Deals on wheels

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Alex Bibi

For the first group he recommends a small hatchback, such as a Sedan.

Those travelling long distances should plump for a Honda Accord, Toyota Camry or Nissan Altima, which provide a greater degree of comfort.

While those needing to tow a boat or jet ski require a powerful 4X4 such as a Land Cruiser.

In Dubai, cars range in price from a small hatchback saloon such as a Nissan Tiida for AED 41,000 to AED 51,000 for a prestige and extra large SUV such as a Volkswagen Touareg at between AED 170,000 and AED 280,000.

In the mid-range a large family saloon car costs between AED 80,000 to AED 125,000 and a medium hatchback or saloon car costs between AED 45,000 and AED 60,000 for an Asian brand and AED 65,000 to AED 70,000 for a prestige brand.

Freelance motoring journalist Noel Ebdon, suggests the following cars for the following budgets.

At the lower range, starting from around AED 35,000, he recommends the Volkswagen Golf or a Hyundai Getz.

"For that kind of money you are looking at a small hatchback that is just going to get you from A to B. The good thing about those cars is that they make it easier to park if you live in the centre of the city."

In the mid-range - from around AED 60,000 he suggests a mid-sized Japanese saloon car.

"The perfect car for almost anybody here in the mid-range budget is the Toyota Camry.

"It's not too big, it's comfortable, it's economical and it's cheap to fix."

Those for whom money is no object can set their sights on a flashy sports car which combines great looks with a powerful performance.

"For around AED 150,000 you can buy an absolutely lovely car here," says Ebdon.

"Porsches have always been sought-after here and the Nissan 350Z is also very popular at the moment. It's not up there with the big super cars but there's lots of them being snapped up all over the place.

"When it comes to a car like a Bentley though you need a seven-figure budget to even start thinking about that," he goes on to say.

As well as picking the right car for their budget and current needs - customers should also put some thought into the resale value of the car - how much it will be worth by the time they come to sell it.

Although this can be very difficult to predict, Ebdon advises customers to research the used car market to get some clues about the future value of their car.

"Depreciation is something you have to consider because if you sell the car even after one year, it could be worth a lot less than the remaining loan you still have to pay off.

"Look at the used car market, do your research. But don't ask the dealer you buy the car from because obviously he's going to tell you there's no problem at all."

Both Brightmore and Bob Farrow, general manager of Hertz UAE, advise that the best types of cars to buy if resale value is a concern are Japanese brands as these are the most popular cars in the UAE market.

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