Is it worth exporting from UAE?

No car sold new in the UAE is US spec. They are Gulf spec., which means they would have to be 25 years old or older before they could be imported to the US.

 

That's what I thought, too, John...

Same in Kuwait.

Mike

 

actually, this is an interesting topic. i have lived in Canada for 10 years and now over 10 years in UAE. so i can speak from both sides of the coin.
Firstly, many people in UAE purposely buy US spec cars which makes is possible for them to sell to US, and as usual whenever there is major shortage of luxury cars, they are exported from US to UAE, such as nowdays Range rover has a waiting list of over 12 months, so the shortage is being fulfilled from US. I suggest contact few reputable used car dealer, such as Alain Motors which has the largest exotic car collection in the world.

 

hmm not sure about that. You have to factor importation and tax costs, and if they're worth importing to the US, if they're eligible to be imported. Also you have to be patient in securing the right car, as some cars for sale can be sketchy, and also the cost of repair. With all of that said, there are some cars there I'd love to import! I remember seeing a 993 911 Turbo S for sale for 80k USD but I couldn't afford it (gone now).

 

I have also lived as an expat Canadian in Dubai about 10 years and have bought a few exotics during my time here.

First, if the car is from the US, check if it is stolen, floor damaged, salvage, etc. I have Abu Dhabi 'friends' who buy wrecks on Copart, import, patch and sell. Such issues do not show up when a US car is imported to the UAE. Also, there are many stolen cars here. I looked at two Testarossas (one major dealer, one private) before I found a third one which was finally not stolen. I also know of a death due to a US S class which folded in half during an accident in Al Ain. Seems it was 2 wrecked cars badly welded together in a local shop then put on Dubizzle.

Second, while some people do bring their cars from the US as an expat and leave them here, I have never heard of a local customer going through the cost and effort to get a US car and import it. No reason to in connection with resale. When they sell, it just goes on Dubizzle or gets traded in. Often people prefer a GCC spec car with the upgraded A/C and maybe even a dealer history. Not to mention is is far, far less likely to be stolen, crashed or flood damaged. If the car is coming used from a non-franchise dealer always, always get someone to check the VIN with the dealer to see if it is not stolen; even run the engine serial number to see if that matches the VIN on the factory records. I know of at least one 'reputable' dealer sold Murcielago running around with a serial number plate from a crashed car welded over the original.

 

Guys you all got it wrong!
The man is asking about Exporting From UAE to US
NOT from US to UAE!

Taking a cheap Ferrari from UAE and sell it in US.
That what I am thinking about doing in Kuwait (if it is possible!)

 

Nothing wrong with our analysis or our reading skills.

No car can be exported from the GCC to the US unless the car is 25 years old or was built originally to US specification, ie sold new in the US and then brought to the gulf.

You might find a rare imported US spec car that could be exported back to the US, but I would be very suspicious of it as it might easily be a salvage title car.

 

The rules must have changed some time ago

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/middle-east/379617-80s-uae-vice-consul-united-states-america.html



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Actually, mine's a "grey market" car but needed very little for conversion since this S.A. car at the time was very similar to the U.S. requirements.

 

What website are you guys finding these cars on?

 

Let's not forget a majority or maybe all new exotics brought into Dubai or by air, I saw several at the airport on my many times through there. I had to transfer by bus between the nice terminals and where the scuba go to fly to Afghanistan. Lots of them.

 

Johnny,

Could be... but, most of the guys in the Gulf who take their cars with them to Europe do so by air, through Dubai. So, you could have seen cars that were coming, or going from Saudi, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, or UAE to London, or other places in Europe.

Mike

 

Hey everyone. I'm new to this forum so pls ignore any mistakes I may make in posting. I'm looking for advice on sourcing older ferraris ( pre F1 transmission ) in the UAE. Any thoughts on where I may find them ?

Rgds

 

Good luck. No real source other than online and by chance. Very few old exotic cars are around and for sale which are pre 360 Modena. Often they command a 'premium' as they are considered collector cars even though they can be in rough shape after years of neglect.

Still, if you look long enough, with a bit of luck you can find just about anything.

 

John is spot on...

Through the years, all the pre-F1 cars have made their way to Europe or the States, or are in a collection somewhere... very few are left, at least in Kuwait. And the few that are aren't for sale... yet!

All I can do is echo what John said... keep looking!

Mike (in Kuwait)

 

Hi, I'm new to the forum and found it by some google searching about exporting a car from the UAE to the UK. Does anyone have recommendations of a company who can send the car to the UK?

