- What if I told you that halfway
across the globe, there are hundreds,
maybe even thousands of abandoned supercars, slowly decaying
in the desert in parking garages, impound lots,
and even on the side of the road.
These cars were just ditched
and forgotten about, but why?
Who left them there?
And how do I buy one?
We're gonna answer all these questions
and more on today's episode.
Let me tell you,
it's not just rich guys ditching their cars.
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No one is exactly sure how many supercars are deteriorating
in the desert climate of Dubai, but it's a ton.
And it's kind of infuriating that cars like this,
one of 399 made Ferrari Enzo.
This Bugatti Veyron.
This Jaguar XJ220.
And this Toyota Formula One race car are all just dying
a slow death.
Is this the work of some spoiled Arab princess
with too much money on her hands?
Actually it's a lot deeper than that.
And to understand why these cars were left,
we have to take a closer look at how this city operates.
Dubai is the largest city in terms of population
in the sovereign state of the United Arab Emirates,
or UAE for short.
Nowadays, Dubai is known for its insane architecture,
like the Burj Khalifa,
which I think is the tallest building in the world,
incredible opulence like this indoor ski hill,
and anything expensive you could ever dream of
which is why it attracts some of the richest people
in the world.
I had a buddy go there and I'm pretty sure he said
that you could buy gold out of vending machines,
not bull (beep) you on that.
Like a lot of countries in the Middle East,
the UAE became wealthy because of its rich oil
and natural gas resources.
Add to that it's prime location on the Persian Gulf
which makes it a key trading spot
and you've got a recipe for a successful commerce hub.
There's a lot of business that happens in Dubai,
which attracts foreign business people.
In fact, Dubai's economy is dependent
on workers who have expatriated from other countries.
As of 2013, 96% of Dubai's population was foreign born,
compared to a city like New York, about 37% foreign born,
that figure is staggering.
New York's like the melting pot of the world, right?
But people are attracted to opportunity
and there's been a lot of opportunity in Dubai
in the last 20 years.
(upbeat music)
You have, bankers, hedge fund managers, investors,
and many other types of high-income elite call the UAE home.
One of the main draw points
for the UAE is that it has no income tax
and that's a huge selling point
for people that make my yearly salary in a day.
So, you can imagine that if you've got
a seven figure plus income that's not taxed,
you've probably got some money to burn on supercars.
These six figure daily drivers are a common way
of life in Dubai.
Of course, you'll see economy cars on the road too,
but I can almost guarantee you
that you won't feel out of place driving
a $200,000 supercar to the mall on Saturday.
And trust me, there are plenty of places to shop in Dubai.
The taxes are lower.
The roads are very well maintained
and it's actually not that hard to find a used luxury car
for a good price that wasn't actually abandoned.
Supercars are a way of life in Dubai
because it's an easy way to show off your wealth.
Just like LA.
That's why everyone drives McLarens now instead of GT3s,
which I thought were cooler.
Before people move to Dubai, they have an expectation
that life will be luxurious.
That means most people are buying these cars
for Instagram photos and not lap times.
Even though these cars are common,
it doesn't mean that everyone has them
and that's kind of the point.
You wanna be seen, but you don't wanna be seen
in the same car as someone else.
Exclusivity is key in the Dubai supercar scene,
being the only one with that car on the road is a real flex,
but that doesn't answer the question
why people would just up and abandon these cars
on the side of the road.
Why on earth are these supercars getting thrown away?
Well, it turns out a lot
of it has to do with a set of religious laws,
known as Sharia law.
No matter what kind of lifestyle you're trying
to lead in Dubai,
you'll still have to understand
and strictly follow the local laws and customs
or face punishment.
The economy there has a more worldly connection,
but their justice system is partly Sharia
and Western law mixed together.
This means that there are different consequences
for your actions than there would be over here.
These infractions range from gossiping,
to carrying food with poppy seeds,
to basically a lot of different stuff
that's outside the scope of this video.
Just like the rest of the world though,
stealing is illegal and it can you in jail,
but what's different in Dubai is that being late
on payments is akin to stealing.
Meaning that if you missed a payment on your credit card,
mortgage, or a payment on that brand new,
flashy McLaren 720S you hastily bought
to impress your new friends, you go straight to jail.
Loans in the UAE are large, plentiful, and very easy to get.
So, naturally people will take on these giant loans
to buy a car that stands out
just before losing their job
or getting a serious pay decrease.
So, let's say it's 2020,
and you're a British ex-pat working as an investor
while living in Dubai.
Then suddenly a pandemic comes out of nowhere
and crushes your entire industry and you lose your job.
That loan you were able to get so easily for your supercar
that costs as much as a house
is starting to look like more of a liability
and now you're not left with a ton of options.
You either borrow from your friend who still has a job
or go to jail, but there's a third option.
You get the hell out of Dubai.
Even if that means leaving your car on the side of the road
and that's what people did.
They ditched their cars and parking garages.
They end up in impound lots.
