Preferred 4WD

[Spurdog]

Hi All

Looking to get a 4WD when I get out there and get visa's etc sorted out. Can anyone advise what would be the best to buy also taking maintenance and fuel costs into consideration. Looking at spending 125,000AED

Thanks Spur

[Suid-Afrikaner]

Hi Spurdog,
when are you planning on making the move? I know there are quite a few good 4x4's you can buy for that price. Have a look on websites Al Tayer Motors, Ford and Al Futtaim Motors. They all have great specials on certain models monthly. Good luck!

[Spurdog]

Originally Posted by Suid-Afrikaner

Hi Spurdog,
when are you planning on making the move? I know there are quite a few good 4x4's you can buy for that price. Have a look on websites Al Tayer Motors, Ford and Al Futtaim Motors. They all have great specials on certain models monthly. Good luck!

Thanks Suid
Planning to be over end of August for an iitial 4-6 weeks or so, back to UK for a spell then over permanently. I'll check out the websites.

[wadiman]

Hi there -

The best 4wd models for desert work are:

* Toyota FJ
* Toyota Landcruiser
* Toyota Prado

* Nissan Patrol

* Jeep Wrangler
* All other Jeeps except for the crossover model - can't remember the name

Land Rover Discovery

I think the Hummers are good as well

When i lived here in the past i had a Jeep Grand Cherokee and loved it - it went very well in the desert (you must drop the tyres to at least 15 psi), was still comfortable on long trips and had a great sound system!

I have just moved here and am looking to get another Jeep as i think they have a good price/performance ratio. The Toyotas and Patrol are the best for resale value however and are probably more reliable than the Jeeps.

To the OPs post i would add 4x4 motors and Off-road motors to the list - both seem to have a pretty good rep among the western expats.

Have fun!

[acassim]

Be careful when buying second hand. They are much cheaper than first hand but you would never know if the car was chopped up or how many accidents the car has been in. This is especially true if you are buying a 4x4 as you never know how much the car was abused by the previous owner.

Toyota Land Cruiser is great in the desert because its very light but its overpriced. You will get a 2004/5 model within your budget. Nissan is also good with the XTerra well within your budget and light enough for desert drives. Go for a minimum 4 litre as I have noticed that the Mitsubishi Pajero 3SWB litre struggles against our 4 litre. I have not done any research into the FJ but again, Toyota is overpriced in this region (this is because the parts can be bought off the shelf like a supermarket). I think the entry level one is around 117k new.

Good luck with your choice of vehicle. Too many choices around.