Toyta GT86/Subaru BRZ in the UAE, How is it there ?

[beirouty]

Hello

I was planning to buy this car when it first came out but i moved out of the country. Now im returning this september and still planning on buying this car

Has anything changed since then? is this car worth buying in our region?
Also which one is better? the sub or the toyota?
Better as in, better servicing from the dealership, better price, better resale value/holds its value better.

How easy/hard is it to live with this car everyday in Dubai? Hows the AC in the hot summer?

Does the car suffer any downsides due to our weather? heats up or losses power/becomes slower ?

Any known issues or anything of that sort ?

[EDIT] Important: How tolerant are the dealers of modifications?


Thanks a lot

[gzpermadi]

Hi,
Mine is Feb 13 built date, got it from Al Futtaim March 13.

I drive it everyday and so far this car has been reliable, I leave A/C fan setting at 2 from 4 during summer, so no biggie.
The only minor issue is interior panel rattle here and there, but nothing you can not fix yourself in your basement parking for 1 hour. This forum helps a lot. I blame Subaru for this quality issue but then again we all wanted to have cheap sports car aren't we?

86 starts from AED 95K while BRZ starts from AED 102K if I am not mistaken.
Both are for the manual price. I am not sure which one is better in terms of resale value since these are not regular Civic vs Corolla vs base Impreza.
As for the dealership, I believe all dealerships are the same here, they only know how to change oil and filters. I wouldn't leave my car for too long with them. And both of them are not tolerant with modification, maybe you can getaway with some catback, rim swap or ail filter.

However at this price point I suggest to get the manual version or Ford Focus ST. I think AED 115K for the automatic is a bit too expensive and If I wanted to spend that amount I would rather buy a new Golf GTI or second hand Golf R or maybe STI.

[Kefuddle]

The GT86 would be ultimate real life car regardless of the UAE (cheap, quick, reliable, rwd with a little bit of racecar potion in the mix), but the UAE's big highways doesn't really do the car justice.

No mods, bog standard. The cabin temperature when it is 49deg outside is acceptable, just (with no added tint). No rattles or me yet (18 months and 25000km) but debris on the road has caused small and minor damage underneath the front splitter, numerous scratches of unknown cause and dents in the lightweight thin doors due to other peoples carelessness in car parks (I now park as far away from everybody else). Mechanically still perfect. The quality of Super fuel here is highly variable, the worst seems to be Emrat which causes a rough low end and really very loud crickets and the best for me generally being ENOC.

I hate to say it, but for most people the Ford would tick more boxes in this climate, road conditions and traffic.

Personally, I'm not brave enough to take it on the track unless somebody can point me where I can get some insurance.