In the next few weeks it will be time to buy a car and venture out on the roads. Most vehicles here are automatic, and they drive on the right… that’s not a problem, just that they drive like maniacs.
I’ve got to know most of the routes to and from the places we’re likely to go. With the leaving gift from colleagues in the web team I bought a satnav app for my iPhone so that should get me everywhere else.
What type of car to buy has been vexing me for the last few weeks. The final decision is to go with something large and solid, with a high driving position and 4-wheel drive and a 2 litre engine as protection against the inevitable crash.
On the shortlist are the Nissan Qashqai, Hyundai Tuscon or the Suzuki Grand Vitara. All fit the bill, and the bill is also nowhere near the price of buying a car in the UK. No car tax or VAT. So a saving of around £4000 for a far better specification.
Watch this space for the final choice.
Ian Edelman in Doha 
November 16, 2012 at 9:28 pm
Unbelievable that the Toyota RAV 4 didn’t make it to your shortlist. Best car I’ve ever owned and, as you know, I’ve owned a lot of cars. Note: I am not an employee of the Toyota Corporation.
Your basic RAV 4, not to mention your high-end RAV 4, is a vehicle’s vehicle … Great road handling, incredible acceleration for crash-aversion, airbags everywhere, unbeatable resale value, reliable as your mum, and tough as a Scouse docker after a few pints of bitter. You can drive this car off a cliff or (I’m just saying, hypothetically) from altitude onto the deck of an Allied battleship, and it’d still keep going.
Plus, it’s got some “torque” or something that I never quite grasped.
November 17, 2012 at 3:54 am
Toyota RAV4 not included as they’re more expensive and due to the large number of Toyotas in the Qatar (mainly Landcruisers) more difficult to get serviced.