 

I am shipping two Countaches out of Dubai; I used Aeon shipping to do it. So far so good.

aeon Shipping

 

thanks man!

 

I've shipped my 360 from Dubai to the UK using Greenwich Knight, they're also doing all of the registration stuff so my car will be delivered to me in the UK registered, taxed and with an MOT

Cost was not excessive and the service, whilst patchy has fulfilled the requirements.

 

I wouldnt touch a car from Dubai or any middle eastern country, as being a frequent visitor to the gulf since the 80s, i have seen how arabs ( most of them) abuse and treat thier cars, very very rough . And besides cars from hot climate and dessert get sand stuck in every nooks and crannies that you can never get out.
And then there is the obivious over wear of the interior and leather.

 

That's quite a broad generalization. There are some terrific used exotics for sale in the UAE that are priced very attractively compared to the same model in US and Europe and are impeccably maintained. I do agree compared to exotics in the US or Europe many of these cars are DD's and often don't get the required service, but there are plenty of nice ones that are garage kept with full service records. The climate and conditions in the UAE aren't really that much worse than Palm Springs, CA or Scottsdale, AZ.

You just complete your due diligence just like you would buying any used car. Certain used makes are much cheaper in the UAE than the US such as Ferraris and others are on par or a bit more expensive such as Bentleys. Once you add the cost of transport, marine insurance, import taxes, conversion costs, and the hassle factor, it generally makes no sense to import a GCC spec car into the US.

The only exception would be pre F-1 cars at least 25 years old, but good luck finding one that is priced below par.

In the meantime, I will enjoy my almost perfect condition 2010 599 HGTE and sell before I return to the US in a few years.

 

One other bit of information for consideration is the DOT and EPA conversion costs. For my 2010 599 I was quoted between $60K and $70K to make it compliant with US safety and 49-state emission standards (OBDII and advanced airbags, etc) and that is in addition to the shipping, taxes, and marine insurance costs to get it to the US. That in itself negates any arbitrage potential and as someone mentioned earlier a "gray market" Ferrari is going to be worth way less than a US spec car in the US market.

As I said, I will enjoy my 599 in Dubai, sell it when it is time to come back to the US and then pick up a US spec Ferrari once I am stateside.

Bringing a US car to the UAE is extremely simple and not very costly. I've done it a few times, but when it comes time to sell the US spec cars get about 30% less in the UAE versus a similar GCC spec car.

 

Having bought a few cars in DXB in the last decade I would agree that there are some deals out there, but the cars are usually cheap for a reason. If you are going to pay international market price, this is not the market to buy from. Often owner neglect is an issue, however for caring owners unfortunately even the dealer service is third rate. I bought one F car privately after the seller engaged the DXB dealer to perform an expensive pre sale major service. Then I shipped it home to Canada. Upon closer inspection post arrival not only was the service not done, but someone dropped tools in the engine bay and neglected to retrieve them. A colleague bought an 'inspected and fully serviced' trade in F car 3 years ago with a complete service record stamped by the dealer which was thoroughly damaged via speed bumps by the prior owner. Another friend almost went out of his mind as he watched the service techs ready his car for post service delivery by wiping accumulated sand off his 1000 km old 430 with a dry cloth.

Somewhere on here is a thread about the mint, original, yet somehow repainted F car the dealer offered another poster.

Sadly, the L car dealer service is similar.

With 2 L cars and 3 F cars behind me I have only used the dealer once, but would not feel confident to rely upon them to check air pressures. I enjoy them in DXB, but if they need something major they leave the country.

 

I've personally imported quite a few cars from GCC countries to USA for many of my customers who are either tourist or students. Under special provision from EPA GCC spec cars can be imported (any year model) for a temporary import of 1 year.
The only problem with this is , after one year the car has to be exported out of the country. Recently US customs also made "customs bond" a mandatory requirement for these sort of "temporary import". As always, there is a way to go around the 1 year restriction, that is to take the vehicle to Canada or Mexico and re-issue the temporary import permit for 1 year and you can repeat the cycle. I doubt few would want to do this all the time.

Temporary import of GCC cars works great for students and visitors, but for American citizens who are returning to USA, I believe it's not worth it to bring their non-US spec vehicle, although they can also do the 1 year temporary importation.
It cost too much money to do conversion in order to meet EPA guideline.

If anyone is interesting in knowing more about temporary import or import/export feel free to send me a message.

Regards

Sean