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hehaheha
Joined: 10 Mar 2009
Posts: 47
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 Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 9:21 am Post subject: is owning a car in KSA necessary? |
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| How many of foreigners really owned a car in KSA? |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
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| Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 9:50 am Post subject: |
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I do not have one. About 50 percent of my colleagues are in the same position. I would say that if you have a family, car ownership could improve their quality of life.
We are in a special situation becasue we live on campus. If you do not then car ownership could be more important. Of course some of our colleagues - especially our transatlantic cousins would no more go out carless than they would without a pair of trousers. |
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007
Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 2684
Location: UK/Veteran of the Magic Kingdom
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| Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 11:53 am Post subject: Re: is owning a car in KSA necessary? |
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| hehaheha wrote: |
| How many of foreigners really owned a car in KSA? |
Well, nobody can answer your question except the department of Murrur (traffic police) of the Magic Kingdom.
| Uncle Scott wrote: |
| I would say that if you have a family, car ownership could improve their quality of life. |
Yes, indeed, the car is a must for a family in the Magic Kingdom.
Also, car ownership may improve (or develop!) your instinct to the hazardousness of the Magic Kingdom� roads!  |
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battleshipb_b
Joined: 14 Dec 2006
Posts: 189
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| Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 7:29 pm Post subject: |
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It all depends on where you live. If you live and work on campus, you may not need one. Some employers provide bus service for their staff if they all live in the same building/compound.
If you live in a big city like Riyadh or Jeddah there usually are plenty of taxis around. If you have a family, you can't survive without a car. Singles can manage with taxis and unofficial taxis. If you live in Abha - buy a car!! The carless teachers I worked with were always scrounging rides and began to depend on teachers with drivers to cart them around. It made for bad feelings. |
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12 Monkeys
Joined: 06 Apr 2009
Posts: 82
Location: paradise lost
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| Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 12:46 am Post subject: |
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| invest in a camel |
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12 Monkeys
Joined: 06 Apr 2009
Posts: 82
Location: paradise lost
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| Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 12:56 am Post subject: |
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Some teachers here rent cars at 2000 riyals a month. I guess they see it fit to spend that amount of cash. Our campus is only a 5 minute walk and we also have a bus service that takes us to campus and other locations like shopping, hospital, psychiatrist, etc. etc........
On the other hand If you have children here then it's a good idea but other than that you are inclining towards status symbol.
Some of our students scratch their Lexuses and their daddy buys them a new one. Is that right?.........LEXUSES???
Anyways I give the old dirty ashtray analogy in class. I tell them that I buy a new car every time my ashtray gets dirty.
Cornelius of the Chimpanzees |
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hehaheha
Joined: 10 Mar 2009
Posts: 47
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| Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 3:51 am Post subject: |
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| 12 Monkeys wrote: |
| Some teachers here rent cars at 2000 riyals a month. |
2000 SAR is not a small amount of money. You can buy one second hand car for 10000SAR. |
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hehaheha
Joined: 10 Mar 2009
Posts: 47
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| Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 3:55 am Post subject: |
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| 12 Monkeys wrote: |
Our campus is only a 5 minute walk and we also have a bus service that takes us to campus and other locations like shopping, hospital, psychiatrist, etc. etc........
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It seems KFUPM is a very nice employer and very considerable. Feel good about it. |
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cmp45
Joined: 17 Aug 2004
Posts: 1475
Location: KSA
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| Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 4:08 am Post subject: Re: is owning a car in KSA necessary? |
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| hehaheha wrote: |
| How many of foreigners really owned a car in KSA? |
Owning a car is less hazzardous than driving one in KSA...
Several years ago, a colleague I knew in Abha rented a car on the weekends. He was out shopping one weekend, when the light turned green at a busy intersection, he assummed it would be okay to go. All of a sudden, a young Saudi came barrelling out of a side road and smashed into his car, totaling the rental. Moral of this story: Even when the traffic light is green do not assume it is safe to go!
I walk to work and I wittness crazy drivers in the mornings in a mad rush. At intersections with out traffic lights, no body stops which causes fender benders as well as snarled traffic jams. No one gives right of way. They just sit there, biligerently honking their horns, waiting for the other guy to move first!
Imagine this is you stuck in the traffic jam trying to get to work, where no one follows the rules of the road and you having to contend with this on a daily basis.
Of course some people say they don't mind driving in KSA...many expats drive, so I guess it is just a matter of how much stress you can handle on a daily basis...  
It's stressful enough just walking through all the crazy traffic, I can't imagine having to drive in it.
Guess that is the norm for most cities in the Gulf. |
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007
Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 2684
Location: UK/Veteran of the Magic Kingdom
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| Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 1:45 pm Post subject: Re: is owning a car in KSA necessary? |
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| cmp45 wrote: |
| Several years ago, a colleague I knew in Abha rented a car on the weekends. He was out shopping one weekend, when the light turned green at a busy intersection, he assummed it would be okay to go. All of a sudden, a young Saudi came barrelling out of a side road and smashed into his car, totaling the rental. Moral of this story: Even when the traffic light is green do not assume it is safe to go! |
Well, it seems your colleague was very lucky!
Some years ago, my colleague, who worked with Abha college of Technology, had an accident near the roundabout of the city centre (Dawar Al -Kasaba), his car was hit from behind by a GMC Suburban, and he found himself hung on a tree. He was hospitalised for two weeks, and was in a coma for the first two days. He escaped death miraculously! |
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hehaheha
Joined: 10 Mar 2009
Posts: 47
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| Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 1:51 pm Post subject: |
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| scared by stories told by oo7 and CMP45. hehehehe! |
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desultude
Joined: 19 Jan 2003
Posts: 614
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| Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 2:01 pm Post subject: |
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| Why is it only men posting on this topic? |
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007
Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 2684
Location: UK/Veteran of the Magic Kingdom
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| Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 3:59 pm Post subject: |
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| hehaheha wrote: |
| scared by stories told by oo7 and CMP45. hehehehe! |
HA HA HA HE HE HE ..............
Wait for more hidden horror stories!
| Quote: |
| Why is it only men posting on this topic? |
Because the women are not allowed to drive in the Magic Kingdom!
BTW, how did you know that all posters who posted in this topic are men? I'd love to know. |
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eclectic
Joined: 09 Nov 2006
Posts: 1122
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| Posted: Fri May 08, 2009 11:58 am Post subject: |
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| why does 007 ask such excellent questions.........?.......ahh the rhetoric. |
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eclectic
Joined: 09 Nov 2006
Posts: 1122
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| Posted: Fri May 08, 2009 11:59 am Post subject: |
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| why does 007 ask such excellent questions.........?.......ahh the rhetoric. |
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