Any advice would help
Thanks in advance
Craig
Hiya mate,
I spent ages looking for the right X5 and found it at Al Awir. Took a local wiTh me to beat him up a bit and got it for 107 when it was up for 120, I think. Turned out to be the biggest pile of s
t ever to be driven on the roads. One month I spent 30,000 getting it repaired, a month or two later another 15,000. I would never but another car from there.
It's all personal experience of course, as I'm sure others on here have good things to say, but I will only buy with a warranty in future.
From a finance point of view, pay cash if it makes no odds, or finance it if you might need to leave in a hurry!
I spent ages looking for the right X5 and found it at Al Awir. Took a local wiTh me to beat him up a bit and got it for 107 when it was up for 120, I think. Turned out to be the biggest pile of s
t ever to be driven on the roads. One month I spent 30,000 getting it repaired, a month or two later another 15,000. I would never but another car from there.It's all personal experience of course, as I'm sure others on here have good things to say, but I will only buy with a warranty in future.
From a finance point of view, pay cash if it makes no odds, or finance it if you might need to leave in a hurry!
On the other side of the coin, mine also came from Al Awir although it took a long time to find one that was GCC spec.
Advantage of that is that it still had the balance of the Al Tayer warranty and service pack and I was able to check the VIN number with them and make sure it had been serviced on time etc.
X5's do seem to be made of chocolate here.
Provided its in budget a 1 year old car is the sweetspot for me in terms of that first year depreciation but still at least a couple of years piece of mind.
Advantage of that is that it still had the balance of the Al Tayer warranty and service pack and I was able to check the VIN number with them and make sure it had been serviced on time etc.
X5's do seem to be made of chocolate here.
Provided its in budget a 1 year old car is the sweetspot for me in terms of that first year depreciation but still at least a couple of years piece of mind.
I fall into Chilli's camp as far as Al Aweer goes, a Dodge Viper I very nearly pulled the trigger on turned out to be an American write off, bought there at auction and repaired here on the cheap.
A great many of the cars in Al Aweer will fall into that category, it's definately buyer beware.
Personally I buy all my cars through Dubizzle from a private seller.
Not sure if you can do this with a financed car though, I don't touch loans.
A great many of the cars in Al Aweer will fall into that category, it's definately buyer beware.
Personally I buy all my cars through Dubizzle from a private seller.
Not sure if you can do this with a financed car though, I don't touch loans.
4x4 motors are OK I think, I've not heard anything bad about them and a mate had a Durango bought through them that gave no major issues in nearly 200k KM.
It may be of no use to you but a colleague is selling a 9 month old Subaru Tribeca for around 110k or so... it's done 20k KM, was his wife's car and still has all the warranty etc
It may be of no use to you but a colleague is selling a 9 month old Subaru Tribeca for around 110k or so... it's done 20k KM, was his wife's car and still has all the warranty etc
Craig,
I am a British Expat petrolhead and have been here for the best part of 10 years now. I often end up buying a couple of cars a year, what with changing them over and the like.
As I think most have already said on here, don't let your first car here be from Al Awir. A very large proportion of the cars down there there are a nightmare. I can quite confidently day that around 80% are either American Spec, have no service history, have been modified, are nicked from other countries and shipped in, are in need of some serious mechanical work or are write offs.
Don't get me wrong, there are bargains to be had there but you need to do some SERIOUS homework. I got a nice Aston Vanquish there a few years back but that was a diamond in the rough. I also bought other 4x4's down there and they were a nightmare, even after me checking them thoroughly.
Take my advice and either go into a dealer like 4x4 motors, find what you are looking for. Send it to AAA Service centre (Even though you are buying from a dealer) and pay 300 aed to have it checked bumper to bumper. This will not only give you peace of mind but also a good negotiation tool as they ALWAYS find something on the inspection. The checks for the registration are crap and don't trust ANY dealer. I have bought cars from Mercedes and Audi and both were a nightmare for one reason or another. Always get an independent check.
If you cant negotiate down with the dealer then buy carefully on Dubizzle. This is the best place to find a reasonable mileage Expat owned 4x4. Above all, buy a car here based on service history and that alone. Reciepts, Stamps, records...the more the better. And even if you are 100% certain, still get it checked at AAA Services Centre (A decent 4x4 garage near Mall of the Emirates and just behind the vehicle registration place on the Sheikh Zayed Road)
I like X5's (or at least my wife wanted one) We managed to get a deal on one which someone won in the Dutyfree lottery 3 months back, however that was pretty lucky.
