Final Car Decision

We spent Friday and Saturday test driving some cars.  First it was the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 4-door.  It was a very comfortable ride, as opposed to everything I read saying it was not really built for the road.  However, visibility was very poor because the dashboard was placed very high.  I would say it’s almost as if you were driving a truck, but I’ve never really driven a truck before.  Otherwise, it was a very decent car and the price wasn’t so bad either.  The major turn-off is that the second row seats don’t have that much leg-room for such a massive vehicle, and the seats backs could not be adjusted.

We weren’t really planning on checking out Volvo but since it was just next door to Jeep, we decided to look at the S40 which was advertised at 99K AED on the newspapers.  At first we were unimpressed with the size but the overall sporty design and the interiors changed our minds.  They only offered the car in the R Design format, which is intended to cater to people who liked aggressive and sharp looks, as well a sportier performance without compromising the level of safety that Volvo is know for.  The agent was also very cordial and emphatic so we arranged for a test driver.  It was very smooth and accelerated very quickly without really giving you that bumpy sports car feeling.  It quickly became one of our top choices simply because Bianca liked it plus the fact that it was relatively cheap, and a bargain for a Volvo.

We had to return to Volvo on Saturday because I apparently left my driver’s license.  The agent claimed that he was trying to call me but that I might have switched my phone off.  That’s bullshit because I never turn my phone off and I always make sure that it’s charged.  And as far as I know, that day I never went any place where there was no signal.  I don’t know what it is with people here in Dubai but they always tend to do stuff like that - claiming to have done something but not.  I mean, I experienced it before in Manila - sort of like saying you’re already in Buendia when you’re actually still in Ortigas.  But here it’s just too much.  Anyway, I digress.

Fortunately we were scheduled to test drive the Merc C180K around the same area so it was no issue passing by Volvo before to get the license.  The C180K was absolutely gorgeous but a lot less luxurious tha I expected, and less roomy.  As with most German cars, it needed a little getting used to such as which lever is used for signalling since there were two levers on the left side of the wheel.  The emergency brake, which is normally a hand brake, is a small pedal on the left side.  That’s something I’d actually like to see on all cars since it’s really convenient, but I guess that won’t work for racers and drifters.  And the light switch is a knob on the dash instead of turn switch on the signal lever - something which I think MB should change since it’s easier and maybe even safer to be able to switch the lights without removing your hand from the wheel. Anyway, we found out that they didn’t sell the basic model in Dubai and they only had the Elegance range which is disturbingly a lot more expensive than the basic range.  That’s another thing with Dubai, it’s not enough that they’re selling a luxury item, that luxury item should be in the luxury level or range for that particular item.  So it’s actually double luxury!

On the way home, feeling a lot more confused about what car to buy, we passed by a Ford showroom which was again not on our list, and thought that we should just check it out anyway.  The Ford Flex and Edge didn’t really interest us so we went straight for the Explorer and Expedition.  Next to the Expedition, the Explorer looked really really small but only because the Expedition was so big.  It also didn’t look quite as aggressive and intimidating as  the Expedition.  There were also some additional perks with the 2008 Expedition.  It came with free first year insurance which is about 5% of the total price of the vehicle, plus free maintenance for three years or the first 60k KMs, whichever comes first.  That’s a real great value considering you could pay up to 1K AED for maintenance costs every 5k KMs.  To cut a long story short, we chose the Expedition right then and there at a cost of 135K AED minus 2K AED month end discount.

Getting Ready for the Weekend

One often overlooked fact about the Middle East is that the work days and timings here are very different.  In the UAE specifically, work days are normally Saturdays thru Thursdays, but some companies will work Mondays thru Fridays because they’re customers abroad follow that schedule.  Most offices will have 5 days of work a week but those that have 6 days, such as Banks and the Government, will let you have a comp-off or compensation off day of your choice depending on the workload.  It depends on the department whether they want to have some sort of shifting for Saturday or to have people follow permanent schedules.  Other countries in the region such as Saudi Arabia sometimes follow a Saturday to Wednesday week.

I’m looking forward to test drivig the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited on Friday, and the Merc C180K on Saturday.  Hopefuly I’d have made a decision by Sunday.  I’m now using a rented Chevrolet Aveo which handles like a real schmuck.  Getting up to 60 KPH takes about a minute or so, and you’ll know you’re at that speed because it starts getting really wobbly.  It’s not so bad but the car I got is always having problems with the transmission.  In fact the other day I had a bit of a scare in the basement the Burjuman Shopping Center.  I was with the entire family and I had to turn the ignition several times before the car started.  I had to keep pumping the gas to maintain the RPM, and that’s quite difficult with an automatic.  I was afraid we’d stall in the middle of the street, which is not the safest thing to happen in the UAE - the country has one of the highest traffic-related deaths in the world.

