timmyjt

My 2 cents worth....if it were me ..it would be Lexus GX. You get the best of both wrolds ...legendary Japanese reliability and better resale...and of course being a Lexus ...its great. 

Depends on what you want in the end...

Spend less, reliable , resale ..good average ride. - Prado

Spend some more, reliable, a great looking head turning ride with all sorts of features 

Jeep....don't know much ..I have test driven it ... it's definitely a great ride...but resale is bad..so it's not for me. You really have to love the ride to want it. Nothing wrong with it.

I choose the GX because it's a great mix.

Good luck 

2 hours ago, Rahimdad said:

Seen too many problems with Ford. My favourite will remain Prado, if fuel efficiency is important go for the 4 cylinder one.

The Prado looks like a great option.. Thanks

So Thanks @Gaurav 

@Rahimdad @Abdullah Ghafar

for your advice. So from the looks of it, it doesn't look like an economical long term purchase. Its an 8 speed automatic and its got the municipality sticker too stating that it is high mileage. This is definitely one of the few SUV with this kind of mileage, but then its not meant for off road and probably not so good off road. 

 Any other suggestions on a good mileage SUV, which I can economically keep for 7-10 years at least. I prefer SUV because theres a lot of highway driving and it so much comfortable to drive at a elevated seating, less tiring and occasionally I park it at sandy sites. 

I love the Land Cruiser and the Nissan Patrol....but they are gas guzzlers? and it doesnt help if I drive almost 500kms a day..fuel costs add to up a lot. I know LC and NP will live for 10 hours plus and no issues. 

Any suggestions?

Hi there, 

I am seriously considering getting a Dodge Durango, havent decided on the trim or the v6 vs v8. 

Here are my reasons : Great Price with the current offers and low monthly installment

Excellent mileage for an SUV ..almost 17+ kms per liter. 

Great looking vehicle

Good enough SUV and I prefer SUVs.

Anybody driven this for more than 5 years? I am worried about maintenance beyond the warranty period as I plan to keep it at least for 8 years or more. Any other comments / tips? 

Hey @Rahimdad, yes I was looking at the dodge Durango and the prices have come down a lot. Used to be 160k, and with all the offers, a friend of mine picked one up for 120K. So I was thinking with all the savings on fuel, this is a great deal.i only am not sure of how reliable it is after the warranty period of 5 years. My Pajero is extremely reliable and it's my 11th year. I only wish it was more fuel friendly.

The GS8 has so many features at such a great price which is hard to ignore, but then as @Barry said we will have to watch and see how they fare in the long run. Are they reliable enough for daily long commuting or just city runs. 

I act checked the mileage stated on the municipality sticker which was excellent @Rahimdad . It's a 2.0 turbo charged and had enough acceleration for a vehicle that I am considering to use for daily long drives. I test drove a gs 8 the other day. Features were endless. Quality only time will tell. 5 years warranty and other offers.

Going back to what @Fredericand @Gaurav said.. Japanese reliability is proven and you don't have to worry about anything and it will just keep going. 

I'm only interested in driving / selling the Pajero because i am only going to get around 15k for my 10 year old 3.8. hence I just keep using it for my daily Abu Dhabi to Dubai back drives and sell it. Mileage is a concern for my Pajero ..I get 7 to 8 km /liter and the GS8 and dodge gives 14 and 18. The savings in fuel will add up. I prefer an SUV and looking at price and mileage, dodge and gs8 look great.

Any thoughts

Thanks for the reply Frederic.

I haven't checked out Haval H9 yet. It looks like a Prado though. It's also cheaper than the GS8. 

Do tell me your thoughts on Korean brands.

Thanks again

Can anyone give me their thoughts on the GS8 from Gac motors. 

I just need an SUV for daily commute from Abu Dhabi to Dubai and back.

The features it offers and a great price and good mileage maybe.

Any thoughts are welcome.

Great will keep these in mind...does the fuel type really matter here?

Eplus vs Special for the Pajero?

Ive heard these private bus drivers claim that Eplus is bad for mileage ?????

