Job Discussion Forums

DEMETRIOS · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 2

is it best to go to a main dealer or 2nd hand dealer or ask around school. what should i expect to pay

15yearsinQ8 · Joined: 17 Oct 2006 Posts: 462 Location: kuwait

al sayer is the most popular for leasing
but it all comes done to budget and tastes

sharko · Joined: 25 Jul 2006 Posts: 29

I'm leasing a Seat Leon at Payless Car Rental and I pay 90KD monthly with a 10-month contract. They have other bigger --and more expensive-- cars, if you want. If you lease on a yearly basis, it will come out cheaper, but these guys have a teacher-friendly contract.

dccitygal · Joined: 05 Nov 2008 Posts: 9

I actually just got a car today (picking it up on Sunday!). I've definitely heard that leasing/renting...which is pretty much the same thing here...is much better for an expat than buying, mostly because of the high rate of traffic accidents. If you're renting, you just turn in the car after you wreck! In any case, I asked around quite a bit, and ended up getting mine from Ayan Leasing (located in Sharq). I got a 2007 Toyota Yaris for 79 KD/month. This is for a one-year lease and includes a 199 KD non-refundable deposit, which is basically the insurance. Even with that deposit, it comes to about 94 KD a month which is a great deal, especially at this time of year. I checked with connections at another dealer and the best they could offer me was 130KD. Keep in mind that I'm getting a smaller car, not a big new SUV. But it's exactly what I was looking for (drove a Scion xA in the states so this car feels big!). Definitely ask around at your job for good tips.

grab-bag · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 104

The money you put into leasing could be put into a payment plan. I'd recommend buying a car. Some car agencies sell good used cars on a plan.

Some leasing companies have very small print when it comes to liability.
Read the small, small print if you lease. Sometimes you find you have to pay for the accident because of their weird insurance clauses. I've known people who had to pay the insurance rates when they hit another car. The 'full' insurance turned out to be 'semi-full'.

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

Here's my analysis of leasing vs. buying that I've posted several times for the UAE, based on 9 years residence there. I've converted the dirhams into dollars. Hope it's useful.

A 2005 Honda Civic should average DH 36,000 or so (about $10,000). Better resale values in the UAE comes from Toyotas such as the counterpart to the Civic, the Corolla.

Leasing for three years is extravagant; two years IF YOU ARE LEAVING is reasonable. At best you can get a slightly shabby used lease model for Dh 1500 a month (and I think it unlikely you'd get a good one for that price...more like 1800-2000). Times 36 months = 54,000. ($14,700)

True, the leasing compay will pay repairs. But a 2005 Civic bought FROM A WESTERN EXPAT (the only ones who actually take care of their cars in the UAE, generally speaking) should run you no more than Dh 2,000 a year in repairs. Add on insurance for three years gives you a total of Dh 36,000 + 6,000 repairs + 1500 insurance = 43,500...obviously less than leasing for the unlikely low price of 54,000.

Furthermore, you can then sell your 2005 Civic in 2012 for probably, let's say, 20,000. That makes your net cost Dh. 23,500 ($6400) for three years'driving if you buy and then sell. Compare that to $14,700 in a three-year lease. My mantra is: would you really want to pay the difference, which is $8,300, for the privilege of not having to bother selling your car when you leave?