Job Discussion Forums

tweaka · Joined: 18 Nov 2005 Posts: 32

Hi all,

I just bought a car here in the US in May and I'm not big on getting a new one overseas. I am planning to travel with my family and now a friend of mine is also planning to seek employment there (we are extremely close).

How necessary is having your own car and do you think that we could get one and bascially share it? We are hoping to get housing close together and I know how families share cars.. is this realistic? She would be alone so it would be three adults.

thanks
tweaka

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

Hi Tweaka,

IMHO, a car is crucial mainly to get back and forth to work every morning and afternoon. In AD, there are plenty of taxis, but... after a week or two standing outside in 40+/120+ degree, suffocatingly humid weather waiting for 10 or 15 or 30 minutes waiting for a taxi or an available taxi to show up, one quickly decides that a car is crucial. This is how it is for 4-5 months of the normal academic year.

As to sharing a car, you better be VERY good friends... and who gets to use it for commuting and who has to stand out in the heat wilting? It doesn't seem feasible to me.

VS

colt · Joined: 27 Jan 2007 Posts: 86 Location: Milky Way

I owned a car for years there, but if I had to do it again, I'd lease one on a monthly basis from Hertz, it's cheaper, more convenient, change into a new one every few months, no registration, insurance, maintenance, repairs hassle etc.

Also when you go on leave, drop it at airport and pickup a new one when your return. Storing a car for a month or two is a big hassle.

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

To me, it depends on how long you will be there. If you plan to stay for two contracts 4-6 years, buying is probably a better deal. I always stored my car at my employer for the summer. Start out leasing for a couple months and see if you think you will like it and stay... then contemplate buying.

VS

Sheikh N Bake · Joined: 26 Apr 2007 Posts: 1307 Location: Dis ting of ours

VS is right, and I've answered this question before in these threads. Leasing a car is certainly a waste of money if you're staying more than two years. If you get a popular second-hand car such as a Camry or Corolla from a Western expat (because frankly, 13 years in the Gulf made it clear to me that they were for the most part the only ones who knew how to take care of a car--sorry if that ruffles some feathers), then when you leave you can obviously sell your car quickly and easily and for almost as much as you paid for it if it is indeed a Corolla or Camry in excellent condition. Such a car, perhaps two-four years old when you bought it, will need few repairs.

mishmumkin · Joined: 01 Sep 2007 Posts: 929

Mia Xanthi · Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 12:35 pm Post subject:

I could no more imagine living without a car in Abu Dhabi or Dubai than I could live without one in Atlanta or Los Angeles. The previous poster is right; taxis are hard to find during rush hour, and waiting for them in the heat is hell on earth. The biggest problem is that most of the universities will not be located near a taxi stand, and it is difficult to get one to come get you after work.

I have memories of standing on a street corner, 120 degree heat blazing up from the black pavement, and having someone who had just arrived jump in front of me to take the taxi I had been trying to hail for 20 minutes. Or standing around for hours during Ramadan evenings and watching dozens of taxis drive by and refuse to stop for me. This kind of situation made any private transportation preferable.

I do recommend buying a cheaper new car rather than a used one. The local mechanics are dishonest and will bleed you dry for repairs. You can buy a low-end model new car with no money down, and sell it easily when you leave. It makes much more sense than taxis or used cars.

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

Sheikh N Bake · Joined: 26 Apr 2007 Posts: 1307 Location: Dis ting of ours

Tercels were fine but they were phased out years ago, replaced by the Echo. I didn't like the Echo I rented because it was like a toy, a slow one at that, and very noisy at highway speeds. As for the Sunny, its fuel efficiency is inferior to that of a Corolla. As a 5'11" middle-aged man, I tend to favor something a little larger and more comfortable, and the Camry is just about the quietest, smoothest-riding family car on the market. Road isolation is superb to the point that some find the car somewhat boring to drive. The Camry is extremely popular in the Gulf and therefore resale values remain high. Another advantage of a car this size is the issue of protection in a collision. With the way people in the Gulf think driving is a video game, I personally would not recommend a car as small as the Echo.

Mia Xanthi · Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 6:05 pm Post subject:

Try a Mazda 3. Cheap, reliable, fun to drive, large enough for passengers, and the dealership does a fairly good job with maintenance.

007 · Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 7:58 pm Post subject:

uaeobserver · Joined: 05 Feb 2007 Posts: 236

1) Buy used

2) Buy an SUV

3) Pay it off in 2 years

Why?

a) used cars depreciate less, proportionately
b) SUVs are bigger, and therefore fare better when accidents come
c) You'll have some cash in-hand when you sell the vehicle after your 3 year tenure ends.

I think Toyota Prados and Honda MRVs are among the better vehicles to own. They won't give you much time in the mechanic's bay --- and they'll hold value a bit better.

I'd avoid American made vehicles (particularly Dodge), and Hyundai. They don't seem to hold up as well. Chevrolets seem to do okay in reliability - but don't hold value.

Sheikh N Bake · Joined: 26 Apr 2007 Posts: 1307 Location: Dis ting of ours

With the quality-related caveat that the new Chevy Malibu is ranked by Consumer Reports up with Honda Accord and Camry as one of the top five family sedans in initial quality. It's stylish too. Long-term reliability is still unknown. European cars also do not hold up well in the Gulf, and Consumer Reports in the U.S. now rates American cars as more reliable overall than European models. Safer than sorry--get a Camry, Accord, something Japanese.

helenl · Joined: 04 Jan 2006 Posts: 1202

American brand cars may indeed be safer and more reliable, however the perception generally in the GCC is that Japanese cars are a better buy mostly because they hold their resale value, parts are widely available and there are more mechanics/garages who are capable of fixing/maintaining them properly.

As I said, it's a perception. Looking through the used car ads in various gulf newspapers, it appears to still be holding true. Because of this, one would have a wider market when it comes to selling up.

I've lived in the gulf for 7+ years, I wouldn't touch an American car with a 10 foot pole (nor Nissan Sunny now, because they're now made in China or so I've been told)

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

I'm with you helen1. Since I've been back in the US, I inherited one 2001 model American car and purchased a 2004 Ford based RV... and they confirmed for me very quickly that they will be the last American cars for me. They are neither safer nor more reliable and haven't been for many years. But... they will suck up lots more petrol!!

Now I am back to my tried and true Japanese... a new Toyota.

VS