Imagine leaving something you paid more for than some houses cost, just sitting at an airport. Your first reaction is probably to be like, “Well I would never do that”. What if you had no choice? Well that is the exact position many people found themselves in when they moved to Dubai. Check out these abandoned cars in Dubai and take a look at the lavish lifestyle that was stripped away from so many. In the early 2000’s, business men and women started flocking to Dubai. It was a paradise that was also a booming center for business and luxury living. Up to a point this lifestyle worked out, people were making good money and could afford the lifestyle that is Dubai. Fast cars, big houses, and even bigger bank accounts were all part of living in this wondrous paradise. However, when the market crashed in 2009, it changed the entire economic landscape throughout the world. Once wealthy people were forced into bankruptcy, and in Dubai that is a very bad thing.
In the early 2000’s, business men and women started flocking to Dubai for the rich and lavish lifestyle.
It was a paradise that was also a booming center for business and luxury living.
Up to a point this lifestyle worked out, people were making good money and could afford the lifestyle that is Dubai.
Fast cars, big houses, and even bigger bank accounts were all part of living in this wondrous paradise.
However, when the market crashed in 2009, it changed the entire economic landscape throughout the world. Once wealthy people were unable to pay their bills, and in Dubai that is a very bad thing.
Dubai prison sentences are extremely harsh. Being in extreme debt can lead to someone being thrown in jail. It’s called Sharia Law. The UAE, like many Arab countries in the Middle East, observes Sharia law. Under Sharia law, not paying your debts is a criminal offense.
If you fall behind on your car payments, bounce a check, stop paying your credit card, or default on your mortgage, you go to prison. There is no bankruptcy protection in the UAE.
This means that all those fancy cars gathering dust in airport parking lots across the UAE were abandoned by owners who chose to escape the country instead of going to prison.
Many people took out big loans for fancy cars when things were booming as a way to keep up with their peers. Things then took a turn, and many decided to fly the coop rather than face jail time.
This is one of my dream cars, a Ferrari F40. Looking at this actually hurts me inside.
When everything started to go downhill economically, foreigners didn’t want to even take the chance of being throw in jail.
Many of them drove straight to the airport and simply got out of their cars, boarded a plane, and left the country never to return.
Many of the cars that were left had maxed out credit cards inside them still. Some even had apology notes in them.
So here these cars sit. Left to sit in the hot desert sun.
Even this one, my ultimate dream car. A Nissan Skyline GRT R34. A piece of engineering perfection.
For those of us who will never be able to afford a car like this, this seems just so wrong.
For the people who left them however, there really was no other choice.
It really is a wonder that more of these cars haven’t been hot wired and driven off with.
These were once symbols of wealth and power; now all they represent is how things can change so quickly.
There is so much money just sitting around this airport, it’s incredible.
If these people could go back in time, I wonder if they would do it all over again.
You poor Ferrari. You must be so frightened…
Apparently these people knew what they were talking about.
Years of dust have made some of these cars almost unrecognizable.
I really couldn’t imagine having to flee a country or face prison time for debt or bankruptcy. That is the reality these unfortunate people faced during the market crash of 2009 however. Many headed to the airport and simply left their vehicles to the elements, maxed out credit cards and all. It really is a crazy snapshot into a very crazy period for many people.