If you have no interest in cars, now is the time to click-off to a new web page or go and do something else. Yesterday I bought a new car.

I briefly toyed with getting Renault Duster or Dacia Duster as it is also known in some localities. It was dirt cheap (under £10,000) for a large SUV… but it is made in Romania, and with the notable exception of the ‘Cheeky Girls’ I can’t think of anything of quality and taste which came from Romania recently.

I bought a Nissan Qashqai as my entry to ‘the stylish crossover world’.. apologies to Rav4 enthusiasts who were rooting for a Toyota purchase.

I had intended to get a 4 wheel drive, but in the interest of economy I went for one where the engine only drives the front wheels. Like most cars available in Qatar it is an automatic, in this case a CVT.

It is a 2 litre base model, complete with a new combimeter with TFT screen… not sure what that is but guessing it means the dashboard readout, air-con, Bluetooth, mp3 jack, dual airbags, ABS and EBD. I could have gone for the LET1 model with an ‘intelligent key’ but unfortunately my vehicle only comes with a dim one. I will miss not having automatic headlamps, but the auto-wipers seems an unnecessary luxury in a country where is only rains a few times every year.

It cost the equivalent of £12,600 on the road. It has a silver metallic paint job, which unlike the UK does not add to the price. In addition I had to pay a further 3.5% for insurance. Unlike the UK, it is the car that is insured and not the driver, which considering the driving standards is surprising.

It will take 3 working days for the car to be ready for me to collect from the dealers, which is Thursday… but I will collect it on Friday as it’s the weekend and the roads will be much quieter for me to venture from the Nissan dealership for the one kilometre drive back to our apartment.