julieaddison

Hi is it worth shipping our car from UK? Is import tax high and how would I insure it, through a normal insurance company over there? Or is it not allowed?
Thanks in advance?
Julie

Blue Cat

no, you need a left hand drive, I think right hand drive are illegal here. just sell it .
blue

julieaddison

I think right hand drive are illegal here

Wow illegal, must be something to do with how safe the driving is?

username 34

I wouldnt bother importing - cars are not too expensive compared to the UK and you'll probably end up in an SUV anyway after the stories you hear about the driving!

try 4x4motors.com I think it is to give you a rough guide for prices and cars.

Jammy_Dodgers

Bringing a car over here would be ridiculous.

Prices over here are dirt cheap, plus to cope with the summer you need a gulf spec car.
(bigger radiator, better air-con, better air filter to keep sand out etc)

For example, a 2004 Porsche Cayenne S will cost you around 160,000dhs
(£22,857)



http://www.dubizzle.com/Categories/d...nt=&textfield=


Or as a run-around til you get comfortable with the driving you could get an older BMW converitble for 12,000DHS (£1,714)

http://www.dubizzle.com/Categories/d...nt=&textfield=

Eeyore

I've been told by several mechanics that "Gulf spec" doesn't mean squat when it comes to radiators, aircon, air filters etc - the cars are all stock equipment in that respect. All it means is that the car has to have the 120km/h warning noise and the Arabic equivalent of "objects may be closer than they appear" on the door mirrors

Which does kind of make sense... surely cars would be *more* expensive here compared to elsewhere in the world if they had to have uprated this, that and the other?

Border Reiver

That makes sense. After all, American spec cars have to cope with the heat in Death Valley and the snow in the Rockies so Dubai shouldn't be a problem for them. However, I had a RAV4 when I first got to Dubai and according to the handbook it had a bigger cooling system than the one my parents had in the UK. So maybe some cars are different to the European spec.

Have to agree that when cars are so cheap here it wouldn't make sense to import one.

Blue Cat

now is a good time to buy a car I reckon, I think like everything else in Dubai that was cheap they will soon all go up in price!

julieaddison

Jd what a good site, some mega bargains there thanks, looks like cars going up for sale here and bring cash over.

Thanks everyone.
Think there are different specs for different countries think Japanese imports have bigger radiators.

Julie

shiva

Right hand drive cars are no use here as it is illegal to drive them on the public higways.

Forget websites, get here and go to AlAwir car market and haggle like hell. 4x4 Motors are Ok but you pay about 5-10% over market price by buying there, they are also rumoured to sell some right lemons so watch out.

Gulf Spec does exist and is needed. My car is 200Kg heavier than rest of the world models due to extra cooling, air filters and fans etc. Discoveries if they are gulf spec should have three readiator fans not two as another example.
Gulf spec cars also have shorter service cycles due to the extreme temps and dust. Also some cars have tinting as standard which dont in europe, engines specs are generally larger and different from those specified elsewhere in the wolrd, as we dont give a monkeys about fuel costs, 120k maddening bleep devices are also standard as is upgraded air con and cabin air filtration etc

julieaddison

Thanks Shiva will have a look there when we arrive.
Julie

Eeyore

I have to say, the more I think about it the more I think it's bollocks, to be honest. No matter which country you live in, car engines routinely get hotter than the hottest summer day here... and there are plenty of areas around the world that get as hot or hotter than the Gulf, so why aren't there special "American desert spec" or "Australian Outback spec" cars, etc?

If that's really accurate, then I'm surprised that the standard-spec Discovery can't cope with the climate here. I've had it confirmed today that all the Jeeps that get sold here are, under the bonnet, completely standard American-spec. Same cooling, same aircon, the lot. Ditto VWs, which are all standard European-spec (southern Europe gets very hot during the summer too), apart from the speed alarm and the Arabic writing on the mirrors. It's weird if a bog-standard VW Polo can cope with the Gulf better than a Land Rover

Really? I've never seen any evidence of completely different engine specs between models of the same car sold here and elsewhere.

It would be interesting to get to the bottom of it... and I have much more than a suspicion that "Gulf spec" really means very little.

Border Reiver

Sorry to sound like a tragic car spotter, but the Lexus IS300 is unique to the GCC - it is a 3L here whereas elsewhere it is either a 3.5 (IS350) or 2.5 (IS250).

I need to get a life....

Eeyore

Weird... you'd think it would be a 3.5 or bigger!

shiva

Depends on the manufacturer and model but it does exist