Protocol for negotiating prices on cars in UAE???

Protocol for negotiating prices on cars in UAE???

Author
Discussion

dealmaker

Original Poster:

2,215 posts

255 months

Friday 29th May 2009
quotequote all
Guys,

Whats the protocol for agreeing/offering prices for cars at dealers in the UAE??

The car I'm interested in is a Porsche - the dealers web site says "make best offer" - what exactly does that entail?? Do I just pitch in with a silly offer and see where it goes?? Don't want to offend but nor do I want to go straight in with my MAx price!

Stu R

21,410 posts

216 months

Friday 29th May 2009
quotequote all
1st rule of bartering over there I was taught, make an embarassingly low offer. When they inevitably laugh and politely say no, ask them for the absolute lowest bestest favourite customer saturday morning price. Then whack 10% off and haggle from there. They love a bit of bartering.




tamago

532 posts

263 months

Friday 29th May 2009
quotequote all
That's exactly what you should do, pitch in at an offer which is a good deal for you and then move on from there if you think there can be a middle ground with what the dealer thinks it is worth. That is the most annoying thing about looking at cars on Autotrader ME or at Al Awir Used Car Complex, the lack of price transparency. In the height of summer, I find it a hard task to pop into every showroom, find a salesman to enquire about a car outside which is for sale but is not marked with a price.

zoungair

25 posts

184 months

Saturday 30th May 2009
quotequote all
Exotic Cars just like every other dealership in the UAE are hurting badly.
Ask how long they have had the car ? and more importantly is it their stock,
many cars are customer cars that they can not discount much.Ask for Jamel, he
is a good guy ,and wants to sell ,he's from Preston and has been here about
a year.(So not as much Bullst as others)
The best guys for a good honest deal are Reem Autos across the road,
what they don't have they will get ,and will only add on a small margin.
Brett is the guy you want to ask for, good honest Brit.
There are a lot af destressed sales out there so my advice is take your
time and you will find a real bargain.

dealmaker

Original Poster:

2,215 posts

255 months

Saturday 30th May 2009
quotequote all

Thanks for the tips guys. I am in discussions now on a car - it is a consignemnt sale unfortunatley - so not as big a deal for them to sell it!

Being a Dubai novice - I assume there isn't any taxes that were paid on the car? i.e non that can be refunded if I export it? I will need to pay VAT on it when it comes to the UK - and that makes it an expensive proposition!

Thanks!

zoungair

25 posts

184 months

Saturday 30th May 2009
quotequote all
Sorry Mate , worthless in the UK if it is Gulf spec .
What is the point the car would be cheaper in the UK + you would have
all the added costs, shipping vat etc.
Think about it Sat Nav doesn't work, no heated seats etc - hey !but a damm
good A/C unit !!
Even in the current UAE Financial Climate, I still don't think you will find
a cheaper car than in UK/USA.
I have been doing the car buy /sell thing in the UAE for the last 10
months, and I can tell you with exchange rates etc , you will not find
a cheaper car than in the UK currently .
Example - 2008 Audi R8 low miles UK trade £60/65k
UAE same car if you are lucky 425000aed (£75500)
The list could go on Porsche, Ferrari, Aston Martin -they are the best!!!
can't give them away in the UK ,still fetching good money here.
Arabs don't know any better, haven't a clue about cars ,or anything else
if it has to be said.
When I came here last June a Ferrari F430 2006 was fetching around 720000,
the same car if you can get a bid on it ,is about 500,000 aed on a good day.
The whole car thing in FCKED over here ,too many cars,and not enough buyers.
The banks will not lend ,and even the daft Arabs are keeping a hold of the old
purse strings.
Pick up a copy of Autotrader and look at the volume of exotica that is for sale,some of these cars have been for sale for more than a year. These aren't
car dealerships, they have become museums.But still when you come to deal with
these guys ,they still want top dollar .The same logic was in the property
market 6 months ago -and look at what happened to it!! Down The Toilet
I know of at least 4 Ferrari Californias that are currently for sale at list,
or less in Dubai! WELCOME TO THE GLOBAL CREDIT CRISIS DUBAI .Wait till September there will be some bargains to be had, I am !!