I did a trip from abu dhabi to al ain and was trying different speeds to see which gave me the best mileage. Mine is 3.8 LWB 2008 model. The car was empty and just me driving.

Scenario 1: driving at 90km/h gave me 9.3km/l 

Scenario 2: driving at 110 km/h gave me 8.9km/l

Any comments on whether these numbers are good or bad and I will check the spark plugs, filter and tyre pressure and oil.

What is the ideal tyre pressure for city driving? 35 psi?

Anyone else done chiptuning? Any thoughts on other chiptuning companies. I found chiptuning and atm tuning? Any thoughts of who has better service as pricing is almost the same.

Hope you can spare some time to answer this.  

I own a 2008 LWB 3.8 Pajero and current kms is 123000. I have two cars, so the Pajero is my backup and also I tend to use it longer drives and especially ones where I need ferry 5 or 6 people of my family. I dont think there is any issue with it other than the AC fan belt and unit, which I replaced with al habtoor itself. 

Now my issue with Pajero is it doesnt cool the car enough and definitely not as fast I want it to in this heat. I actually avoid taking the Pajero in the morning as I have experienced feeling so hot and the AC not cooling fast enough and being leather seats, I just burn and I also noticed that even when I leave the car on, but parked, the AC cooling decreases A LOT. In the evening, the AC is EXCELLENT actually. 

The Pajero also drives like a truck, but then it is one of the most reliable cars I have driven.

Being in this part of the world, the AC cooling Is paramount and given the age of the car..running 8 years now, I have started thinking of changing the car to another SUV and the discounts and offers these days are just too good. 

What would be your honest opinion? Would it fine to keep the car for a few more years problem free or should i change to another SUV with a 5 year contract. I have no issues with either decision actually. I only detest the heat. 

THANKS

Hi all, 

My cousin, newbie driver is looking to buy one of those muscle cars - USED ...Dodge Charger...Challenger...Ford Mustang...Corvette...any other suggestions?

All ye experienced in this field of car buying...do let me know your thoughts...

I have absolutely no idea about these muscle cars ...cost of maintaining it...cost of ownership...which is the highest concern. 

All suggestions are open...which includes convincing me not to buy any of these cars too...

Hi all,

Just a quick query on on the process of changing my current number to a fancy number ?

Is this possible?

How do you go about it?

Can u just browse a directory with numbers aND choose?

Fees for changing the number..just the process

Thanks 

This is indeed a question that I keep asking myself when I see a new ride that I want to get, but keep putting it off due to the following reasons and hence I have had both my cars for almost 6 years now. I am curious to know people's view on this.

One is a Pajero and the other is an S class. The S class had extended warranty until last year..

Both have run approx 85,000 kms in 6 years. I dont drive long distances for my daily commute so the Merc is my car of choice. I only use the Pajero if i have to carry around a lot of stuff and people!

If i were to try and sell either car, I would get miserable resale values and that kills me after having spent so much money to buy it and so I figure I can keep both of them as long as it doesnt come up with major repairs and so far, neither of the cars have had expensive repairs.

So what does everyone think?

Keep the cars for as long as possible? I mean arent S class's meant to keep on going?

Im on the fence for this. I got the 3m Crystaline on my Mercedes 6 years ago and it came with a 5 year warranty and yes it was pricey and I got a normal tint for my Pajero. Now If i compare the two, cheaper one is way too dark for driving in the night, while the 3m one was perfect. As far as heat rejection is concerned, both can bake if parked outside in the sun, I really cant tell which car is hotter, as 50 degrees is what it is. 

As for the AC, again not too sure if it because of the tint, the MERC wins hands down as it cools wayyyy faster than the Pajero. This could be because of the AC and tint?

So thats my two cents worth.

Hi all,

Quick question on the service of the Merc S class (2009) model at 90K interval.

Anyone know of any trustworthy, reliable and of course affordable workshop in AbuDhabi that do German cars?

Thank you

So here's what actually happened long story short......I was forced to take a flight instead of driving...had some visa issues for my parents and there was no option...and thats the last time im taking the flight and the whole thing took as much as 6 hrs at least.

