# Buying a used car in Dubai, what should I be looking out for?



## ash.naz (Jul 29, 2011)

Hey guys, Buying used car from Dubbizle and seen quite a few which happens to be 2013 model and 20K cheaper than showroom price....

What I like to know just like UK is there anywhere I can phone to check if the car has any finance left over on it before the car is sold to someone else?

or if car has been involved in accident or write off?

I can pretty much tell if the engine is good or not but rest apart from obvious body work I do not think I can tell if car has been resprayed and stuff..

is it a good idea to buy from Dubbizle? 

any help, advice (Comments) would be great

Regards


----------



## Bigjimbo (Oct 28, 2010)

You should only ever buy from a chap called James, at Al Futtaim Toyota, Festival City. Anything else is madness...

Seriously though if you are concerned take it to a tasjeel (the place where you register cars and transfer ownership) and ask them to check the car for accident damage. Don't worry about there being finance on the car as this will clearly show on the registration card, and the ownership cannot be transfered with the finance being cleared and a letter from the bank.


----------



## Chocoholic (Oct 29, 2012)

Can I tell you what we did from a sellers point of view? I recently sold a car on Dubizzle. A guy came, checked the car over, once he was happy, he insisted on leaving a deposit - he wanted to, we didn't ask him to - we'd had a lot of interest in the car.

Two days later, he went with my husband to the bank, where he handed over cash to the bank and cleared the outstanding loan. The clearance letter was given there and then.

Next they went to the RTA for the road test and transfer of ownership.

It was all very easy and simple with no issues. But then we are trustworthy people and so was the buyer. It doesn't always go as smoothly as this.

If you see a car you like, have it tested at Tajeel or have an independent garage check it over.


----------



## ccr (Jun 20, 2010)

Having lived in UAE on-off for years, I have bought and sold many cars. All except for one went as expected...

About the one with the problem...

After purchased, I brought it to the dealer for regular maintenance service. The dealer informed me that the seller had managed to reduce 70,000 km from the electronic-digital odometer (as according to the last service record, so could be even more).

And dealer can't find signs of tempering... 

The car was in the expected condition corresponding to the fake mileage shown in the odometer, so it was probably driven lots of long distance in short relative timeframe.

The seller claimed that he was working for XXX International company and they are relocating him to XXX - blah-blah... I have since seen him a few times at the same RTA office in Barsha, selling other cars.

So beware...

In future, I certainly will take the car to the dealer to check and verify before purchase. Cost a few hundred AED, but could save lots of headache...


----------



## adolf320i (Feb 20, 2013)

Just an observation, nowadays dubizzle is a full of crap. most sellers tag their _/snip_ (either cars or other stuff) even if its already a 1-6months used or 100,000+ kms on it, but still on a brandnew price.. just plain _/snip_. smh

Bought my bmw 3-series, 77000 kms on odometer, came with the wheels which cost almost 15000 aed (local market), bodykit, japanese import, and the best of all it is so fresh, smells and drive like a brand new car.


----------



## Bigjimbo (Oct 28, 2010)

Great! Not sure how helpful this observation is, but i like it!


----------



## Chocoholic (Oct 29, 2012)

Here's a good little tip. If you want to know how much you should be paying for a car, try autocheck.ae it's brilliant. Gives you dealer and private sale prices. The more info you can input for the vehicle the better.


----------



## Grt1 (Nov 7, 2012)

I think you should just get the car tested by Tasjeel and it would give you a clear picture..
u get good deals on dubizzle but many are dealers.. very little chances of pointing them out as they are smooth talkers... however all are not crooks... so just pray u r not stuck with a conman if you are in fact stuck with one...


----------



## Chocoholic (Oct 29, 2012)

Grt1 said:


> I think you should just get the car tested by Tasjeel and it would give you a clear picture..
> u get good deals on dubizzle but many are dealers.. very little chances of pointing them out as they are smooth talkers... however all are not crooks... so just pray u r not stuck with a conman if you are in fact stuck with one...


even Tasjeel can be a bit hit and miss. They expect a friend to entirely re-spray his car, due to one little scratch in the paint work


----------



## Captwinty (Feb 17, 2013)

Many thanks, this is a fantastic web site!!


----------



## rsinner (Feb 3, 2009)

Apart from Tasjeel, any recommended places for inspecting a vehicle? If someone could also mention some places in AD, that would be very helpful as well !


----------



## saraswat (Apr 28, 2012)

rsinner said:


> Apart from Tasjeel, any recommended places for inspecting a vehicle? If someone could also mention some places in AD, that would be very helpful as well !


One good option is to take to the specific brand's dealership service & maintenance department, might be a little more pricey.. but has the added advantages of being done by people who really know what they are doing / 'know' the specific brand of car you are inquiring about...


----------



## jennylovuall (Feb 8, 2014)

*Classonet* is one of the best website to buy or sale used car in Dubai with an affordable price, available with different brands and colors. Place an order to sale your used cars at free of cost all over the UAE.


----------



## Its whatever (Dec 30, 2013)

1) Choose whatever car you like, 
2) send a message or give a call for a meetup,
3) try to negotiate the price especially if the car is american imported or high millages
4) get the car checked and registered! In this step, you'll know whether the car has had an accident or if it's reliable

~ sometimes, the sellers sell the cars with registration!
Yeah it's a good site,


----------



## Cocorico (Jan 6, 2014)

My 2 cents, Rule-1 Buyer Beware Always! even if you were buying from god himself or his angels or whoever else. Rule-2 Have a plan of what you gonna be checking and stick to it. some pro sweet talker seller can distract you and earn your trust. again rule 1-2..... still not sure, take the vin# down and check for history... not satisfied yet? take it to authorize dealer for points inspections. still in doubt, buy a new car!! 
if the car is a import from North America, make sure you get car fax or car proof online...if you see flood damage in the history , RUN!!! flood right offs deem unsafe unfit for north american market and that's why they're auctioned off as irreparable but greedy ******s buy them and put them back on the road. and trust me, there are some floating in UAE. sometimes nothing will ever go wrong and sometime they catch on fire!


----------



## uberkoen (Sep 12, 2013)

What sort of mileage should one go for when considering a used car?

I've noticed a lot of cars being sold have mileage over a 100,000. Isn't that a lot?

I'm just wondering if I consider getting a used car what mileage should I aim for roughly?


----------



## Chocoya (Dec 9, 2013)

ccr said:


> Having lived in UAE on-off for years, I have bought and sold many cars. All except for one went as expected...
> 
> About the one with the problem...
> 
> ...


Odometre tampering is very common here - easy to have done and cheap, beware! Some makes of cars the computers can tell it has been done, others it cannot, I believe. I would definitely spend the money to have the car thorough check out and also check out the services done at the dealer (to ensure that warranty has not be forfeited)


----------

