Car buying Advice- looking for family and off road vehicle in 70K

[Thomas Varghese]

On 1/19/2022 at 4:36 PM, Gaurav said:

50K - Prado for the road.

20K - Xterra for off-road.

Both will do full justice to the road comfort and off-road capability.

 

XTERRA for 20K? 

[Frederic]

14 hours ago, Immortal said:

@Gaurav and @Fredericpls advise. It’s very difficult to find good Prado(GXR or VXR) in my budget. I searched FAcebook, Dubbizle,CarSwitch and CARS24, popular dealers like AWRostamani, al Futtaim & al naboodh automobiles. In 70K from 2011-2013. Should we wait until summer or Ramadan time? There are few decent Japanese specs Prados available. Is it safe to buy other than GCC specs ?
Also, if I choose Xterra as my off road car, can I ride in desert along with family occasionally in xterra? Do u recommend that ? If yes, I might think about a crossover as family car instead of Prado. Sorry for bothering you guys.  But I want to choose that way of off road life as you mentioned in your off-road basics guide. 

 

Toyota prado 2013 TXL V6 | dubizzle

This is one example. If your budget is 70k, start looking for Prado's in the range of 75k and then negotiate your way down. Every car that is being posted on Dubizzle is negotiable, and usually the seller tries to sell at higher prices but will be open to a potential buyer with cash in hand and willingness to buy.

Another trick is to try to find things which potentially need quick replacement on that vehicle, and use it as leverage to reduce the price.

For Example:

- 4 Tyres are old and need replacement (easily 2000AED).

- Timing belt needs replacement anytime soon (easily 2500-3000AED depending on vehicle and workshop).

- There is cosmetic damage to bumpers that would need some repaint (1000-2000 AED depending on vehicle and workshop).

 

 

[Immortal]

4 hours ago, Frederic said:

Toyota prado 2013 TXL V6 | dubizzle

This is one example. If your budget is 70k, start looking for Prado's in the range of 75k and then negotiate your way down. Every car that is being posted on Dubizzle is negotiable, and usually the seller tries to sell at higher prices but will be open to a potential buyer with cash in hand and willingness to buy.

Another trick is to try to find things which potentially need quick replacement on that vehicle, and use it as leverage to reduce the price.

For Example:

- 4 Tyres are old and need replacement (easily 2000AED).

- Timing belt needs replacement anytime soon (easily 2500-3000AED depending on vehicle and workshop).

- There is cosmetic damage to bumpers that would need some repaint (1000-2000 AED depending on vehicle and workshop).

thanks for sharing the valuable tips. Added to my negotiation notes. Also, it seems TX.L is diesel version & 2.7L. when filter with 80k price filter i found most of TX.L versions. That's why i gave up for sometime.

Only looking for GX.R & VX.R as you advised earlier.  

Also, desert drive with family is recommended if I buy old separate off-road car like xterra? I'm talking about occasional drives on light dunes.

4 hours ago, Frederic said:

 

 

[Thomas Varghese]

XTERRA is a serious offroader.

 

I'm proud of my Xterra. Its my daily drive and my offroader. Gives good gas mileage too and maintenance is cheap with all the sharjah and sajja 2nd hand spare parts shops having any part you want for dead cheap prices. Plus very basic technology. You have a 4Hi and 4Lo turn button, off-road versions have the additional advantage of the rear differential lock and some newer versions have hill assist too. That's all. Accelerator, brake, a steering wheel, a gear shift and head light, turn signals. That's it. Considerable boot space too. 

Forgot to mention the VQ 4.0L DE Nissan engine is one of the best engines since 15 or 16 years Produces 271 Hp in stock condition. Enough to vroom over any dune you can find here 

Edited January 26, 2022 by Thomas Varghese

[ASAD.]

Older models i think upto 2013 used to be TXL and VX or VXL, i think even a GXL. Mine is a 2010 TXL. 

I dont think there are any diesel prados sold in dubai except for Export only by some showrooms. 

[Immortal]

1 minute ago, ASAD. said:

Older models i think upto 2013 used to be TXL and VX or VXL, i think even a GXL. Mine is a 2010 TXL. 

I dont think there are any diesel prados sold in dubai except for Export only by some showrooms. 

Thanks Asad, TXL engine size is 2.7L or 4.0L?

4 minutes ago, Thomas Varghese said:

XTERRA is a serious offroader.

 

I'm proud of my Xterra. Its my daily drive and my offroader. Gives good gas mileage too and maintenance is cheap with all the sharjah and sajja 2nd hand spare parts shops having any part you want for dead cheap prices. Plus very basic technology. You have a 4Hi and 4Lo turn button, off-road versions have the additional advantage of the rear differential lock and some newer versions have hill assist too. That's all. Accelerator, brake, a steering wheel, a gear shift and head light, turn signals. That's it. Considerable boot space too. 

this looks like ruler of the desert. I love to have one. thanks for the insights @Thomas Varghese

[Thomas Varghese]

9 minutes ago, Immortal said:

Thanks Asad, TXL engine size is 2.7L or 4.0L?

this looks like ruler of the desert. I love to have one. thanks for the insights @Thomas Varghese

Of course Xterra is a powerful car. Ask Xterra owners in the club @Chaitanya D, @Asif Hussain, @Foxtrot Oscar, @M.Seidam, @Tbone, @Rizwanm2, @Shaaz Sha, @Charbel, @Xavier Treasurer, @Joji varghese, @Kalahari. I don't do any preparations which I go for the drives with club - all the off road gear is already in the boot plus there is enough space to take anything else I require. Just check the fluids, deflate, put up the flag and I'm offroading 

Edited January 26, 2022 by Thomas Varghese

[Gaurav]

18 hours ago, Thomas Varghese said:

XTERRA for 20K? 

You can get Xterra from 5-10K to 40-50K depending on models and what you can live with.

2008 - High Mileage in off-season can go as low as 10K, now maybe 15-20K

[ASAD.]

2 minutes ago, Immortal said:

Thanks Asad, TXL engine size is 2.7L or 4.0L?

mine is 4L. Its the top range with leather seats and sun roof, the higher spec after that is i believe the VXL comes with KDSS or the air suspension for added comfort. One think you may want to consider with the top spec models upto 2012 is that they are flat backs i.e. the spare tyre is under the car. The mid and basic models come with dual tanks and spare tyre at the back which i believe is a considerable advantage for long drives. From 2013 and above all V6 models come with dual tanks so you dont have this issue there. 

hope this helps. happy car hunting. 

[Thomas Varghese]

Just now, Gaurav said:

You can get Xterra from 5-10K to 40-50K depending on models and what you can live with.

2008 - High Mileage in off-season can go as low as 10K, now maybe 15-20K

As far as I know there is a high demand for Xterra's now and a friend had been looking for 1 since a month( @GauravSoni ) couldn't find 1. Other friends I know who purchased Xterra's had to shell out min 35k