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What car to buy in the UAE

What car to buy in the UAE

Old Nov 30th 2016, 1:27 pm
  #46  
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Default Re: What car to buy in the UAE

If I was you I'd buy new for peace of mind. Loads of brands come with 5 year warranty and a service plan. Forget trawling through dubizzle, there's loads of good deals to be had on new cars right now. Sales are massively down at the moment. Remember that everything is a complete pain to do, so relieve some stress by buying new.
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Old Nov 30th 2016, 3:30 pm
  #47  
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Default Re: What car to buy in the UAE

Yes, Buying new is perhaps a good plan. It just pains me to do. I have always driven decent cars and managed never to buy a new one. Usually I go for 3-4 years old and I get it for half the price of new.

But these big Pajeros, Patrols etc seem to retain loads of their value, so if I go for one of those then perhaps buying new makes sense. I can sell it when I return to Blighty in 3 years time and get 70% of my money back.

If I go for a BMW or similar then the initial depreciation is so much higher - so second hand makes more sense.

That's my thinking anyway...
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Old Nov 30th 2016, 3:54 pm
  #48  
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Default Re: What car to buy in the UAE

Looking at Dubizzle, the 1 year old Pajeros sell for around 88 000 AED

The one year old Patrols sell for around 180 000 AED for similar mileage.

Is the Patrol really worth twice what a Pajero is? I thought the two were in the same bracket.
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Old Dec 1st 2016, 5:13 am
  #49  
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Default Re: What car to buy in the UAE

What a car is advertised for and what they sell for on dubizzle are two very different things. But... your trend is correct.

A small amount of money gets you a lot of car with a Pajero. A lot more money gets you a lot more car with a Patrol. They are not really in the same class.

Pajeros are cheap secondhand as they are cheap new. Mitsubishi literally dump their new cars in the ME so pricing is competitive. (a Pajero/Shogun is almost half what they are in the UK).
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Old Dec 1st 2016, 9:35 am
  #50  
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Default Re: What car to buy in the UAE

Thanks! It took me a while to work out that a Pajero is a Mitsubishi Shogun. Until then I almost discounted it entirely for the cheap sounding name.

The confusion continues with Pajero and Pajero Sport, which are apparently not just variants but entirely different cars. The Pajero is old and Pajero Sport is new and better on the road (according to the Aussy review websites. Oz seems to have many of the same cars as UAE).

My preference for now is a Pajero, once I can work out the differences between models. I'll be spending the vast majority of time on road and just an occasional desert trip so I dont need the hardcore offroad capability of the Nissan Patrol enough to justify the extra spend.
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Old Dec 1st 2016, 9:42 am
  #51  
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Default Re: What car to buy in the UAE

Pajeros are very popular because they are inexpensive for what you get: a 4x4 that's reliable in the desert, very reliable in the city, they practically never break down if you don't abuse it, more comfortable to drive than, say, a Wrangler, family friendly. They really are one of the best value cars in the Gulf.

Selling a three year old Pajero in excellent condition will probably get you 60-65% of the original purchase price, methinks. I had a Pajero my first time in the Gulf and sold it after four years with 90kish on the clock and got 57% back. Not bad, eh? FYI, new Pajero prices are just about the same as they were back in 2008, which is pretty interesting.

Whether to get a big ass vehicle like the big Patrol (there's the old school Patrol and the big new one that seems designed to accommodate fat Texans) or a Land Cruiser really comes down to what you want out of the car. Neither are particularly exciting if you don't intend to take the car off road, parking will be a right pain. And they are massive cars, which isn't what everyone wants or enjoys driving. But, as mentioned, check out all the dealerships and get a feel for the cars.

When you arrive, check out all the dealerships. Size up the cars, take them for test drives, see what you like. If you have no intention taking the car off roading, don't saddle yourself with a land beast just for the sake of doing so. Based on what you've said I've a feeling you'd be happiest with a midsize crossover or smaller 4x4, like the Audi Q5, or a Nissan Pathfinder or even the Pajero with all the extras.
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Old Dec 1st 2016, 9:44 am
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Default Re: What car to buy in the UAE

Pajero means wanker in Spanish. Hence you don't see it in spanish environments (and I guess that extends to the whole of Europe)

Pajero sport is indeed a different car. It is also shit.

I had a Pajero for a while - it was very capable in the desert. You don't need a wrangler/ FJ/ Patrol to be competitive in the dunes (I've owned them all except for a wrangler). It just helps.

