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.