In all honesty, for that budget I would strongly recommend a newer Japanese car. Something like a 2010/11 or 12 Toyota Prado. Awesome cars. It wont give you a spot of bother, you wont need an extended warranty as they are bullet proof....plus, if you sell it in a few years you will get your money back or only lose a few thousand aed. Also cheap to service. Plus...if you are just off the board and plan on getting into the Dunes they can take you there...whereas and X5 aint. Don't get me wrong, x5's are good, but here people don't look after cars and an X5 out of warranty is going to bite you and they do go wrong here. I am sure you have already written a number of cheques since landing and am sure you don't want to write another.
So, I would recommend:
Toyota Prado (Or Land Cruiser...although they are a little more)
Mitsubishi Pajero (Long wheel base Pearl white ones full loaded are nice)
You may be able to get a good X5, but just get it checked before you buy and get one as you say, with a warranty.
Lastly, items to always check when you go to look at a car...
Bodywork underneath to clearly check crashed cars (Most bumpers will have been sprayed here...this is Dubai)
Tyres (Bear in mind most will need replacing every 3 years for registration so check the week and year, usually say (4510)45th week of 2010. - Sorry if I am telling you how to suck eggs here and you already know this.
Brake pads and discs of course. You can check the discs by running your finger over the disc. If it feels like a record then its buggered...or if it looks work.
Happy hunting mate. There are some cracking deals here. Overall, I believe Dubai has one of the best value second hand car markets in the world. You can pick up a real bargain for much less than in the UK or elsewhere....however buyer beware. People here treat cars badly and don't service them or look after them like most expats would. Hence try and buy from a woman expat driver or something with low kms. Even with dealers...you don't know who owned the car before. I like to look the owner in the eye and work out if he or she is telling the truth and has looked after the car.
Cheers mate.
Luke
I am a British Expat petrolhead and have been here for the best part of 10 years now. I often end up buying a couple of cars a year, what with changing them over and the like.
As I think most have already said on here, don't let your first car here be from Al Awir. A very large proportion of the cars down there there are a nightmare. I can quite confidently day that around 80% are either American Spec, have no service history, have been modified, are nicked from other countries and shipped in, are in need of some serious mechanical work or are write offs.
Don't get me wrong, there are bargains to be had there but you need to do some SERIOUS homework. I got a nice Aston Vanquish there a few years back but that was a diamond in the rough. I also bought other 4x4's down there and they were a nightmare, even after me checking them thoroughly.
Take my advice and either go into a dealer like 4x4 motors, find what you are looking for. Send it to AAA Service centre (Even though you are buying from a dealer) and pay 300 aed to have it checked bumper to bumper. This will not only give you peace of mind but also a good negotiation tool as they ALWAYS find something on the inspection. The checks for the registration are crap and don't trust ANY dealer. I have bought cars from Mercedes and Audi and both were a nightmare for one reason or another. Always get an independent check.
If you cant negotiate down with the dealer then buy carefully on Dubizzle. This is the best place to find a reasonable mileage Expat owned 4x4. Above all, buy a car here based on service history and that alone. Reciepts, Stamps, records...the more the better. And even if you are 100% certain, still get it checked at AAA Services Centre (A decent 4x4 garage near Mall of the Emirates and just behind the vehicle registration place on the Sheikh Zayed Road)
I like X5's (or at least my wife wanted one) We managed to get a deal on one which someone won in the Dutyfree lottery 3 months back, however that was pretty lucky.
In all honesty, for that budget I would strongly recommend a newer Japanese car. Something like a 2010/11 or 12 Toyota Prado. Awesome cars. It wont give you a spot of bother, you wont need an extended warranty as they are bullet proof....plus, if you sell it in a few years you will get your money back or only lose a few thousand aed. Also cheap to service. Plus...if you are just off the board and plan on getting into the Dunes they can take you there...whereas and X5 aint. Don't get me wrong, x5's are good, but here people don't look after cars and an X5 out of warranty is going to bite you and they do go wrong here. I am sure you have already written a number of cheques since landing and am sure you don't want to write another.
So, I would recommend:
Toyota Prado (Or Land Cruiser...although they are a little more)
Mitsubishi Pajero (Long wheel base Pearl white ones full loaded are nice)
You may be able to get a good X5, but just get it checked before you buy and get one as you say, with a warranty.
Lastly, items to always check when you go to look at a car...
Bodywork underneath to clearly check crashed cars (Most bumpers will have been sprayed here...this is Dubai)
Tyres (Bear in mind most will need replacing every 3 years for registration so check the week and year, usually say (4510)45th week of 2010. - Sorry if I am telling you how to suck eggs here and you already know this.
Brake pads and discs of course. You can check the discs by running your finger over the disc. If it feels like a record then its buggered...or if it looks work.
Happy hunting mate. There are some cracking deals here. Overall, I believe Dubai has one of the best value second hand car markets in the world. You can pick up a real bargain for much less than in the UK or elsewhere....however buyer beware. People here treat cars badly and don't service them or look after them like most expats would. Hence try and buy from a woman expat driver or something with low kms. Even with dealers...you don't know who owned the car before. I like to look the owner in the eye and work out if he or she is telling the truth and has looked after the car.
