MyintD

It's been a month since my family moved to Abu Dhabi. All have gone well, people are nice and friendly here, job exposure is much bigger than what i had expected before. I feel like it is a place that my family can stay for a long period.

I've found a place to live. AI Reem Island seems a good choice for us as a lot of things are within reach. It is a modern area and rental price is at a reasonable level.

I'm now looking to buy a car. I don't want to spend a lot on the car, and the range is wide. My budget is within 120K AED.

Anyone looking to sell a car or know someone who plans to do that?

Thanks

scrubbedexpat141

I'd get on Dubizzle to see rough prices. Depends on what sort of car you want.

For that sort of cash you'll get a 1yr old 4x4 mid range type - Explorer, Pajero (shudder) etc etc.
If you want a Cayenne or Q7 then you'll be buying something old and shit.
Depends on what you're after really.

Dealers have decent second hand units now as well, you'll probably pay a bit more but have a slither increase in peace of mind.

Worth getting newer than older to see what maintenance and warranty is still included (my new car was 5yr warranty and 3yr servicing).

People generally recommend against buying non-GCC spec cars and as always if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck but barks, then it's too good to be true. Most dealers I think you can check the car with using the numbers on it, or can get a garage to give a once over for a few hundred if you aren't sure.


OR

Scrap all this nonsense and go buy a spanking new Range Rover on finance and be a baller.

SandyMcSand

Why not lease or hire for a few months. You can get something decent for 2-3k which includes insurance. Traditionally, it’s best to wait for Ramadan or head down to Abu Dhabi for better deals.

N0MAD

Not sure if you've sorted your wheels yet, but here's my tuppence worth... there's merit in buying new (good discounts in Ramadan etc, and not having an unknown vehicle history, plus you have an asset, albeit a depreciating one) but without the budget to do that, you're in the finance game which might make leasing a far more attractive proposition, you may well pay a bit more but it's usually easier to get out of and there's less liability... lenders always want their money back, you can't just return the car keys (hence all the abandoned motors at the airports after the financial crash).

If you are going down the second hand road, a word of caution... the environment in this part of the world is hell for cars! Everything takes a hammering, rubber especially. So watch out for tires, bushes and timing belts. Batteries, a relatively cheap and easy fix but a frequent issue. For a region that loves its cars I cannot get my head round the need to 'punish' them with endless 'beatings' from speed bumps... so keep an eye out for knackered suspension, that can get expensive!

As per the advice on here... if you want to be able to affordable maintain and repair go for well supported brands... e.g. Toyota, Nissan etc. If you get tempted by the bargain second hand Range Rover... you might regret it when you have to get it fixed.

In my experience, I have found that cars are not always looked after that well here (which is crazy given the environment) so second hand from an unknown source can be a minefield... if might be a cheaper outlay, but be prepared for follow up costs.
Hope that helps