They even leave them in the middle of the desert.
Some of these cars were dropped so quickly
that they still have keys in the ignition
and other seemingly necessary items left behind in a panic.
The cars will actually sit in the same place
until the police come and tow them away.
Sometimes months later.
The local laws slowed down the process
of moving the abandoned cars down more than you might think.
It's not like the U.S. where you can call a tow truck
and have it towed immediately.
Things are just different over there.
The somewhat harsh punishment for, in our eyes,
a minimal infraction, causes many ex-pats to flee
rather than deal with the consequences.
Look, I get it.
If I had to choose between ditching my dream car
or going to prison,
I'm leaving my Neon SRT4 at Baskin Robbins,
just not worth it.
That's the most popular fast food place in the UAE.
So that sucks for those ex-pats
who had to leave their lambos, but how do I, a supercar fan,
that lives across the fat earth,
get my hands on one of these cars?
Is it possible?
How much money would it take?
Do I have to ask James for a loan?
Think he would be more happy to have that parked
in the side yard than my Imperial.
Before you spit and shake on it,
the first thing you gotta do
is actually find the ride you want.
And unfortunately, it's not as easy as pulling
up a tab on eBay motors, searching abandoned supercar,
and getting the pick of the litter.
The first obstacle you'll encounter
with any abandoned car in the UAE, is locating the title.
Like it is over here,
whenever you get a loan from a bank to buy a car,
you still don't own that car.
The bank does until you pay off the loan.
They will physically hold onto your title
until you've made that final payment.
If the person who left their car
in the middle of the desert is missing
and dipped while their loan defaulted,
how do you know who used to own it?
How do you know which institution holds the actual title?
And you don't really know how much money
is left to pay on the loan.
These are all questions you'd have to get the answer to.
There's no telling the amount of time
in between these cars being abandoned
and being impounded by the police.
If you're not quick enough,
these cars get snapped up by the Dubai Five-O
and sometimes get converted into actual police cruisers.
I'm sure you've seen these cars before.
The police in Dubai know for a fact
that they're traditional patrol cars
from brands like Chevy, Toyota, and Nissan,
can't keep up with the likes
of a Porsche, Mercedes, or a McLaren.
And even if it's all for show,
the police are now driving around some pretty amazing cars.
If you're unlucky,
you might see them roll up in a Porsche 918,
Aston Martin 177, or a Pagani Huayra.
Now that you've missed a chance to buy these cars
before they were impounded,
it doesn't mean it's impossible
to get your greasy knucks on one.
But, what if you wanted to buy one at a bargain rate?
Well, auctions are actually a pretty good place to start.
There are auctions just like in the U.S.
that will give you the opportunity to bid
on these crazy cars, hoping to get you a good deal.
You may get your dream car
for $30,000 less than the sticker price
or just spend $30,000 total on one.
That's still beyond something I'm able to afford,
but it's cool that I know it can be done.
Like a lot of cars you find it auctions here in the states,
they'll have what you can call a storied past.
Like Supercar Blondie pointed out in one of her videos,
a lot of the luxury cars up for auction
may have had enough damage
to make anyone wanna pass on the deal.
The damages range from some light body work
to flood damage, all the way to being completely totaled.
Make sure you do your research
before signing on the dotted line.
The normal process of buying
from an auction isn't super easy,
but there are many guides out there
to get you the best deal possible
if you actually wanna try to do this.
As you can see, buying a car from auction
is often a difficult task,
especially if you're buying said car from an auction
on the other side of the world.
If you don't feel up to the job,
you're not out of luck just yet.
This finally brings me to the best option for buying one
of these dust covered greats.
Because this is so difficult,
there are actually companies out there
that focus solely on buying these cars
at a crazy low price, repairing and prepping them
to be sold to a lucky customer with reasonable savings.
A company like Carerra Garage or Hush Hush
will find these cars, get them in good working condition,
and ship them directly to you for a nominal fee.
This is probably your best case scenario.
It's probably still very expensive though.
But in my opinion,
it feels like there are way too many things
that could go wrong.
Now, no offense to those companies.
This car has changed hands for reasons unknown.
It's been auctioned off.
It's been repaired and sent your way
before you even get a chance to touch it.
That's a ton of money to be passed around
and too many pockets of people across international waters
for my own personal peace of mind, okay?
If you're really taking this idea to heart,
I really suggest you do your own research
into the fine minutia of buying one
of these abandoned supercars.
Even though most of us can't afford to get our hands on one,
it's cool to know that if you ever hit the lottery
you're gonna pick up a perfectly good,
but dusty, Ferrari for the price of a car that's sold
on Bring a Trailer
Maybe.
Thank you very much for watching "Wheelhouse."
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If you'd like to hear about hundreds more abandon supercars,
check out our past gas episode
on the Sultan of Brunei and his insane collection
that's rotting away in the dark.
It's a crazy story.
Check that out in the link
or I'll put it somewhere on the screen.
All right, be kind.
See you next time.