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:

 

Congrats and welcome to the forum.

 

I bet there's more places in the desert highways of the U.A.E to let it all hang out than here in Ohio.

A 150+ MPH top end is pretty cool if you've got the roads for it !

Cincinnati Slim

 

Yeah, driving here is a bit like the Wild, Wild West . . . which is part of the reason I decided against the Cooper S. The idea of being smashed in that car by a gigantic SUV doing 100+ doesn't appeal to me.

Speeding here is not a moving violation like it is in the U.S.--they have traffic cameras all over the place and you don't necessarily know when you've been ticketed until the end of the year when you got to re-register your car. Then you have to pay all the accumulated fines from the previous year. It's not unusual to hear about people who have $2-3K in fines. But, it doesn't count against your license or insurance.

Thanks for the welcome, guys.

 

bjbj,
Congrats on your purchase and welcome.
Dubai sure looks like a beautiful place (and an expensive one).

Enjoy your new ride.

 

Congrats & Welcome to the Forum!!!

 

from dallas, texas... welcome to the forum.

 

Congratulations and welcome to our forum.

Why don't you join our Crossfire International (XFI) club? Would love to have a member from Dubai.

 

Nice ride and welcome!
You're gonna have to go out an get some cool pics for those still stuck in the states!

PS: it looks like the tpms light is one in the interior pic...

 

I'll get some good pics, eventually. I'd just like to get the freakin' car already. Looks like it's going to be another few days.

Interesting . . . didn't notice that in the interior pic. It wasn't on when I went for a test drive. Any number of explanations, I guess. I'm going to take it straight to the Chrysler service center, anyway, to get the oil changed.

 

Thanks!

How do I go about doing that?

 

Send a "PM" to "REDCROSS" and he will give you all of the particulars.

 

Well . . . two weeks later, I'm finally in possession of the Crossfire. You cannot believe how frustrating those two weeks were. Nobody can or will do business by phone or e-mail here - business gets done by having Pakistani guys drive little scraps of paper all over the damn city/country. Unbelievable!

Anyway, I got lost on the way back to Sharjah from Dubai--as I fully expected to do. Sharjah is the next emirate over from Dubai, though it's really like a Pasadena/Los Angeles relationship. When other people are driving you just don't really pay attention to where you are going. It's going to be a bumpy while until I get a GPS unit installed.

When I got back on the freeway, I had a great time! Nice to know my car doesn't start sounding an alarm when I drive faster than the 120 KM/H speed limit. There are advantages to driving a U.S. spec car here.

Things I've already noticed and will have the dealer check out:

* As somebody pointed out, the TPSM light is on.
* One wrench service indicator is on with clock and -715. Guess I need an oil change.
* I've got the whistling noise coming from the top of the window. Printed out the 2 possible TSBs and will take them into the dealer. You guys are great!
* No cigarette lighter. Guess I have to order one. This is a 2004, and should have one . . . oh well.
* Despite assurances otherwise, there is only one key--again based on reading the forums, I knew that was going to happen. They have several uncut keys on ebay for about $50 - just have to see if they can cut them here.
* Slight rumble in the brakes while braking. Sales guy at the Exotic Car dealership doubles as a race instructor at the Dubai Autodrome - he insisted it was just from a buildup of dust/debris on the pads and will go away soon. Nevertheless, I'll have the dealer check it out.
* Hesitation on starting the engine. Definitely shouldn't be happening on a "new" car.

All that stuff aside, I love the feel of the car on the road, and still love the way it looks. No buyer's remorse from me (knock on wood).

I've heard the horror stories about service at the dealership. It'll be very interesting to see how things shake out in this part of the world.

I'll try to get some good pictures of the Xfire with interesting backgrounds . . . but that'll have to wait: I'm flying to Europe on Thursday for a couple of weeks.

Thanks for all the help and great info. Look forward to interacting with everybody!

Cheers,
Bill

 

Congratulations on your 'new' car. Welcome to the forums.

Brake rumble will occur when a vehicle has been sitting for a long period of time. As the Sales guy said... dirt and debris as well as some surface rust (may not even be very visible). This will get worn off with the brake pads. Not a bad idea to have the entire vehicle 100+ point inspected when you get the oil changed at the dealer service center.

The rest is below...

 

Thanks . . . yeah, I think I'll have 'em give it the once over.

I forgot to mention, I noticed when my friend was filling up the other day that the 3 grades of unleaded gasoline here have 93, 95 and 98 octane. I remember seeing a discussion about premium versus regular--guess I don't have to worry about that!

 

Nice to you see finally got it... Enjoy!

By the way that rear plate is crazy.

 

this is my main web page on my home computer...

http://www.burjdubaiskyscraper.com/ ...

dubai is hands down the coolest place to live in...World's tallest building, only TRUE 7-star hotel, world's largest mall, world's largest theme park (dwarfing Disney), world's only FULL indoor downhill ski facility...world's first underwater hotel, and of course the man-made islands, extending the coastline from 45 miles to 35 more...

 

I love driving in the middle east...except in the UAE. Saudi has better roads, no women on the road, and no speed cameras. Although the last time i went to dubai, we went in w/ saudi license plates, which turned out to be a blast. When you're driving into the country, they take a picture of your front license plate (ours had been wiped blank by driving through hours of shamal at 230KMHs, as was the rest of the paint on the front of the car), so we gave them the license plate number still attached to my old registration. Speed cameras only take pictures of your rear plate, which wasn't registered there, so we just flew through them all. Not a word from the border as we left the country.

Hope you're enjoying the UAE. have fun dodging Nissan Patrols all the time...
are people still driving around the highways with off-road balloon tires? i remember that was all the rage with the Qataris

 

bjbj,

Any downside to driving a US spec vehicle in the UAE? I thought the Gulf State spec vehicles had high heat resistant components?

 

wow 93 is regular there haha.. i guess thats one of the upsides of living in an oil rich country