Here's what I w'd have chosen if i drove....the MERC, because it way more comfortable and I wasnt planning to do any off roading this time anyway.

The AC on the Pajero kinda works weird, it gets really cold when its 30-35Degrees outside and anything more, it struggles to cool the car. Its been the case since I bought the car, so that was another issue why I wouldnt take the Pajero, but off roading for sure, Pajero was the way to go as I have personally pulled out other SUVs with the Pajero, so it speaks of reliability and strength.

Thanks everyone for your various advices.

Cheers

All your responses are spot on in various ways

We are driving alone and got two couples in the car going to visit some family in Muscat and on the way there, we plan to travel at night and stay overnight in Muscat as we have a function to attend Friday morning, so no sightseeing on the way and I would just prefer to get there asap.

On the way back, I can do what i want, which could include some sightseeing, but no offroading as time is limited.

Hey all,

So I'm taking a trip to Muscat, Oman this weekend from Abu Dhabi and was wondering which car to drive. It should be around 700 to 900km the whole trip inclusive of driving around in Muscat. I guess two main points I thought about was comfort and fuel economy. What else?

Should I take the Pajero 3.8 LWB (2008) or the Mercedes S class (2009)?

1) Fuel economy is way better in the Mercedes, so this is a winner for the Merc.

2) Comfort: well the Merc is perhaps more comfortable to drive? or is it more comfy to drive on a raised seating of a 4x4?

And yes, what route is the shortest? I figure since im driving from Abu dhabi, it is shorter via via Al Ain, Hilly border? or is Dubai better ?

Which route is more scenic?

Any advice is welcome.

Thanks

LOL...now thats a first to compare car makes to a wife...

All are good cars and as compared, certain are better at certain aspects and so it comes down to choosing what is important for you.

I am told by many that the S class Merc is best chauffeur driven as the passengers have the best ride rather than the driver, the Beamer on the other hand is perhaps more of a driver's car being more responsive to the driver, whilst keeping the passengers relatively comfortable.

In certain parts of the world, each brand has a value attached to it. In South India, I believe it is the Merc that commands the most respect for now, as Merc has been around in India for 20 years and people know its a luxury brand. With the entry of all the other brands to India now, people  have started accepting the other brands as luxury.

I would like to know the answer to this too...however as I have not reached that milestone yet, I am closer to 90K kms now.

Any recommendations to things to watch out for as I near 100K.

Thanks

I would like to know the answer to this too...however as I have not reached that milestone yet, I am closer to 90K kms now.

Any recommendations to things to watch out for as I near 100K.

Thanks

Peeps,,,its the type of car and the recomended fuel type..simple as that.

ADNOC caters to all segments of users. Eplus is cheaper and there are many takers for the same for that particular types of cars that accept. Nothing wrong with the fuel. I use Eplus for my Pajero for the past 7 years and I have had no issues, and I read through the manuals and it falls in that category of OCTANE count and so it was fine. 

Since it is not recommended for german cars, I use Special for the mercedes.

Next time if you are not sure of the fuel type... I guess, call up some Emergency services and they will bring the fuel.

I bought one new from AbuDhabi in December 2009 and its honestly its just like their tag line, the best or nothing ..its like a yacht on wheels, it simply glides on the roads.

Its best thing in its class on wheels for a luxurious drive and everyother emotion that comes with it. Of course I treat her well and make sure all the services are done on time and I usually do mine at the dealer itself.

So if you ask me is it dependable for the last 5 years and 80K kms driven...YES

Things to look out for:

Tires cost me a bomb the first time I changed it with the recommended Continental SPort, but for the next change I got great quality korean ones and its been great for 1.5 years and that at a fraction of the cost.

It isnt all roses though, i did present me with a rather big issue once in the last 5 years, but I was told many times thats its a one in a million chance that I get that kind of an issue especially with an S class.

Anyway theres one advice I would give anyone getting a luxury car..take the extended warranty, if you dont get it with the car. This is what saved me a lot of money. It covers all the major works and it saved me almost 50K and it  cost me 12k for 5 years for the warranty contract.

Good luck and save up for it. Its worth it.