the 'what car' musings thread
Discussion
rak or ajman i think. you can get rhd registered via sharjah classic car club without needing to be sharjah resident, bu there are firm rules and your tvr wouldn't get in due to age.
loving this as a crosstown sprinter:
http://baltimore.craigslist.org/cto/5033487133.htm...
loving this as a crosstown sprinter:
http://baltimore.craigslist.org/cto/5033487133.htm...
slight thread diversion, as i really cant imagine the horror of owning this for 290,000 km
http://sharjah.dubizzle.com/motors/used-cars/chevr...
http://sharjah.dubizzle.com/motors/used-cars/chevr...
surely an m3 in no real improvement over a 997 for rear seat passengers and the evora is a step back.
depends how often you really need to drive around 4-up. maybe an m6 or a c63amg? you're always going to be compromised on track though, the better option is a dailydrive / weekend 2 car combo.
depends how often you really need to drive around 4-up. maybe an m6 or a c63amg? you're always going to be compromised on track though, the better option is a dailydrive / weekend 2 car combo.
quite fancy this:
http://tnydu.biz/DOsG8E
drive it as is whilst obtaining the bits to convert to manual and make it look like this:
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
or for less cash this minter…..
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Porsche-911-911-CARRERA-2-...
http://tnydu.biz/DOsG8E
drive it as is whilst obtaining the bits to convert to manual and make it look like this:
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
or for less cash this minter…..
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Porsche-911-911-CARRERA-2-...
Edited by shirt on Thursday 26th November 17:24
needs a slight de-barrying session but seems a good buy:
http://tnydu.biz/DOs0V4
re: the 964's yeah i also passed up the opportunity to buy an absolute peach of a car in midnight blue a few years back. jap import, subtle mods, 48k on the clock, utterly mint. went for AED70k and i have kicked myself more than a few times since. however i also passed up on a pre-73 911T for $21k and an 'r' homage for $24k so i have other kicks in there too...
given the current state of the porsche market i am beginning to think a 964 is the best way to go for a hot rod/fun car build. i doubt it'd be much work to do a manual conversion. problem with the use is that there's only really auto available, even though they try and attract manual prices.
re: the elise. well its a great car and a joy to drive, i have become more than a little bit in love with it. whilst the evora is much more suited to dubai the elise is not a bad option by any means and far better than a [non v6] exige. if you're willing go through the upgrade path they can be made pretty bulletproof.
on the road you have to obey the UAE law of 'biggest car has priority'. mirrors aren't the best and there's no visibility over the rear flanks so you get used to lifesaver checks and accelerating into gaps. being small and pretty quiet means its fairly easy for the drone population of drivers to completely miss you. not just in traffic either, i had a bmw 3 series reverse into the side of it as i was stationery in MOE car park as he didn't see me and ignored my horn. thankfully just a small tap and scratches from that one, i have some GRP repairs ongoing at the moment from a slightly more violent encounter...
needless to say the steering/handling is fantastic. i fitted a set of lotus specific yokohama AD007's and had a full set-up by MSW. this alone was 1500chips but got the signature fastidious robbi treatment and now have a car that makes me smile each time i fold myself inside it. it's tons of fun at low speed darting about, but loves to be pushed and really needs it to keep on the 2nd cam when making progress. feels a hell of a lot more stable and composed than i imagined and the ride quality is excellent given the intended purpose. have had it up at 250kph and everything still felt solid. fuel tank is tiny though [40 litres i think] and doesn't last long at all.
mine is originally a canadian market car so is missing the 2nd oil cooler, GCC a/c upgrades etc. although it copes remarkably well with the heat to be fair. longest 'pain ride' was probably dubai>abu dhabi 2 up in 40deg heat. was a bit sweaty but not the sauna we expected.
other cons would include the terrible gearchange, cabin heat soak [stood in traffic with no airflow and things get really uncomfortable!], the numerous clunks and rattles and the pretty w
k standard engine map and cam change point. all of these are 'fixable' though. clams aside they're very easy cars to work on and most parts are cheaply/easily available. that said most of my tinkering has been upgrades. i think the only thing that's actually failed has been the passenger window mechanism.