Cheers mate.
Luke
Oh...and on the car finance, be very careful.
Most of the local banks have some terrible fine print. Check if there is a fee if you sell the car early on the loan, is there a payment. Also check the upfront costs which are not mentioned in the leaflet. Set up fees etc. Also check if the rates are fixed...many say they are for the term but you then find out that they can "Review" them whenever they want and you could end up getting shafted on the rate.
Also ask if you sell the car what is the process. Bear in mind that selling a financed car is tricky unless the buyer has cash. Finance companies don't like buying another car on finance and this is why many cars in the range you are looking at are easy to negotiate on...because these days not everyone one has a cool 10 or 200k to drop in cash on a car.
If you want my opinion, I would go with an expat bank like HSBC or something. Now, they are the best of a bad bunch one could say. However, I took a loan here many years ago with them and they were pretty decent. not sure what the rates are these days.
In all honesty, I would get a car with cash...buy a decent Jap car which will last you years. I personally don't do loans now and haven't for years. Buy a cheap car with cash then when you make some serious money just buy another...there is loads of choice here.
Lastly...and very importantly. Bear in mind that if for some unknown reason a person were to lose his job and needed to leave the UAE...the minute the company cancels a persons VISA, some banks "Lock" the customers account until the outstanding is paid in full. Its a real minefield mate. BY law here, you are supposed to pay your debts before you leave for good.
Scary stuff. Pay cash and fleece someone on the price. There are plenty of decent cars here from 20,000aed upwards...old Pajeros etc....(Don't buy American old 4x4) Pretty much any Toyota 4x4, maybe a Nissan Patrol (Excellent cars for a laugh) and even a brand new Sportage. (The new ones I think look slick) Some reasomable Hyundai's out there too.
All in all, you need to be spanking 200,000aed to get a decent X5 really mate, unless you want to take a gamble...and I would recommend that fresh off the boat.
Always happy to have a chat about cars. Cheers.
Most of the local banks have some terrible fine print. Check if there is a fee if you sell the car early on the loan, is there a payment. Also check the upfront costs which are not mentioned in the leaflet. Set up fees etc. Also check if the rates are fixed...many say they are for the term but you then find out that they can "Review" them whenever they want and you could end up getting shafted on the rate.
Also ask if you sell the car what is the process. Bear in mind that selling a financed car is tricky unless the buyer has cash. Finance companies don't like buying another car on finance and this is why many cars in the range you are looking at are easy to negotiate on...because these days not everyone one has a cool 10 or 200k to drop in cash on a car.
If you want my opinion, I would go with an expat bank like HSBC or something. Now, they are the best of a bad bunch one could say. However, I took a loan here many years ago with them and they were pretty decent. not sure what the rates are these days.
In all honesty, I would get a car with cash...buy a decent Jap car which will last you years. I personally don't do loans now and haven't for years. Buy a cheap car with cash then when you make some serious money just buy another...there is loads of choice here.
Lastly...and very importantly. Bear in mind that if for some unknown reason a person were to lose his job and needed to leave the UAE...the minute the company cancels a persons VISA, some banks "Lock" the customers account until the outstanding is paid in full. Its a real minefield mate. BY law here, you are supposed to pay your debts before you leave for good.
Scary stuff. Pay cash and fleece someone on the price. There are plenty of decent cars here from 20,000aed upwards...old Pajeros etc....(Don't buy American old 4x4) Pretty much any Toyota 4x4, maybe a Nissan Patrol (Excellent cars for a laugh) and even a brand new Sportage. (The new ones I think look slick) Some reasomable Hyundai's out there too.
All in all, you need to be spanking 200,000aed to get a decent X5 really mate, unless you want to take a gamble...and I would recommend that fresh off the boat.
Always happy to have a chat about cars. Cheers.
Wow, one of the best posts I've read about buying second hand in Dubai.
I'm about to move over in the next month and am contemplating what to buy. I don't want to spank a load of money straight away as I'm going to have enough outlay in the first few months of being there. I'm thinking of spending up to 40k aed on a 4x4 (XC90 or similar) to last me 6 months or so until I build up a bit of money and then I can buy something nicer and keep the first car as a second car for the Mrs to use.
Thanks for the posts i found them really informative.
I'm about to move over in the next month and am contemplating what to buy. I don't want to spank a load of money straight away as I'm going to have enough outlay in the first few months of being there. I'm thinking of spending up to 40k aed on a 4x4 (XC90 or similar) to last me 6 months or so until I build up a bit of money and then I can buy something nicer and keep the first car as a second car for the Mrs to use.
Thanks for the posts i found them really informative.
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