spiritofistanbul

Hi guys - apologies as I know this question will very much depend on a number of factors, however I am looking to buy a car in Dubai, but what I would like to know is peoples views on whether I should buy new or used?

My budget is around 120k AED - for this money I was thinking of buying either the following vehicles:

New Golf GTI

Used Dodge Charger SRT8 2012
Used Porsche Cayenne 2008-2009 model
Used Audi A8 2008-2009 model
Used Chevorlet Camero - 2011-2013

The only thing I am worried about is the potential costs of having to put stuff right if something goes wrong. I don't think the dodge and camero would cost that much but it would be useful to get some views from people about the whole new vs used debate due to the harsh conditions here in Dubai and also some comments on reliability and servicing/repair costs for Porsche/Audi.

Many thanks

Brains1983

With it being Ramadan, you'll possibly see a Golf R for that sort of money, certainly one a year old with a dealer warranty.

spiritofistanbul

Hi - You are right you can pick a 1 year old Golf R for that price, but the new Mk7 Golf R is not out until September and I would rather have a Mk7 GTI to a 1 year old soon to be replaced Golf R.

Brains1983

fair enough, however Golf R (despite being a year old) packs 271PS versus the 220PS on the new Golf GTI...

Irishbeekeeper

Buying a brand new car has its perks admittedly but the immediate drop in value once it is just out of the showroom has to be taken into account as well
Out of the list of used cars that you mentioned, if it was my money I would go for the Porche
and you do not need to worry about it being used so it might develop problems later on, just go through porche the company and they will give you warranty (terms apply I think) on their porche approved cars

Porsche Pre-Owned Car Locator - Pre-Owned Cars - HOME - Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG

Although I do believe Audi are doing the same thing as well

Tockalosh

Lol you obviously love cars of all descriptions as much as I do but your choice is a little eclectic

2 door fat and furious American muscle cars

4 door German saloons

4 door German SUV of sorts

2 door German hot hatch

Maybe worth narrowing down your requirements and then select options. Looks like decision is based purely on what's available for 120k

Personally I would go for the challenger cos they look good and the day of the big brutal v8's is drawing to an end. Enjoy while you can. All the sensible options can be had later

scrubbedexpat141

I bought a Ford because I didn't want to get lumped with service and maintenance costs on a more expensive car.

At the same sort of time my mate bought a Cayenne. He had to replace the suspension and other shit quite soon and it cost as much as he paid for the car.

Definitely suggest a 1-2 yr old car. It's what I did and had one free service left under warranty and a basically new car with not too many miles.

Agree with above though; pick a type of car (4x4, zip zip (read: golf) etc) and then pick the best option for the cash money.

Millhouse

Don't rule out ex. Demos. There are some cracking deals - I saved 15% on the list prices for cars that were only 4 months old.

spiritofistanbul

Cheers guys - Ive narrowed it down to two very different vehicles - an 2008 X6 and a 2012 Camero. I fully appreciate the X6 would be a risk given its age and with it not being in warranty.

Will do some research on costs (maintenance etc) and will see where that gets me.

the_red_sheep

This is a good shout, I did the same thing and saved circa-10% on a Toyota 86 which was 6 months old and with 1,500km on the clock. I have since given the saving to the RTA in speeding fines though...

Millhouse

Did they also chuck in a free hair cut, pointy shoes and a man bag?

the_red_sheep

No, but fortunately I didn't need something that was easily cleaned of child vomit, that I could pretend I was having fun in driving through the desert and with a dedicated holder for my nuts.

DubInRiyadh

I test drove the new GTI last week........still smiling

scrubbedexpat141

Great shout.

Inselaffen

tempted by a 2-3 year old Merc GLK but I'm doing less that 10k km a year. hardly seems worth getting rid of the Juke (or passing it on to the Mrs if she finally passes her test) for that mileage