Brand New Versus Used Cars in the UAE

Whether you’ve just recently landed in the UAE or are a long-term resident, choosing your next car is always a challenge. And the hundred thousand dirham question one repeatedly asks oneself is whether to buy a brand new or used car. So how exactly does one measure peace of mind, value and convenience in a scale? Well, the experts at CarSwitch.com couldn’t give an exact answer to that, but they could at least illustrate the trade-offs to keep you a better-informed consumer!

●      Peace of mind: New cars are without a doubt a winner here. You get to pick the new car from the official agency that you can trust and refer back to. As the first owner, the car’s complete history is squarely under your control and you can keep it with utmost care. Since the car comes with a few years of warranty you do not have to worry about any defects down the road. Used cars, on the other hand, do not guarantee optimal conditions and may soon require costly repairs. Unless of course, you purchase a used car that is still under the manufacturer’s warranty.

●      Value: Since cars depreciate quickly, you definitely get more value for money with used cars. Sometimes this could mean a discount of as much as 20-30% in the first year, and 15-20% for every following year. Though depreciation is universal, some models will do better at retaining value than others and you can draw comparisons using an online used car valuation engine. Overall though, buying a used car will certainly be at a discount that would open up other options for you like getting a higher-end model, which may offer more luxury, better finishing or latest tech installations making for a more enjoyable ride.

●      Convenience: This factor is less linked to new versus used and more on where you chose to actually purchase the car from. When buying from the official agency, or used car showrooms, they will typically help you with all paperwork including financing, insurance, and registration. Whether new or used, there is typically a premium purchasing from these locations to cover the overhead of the assistance provided. When buying a used car directly from the owner on the other hand you would typically need to manage the paperwork yourself (and be careful to avoid potential scams!) to get the job done. There are however services out there that can do the work for you such as CarSwitch.com which feature pre-inspected used cars and a concierge to handhold consumers through the process overall, if your purpose of getting a car is to get you from point A to B alone then opting for a new car may be the way to go. It’s simple and hassle-free! If on the other hand you value the driving experience without stretching your budget too far, then used cars are a jackpot for you! In either case, have a look at CarSwitch.com as they now feature new cars directly from the official agencies and pre-inspected used cars from individual owners that want to sell used cars in UAE.