so to summarise - works surprisingly well in the uae even in summer, although you need to have the inclination and facilities to fettle it yourself. i am looking forward to all the bargain exige v6's when they come out of warranty and the locals get fed up with all the quirks of a low volume sports car.
there are times when driving it is a pain and i will never drive it hungover again..... however that's what taxis are for. i don't get to spend much time at 'home' these days and the thought of getting back and taking the elise out for a spin is always a good one to have.
http://tnydu.biz/DOs0V4
re: the 964's yeah i also passed up the opportunity to buy an absolute peach of a car in midnight blue a few years back. jap import, subtle mods, 48k on the clock, utterly mint. went for AED70k and i have kicked myself more than a few times since. however i also passed up on a pre-73 911T for $21k and an 'r' homage for $24k so i have other kicks in there too...
given the current state of the porsche market i am beginning to think a 964 is the best way to go for a hot rod/fun car build. i doubt it'd be much work to do a manual conversion. problem with the use is that there's only really auto available, even though they try and attract manual prices.
re: the elise. well its a great car and a joy to drive, i have become more than a little bit in love with it. whilst the evora is much more suited to dubai the elise is not a bad option by any means and far better than a [non v6] exige. if you're willing go through the upgrade path they can be made pretty bulletproof.
on the road you have to obey the UAE law of 'biggest car has priority'. mirrors aren't the best and there's no visibility over the rear flanks so you get used to lifesaver checks and accelerating into gaps. being small and pretty quiet means its fairly easy for the drone population of drivers to completely miss you. not just in traffic either, i had a bmw 3 series reverse into the side of it as i was stationery in MOE car park as he didn't see me and ignored my horn. thankfully just a small tap and scratches from that one, i have some GRP repairs ongoing at the moment from a slightly more violent encounter...
needless to say the steering/handling is fantastic. i fitted a set of lotus specific yokohama AD007's and had a full set-up by MSW. this alone was 1500chips but got the signature fastidious robbi treatment and now have a car that makes me smile each time i fold myself inside it. it's tons of fun at low speed darting about, but loves to be pushed and really needs it to keep on the 2nd cam when making progress. feels a hell of a lot more stable and composed than i imagined and the ride quality is excellent given the intended purpose. have had it up at 250kph and everything still felt solid. fuel tank is tiny though [40 litres i think] and doesn't last long at all.
mine is originally a canadian market car so is missing the 2nd oil cooler, GCC a/c upgrades etc. although it copes remarkably well with the heat to be fair. longest 'pain ride' was probably dubai>abu dhabi 2 up in 40deg heat. was a bit sweaty but not the sauna we expected.
other cons would include the terrible gearchange, cabin heat soak [stood in traffic with no airflow and things get really uncomfortable!], the numerous clunks and rattles and the pretty w
k standard engine map and cam change point. all of these are 'fixable' though. clams aside they're very easy cars to work on and most parts are cheaply/easily available. that said most of my tinkering has been upgrades. i think the only thing that's actually failed has been the passenger window mechanism. so to summarise - works surprisingly well in the uae even in summer, although you need to have the inclination and facilities to fettle it yourself. i am looking forward to all the bargain exige v6's when they come out of warranty and the locals get fed up with all the quirks of a low volume sports car.
there are times when driving it is a pain and i will never drive it hungover again..... however that's what taxis are for. i don't get to spend much time at 'home' these days and the thought of getting back and taking the elise out for a spin is always a good one to have.
Edited by shirt on Tuesday 1st December 01:32
at least its not priced at 111,111,111 dhs
always wanted one but could get a minter for less than that back home.
also this:
http://tnydu.biz/DOsjbr
always wanted one but could get a minter for less than that back home.
also this:
http://tnydu.biz/DOsjbr
i saw one of these on JBR a few months back and thought it was a special, but appears that merc turned the g wagen emergency concept into reality - the 4x4 squared. portal axles and everything else turned up to 11.
several on dubizzle, i'll take mine in dayglo orange or green. proper lairy, supreme levels of want.
https://dubai.dubizzle.com/motors/used-cars/merced...
several on dubizzle, i'll take mine in dayglo orange or green. proper lairy, supreme levels of want.
https://dubai.dubizzle.com/motors/used-cars/merced...
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