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3 Key factors for assigning next car budget in Dubai and UAE As everything in life revolves around money, so deciding the fixed budget for your car buy is the number one thing that you should be doing. It’s not only to let you stay in control, but making the rest of the process streamline based on the available budget be it 10,000 or 5 Million. You need to decide the cash amount in hand as a buying kitty and then decide on how big you want to invest or rather spend. Off course I said as big because you don’t buy car everyday unless you are a dealer and hence increasing the budget has its own advantage to get you the most perfect car you need and will enjoy for the next few years. So allocate generously but definitely within your affordability parameters. People who want to take the buying kitty as a down payment only, need to also decide on how big car loan they can comfortably afford as an initial spend and for every month car loan EMI. If you are a cash buyer, then planning is lot easier in assigning the next car buying budget is equals to whatever you saved or whatever you can afford to spend for certain number of years after the residual value of car resale value. Example: You saved 100,000 for your next car buy and plan to drive the car for 5 years. Assuming your car resale value after five years will be 40,000 (4 Most important factors impacting used car price). So if you can afford comfortably spending the 100,000 – 40,000 = 60,000 over 5 years means 12,000 per year = 1,000 per month then go for it. Remember this amount is without Car maintenance, Car Insurance, Fuel cost, registration, Salik etc. This section is bit more complex for the car buyer who is planning to take up a car loan. As he still need to consider the above depreciation affordability and also find viability for the monthly payments. As most bank loan offer up to 80% of car value, so you should be ready with 20% cash as a down-payment. For the remaining payment EMI as a general rule of thumb, you should not exceed the below percentage of your gross monthly income depending on where you fit yourself: For an average joe, for who Car is just an absolute necessity: 10% - 15% Car enthusiast’s, who love Cars and want to enjoy to the max: 15% - 25% Car Maniac, who is crazy about Cars and can’t live without it: 25% - 40% Below are the 3 key factors that you must be aware of and able to factor them while allocating an appropriate car buying budget: Insurance: 4-5% of car value generally for all cars and all drivers 5-7% of car value for sports or high performance car or new driver 7-10% of car value for sports or high performance car and new driver Car Registration, Plate Number, Salik etc: 500-600 AED Annual Maintenance: Approx. 3-5% of car value for Japanese, Korean and American Cars within 5 years of age. Approx. 5-7% of car value for Japanese, Korean and American Cars after 5 years of age. Approx. 7-10% of car value for European and UK Cars within 5 years of age. Approx. 10-12% of car value for European and UK Cars after 5 years of age.

8 Most important steps before buying any car in Dubai and UAE Buying New or Used cars in Dubai and UAE is one of the most important and very valuable decisions that any individual or household makes. It is very difficult to find a good car from the hundreds of new cars and thousands of Used Cars for sale in UAE. That’s why many times I have been asked for car buying tips and tricks in choosing the right car model for my friends and family. So I thought of laying down my 15 years of car owning, buying and selling experience in words and try to help everyone here. It’s quite detailed and comprehensive so that it can clear many doubts, but don’t worry I made sure that I keep it to the point and very interesting to read. I am sure that after reading this you will realize that there are much more choices exists for Cars for sale in UAE other than just Toyota’s and Nissan in Dubai. Lol. Nothing in life comes for free, so the first and the foremost part are to allocate a budget that many people think is not very important at initial stage. But, trust me when I say its number one then there is a fair reason as changing your budget every week you will make your car buying experience more difficult. About 75% of car buyers in the UAE like to compare cars and hence for a fair car comparison you need to set a fix budget. You can read more here on “3 Key factors for assigning next car budget?” If you are not sure what all factors you need to consider while allocating the Car budget. Second step is to identify your Car need, which should be balanced between your emotional need and practical needs. My heart want’s cool looking 2 door sports car but with a family of 5 or 7, how do I practically enjoy that car with my family or will it be my second car for the weekend drives? All these questions you need to ask yourself honestly and decide accordingly and lock that choice to make rest of the process effective. You can read more here on “7 Car types that you should know before buying a car” Third step is to identify which Car brand or brands you like to buy or consider and why, as every car brand in today’s world is very different in behaving after couple of years of use. Some stay strong for over 10 years and some fall apart soon after the warranty. However every car brand has something special to offer, like some gives you most modern tech and gizmos than any other brand. Some offer extreme reliability, other specializes in the cheapest maintenance and so on. Sadly you can’t mix all good in one brand as every good has associated bad with it. If you fond of new tech and gizmos then slash out the reliability as no one has yet fully tested those technologies and if you like reliability then you should be happy to use the few year old proven technology that has been already perfected. You can read more here on “Top 5 best car brand types to buy” Remember that all this information is an indicative and based of several years of past experience, which may or may not co-relate after few years. Fourth step is to identify which year car year model you should choose or you can afford. If you are a new car buyer, then omit this point. Otherwise it is very important while you are in the market of used car for sale in UAE. Striking a balance between