It’s also getting a lot colder especially in the mornings.  It’s quite odd knowing we’re in the desert but it does get to a point where you really need to be properly insulated just to go out.  Right now it’s gets a little nippy once in a while but otherwise the weather is great.  I’ve already bought the kids their jackets some weeks back, and mine just this month.  I’m really looking forward to those really cold day when you can pile on the layers.

Here’re some pictures of the kids in their new attires:

Seagull TLR

I wasn’t able to post this but some time back I ordered a Seagull TLR from Lomography.com.  TLR stands for Twin Lens Reflex.  It’s a little hard to explain so just read about it in Wikipedia or something.  The nice thing about this camera is that it uses a special film 120mm film that captures a square image (instead of the usual rectangular panorama or landscape), which essentially allows you to get a larger picture.  Because it’s a very manual piece and the difficulty with focusing, it actually works best for taking portraits when taking photos of people.  Otherwise, you can use it to take pictures outside but it takes quite a bit of trial, and you’d have to be familiar with the aperture and shutter speed settings or you’re likely to end up with an under or over-exposed picture.  You also need to have a tripod always handy if you don’t have anything to prop the camera on because relying on your hand will almost surely result in some fuzzy images.

What to buy?

I just got my driver’s license today, after several months of waiting and days of waster effort at the local driving school.  In the UAE, only a select set of foreign licenses are accepted and can be converted into the local license.  Even then, you’d have to have a passport of that particular country in order to qualify.  It could questionably be considered a little racist.  If the point of allowing the conversion for these select countries is because the traffic rules and regulations in those countries is similar or compatible to the local rules and regulations, then it shouldn’t matter if you carry a passport from a country that isn’t on that special list.  Ironically, some of these countries that are accepted for conversion don’t even drive on the same side of the road.

Anyway, what’s past is past and all I care about now is getting a car so I have a way to move around this concrete jungle.  I’ve had my share of mile-long queues at the mall and hours waiting on the street to get taxis as well as getting up at 6 AM everyday to catch the 7 AM company bus to work.  Seriously, sometimes it just makes me feel like a labourer.  I imagine the bus driver shouting, “pack up your shovels and get on the bus, ye bastards!”

We did a little canvassing over the weekend.  We looked at Toyota, Jeep, and Honda.  The Hondas were too pricey and boring.  So now I’m torn between the Toyota Prado and 4-door Jeep Wrangler.

The Prado was really nice, clean and executive looking.  It also looked like it would do well as a family car because it was comfortable, quite spacious, could seat 7 to 8 adults (except those on the last row would have to sit with their knees bent all the way, I tried it myself) and had all the basic functionalities you could ask for in an SUV.  It’s a 4×4 so I guess you could take it out for a little dune-bashing once in a while.  Apart from issues with the last row, upholstery on the low-end model was pretty dull and an upgrade to leather would cost an additional 8K AED.  Total cost for the brand new low-end model is 128K AED for the 2009 version, and 115K AED for the 2008 model.  The only difference between the two is the manufacturing date.

The Jeep Wrangler is another much more rugged 4×4.  It has all the basic functionalities but in a much no-nonsense package.  The seats are very sporty as such much firmer and, personally, more comfortable than the Prado’s.  The sides of the doors and the roof don’t have any cushions or coverings, in fact I think the doors and the roof can all be manually removed for an all-out foray into the wilderness.  It’s a little shorter than the Prado and doesn’t have a third row, but it’s still very roomy and I like the overall tough look.  Total cost is 121K AED for the 2009 version.

Right now I’m just a little bit more inclined to buy the Jeep simply because it looks like a lot of fun, and it’s not something you can get back at home easily.  It’s also not something you see on the road everyday, the Prado on the other hand has super-saturated the market.  I would bet that it’s in the top 3 most common cars in Dubai, along with the Camry and probably one of those large coasters or vans.

I still have to visit a Nissan showroom and take a look at the Pathfinder and Xterra.  I previously wanted to get the Armada, which is a monster because of its sheer size, but it’s too expensive at a minimum of around 140K AED, not to mention the kind of environmental guilt I’d have to endure for such a large V8.  I just want to look at the Nissan options just to be sure, and to have no regrets in knowing that I did take a look at most everything in my price range.

I’m also very interested in the MB C180 Kompressor.  It’s a 4-door coupe at about 120-130K AED, a little small for the family but it’s still a Benz.  It’s not everyday that you get to drive a Benz, much less buy one so it’s a viable option.  I still need to visit the showroom too, but the 2009 models are gorgeous.  Even the most basic model is packed with a lot of functionalities.

I know it’s really quite the Dubai attitude to be hankering for such luxury, but I can’t help it.  I could tell myself to just go for a cheap 60-70K AED Lancer or at least something more practical, but it really is now or never.  I see myself living here for just about 5 years so might as well enjoy it while it lasts.