Letters: Dishing out the advice
I occasionally find “complimentary” local car magazines lying around in coffee shops, since most of these rags are given away free rather than sold or recycled. I was reading one of the “leading” ones (aren’t they all “leading?”), and saw an awful review that copy-pasted stuff from press releases. Do you really need to know whether the “knuckles” in the suspension system are made of steel or aluminium? Do you even care enough to know that a car has knuckles? I sure don’t. I turn the page and there is a review for another car, with no engine or gearbox details mentioned whatsoever. There isn’t even a specifications list, even while half the review is wasted describing how the car looks. We can see it in the photos, dumbass. And you guys get paid for such mediocre work? Didn’t you learn anything in your British journalism college? On another note, the latest update to our no-nonsense Ultimate Car Buyer Guide now has used car specs for the 2001-2005 Toyota RAV-4, the 2001-2005 Land Rover Freelander and the 1999-2005 BMW 3-Series. The pages for some new cars have been updated, including the Dodge Charger, the Hyundai i30 and the Skoda Fabia. On to the letters.
Shahab says: Hi, i love ur site i always check it but i have heard about lexus IS F from some friends i wanna know if its out and wats the price…thank you.
It is not sold here, even though some magazines here have copy-pasted stories about it without clearly mentioning this fact. – MHC
Ahmed says: The change you have made to the web site is prity good, but I miss one feature from the previous look, which is the ability to see all the cars model for one maker (i.e. if I look for Ford, I will see all Ford’s car) as the new version I have first to choose the care maker then the model then the year manufactuer. some times I don’t know the car name as it may be a new model , then I have to look for all the types to find it out, it is time consuming.i suggest to put small thumbnail of each type beside its name. also you can make a filter for cars type i.e. SUV saloon etc…thanks
I’ll keep those ideas in mind, although technical limitations (mainly our non-existent budget) don’t allow it for now. – MHC
Nauman Zaidi says: Hello Boss, I am plannning to buy a car upto 125k. Cars i have in mind are IS 300, G35, S-Type Jag, Lumina SS, Aurion & Dodge Charger. Not interested in best resell value, only want reliability and performance. which car would you go for, and abviously why? Thanx.
I am assuming you are buying second-hand? Because a few of your choices are beyond your range if new. The top performers are the G35, Lumina SS and Charger R/T. The Japanese cars are the most reliable. The American/Aussie ones are fairly reliable, but will have small issues. If you want a Jaguar, get the later ones, as you can read about their problems in the car guide. – MHC
Vasanth Benjamin says: Hey guys,This site is a masterpiece of its own and I think a simple thanks wont do the needful.I wanted to buy a car and for the last 3 months I have been researching many websites for information and opinions, I never got any useful stuff out of them, then one day i came across your site, and I felt this is the one am looking for. Every single detail small and big in one single website, and it sure made a difference, Now am happy to announce that I am buying my new Dodge Charger this month and thanks to Drive Arabia for their unconditional support.I hope one day my car and myself will be on the site in the side of the Loyal users forum.Thanks again guys, keep up the good work.
Good to know, dude. Enjoy your car. And spread the word. We are sort of non-profit right now (we don’t advertise ourselves) so word-of-mouth is the only way to help more people here. – MHC
Geeta says: Hi, can you guys please let me know which one is more better Nissan – Murano or Honda CRV for dubai roads. Kinfly contact me on 050XXXXXXX.
I’m sorry, I don’t call women unless they are asking me out on a date. – MHC
Joseph Lee says: I was wondering if AED 70,000 is too much for a 2001 model Toyota Land Cruiser, its top model bt no leather seats, does it have most of the facilities that you have mentioned in the article in the Used 4WDs section….. and 1 more thing ..whats the difference between and All wheel drive car and a 4 wheel drive???
There are too many variations of the Land Cruiser so you will have to see what cabin features are there and what is not in that year. Otherwise mechanically, they are all very similar from 1997 to 2007. I hear that used Cruiser prices have gone up recently since the new model is so expensive now. Otherwise I would’ve said it is too much. A basic 4WD has a selector or lever to choose 2WD, 4WD and 4LO modes. An AWD system can choose between 2WD and 4WD modes automatically depending on road conditions. Only a few AWD vehicles come with 4LO as an extra feature. – MHC
Munsif says: Hello MHC. Fine Site you have, its amazing. i need a rather different kind of advice, and if you are not able to or chose not to help then it will be understood.Being an Expat from pakistan and working in middle management i am financially ok, but the way we (asian expats) gets treated sometimes here is just cruel, but nothing much can be done about that, we are here to earn so have to take that.But, atleast i want to buy a car that these egyptions and palestenians (i am not a racist- just a bit frustrated)should look at once before coming in front without giving any indicator, i might not be clear but i want a car that has some status or rapport, sounding like a kid? yea may be, but thats just a way to went out. i have a budget of approx 120-130 car will most probably be used. can you think of something ? or have i not made any sense at all?
