Job Discussion Forums

[gibsong]

Just wondering if you need a lump sum of cash to purchase a car or can you get one financed? Thanks again all of you UAE vets for your guidance here.

[veiledsentiments]

I easily financed my first car in Oman... and paid cash for the next couple. It is usually easy enough once you have your contract and work visa.

You may want to look into leasing/renting rather than buying. This didn't use to be an affordable option, but I understand that now it is more common.

It depends on how long you plan to stay.

VS

[smedini]

Can you buy an automatic there, or are all the cars standard as my husband says?

[stoth1972]

Smedini, you can buy whatever your heart desires (except a hybrid). I leased for 10 months or so. I would have financed, but didn't want to get rid of the car/pay off the loan when I decided not to resign with my employer. Leasing, at least a couple years ago, ran around 1400 dirhams/month for an automatic Toyota Echo or Mitsubishi Lancer. You could arrange leases w/ some of the smaller rental companies for less money, but after my timing belt went on the Sheikh Rashid flyover to Wafi during rush hour, I decided I needed better quality cars that were regularly maintained. I actually called a local radio station myself to tell them that I was the reason for the backup.

[globalnomad2]

In 2005 I shipped my car from Houston to Dubai, since it had been bought in cash, and it's a special car...and I would have taken big hit in resale price if I had sold it. It cost only $1600 to ship plus $300 Customs duty. Two years later I have to ship it back, since my new job takes me far away from the Middle East, and this time it's costing me $3000. That's $4900 for round-trip shipment, which, for 24 months, comes out to $204 a month or Dh. 750. Compare this to the Dh 1400 minimum leasing price for a TINY car. The other benefit is, my car is a large luxury model, which is much more pleasurable to drive than an Echo or Lancer, especially long distances--you don't want to drive from Ras al Khaimah to Abu Dhabi in an Echo, believe me.

For the long term in the Gulf, if you are here to save money, I would eschew the tendency of take out loans for expensive four-wheel drives. If at all possible, I suggest paying cash for a good used car rather than leasing or financing. You can get a fine used car, and better than a tiny toy car like an Echo, for, say, Dh. 25,000 or less. If you keep it for 24 months, that comes out to Dh. 1041 a month AND you get to sell it too. A good Japanese model maintained by a Westerner will not need many repairs.

These are reasons that I consider leasing for Dh. 1400 for any period longer than about 21 months a waste of money and locks you into a small car. Financing for purchase involves paying a lot of interest.

[stoth1972]

globalnomad, because you bought the car in texas, did it more or less meet Gulf Specifications? I always wonder about that...Did they require you to have the car inspected by a mechanic before registering it?

[veiledsentiments]

Rules in the Gulf? inspections? surely you jest Stoth!! I moved a car from Kuwait to Oman and it was only a matter of age. As long as it was a newer vehicle, you just had to register it at the DMV. Oman at that time had just started charging customs fees, so I had to pay that. (and then so many Omanis complained about it, that I hear they stopped it)

The cars in the Gulf have no actual specs to follow as the US or Europe has... these are mostly safety and pollution rules. I expect that producers do make sure that the cars are set up for hot weather rather than cold. You don't find a heater in a Gulf cars, but they almost all have AC.

And who knew our GlobalNomad was such a tender flower... . As someone who always purchased the base Toyota or Nissan 'taxi model' with a standard transmission, I had no problem driving it all over the Gulf. As long it had AC and a radio/tape deck, I am physically able to roll up a window. Anything less than 1000 kms is just a short jaunt to this 'murican. My last car was a Tercel... which the Echo replaced... and I loved it... drove all over the UAE and Oman with it. (well... not off road, of course)

If I were a new person heading over now, I would rent or lease for the first year and try to pick up a good used car from a departing teacher next spring.

VS

[stoth1972]

I'm curious about the cars brought into the region that are or are not built for the heat. I joke w/ my husband that I'd like to take a hybrid back to the Gulf when we move, and he thinks they won't allow it.