a model years vs. odometer reading is very important and as a car buyer you need to understand its importance thoroughly. This point alone is a very big game changer in identifying the right price for any used car for sale in Dubai or in UAE. Apart from year you also need to decide on full options vs. base option and entry models vs. flagship models and why? All three points are explained here “3 Secrets to choose perfect car model” Fifth step is to find the clean used cars in UAE, and this alone is havoc these days as due to quick internet education every seller and buyer is becoming very cautious and over smart. The most effective and single trusted method for finding used clean cars in UAE is to ask a single golden question: “Do you have full service history”. This question alone will filter more than 75% of the used cars and then you can focus on your mission more effectively. Off course if you know the cars in and out then you can take a bet at your own risk, but for normal average person who knows only 10% -20% basic car knowledge it’s better to rely on the service history records. This is fully explained here "One and only way to find trouble free used car" If you still need some convincing. Sixth step, relatively easy but important to know from where and how to buy the clean used cars for sale in UAE? As overtime this place has grown so much that people think that whatever legacy methods they have been using is still applicable, but it’s actually not. Just like anything else, this has also gone pass it’s saturation point few years back and now every used car buyer and seller need to know this: "5 Best places to buy clean used car at good price in Dubai & UAE" This point alone can save you so much time and money, that you will realize it only after the bad experience with the wrong guys. Seventh step is to put the reality to test and find out if all the above efforts have been followed properly or not. Once you are totally convinced with the model, odometer, condition, options etc. next is to test the car thoroughly by yourself as much as you can before you finalize or take it for further inspection with specialize technician. You should know the basic points to check the car as you don’t want to spend the technician fees for testing 5-10 vehicles, so knowing basic testing points will help you eliminate at least 75% - 80% of your car choices and only 1 or 2 will make it to professional technical test: "5 Things to check in used car before buying?" Eighth and the final step are to decide the final hand-shake price of the car. As true gentlemen you should always stick to your words while doing the negotiation. And never ever give your final offer if you are not serious to buy, or have some doubt before the final testing. Keep the seller in clear picture that you suggest an “indicative price” depending on the final inspection. I have seen major drama stories happening at the testing center when both buyer and seller are right and still deal fall apart because of the lack of clarity in communication. For putting the genuinely right price of any car if you spend 10 – 15 minutes with basic math you can do it yourself and don’t require any price comparison website. I have laid out the best practice that is been followed by insurance companies for over a decade to put a fair value price on any used cars here "4 Most important factors impacting used car price" Remember if you buy it right, you will enjoy it and not lose an arm and a leg while selling it. This is kind of must-read of all the above eight points. Disclaimer: I have written this and all linked articles to help my friends and family and other car enthusiast’s like you. This is purely based on my own experience. If you know anything more than this I am happy to edit these articles any time. Please leave me a comment and I will accept your changes and improvise these as soon as I can. If you like reading these articles and it helped you in anyways, please pass on the knowledge to others and use below red like to show your appreciations.

Top 3 off-road mistakes that driver makes in the UAE People assume driving off-road is a lot easier due to no rules and restrictions as compared to driving on the road. That may be true to a certain extent, but after a while it might get messy if certain rules aren’t followed. Off-road freedom is awesome, but you should always remember these three MAJOR off-road mistakes that every experienced and in-experienced off-road drivers come across in the UAE. By the way, all these 3 rules apply for desert, mountain, small drive - overnight drive, beach sand & sand dunes. So by remembering these 3 golden rules you will save yourself from 75% of the off-road threat that may spoil your enjoyment or cost you some expensive repairs. It's always good to read little bit more on how to drive off-road before you embark with your most capable 4x4 vehicle. If you are new to off-road then you should listen to people advice, see what others are doing and learn how to negotiate with various off-road obstacles. Deflate, deflate and deflate: No car in the world is capable of driving off-road without deflating. You might get away with few 100 meters without deflating, but eventually you will get stuck. Yes you need to deflate in sand and on rocks as well. For sand, ideal is to deflate to 15-18 PSI as per terrain difficulty and also as per the temperature (deflate more in summer, when sand is loose). Maximum you can deflate to 12 PSI (not lower) if you are in very challenging terrain like Liwa, Sweihan or Al Wagan sand dunes. For wadi's and rock crawling you need to deflate lesser up to 22-25 PSI as compare to sand. In wadi and rocks little deflation help in better traction by increasing the footprints while crawling and absorb LOT of shocks on loose gravel or rocky terrain, while driving. Plan your stop: About 90% of off-road stuck happen due to stopping in wrong places. Always choose the safe spot to stop, and stop slowly. People driving in sand dunes while climbing up and down the dune, get tempted to stop in amazing scenic spot, but when they start again they get stuck. Don't stop on uphill, sideways and on loose sand which will make it difficult for you to move the vehicle again. When in motion, use that momentum to choose the flat, hard spot (as much as possible) so that moving again is