I get the idea, since I have seen my fair share of bigotry here. Some vehicles here have more respect than others, even if it didn’t cost too much in the used market. For example, my Jeep Grand Cherokee V8 is a typical “European-driven” 4WD, but it has lower resale value than the Japanese cars so I picked it up cheap second-hand. But I still get more respect than any new Prado or Pathfinder on the road. Basically, you will have to buy something which is more rare on the road but at least from a premium brand, like a Land Rover or a BMW. That means you have to give up resale value a bit and pay more for maintenance. And size is also important, so a Freelander/LR2 or a common four-door 3-Series is not enough. Go for at least a midsize for maximum effect at an affordable budget, or even a coupe or sports car. Not everyone reads this website and they don’t have a clue about how much you really paid.
Fuad says: I was just asking about the 2008 infiniti g35. how is the resale value and would u advise it over the lexus IS300.
The G35 is the better overall package, but the IS300 will have better resale value. – MHC
Yassir Omer says: Dear Sir, Appreciate having your view regarding the subject car performance off road. Also, can we consider engine size (1.5 lit) enough to perform as a 4WD? Appreciate your response.
The Terios isn’t truly a hardcore 4WD and will have to be pushed very hard to do the more complicated stuff. As a casual off-roader, I think it will do well enough, such as climb over low sand dunes. – MHC
Mohamad Nadeer says: I found your site accidently, because i just thinking of having a new car. preferably yaris.so when i got ur site i could know about almost all cars that i interested. i am very thankful to you for your hardwork. Once again thanking you.
No problem, friend. Be sure to spread the word about the site. – MHC
Send in all your emails through the contact form, ‘cos I ain’t callin’ ya, beaches (can we say “beaches” in Ramadan?).
Comments
assassin
dihatsu terios (m/t) , is a great offroader. My friend has one, i drive it alot.
Im sure that it can beat your jeep from 0 to 40km.
this tiny son of a ….. can go anywhere up and down, it is not better offroader than fj cruiser but far away better than LC .
Also the handling on street is above normal cars , it has sport-back style.
.
Ace
Whoaa…Who’d have thought MHC would get hit on, tht too on his own site ! you’ve come along way dude..Its time you start advertising those dating sites..
Dude, you should stop feeling miserable about the ‘leading’ car magazines…just like we in this part of the world love to create ‘History’. Give up on finding credibilty.
The ‘true’ people will find their way here. Others will sift through mindless advertising and half-assed attempts at reviewing.
You think an FX35 (2006) is worth 125,000 ? If so, roughly how many clicks should be there on the meter ?
Zao
mash good luck…happy dating 🙂
Boris(K-sport)
The terios is a very good off-roader actually. won some off-road award somewhere in europe as well. Its a great vehicle on and off-road.
Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury
Ace, the FX seems to be too popular, so good luck finding a good deal.
Assassin, the Terios uses a variation of the Charade engine. There is only so much it can do, no matter how impressive it feels due to short gearing.
spyke
Mash you get offended but be proud of the fact that chicks now know a lil bit more about vehicles because of this site.
But on another account, how many here have been tailgated by these darn dubai and sharjah taxi drivers?? I am honestly gonna run over one of em very soon or at least beat him to a point where he’d never try anything like that again..Things are a lil bit betta after driving the pathy, i now terrorize them just cos i can.. Why dont the cops or the mighty RTA for that matter do somthing about this?? They keep cracking down on simple folk merely trying to share a ride and instead turning a blind eye for such things. Its a known fact and im sure this has happened to one of you guys atleast once..
Why are these taxis been driven by donkeys!!?
spyke
Sorry, actually meant to say, ‘Mash dont get offended’ at the begining of the sentence..
royer
Well i own a Pathfinder..and never had an issue of disrespect. Second thing most of the people avoid tailgating 4 wheel drives, pickups and trucks except few who put white dress and pretend to be locals.
A rich guy will have some attiude and he drives his vehicles with dignity, he wouldn’t get into dirty road games…secondly a factory fit 4wd looks nice…add bullbar to front and rear, lights on the roof and see the effect, half the crowd will give you side, those who overtake will do it from good distance.
Drive with grace, drive with style.. a slow, calm, stable 4wd/car loaded with accessories looks as beautiful and dominating as a fast running one…
Finally an idot will tailgate you .. even if have Hummer H1…there are only 2 things you can do, note the number and inform police through Dubai Police website or teach him a lesson by slightly pressing the brakes of your 4wd. But as i said its not a gentleman way of doing things.