will_968

2,138 posts

265 months

Sunday 31st May 2009
quotequote all
zoungair said:
Sorry Mate , worthless in the UK if it is Gulf spec .
What is the point the car would be cheaper in the UK + you would have
all the added costs, shipping vat etc.
Think about it Sat Nav doesn't work, no heated seats etc - hey !but a damm
good A/C unit !!
Even in the current UAE Financial Climate, I still don't think you will find
a cheaper car than in UK/USA.
I have been doing the car buy /sell thing in the UAE for the last 10
months, and I can tell you with exchange rates etc , you will not find
a cheaper car than in the UK currently .
Example - 2008 Audi R8 low miles UK trade £60/65k
UAE same car if you are lucky 425000aed (£75500)
The list could go on Porsche, Ferrari, Aston Martin -they are the best!!!
can't give them away in the UK ,still fetching good money here.
Arabs don't know any better, haven't a clue about cars ,or anything else
if it has to be said.
When I came here last June a Ferrari F430 2006 was fetching around 720000,
the same car if you can get a bid on it ,is about 500,000 aed on a good day.
The whole car thing in FCKED over here ,too many cars,and not enough buyers.
The banks will not lend ,and even the daft Arabs are keeping a hold of the old
purse strings.
Pick up a copy of Autotrader and look at the volume of exotica that is for sale,some of these cars have been for sale for more than a year. These aren't
car dealerships, they have become museums.But still when you come to deal with
these guys ,they still want top dollar .The same logic was in the property
market 6 months ago -and look at what happened to it!! Down The Toilet
I know of at least 4 Ferrari Californias that are currently for sale at list,
or less in Dubai! WELCOME TO THE GLOBAL CREDIT CRISIS DUBAI .Wait till September there will be some bargains to be had, I am !!


+1
Very sensible

There are some bargains out here though. I find it's the more niche stuff - GT3s and the like. You need to look hard though.

dealmaker

Original Poster:

2,215 posts

255 months

Sunday 31st May 2009
quotequote all

Well the car I'm looking at is Middle East Spec - but thats a very good thing as it is a sought after specification which is actually higher than the Euro equivalent (no difference to base Euro spec - other than some arabic writing on mirrors and enginebay stickers) - they are only available in LHD so no issue there. You might be right about unrealistic price expectations - I did get a price from them - (which is actually about on par with what a Euro car would be - if I could find one!) - but I know the car has been "up for sale" for over a year. The guys are having a word with the owner to see if he has realigned his pricing expectation since they last spoke to him. If he drops the price - and the AED/$ continue to fall against the pound - then in fact it makes a great deal of sense - for this particular car - but agree probably not on generic 911's and other supercars.

zoungair

25 posts

184 months

Monday 1st June 2009
quotequote all
Must be "Carrera GT" , carefull there must be al least six other similar
cars for sale in Dubai currently, some with less Kms. Pick up a copy
of Autotrader and start calling. As I said there is deals to be had .
Good luck.

zoungair

25 posts

184 months

Monday 1st June 2009
quotequote all
PS , Get any car you find checked by a Porsche Specialist, as most
of the ones I have looked at have had panel damage. Not an easy car
to drive -called the"Widow Maker" and as most were driven by Arabs =
no respect. ARM Motors in Al Quoz know there stuff , they prepare all
the local Porsche race cars , and don't charge a fortune.

dealmaker

Original Poster:

2,215 posts

255 months

Monday 1st June 2009
quotequote all

zoungir,

Thanks for the very valuable input.

I've just returned form Dubai.I didn't pick up a copy of Autotrader unfortunatley - is it avaiable electronically in english?? I will look and see if I can find a private sale - better than paying a spread to a dealer!!

Seems there are quite a few available between Dubai and Abu D - (wonder if they are the same cars being offered by different dealers?)

Harris_I

3,228 posts

260 months

Monday 1st June 2009
quotequote all
You don't like Arabs much, do you, zoungair?


zoungair

25 posts

184 months

Monday 1st June 2009
quotequote all
Hi Dealmaker , Autotrader is available on line www.autotraderuae.com, but just
like so many other sites out here they are not kept up to date.
On the web site there is just one listed , but I found five in the hard copy.
These are all physical cars not advertised in more than one dealership.
Here is my advise -call Paul Denby at ARM motors 0097143476466 and tell
him what you are looking for -offer them a small fee to find the right
car for the right price, and arrange airfreight back to the UK (about
6000euro currently ). This will give you peace of mind , and no I don't
work for them ! This is a big purchase, and what I would say is a American
car is going to be cheaper, and you will have the same costs to get it back to the UK. UAE prices across the board are still to high, and Arab owners
are just not prepared to negotiate much.Out of the 1270 GT's produced by
Porsche 604 went to the USA, so there has to be some bargains to be had.
Happy shopping!!