easy. Stopping hard with harsh brake will dig you in the sand and moving again will be even more difficult. In the inevitable situation if you brake hard, then go backwards few meter and gain momentum to drive further. As you advance more in desert driving in sand you will see it is very simple physics that needs common sense more than an ego of being an owner of "most powerful car" and "most expensive car". Take it easy and be ready to go back little bit and start again if you are stuck in a difficult spot, try to find work-around than forcing your way in because mother nature is sometimes more stubborn than you are. For rock climbing, crawling and wadi passage plan your stop carefully so that you can start back safely and avoid any excessive wheel-spin or slippage of your vehicle. In rocks while negotiating with big boulder (stones) you need more of patience and external help than too much gas and distractions. External help means to have your friend or family person outside the car who can guide your exact tire movement (very slowly) and help you step on safe spot and pass through. Don't panic when you are stuck: The beauty of off-road driving is EVERYONE will get stuck, whether you are a super sales achiever, manager, leader, CEO or the VP. The idea is to stay calm and "DO NOT PANIC". Majority of off-road stuck are very minor and you can recover yourself in less than a minute if you are calm. If you panic and give too much acceleration it will dig you deep in sand and might dislocate your vehicle more in rocks. When vehicle is not moving, first attempt is to try reversing immediately and seeing what is blocking so that you can avoid it. If reverse is not possible, then step out and identify the situation, have few sips of water and you will get creative in thinking different ideas to get out. If you are stuck in wadi's and mountains, you can probably move few smaller rocks aside by hand and make your way or sometime you can place smaller rocks under your tire and use them as a stepping stone. In sand stuck, if vehicle is not moving engage your Lo-Gear (4WD lo-gear) and start with little aggressive acceleration up to 2500 RPM (ONLY) and that too in quick short intervals (no full gas for long stretch). See if it helps moving your vehicle few meters or even centimeters, then repeat the same in front and reverse several times and make little movable path and when you have a good stretch, then take off with more acceleration up to 5000 RPM (sometimes even full gas). Idea here is to avoid full gas in beginning as that will dig you down and once you have little movable path and vehicle is in motion for 5-10 meters and you give more or full acceleration, it will help you cross that climb, loose-sand or uneven spot more easily. If everything fails as per self-recovery, call for help and don't dig yourself deeper by too much excessive self-recovery, as that will make the situation worse for other car to pull you out.

3 Major mistakes people make while selling car in Dubai and UAEAs you know that selling is the most difficult task in the world, and it becomes even more challenging when you have to sell used car to a stranger without any trust or positive reputation. So the only thing that can help you sell your car fast with a confidence is to gain the trust of the buyer. Below are the 3 common mistakes that seller makes to prevent gaining the trust and positive reputation while selling car in the UAE. By following below steps, you can actually build a trust and gain positive reputation within ONE MINUTE of your ad-view. Show the car service records One of the most important ways to build a trust is to show the full service records to a buyer without even asking. This will help you gain over 50% of the buyers trust in one single step. Even if you don’t have the full dealer service history, then show the partial record and explain where you have been servicing the car lately. You shouldn’t be lying in this step as smallest lie can fall apart the whole deal at a later stage if buyer suspects any wrong information. I have seen over 50% of the people who sell car don’t even realize that this sharing of service record is of utmost importance. The reason for this importance is that new buyer will be confident in buying after seeing that car has been very well taken care of in the past, and he won’t be spending for your mistakes. You should add at least one picture of the car service record in your online car advertisement to gain that trust immediately. Click good car pictures Majority of online car classifieds I see really lack in this department. People click the blurriest possible pictures, night shots and overcast pictures to hide the fault but they forget that no one is going to buy their car without actually seeing it, so why waste everyone’s time. Do yourself a favor and spend some time in getting the crispiest, highest possible resolution pictures in daylight. Click 50 – 60 pictures and select best 10-15 out of it showing the exterior (all sides), interior, engine bay, trunk etc. for a complete feel of the car that buyer can see within 1 minute of viewing your online advertisement. Off course make sure the car is super clean (washed) from inside and outside and free from your grocery bags or office stuff or personal belongings. By sharing the good pictures, you will be surprise to see how people straight away wanted to see your car as you have already build the trust and confidence within first minute of ad-viewing. Be reasonable and fair No matter how much you love your car, but every car depreciates with time and the mileage and you should know the real value of your car. You can add 5-10% extra for final negotiation, but not over 50% markup and scare the buyer while viewing your ad. Price it right and you will sell it fast, as remember every day your car is anyways going to lose more value so sooner you sell better price you can fetch. If car has some damage or issues, be clear in the car classifieds pictures and in description and let the buyer take the call to still view your car with minor concerns or not. Hiding these will again waste your time and only 1 out 10 people will be actually interested in it. So being honest and clear will help you filter the interested buyers that potentially will accept the car with the little issues along with reasonable discount in the price.