Hello all. My first post and it's a cry for help. I am desperately seeking a 355 Spyder in the UAE - manual is essential. Preferred spec is rosso/crema, and ideally would like to have Capristo exhaust but I appreciate beggars can't be choosers. Have checked with the main dealer and these guys haven't got a clue - they can't even advise where to source one from. Exotic Cars on Sheikh Zayed Rd have promised to source one for me, but frankly I'm not holding my breath. Do House of Cars or any other dealers tend to deal in this car? Lots of 360s around, but no 355s. Or perhaps you might know of a private owner who might be willing to sell? Any help gratefully received, Harris
I know the cars in the Middle East are often cheaper but if you are that desperate why not buy one in UK or Europe and ship it over ?
Have certainly considered this. However with the savage depreciation of the dollar against sterling and the euro, this would be an expensive exercise, particularly after shipping costs and local import duty. It would make a lot more sense for me to stump up the extra cash for a 360 Spyder, although I must be honest, I have never lusted after a 360 in quite the same way. By the way, is it Spider or Spyder?
well according to the ferrari website. its spider. However regarding the 355. if i were u and living in the uae. id purchase the Autotrader magazine.. its got tons of cars for sale, u might be lucky. dont worry about the exhausts right now, just get the car, then order the exhauts after that. The autotrade magazine can be found in almost any "Emirates" petrol station, dont know about the other petrol stations like "Eppco" ,"Enoc" or "Adnoc" , have a check though. Good luck bro.
Good point regarding Autotrader - I have also been regularly checking the Gulf News classifieds as that seems to be the most comprehensive. I missed my chance a couple of months ago when a 355 spider was last advertised. The problem is the second hand market in the UAE is so illiquid that you just have to get lucky if you're looking for a very specific car. I wish there was a really detailed on-line website which does the job. At the moment, there is rubbish like AutoSouk which is ok if you're looking for a beat up Toyota Camry.
I know of one for really cheap money in Europe with Verdi (UK) service records. LHD. I may ask around for the specs and make you a shipping quote if you desire. Ah btw, Exotic Cars are loooooong when they work on something.
Thanks for the heads up, but I am always wary of the words "cheap" and "Ferrari" in close proximity! (Although Verdi has a good reputation). Also not keen on buying unseen or where the possibility of come back is zero.
Well, i must admit it sounded weird. Last time i saw the car it was in a very good shape. All services done. Of course the experience is not the same when you check the car yourself but my associate is someone really competent. It's only a call away from me and it's my job so if i can help for looking for a 355 at competitive price, i would be glad to do it. I'll PM you later.
I saw a red manual gearbox 355 spider for sale at Max's gararge on the Al Barsha Road, its sister 456M GTA is for sale so maybe the 355 is. A friend has another identical 355 spider, I can ask. PM me.
Uh, forgot to add, anyone find something older like a Berlinetta Boxer or even a 512TR somewhere in the UAE, please drop me a line.
Hi John, thank you so much for the heads up. As it happens, a few days ago, I finally gave up when the salesman at House of Cars sensed my frustration and closed in for the kill on a blue 550 he had. There are very few spiders around he said, at least none that had come through his hands. OK, I said, let me know. Well, why don't you take a look at a nice 550 I've got, he said. No way, said I. Don't bother trying to tempt me. I'll walk you out, he said, picking up the 550 keys on the way. I rolled my eyes and kicked the tyres. But what a gorgeous car was sitting on those tyres. Oh, cosmetically a bit scruffy, yes, but it's so cheap to get that fixed to a high quality in Dubai. Service-wise, everything had been done to it at the main dealer, and the first owner had been the Deputy Prime Minister himself. A nice long drive (Tubi rocks!) and a favourable inspection report sealed the deal, and then I realised this car would be the perfect foil to my track-prepared GT3. So in a few days time I will be click-clacking my way through the gearbox of a gen-u-wine V12 Ferrari. Didn't plan on it, in fact I had always expected to work my way up to a 550 one day. I guess that day came a little sooner than planned...
Oh, and John, I am fairly certain I have seen a 512 (I think it was a TR) advertised about a month back in Autotrader. It was at one of the Al Aweer sites, don't know which one. Sorry, that's not very helpful. There are a fair number of Testarossas around...
It can be a good idea to import older Fcars to UAE (90's and such), the only matter is to buy them at Export Price seeing that EAD is indexed on US dollar. I need to see a way to sort this exchange. There seems to be kind of demand. I need to call back Fahran Ahmed from Exotic. Harris, do you have an instant messenger of any sort? I would be glad to stay In touch with you. - Michel W.
If you need to stay in touch, pm me through my profile. I personally wouldn't recommend importing from abroad. The dollar has depreciated so savagely against sterling and the euro that importing cars makes no sense at all. The other way round would be a lot more lucrative business. And as for Exotic Cars, the less said about them the better. Without wishing to breach any forum rules, as a cash paying buyer I can go to a lot of places with better standards of customer attention and better able to spot a true enthusiast. Having a lot of fancy Murcielago Roadsters in one's showroom does not automatically make one a great car salesman...
I'm coming to Dubai soon business wise. I wouldn't mind to come back with some 360s in the backpack. Farhan is a good guy, and a good seller, but his passion is more money than cars, it's a pity. His boss is more normal.
Hi Harris, I've seen your new toy at House of Cars the day it came from detailing: gorgeous !! I know a 355 for sale some weeks ago (same color than your 550) but I am sure you have no rgrets. My 996 Turbo is still with HoC so I am stuck right now but it's good to hunt some new car in Dubai. Take care of it. Djilali
Possibly visiting Dubai in the near future and would like to go Ferrari shopping while I am there. Is your local AutoTrader magazine available on-line? Is there a way of purchasing the magazine and have it mailed to me in the States? Are there any websites for autosales that advertises your local cars for sale? Doing my research now - thanks.
I THINK there are a few Indian guys doing up a portal for second hand exotics, this is what I heard.. not sure what company. But heard. it shld be up in a month or two
Hi Djilali, I think I know about the blue 355. It was an F1 if I remember correctly, that's why I passed on it (plus the fact that I was after a spider). Anyway, I think the 550 was the right choice in the end.
The most comprehensive is the classifieds section on www.gulfnews.com Autotrader is not that great as cars seem to be randomly spread throughout the magazine and is not available online. Also the diversity of cars is pretty limited, but perhaps that's a function of limited availability in Dubai. For example, you either get beat up old 7 series beemers or Enzos being advertised. Autosouk.com (?) is another alternative, but again pretty poor. Basically I think liquidity is pretty low in the Dubai market, so finding online or other resources to locate cars is difficult. The only way to find a car is to wander round showrooms.
Hi Harris, I am talking about a private sale: a blue spyder 6sp (not 100% sure for the gearbox). It belongs to a friend of a friend (both italians) Anyway you cannot go wrong with the V12: you just jumped a few steps ahead.
Nice to meet you Harris, I actually tried autosouk.com, and it was OK - not that great. I guess we are spoiled here in the US with all the resources we have to find cars. I am not looking for something specific in the Ferrari's, but what is important to me is that the vehicle is of US spec. What are the odds of finding these cars available? I saw some online but I believe they were old listings. Any thoughts? Richard
I know there a couple of Spider 355's in Kuwait. I bought one back in June, and I'm installing Tubi manifolds next week while I'm doing the 50k service. I'll tell you, this is the time of year to drive those cars. I think the 355 is the best looking car when the top is down.
