Dubai: Here's some good news for those looking to buy a new car.
You can get spanking new cars up to Dh20,000 cheaper from people who won them in raffles but would rather sell off the vehicles than own them.
The cars are sold by the winners in mint condition and are also called "zero meter" or "zero mileage" cars because they have virtually never been driven. Traders said such cars can be Dh5,000-Dh20,000 cheaper than the listed showroom price at official UAE car dealerships. Everything from no-frills hatchbacks to luxury four-wheelers are changing hands, warranties included.
A Chevrolet Aveo won in a recent raffle was on sale at the Al Aweer Used Car Complex for Dh40,000 — Dh10,000 less than the showroom price. Other deals spotted included a Nissan Armada for Dh169,000 — Dh11,000 cheaper, and a Volkswagen Touareg for Dh220,000 against its Dh227,000 listed price.
"A lot of people don't need the car they win in promotions. They usually come to us to sell it, and then we resell it to the end user," said Farhan Ahmad, a manager at Ideal Cars in Al Aweer.
Ahmad Raza from Reem Automobiles said many cars are also won as prizes in camel races. He estimated there are 300-400 such giveaways every year. "The numbers rise when there are more raffles and competitions. The cars often end up in Al Aweer because we have on-the-spot services for paperwork and the contacts [of buyers and sellers]," Raza said.
Buyers include families in the Emirates and rich clients from abroad looking for special-edition cars not available in their country, he added.
The zero meter cars also include those sold by sole agents wanting to "get rid" of older models, said a trader. "We buy, say, 15 or 20 of them from the UAE dealer at year end, at very good prices. That lets us resell them at very good prices," he said.
Did you know?
There are 200-300 ‘brand new' cars on sale any given month in Al Aweer alone, resellers said. Unwanted gifts are also pitched on car trading websites, in classifieds and magazine ads.
