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Buying a car is a very big decision and one should fully take an educated decision rather than shooting in dark by considering only the purchase price of the car. Many time we think some car brand is cheaper than other then why not settle with a cheaper one and save a few thousand in the car buying process eventually we regret our purchase due to expensive insurance, maintenance and fuel mileage. I have bought many cars in Dubai in the last 7 years that I feel below checklist and key points are very important for any person to understand, plan and act on before buying any new/used car in Dubai and UAE. Requirement: Planning a car should definitely start with the need and the real requirement off course. If you require a four-seater car then don't go looking for a 7-seater. Allocate budget: Fix your budget first and then decide to spend 90% of the total set budget, as the remaining 10% roughly will be required for insurance, registration, tinting and other minor accessories. New vs Used: Both have their own pros and cons depending on the budget you decide and you should work around it. Insurance: Usually insurance in Dubai and UAE float around 2-5% of the sale value, but it may vary depending on your car segment: Sports and Luxury cars have higher insurance premium. The new driver will have a higher insurance premium. An old driver can save on insurance premiums by submitting a no-claim certificate from their previous insurance company. Financing cost: If your bank finances the car then do factor the total interest paid overtime, as it will rock the overall budget set for a car. If you looking for new cars then look for a few dealers in Dubai who offer zero percent interest during mid-year car sales. Registration: Although very small like less than 1000 dirhams for testing, registration, plate number etc. but worth counting. Maintenance: Japanese, Korean and American cars have reasonable maintenance costs as opposed to European and British cars. Super compact cars have higher maintenance than a normal sedan or saloon car. Luxury cars have higher maintenance as opposed to regular cars. Sports cars and performance cars have higher maintenance as well. Fuel mileage: Smaller the car size and car engine capacity lesser the fuel consumption. Big 4x4, Sportscar and performance cars have higher fuel consumption as well. Re-sale value: In order of best to worst - Japanese, American, Korean, German, British and French. Real cost of car ownership = (Cost of the car + Insurance + Registration + Finance cost + Fuel consumption + Maintenance) - Re-sale Value. Hope it helps many new car buyers in making an educated decision.

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. 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