[veiledsentiments]

You wouldn't want to for one basic reason... no one will be able to service or repair it. Besides with the dirt cheap price of gas there, why would you bother?

There is really not much specific difference for a car in hot weather. The heat is certainly hard on batteries... (another reason NOT to take a hybrid). Now those batteries will really set you back for replacement.

VS

[stoth1972]

Reducing my carbon footprint w/o buying an Echo Those cars get blown all over the road. Fuel isn't all that cheap anymore...In the UAE in January I think it worked out to $1.30/gallon (it was that cheap in the US about 5 years ago).

There are some specs that make the A/C function better and general heating/cooling specs. The AC in the non-spec cars cannot cool the car in the hot summer months.

[veiledsentiments]

There was a time period a few years back when they were switching over to the new AC systems with the more eco-friendly coolant that this was a problem. But now, in the US, the car that I bought in the cold northland has the same AC system that they sell in Arizona. (or so the dealers will tell you...)

VS

[stoth1972]

A Saudi acquaitance is buying a car in texas and shipping it home in the next few months, opting to not buy the same car in Oregon. I've heard people from the 'hotter' states claim cars sold down there are built w/ stronger AC and are designed to cool the car. I'm wondering if anyone on this an share what makes a Gulf Spec car, a Gulf spec car.

[veiledsentiments]

Considering the Texas climate, I bet it would be pretty similar.

VS

[globalnomad2]

It depends on the car. Houston does not get the 115-degree temps and severe fluctuations in humidity that Dubai does.

In '97 I made the mistake of bringing my Mercury Sable from Houston to Dubai. The car was only 3 years old and in fine shape but that didn't last long. The a/c and the engine cooling system could not stand up to the Gulf climate more than a couple of years. Furthermore, by 2002 all the rubber seals all over the car were disintegrating.

This time, my Houston car is a '97 Infiniti Q45, a top-of-the-line Nissan, its only competitor in quality (for the 1997 year) being the big Lexus. You don't have to worry about how it will hold up; this car will perform magnificently under any conditions. (Forget about the Mercedes S Class or the BMW 700 series...they have absolutely appalling repair records. Check the Consumer Reports surveys if you don't believe me. Bottom of the barrel in reliability. Here in the UAE? I'm always glancing at stalled cars to the side. Yup--another big Mercedes bites the dust!)

My Q45 did encounter one totally unanticipated problem...a computer chip burned out in this climate. It controls the ABS, limited-slip differential, and traction control systems. No problem, I thought, until I found out that the diagnostic software--and hardware too--are incompatible with the US-spec model. I can live without those features, since I've never done any wet highway driving in this country, and the car behaves fine on a dry road. If I really wanted to get it fixed, I'd have to order the computer equipment myself and pay for it and have the Nissan dealer here use it.

As it happens, I am leaving the Middle East now anyway and am shipping the car back to Houston.

Moral of story, you can bring the best Japanese cars with you but you still might get bitten.

Almost forgot Stoth's first question: Dubai cars must pass safety and emissions tests every year. Not sure about other emirates. And what makes a Gulf Specs car a Gulf Specs car? Heavy-duty a/c and engine cooling systems, primarily. Mechanics tell me that Arabs who bring back Mercedes models from Germany suffer the consequences. The cars simply don't hold up without Gulf modifications. They don't hold up anywhere, anyway.

[uaeobserver]

I recommend trying to do without.

Your first month is filled with logistical headaches. Don't add a vehicle to the mix. Figure out the UAE's transportation system - which is clean, cheap, and efficient. As a last resort, lease a car for a month.

If you find that you really need a vehicle, I found out (too late) that as an HSBC status account holder, I was eligible for an automobile loan --- and that their rates are fairly reasonable.

I've heard that 4x4motors in Dubai has good, turnkey service. I personally opted to save money, and buy from a departing instructor.