I would not use my 1,36,000 dhs Pathfinder to scrap the nose a speeding,tailgating car…or get caught in radar by getting involved in road rage drama…
spyke
Yeh rover i know you got a pathy as well, i was merely agreeing with the fact that i have less trouble with ppl who tailegate me now,no but my point is, taxi drivers now drive recklessly and are always in a hurry!! Just the other day i saw two taxis racing with each other!!how do you think the passengers in those cars felt.. And believe me, i drive calmly cos i can actually enjoy my vehicle, and respect others on the road, but no matter how safe you are there’ll always be those darn taxis…All im saying is that, the police or the RTA should have more control over these guys, and fine them heavily so they never do it again..Understood they are also trying to make a living but at the expense of others sanity and driving peace??!!
Boris(K-sport)
Mash, why is the prices in your ads in dollar?
Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury
Those are Google Adsense ads, by American companies. The ads show automatically and the rates are low, and makes a few hundred bucks for GCC-based sites. Everyone uses Google Adsense as extra income.
Ace
This is what happens when you hire low-wagers (taximen) . They dont necessarily have an education, barely have any sense of society. They probably have never stepped out of their native lands and hence think that laws of their tribes are universal and apply everywhere they go. You can’t blame them.
If the RTA wants, they can up the standards(since everything is world class here and is creating “History”) . Put some dignity in work, hire minimum high-schoolers or god forbid I say graduates, hopefully, they should have some sense of society. Whats the point in hiring cavemen and expecting good road sense, fresh breath, courtesy, non-stinkin interiors, drving etiquette…..this could go on till suhoor(imsak). Taxi companies make their profits(Read – Create History) by employing this class of people and I dont see why they would wanna pay more to hire educated people.
Off on another rant…RTA jus installed parking meters in Shiekh Rashid Colony, Karama. These are govt. owned buildings opposite the road from the karama market, first of all there should be no parking meters in residence areas ! (ooops we live in a tax-free country) Secondly, There is no parking lot, people park on the pavements, form almost 3 lines off the pavement, there’s barely any road to drive if you’re driving by at midnight you can barely go in a straight line. Parking meters make sense if there is a place you can park !! They arent providing any solutions but milking whatever they can.
thatsit(mohamad)
man…till know you didnt know that all of this is just for the money 😯 …dude..wake up…and the good news is that the RTA will rise the prices for those parking meters and also the fines…so please…make sure that you have an extra money in your pocket…and i dont know what is the relation between this and what they are saying about safety and comfort…wait man…this is nothing…there is more and more comming in the way… 😉
Boris(K-sport)
guess what! the rta claims that the new salik toll gate are success and they show pix to prove it. hahha. they think we’re idiots? taking pix at the non-rush-hours doesnt prove anything. 😀 😛
spyke
RTA now has more power nd say than the cops do!!They’ve put their hands into everything and blatently keep lying to us like you said..They have introduced road tolls without even having proper alternate roads for ppl who dont wish to use these gates..Obviously the gates will work in the begining cos no one wants to use them, wonder why they didnt report on the chaos the other roads suffered as a result of this..
yusuf
Hello everyone, i think tailgating, driving recklessly is not a probblem only in dubai, it is done at loads of places. Well what seriously matters is every driver should know rules and drive properly, then you wont need to worry about those other asses on the roads… Drive Safe..!!!
Doc
Hi!
I just came across your site and thought maybe you could help me.I intend to buy an infinity FX 35,2006.Its done 65000kms and the price is 80000 AED.Is it a good deal?Do you think it would have an acceptable resale value in 2 years maybe? and can you suggest which bank finances 2006 cars on a better rate?
I am so not aware of these fine details one should know prior to buying a car here.Your help would be really appreciated.
Thanks 🙂
Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury
Seems like a reasonable deal.
Marouf Hussain
People join the forums if you need help from us and other fellow users.
http://www.drivearabia.com/myride
Doc
Thanks for your suggestion but someone else got that deal:(
There is another infinity fx35,2006,but the mileage is high its 119000km.Its company maintained and the lady is selling for 79,000 AED.I’m a little confused between 2006 and 2007 models of infinity fx35,what is the difference? Are only the features different or is the exterior too?
There is another deal which is kindof unbelievable and too good to be true.Its fx50,2009,for 50,000AED!!! it has to be shipped from the UK and its done 13000km only.I wrote to the guy but i think it was a typing error about the price.If at all its the correct price,what could be the disadvantage of buying the car from UK.the guy said it was driven in Dubai but its not selling in UK as its a left hand drive here and the opposite there.I don’t wanna get fooled and don’t want to get into a risky deal so the DENTAL DOC thought of contacting the AUTO DOC!:)
You are a great help!Thanks in advance
Regards
Doc:)
Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury
That “my car is in the UK” is a well-known scam.