Last edited by Millhouse; Dec 1st 2016 at 9:47 am.
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Old Dec 1st 2016, 9:50 am
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Default Re: What car to buy in the UAE

The Pajero will be a great option all round. As said, they're reliable and you can get them reasonable well kitted out. My old Patrol had literally nothing in terms of 'luxury'. Even basic safety features seemed to be lacking. It even had a tape deck.

In terms of off roading I went out a few times with a guy that had a Pajero and he was mostly fine until it came to the bigger dunes. There's limited clearance from the bumpers so you'd have to be careful but the lighter stuff can often be just as fun. There's a Dubai 4x4 club (Dubai offroaders if i recall) that often do beginner excursions. I went on a few and there was a huge mix of cars. The Fords always struggled though.

Strangely, nobody has mentioned the Prado.....although the new shape is just plain fugly.
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Old Dec 1st 2016, 9:53 am
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Default Re: What car to buy in the UAE

Originally Posted by CeeBee
The Pajero will be a great option all round. As said, they're reliable and you can get them reasonable well kitted out. My old Patrol had literally nothing in terms of 'luxury'. Even basic safety features seemed to be lacking. It even had a tape deck.

In terms of off roading I went out a few times with a guy that had a Pajero and he was mostly fine until it came to the bigger dunes. There's limited clearance from the bumpers so you'd have to be careful but the lighter stuff can often be just as fun. There's a Dubai 4x4 club (Dubai offroaders if i recall) that often do beginner excursions. I went on a few and there was a huge mix of cars. The Fords always struggled though.

Strangely, nobody has mentioned the Prado.....although the new shape is just plain fugly.
Prado is just an over priced Fortuner. I've had two fortuners and they are great cars. New Fortuners are like the Prados of five years ago before they messed them up.
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Old Dec 1st 2016, 10:09 am
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Default Re: What car to buy in the UAE

Prado definitely top of the list for me now. I can upgrade in future if I end up staying longer.

I want to find a 1-2 year old Prado, with the 3.8l not the smaller engine if I can. I'll take the advice of going around the dealers too, and if I can pick up a new one at a decent price then all the better. I would like a big car, more for novelty value really, as I've always driven UK medium-sized cars like my trusty Cavalier (great car), then a Mondeo (yawn), then a couple of BMW 3 series (fantastic). Or my wife's 206.

I definitely want to try some offroading too. That's part of the attraction of a move to the desert from chilly old Surrey.

I was planning to join the DesertDiva lady in Liwa on one of her monthly off road excursions, but apparently they are about to stop as she's moving to Oman.

Does anyone know of a beginners offroading group in Abu Dhabi?
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Old Dec 1st 2016, 10:09 am
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Default Re: What car to buy in the UAE

AD4x4.com
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Old Dec 1st 2016, 11:08 am
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Default Re: What car to buy in the UAE

Originally Posted by Millhouse
AD4x4.com
Thanks!
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Old Dec 1st 2016, 1:28 pm
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Default Re: What car to buy in the UAE

Prado's aren't all that good in the desert, better to buy a Wrangler or Green Oval.
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Old Dec 2nd 2016, 8:42 am
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Default Re: What car to buy in the UAE

Originally Posted by dominoman
Prado definitely top of the list for me now. I can upgrade in future if I end up staying longer.

I want to find a 1-2 year old Prado, with the 3.8l not the smaller engine if I can. I'll take the advice of going around the dealers too, and if I can pick up a new one at a decent price then all the better. I would like a big car, more for novelty value really, as I've always driven UK medium-sized cars like my trusty Cavalier (great car), then a Mondeo (yawn), then a couple of BMW 3 series (fantastic). Or my wife's 206.

I definitely want to try some offroading too. That's part of the attraction of a move to the desert from chilly old Surrey.

I was planning to join the DesertDiva lady in Liwa on one of her monthly off road excursions, but apparently they are about to stop as she's moving to Oman.

Does anyone know of a beginners offroading group in Abu Dhabi?
I meant Pajero top of the list, not Prado. Mainly on the basis that I can buy a brand new one for less than the cost of a 2 year old Patrol.

I'll be going for the 3.8l not the puny 3.5l if I can. Looking forward to doing some dealer-hopping as soon as I land
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Old Dec 2nd 2016, 9:09 am
  #60  
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Default Re: What car to buy in the UAE

nobody mentioned the FJ cruiser, which is disappointing.
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