looking for a soprts car

[aghorayeb]

hello,

i'm new to the UAE, i'm 34 years old.

I'm looking for a nice sports car, my budget is around 150K but i can push it to 200K if i find something i like.

i want something that looks nice and has a nice feel to it, not necessarily very fast. Important is the resale value and the maintenance costs.

i am willing to get a second hand car a year or two old.

i went looking around at showrooms today and here's a few i found and i would like some feedback or any additional suggestions:

Cadillac XLR, Mustang, Audi A4, Audi TT, Chrysler Crossfire, Corvette.

Porsche, Jaguar, BMW and Mercedez were too expensive, maybe i should look at the second hand market

i know someone else posted something similar to this a couple of days ago and i apologize in advance for the redundancy, but i think his request was a bit different to mine.

thanks in advance for the help.

[root]

My advice would be to get a 1-2 year old one, so start looking at the used car market. Reason is simple that you stressed on resale value, and a new sportscar loses 30-40% within that time.

The other is really your preferences for 2 vs 4 seater, convertible or not, speed, appeal, etc. 150-200k is a good budget to get something nice for.

Porsches keep value better than others, and are nice wheels to have. Boxster S maybe.

Chrysler Crossfire and Corvettes are quite nice as well, but resale is more questionable.

Nissan Z 350 is also a great one to look at, and atleast take for a test drive.

[T.N.T]

Root's suggestions are great. If you want to save yourself from the high depreciation of brand new sports cars, you should certainly go for a used one. But, don't look at anything 2 years old because the year end is approaching and anything 2 years old will become 3 years old.
150-200k is an amazing budget for someone who is new to the U.A.E. There won't be any difficulties in looking for a good sports car in that range. I think you should look at a good pre-owned Porsche.
If you have any more queries, please don't hesitate to ask. We are here to help.

[aghorayeb]

hi guys,

to answer your questions, i wouldn't mind 2 or 4 seaters but i prefer convertibles.

so the best option is to look at preowned porsches or maybe the nissan Z350.

i will do the tour of the websites and come back to you for advice.

thanks for your help guys, this is a great website.

keep up the good work.

[aghorayeb]

guys,

I looked around the website for prosche 2005-2006:

the Boxters are going anywhere from 155K to 200K the Boxter S are more expensive of course.

i saw one 911 for 215K and one Caymen for 220K. Do you thik it's worth it to extend the budget for something like this.

Most of them have low mileage anywhere from 4K to around 20K.

What's you advice and what are the things that I need to check for when i call these people to check the cars.

do you also know of a good workshop where i can go to check these cars out.

[T.N.T]

911 for 215k.....What model year? if the model year suits you, then what are you waiting for?!?
Cayman is also pretty good, but try finding a 911 over a Boxster or Cayman if you prefer speed. On the other hand, you'll get a newer model year Boxster or Cayman for the same price.
911's are pretty prone to abuse so look out for:

Any engine squeaks. Start the car and listen to it carefully. If there are any squeaks, than it could be the waterpump or belt wheels which will cost you $$$.
After starting the car, hit the accelerator suddenly, if there is any kind of smoke, then there is something wrong with the engine (piston rings).
Check out the oil colour which should preferably be black, not white or light brown which means there is a head gasket leak.
In manual trasmission cars, check out how the clutch feels or sounds after the engine has been started, squeaks mean that something needs replacing.

All those tips are for cars which are 60k km or older. If you are buying a newer one, just ask the owner where he bought it and check out the Full Service History for any major maintenance instead of periodic ones. Ensure that the car is local and not imported from Germany and the like.
House Of Cars are Porsche specialists and they are pretty helpful for aftermarket modifications and maintenance. I heard they offer a free check up for all Porsches although I am not sure.
Call them at: 04-3393466. They are located behind the Nissan showroom (Sheikh Zayed Road) in Al-Quoz, opposite UNIMIX offices.
Best Of Luck!!!

[root]

My type of guy! If you want convertibles, here are the choices you have:

4-seaters:
- BMW 3 series
- Audi A4
- Merc CLK
- Peugeot 307
- Ford Mustang

Among the above, i would probably select BMW or Audi. If on budget a Peugeot gives you a lot for your dirhams.

2-seaters:
- Audi TT
- Alfa GT or Alfa Spider
- Porsche Boxster/S
- Merc SL and SLK
- BMW Z4 / Z3
- Honda S2000
- Mazda MX5/3
- Corvette

Among the above, I would select Boxster. Even the Corvette is very nice...actually looks like a Ferrari by its looks

I am probably missing some. All the above will fall in your price range give an take a few years/miles/dirhams.

Another car that I would suggest to look into (and I have not done that myself yet) is the Chrysler Crossfire. Looks wise it is very nice, and I saw in the paper that they are selling off this year models at 117k brand new.
If you test drive it, make sure you write and tell us what you think.

[T.N.T]

Nice suggestions, but a Peugeot 307?!?
"I'd rather be seen in a Chery QQ"
Ford Mustang is the real Bang for the Buck here, (V8 engine and stuff) but once again, too cheap, don't you think?

Audi TT? Cartoony looks and a low volume interior make it bad. Sluggish engine and reliability issues don't help either, maybe the new TT will be improved, but the current 6 year old model doesn't actually make a mark.
This guy needs better resale and a reliable 'sports' car, so why an Alfa???
Mazda MX-5 doesn't come here through the dealer, and import models are hard to service.
Corvette is great, Crossfire is once again sluggish and based on a modified 1st generation SLK platform.