Mr Jones

I recently spent a few days in Abu Dhabi. I was impressed with how many AMGs I saw on the streets. Of the AMGs I saw there were a few C63S’s, lots of GT’s and heaps of G63’s. Anybody here from Abu Dhabi?

chrisridebike8

Dubai is the same way. AMGs are like camrys there.

INS1GNIA

That is awesome Mr Jones. I can't even imagine all the supercars they have down there. I mean hell, just look at their police force and the promotional vehicles they have. Dubai is one place I want to go visit, along with Monaco. Just some amazing cars to be seen!

tpliquid

u poor if u drive c63 there. its like someone buying a no optioned kia spectra.

Arjy

the car scene in the UAE is insane. love visiting my family there and seeing all the nice cars being driven.

Adi-Benz

Abu Dhabi and Dubai are honestly some of the coolest places in the world with their ambience and community. Its great that you got to experience it. Now go back New Years and check the fireworks

604 C63

Sounds like Vancouver lol. Gotta see it to believe it.

Alex.currie44

I wonder if Amercians will be allowed to travel there in the future? If not as 604 C63 says come on up to Vancouver if you want to see nice toys. My car was bought by a nice Chinese gentleman in Vancouver for his son to drive to architect school in SoCal. Fortunately he didn't wreck it or do anything weird except tint the damned windows all around except the front. My car is legal in BC but I will get the film off the rear windows in the spring. I hate looking into a black hole out the rear window.

TheInfamousDrew

Agreed! that's on my bucket list for sure.



Why wouldn't Americans be allowed to travel there?

G.Man

Aussies are kings per capita for AMG.��

http://www.businessinsider.com.au/au...ne-else-2016-1

Alex.currie44

Just messin' with our friends south of the border in light of the November 8 result and the fallout we are seeing along with the continuing gong show around transition, will the man follow through on all his promises etc.
Lord knows a bit of humour would go a long way right now.

604 C63

Canada only sold 3100 of them in 2015 (for 30m people) but they are all here in Vancouver lol.
But seriously though 4000 sales in Australia is extra impressive given the absolutely eye popping prices you pay for them.

Here in Vancouver, off-shore cash (Chinese) is a huge driving force for luxury/performance car sales. I assume it is in Australia as well? I know its a motivator for real estate in both places.

betrezra

Nice back pedal alex.

i spent some time in the uae early 1990's..... unless its changed, it was a bit of a false oasis imho.

once you peeked behind the sprinklers and grass... just desert waste land.

thesaintusa

No different than Vegas, Scottsdale, Palm Desert, Maui etc.

But that being said i frequent all of the above several times a year each

I have a good friend in Qatar, and hope to get out there soon. He has a nice car collection, and rents track time with people with some impressive cars

Adi-Benz

If we're gonna be like that, like 90% of Albania's cars are mercedes (in general) and obviously in turn there are many AMG's.

:S

Savien

I doubt you can find country that has more of an obsession with merecedes than Albanians do. Owning a mercedes is higher on the priority list than owning a house for most of them

But its dropped to more like 60% are Mercedes nowadays and the majority are 15 - 20 yr old models. I can't believe with their awful roads and **** gas quality that the newer models have a very long lifespan there.

Sadly, these newer benzes aren't built like the old W123s and W124s that they depended on for the last two decades.

BLKROKT

Yeah, except for the slave labor, sharia law, human trafficking, repression of speech, and horrible human rights record (particulary in respect to women and homosexuals), the UAE is just like Vegas

Adi-Benz

And yet everyone is happier there.

604 C63

Spot on. In Vegas they don't hold people's passports to keep them in their jobs, as they charge them exhorbitant fees for sub-human living conditions.

They em used to truck their workers in to town in the back of open trucks, til people complained about having to see them. Now they drag them through the desert in the back of tractor trailers and buses with the windows sealed shut and painted black. But it's ok cos they sell them warm bottled water for a huge portion of their days wages.

Sorry, but that's awfully naive Adi. Nowhere is "everyone" happy, but in Dubai it may be "everyone you come in to contact with". Take a lap around the internet and it's pretty easy to see the average person in Dubai ain't enjoying life much at all. Unless you are Western and/or wealthy, life there sucks. And even then it still might. See above comment.

BLKROKT

Everyone says they're happy, when there's a gun held to their head

xKryptonite

LOL slave labor, you make it sound like here you get paid $4000 for a minimum full time job and not $1500 and after taxes where you're looking at something like $1275 (assuming minimum wage is $9). Minimum wage in Saudi is 3000 SAR (to be raised by end of year) + 1000 paid to you your pension. Thats 4000 SAR = $1066. So US is slaving people as well? in UAE people get paid more.

Sharia law? And human rights record to women and homosexuals? I disagree with bad records to women but yes to homosexuals. Thats the life and culture there. Like I can't enforce an Islamic life in US, you can't make that life there. To each their own.

I agree with other stuff you said about speech rights though, even though its similar but in a different level in the US.


When I was there, I didn't have a gun held to my head. I can say I was happy

thesaintusa

I was referring to the oasis in the desert.

thesaintusa

I completely agree.

Working with Saudis on a daily basis, the ones I see are VERY happy, but the average person probably not. The immigrant workers, definitely not, but they do make more than would in their home country (Phillipines or India for example), and can support their families.

As for the foreigners I know who work in the Middle East they are VERY happy. My colleague I am hoping to visit makes a 7 figure tax free income. Not the norm, but hard not to be happy with that. As for wanting to enjoy life, he just travels.


I turned down a great job offer in the Middle East because I was concerned about safety, distance from my family (family members being sick), etc. The best thing about the Middle East for car people is the cars I regret not going for a few years.