Hi all . . .
I just bought a "new" Crossfire here in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. I'm a U.S. citizen from California over here teaching architecture at the American University of Sharjah. I'm not in possession yet - just put money down to secure the car. Prices are higher over here . . . a new 2006 (or '07?) goes for almost $38K. I was deciding between an Audi TT, Audi A4, Cooper S and the Crossfire. In the end, I chose the Crossfire because of the exclusivity and the looks--a professional hazard, I guess.
Anyway, mine is a black 2004 coupe automatic with 300 miles on it, no previous owner. Sounds weird, but this a very common phenomenon in Dubai. Seems like there are a lot of wealthy people who give gifts as cars that never get driven then get sold to car dealers, they give away a lot of cars in lotteries, and god knows how else this happens. The dealer I'm buying from has a showroom where any one of the cars is worth about 4 to 10 times the value of the Crossfire . . . a little intimidating to say the least!
I learned from the forums how to decode that my car was #474 off the production line (VIN 1C3AN69L04X000474)--and that might not be such a good thing! Hopefully, I won't have problems. I lucked into finding a Crossfire with U.S. specs . . . so there is a chance I can ship the car back to the U.S. with me in a couple of years.
I've done a ton of reading throughout these great forums, so I think I've got a decent handle many of the issues. Just wondering if there is anything else you guys can think of that I should look into?
So far, here's what I've read that might be an issue:
*Might need an oil change, even though odometer is only at 340 miles.
*Tires could have flat spots from car sitting in place for too long (I don't think this is the case--the car wasn't landlocked as happens at some big dealerships)
*Radiator hose recall needs to be addressed by dealer.
*Need to determine remaining warranty time and look into extended warranty.
*Might have issues with stock radio (though I think I'm going to have a GPS unit installed), wind noise, rear hatch rattle, and any other number of TSBs.
All the information in the forums has been a great resource -thanks so much to all the members!
Photos are from the car dealership ad. Hopefully I'll have the car in a few days:
