amy77

We offered to buy our maid a car (she has a driving license) and given that both hubby and I are very comfortable around cheap cars (we actually met on a banger rally and husband is a bit handy with a spanner etc.) we have been a bit shocked at the state of the cars selling around the QR12,000 mark.

We thought that would be enough to get a cheap run around, but everything we've seen has been an absolute heap of sh*te and in need of either scrapping or having serious money thrown at it. We're talking mould growing on the seats, being totally buried up the axles in sand on some random plot somewhere, or having never seen a drop of oil in its lifetime.

I guess it's obvious really - these sort of cars have been owned by people who can't afford to keep up with the servicing, or don't understand the need for it.

But is there any way of getting a semi decent runaround with this sort of budget?

Are we supposed to be looking at cars being advertised for QR25k and offering 40%? (We tried that as well, and it didn't work!). Maybe we are just rubbish at haggling.....

jam25mack

In Dubai there is the car souk in Ras Al Khor (not the posh one, the one behind) and also the auctions where you can pick up older cars for peanuts. Do they not have similar in Doha?

Also some dealers do part ex which can be a good source of older cars.

Oh and not forgetting the online sites...

I have bought several older cars. A VW Corrado VR6 was 12k & my Jeep was only 20K etc.

They are easy to find over here, I can't see why it would be any different over there.

jam25mack

Double post.... arrghhhh

britexpat76

It is totally different here, even an absolute pile of shit is 10k +. The demand forbangers here is bigger than the demand for higher end cars so the prices are higher. A clean straight small car will cost 18k but look after it and you wont lose anything on it.

co durham boy

You really need someone who is used to purchasing cars in that range . Some of my lads at work have got cheap runarounds for 8K , ive been amazed how they do it and how they keep them in good nick and as Britexpat said they usually sell them on at the same rate or higher .

Anyway , why don't you just get her a bike , she'll be wanting business class flights next

Millhouse

call out service

amy77

Thanks all. Think we are pretty much giving up, we can't stretch to 18k and it's just taking up too much time to keep searching. Britexpat thanks for your advice, much appreciated, pretty much confirms what we were already suspecting. She'll have to get taxis.