Porsche's and SLK's price estimates

[aerslan]

hey guys (esp TNT and Root)

my friends in the market for a used car and considering the ways things are in saudi, the 2nd hand dealers are qutoing us wierd prices (at times even more than the new car).. maybe cuz they dont have much idea abt what the cars are all abt.. so if anyone's been visiting the uae market frequently,

all cars with no more than 30 - 50 thousand KM's on the clock

Porsche Boxster 987 model 2005
Porsche Cayman model 2005
Porsche 911 996 (base model carrera 2) model 2003-04
Porsche 911 997 (base model carrera 2) model 2005-06
Jaguar XK 2007
Mercedes SLK 350 2005
Mercedes SL 500 2004
BMW Z4 3.0L Coupe (not convertible) 2006


so if anyone knows the prices for these models (the realistic ones, not the dealers first quote) that would be awesome..

thanks

[T.N.T]

Where are you getting your new car prices from? If you are using the Mercedes/Porsche USA websites, then let me tell you that these cars are fairly cheap there.
Keep updating your new price list, even the local dealers mark up prices like every month nowadays. And the used car dealers might be charging more for their cars if they are 0 km because they sell those kinda cars at a commission for people who want to 'beat the waiting list' of the brand new car dealers.
Check this website, almost every car advertised in the UAE for sale is on here. That is the best way to survey prices.

[aerslan]

yea i get the point abt there being a waiting list.. but besides porsche i doubt any exists for german cars here

for instance, bmw has only one z4 in its stock here, which they havent sold yet.. audi bought 3 rs4 into saudi last year and were intially offering them for 360,000k a piece.. only one sold and the rest of the 2 are still at their used approved center selling at 240k

so when it comes to chosing car, saudi's usually go for the biggest car.. thats why when cars like the ones i mentioned come to used car showrooms, the not so automotive sensitive owner of the showroom doesnt much abt the car..

tell me this, how much do you reckon a new shape boxster, cayman and the 997 911 would cost.. you suppose with a budget of 150,000 ($40,000)a cayman could be had? or is the american price difference so substantital that for the same money a 997 911 could be bought in the us, and would that be worth it with the importing, radiator and warranty issues

[T.N.T]

Importing a Porsche might be worth it. You have to do your research first. Try looking for websites which provide used car prices of the US (classifieds etc.) to get an idea.
You might get a Cayman for 150k though I'm not all that sure. Caymans are pretty rare, Cayman S sells more and is more expensive so it cannot be had for 150k.
Use the search function of this site to get a better idea on the used car prices here in the UAE.

[root]

Porsches and BMWs used to be more expensive in USA, but due to the dollar slide the equation has changed recently. Plus high oil prices and recession in US economy has forced lowering of prices. So, yes, its cheaper to import from US.

I did however do the maths when someone brought this up on this forum a few months ago. First thing is that its not always easy to compare the base packages...some things are standard in one country and optional in the other. The saving is there..about 10% I think I calculated. Question is if its worth the hassle, and would one lose that 10% on resale (as it is not a GCC sold one).