Dubai Forums Dubai Tech Discussions Dubai Auto

Would REALLY appreciate any feedback about this car because I'm seriously considering making a purchase in a couple of days and some advice from people who own one would be priceless

Is the AC strong enough for the gulf, parts availability, service, general troubles with this car, if any, etc

Many thanks!

If this is to be the first car you own here since passing your test, I'd go for an old Corolla to last you through your first six months. There is an old saying that you don't learn to drive until AFTER you have your licence and with the way it is with traffic, general road conditions, and particularly patience with new drivers to the system, your brand new Mini is going to get bashed - either by you or by someone else. The first six months of driving here is ALWAYS the hairiest!

Save up and don't stretch yourself over much on a brand new something quite yet. The longest I have ever had a car here without some plonker opening a door onto it and denting the side, is 14 minutes! And I have been here 28 years and had loads of new cars - either mine or the company's - in that time.

The last thing you need whilst getting used to the way things work once the L plates are off, is worrying about how much it's going to cost to keep the new car looking like a new car!

But well done on passing and good luck anyway.

autodrone wrote:If this is to be the first car you own here since passing your test, I'd go for an old Corolla to last you through your first six months. There is an old saying that you don't learn to drive until AFTER you have your licence and with the way it is with traffic, general road conditions, and particularly patience with new drivers to the system, your brand new Mini is going to get bashed - either by you or by someone else. The first six months of driving here is ALWAYS the hairiest!

Save up and don't stretch yourself over much on a brand new something quite yet. The longest I have ever had a car here without some plonker opening a door onto it and denting the side, is 14 minutes! And I have been here 28 years and had loads of new cars - either mine or the company's - in that time.

The last thing you need whilst getting used to the way things work once the L plates are off, is worrying about how much it's going to cost to keep the new car looking like a new car!

But well done on passing and good luck anyway.

Many thanks for the sound advice. I actually have 9 years of driving experience in my home town of Cairo which is described by some as the most challenging place on earth to drive (no rules) and 3 months driving a rental here in Dubai (international license at the time) without incidents but I totally agree; novices should never buy a brand new car.

About the Mini, I just got back from the dealership and the cheapest thing they have now is for 115K which is 25K more than what I was planning on paying so I don’t know if I’m going to do this anymore. A reliable, practical Japanese car sounds like a better idea now, maybe the 2.3L Mazda6.

A friend of mine has a Mazda 6 and he's delighted with it. Bought second-hand with one previous owner whom he knew, he has had no trouble with it at all. The gearbox in the auto versions is a bit out of date but it's not a bad looking car and certainly goes well enough. His is black - not a colour I would recommend here as it shows every scratch when your car cleaner has finished re-arranging the dirt each morning - but it certainly looks the bizzo when it's polished up.

And they're not expensive. An under-rated car in my view, and well worth considering.

I guess BMW still haven't brought over the Mini One. They did say they will bring it over later.

Beware of the Mazda dealership in Dubai. Very incompetent people.

I don't no much about the gulf aspect of owning one, but I know the car itself is a lot of fun, they are also very reliable from my experience (there are a lot of them on the European roads).

I had one in the UK for about two months (the Cooper S) when I first got in the car I thought 'what a horrible dash board' it felt plastic and lifeless with a stupid big clock in the middle.

Then I got to 'drive' it outside of town and I could not stop smiling, more fun then a Porsche boxer.

jabbajabba wrote:I don't no much about the gulf aspect of owning one, but I know the car itself is a lot of fun, they are also very reliable from my experience (there are a lot of them on the European roads).

I had one in the UK for about two months (the Cooper S) when I first got in the car I thought 'what a horrible dash board' it felt plastic and lifeless with a stupid big clock in the middle.

Then I got to 'drive' it outside of town and I could not stop smiling, more fun then a Porsche boxer.

Had a manual? I got a leg cramp driving it in Dubai due to the hard clutch.

gtmash wrote:I guess BMW still haven't brought over the Mini One. They did say they will bring it over later.

Beware of the Mazda dealership in Dubai. Very incompetent people.

I've heard that about Galadari once but they're offering three years free maintenance (parts & labor included) plus for the 1st 4-5 years nothing major should go wrong with any car (unless it's crap). Honda Accord is a cool car but it's just so BIG. I'll update you guys later today on how it goes