Hummer, Prado or Fortuner?
By Darryl One •
Hi,
I will be in Doha by 1st week of June 2009. My job would be 80% in the field and with this, I am looking at buying an SUV.
If I would stick to a budget of more or less QR 100K, would it be okay to buy a used 2006/2007 Hummer or Prado?well, i am not sure if i could find one with this budget.
Or, should i just buy a brand new Toyota Fortuner?
I have chosen the 3 models because of their big body and I know that when driving in Doha,the bigger the better, the safer.
Thanks much!
I will just stick to my initial budget of more or less 100K.
Will definitely check Prado.
Thanks, gag.
if your budget is over 140,000 QR, go for a GMC
if it's below, go for a Toyota Prado
for sure, it should be a new company car avoiding much problems later
good luck
:0) Good advice
Thanks, gag. I am already considering Fortuner or Prado...although I need to stretch my budget for a Prado. I will also visit that site, might check for some used cars.
Thanks, Hoy. We are used to see so much Fortuner in our country, interior is very much of a hard plastic and really kinda small for an SUV. Well, it's still popular in the Philippines because of its lower price compared to other SUVs. It's not that bad, at the end of the day, you have a Toyota. :)
HI Barrilero, Mini Cooper is not advisable to use in Doha. There are so many big cars, SUVs on the roads...but never mind those cars, mind the drivers. :)
Hummer and Cooper belong to nice-to-have's.
I have a Fortuner at home, I drive it for 14hours straight going to the provinces. Its a strong car but i dont like the interior, its a bit small. Don't buy the Hummer, I've heard its cheap now since they are planning to stop production because of the Global Recession. So take a look of the Prado.
:0) Hi Bleu, I haven't been there. I wanted to take my 12 year old Range Rover with me but it hear it may not be a great idea. Then I asked about the Mini. I will work in an office building in the middle of Doha if indeed I get the job. I have never been to Doha but will be making the first visit shortly then expecting an offer. Will I be buried in my Mini by the sand or something? Will I ever be able to leave the city in it or will that be living dangerously? Maybe I am prematurely asking questions but obviously I have no clue. Thanks for your feedback.
Barrilero, 100% urban?? Doha??? Have you ever been here????
I advise you buy a Prado
but in case u need a used car in a good condition, log in to www.qatarsale.com, you can find bunch of good used cars
and once here, u can try them
Good luck
:0) If I do buy a car (or two as my wife will need one as well I guess) is there any real need to have a four wheel drive if I have a job 100% in urban territory? I also have a new Mini Cooper. Does it make sense to bring that one? I honestly want to keep both to be honest with you but maybe I should just garage them both and be done with it.
:0) Wow. Thank you for that. That's helpful. Who knew? This is great advice. Much appreciated.
To Withnail:
As a driver of a car with leather seats, my advice is not to go there. Left in direct sunlight in hot weather, the leather becomes so hot that it can actually burn skin. Sitting on it with clothing immediately is also not possible. You have to wait until it has cooled down a bit. On the opposite side, in really cold weather, that leather is damn cold. In mild weather you will find you sweat a lot from your back and bottom as there is no air flow through leather like there is with material seats. It's like if you were wrapped in plastic wrap.
And I live in Australia where the weather is hot, but not even close to Qatar's extreme temperatures. Maybe buy seat covers that you can wash or replace. Leather looks great but is very impractical especially in high temperatures.
Hi Barrilero, you might buy a new Range Rover when you arrive in Qatar. Most especially when your employer gives you a budget for RR.
I believe brand new cars are cheaper in Qatar.
It's 12 years old. No way to get it through the customs (unless you are a Sheikh, of course).
very expensive to service and getting parts for such an old car could be difficult here.
i also think that getting it registered here will be difficult.
___________________________________________
"Even a stopped clock gives the right time twice a day." Withnail & I
How do Range Rover's fare there? I have one from 1997 that is in great shape I am thinking of bring to Qatar when (and if) I move there. Any thoughts?
:0)'
Hi Withnail...thanks for all the info re Pathfinder.
I will surely visit Nissan and Toyota Dealer to do some comparative analysis.
I prefer an SUV as I will be bringing my spouse and 3 kids. Unless we could be a little safe in a Camry, being a big Sedan...but then again, I don't think big sedans could go side by side with those SUVs on highways.
Thanks again!
when i was there last week, they did have a couple of 2007 pathfinder LEs. we have a one year old so we were looking for something with leather seats as they are easier to clean, which meant we had to go with the LE. i didn't ask about the SE.
they changed the interiors on the 2008 and added more options, there is a fairly substantial price hike for the 2008 and beyond.
they also had a 2007 altima V6 which i think you could get for around 70K if you wanted a sedan.
when i went to mitsubishi and toyota, they only had 2008 and up.
if i am not mistaken, the 2007 LE has full airbads (including side and curtain), electric everything, ABS, etc. at 115 it might be worth paying the extra 15K.
the chevys are cheap too - less options of course, and not as well built. we were thinking about that too, but i think resale won't be as good.
___________________________________________
"Even a stopped clock gives the right time twice a day." Withnail & I
What about a good ol' GMC truck? Then again... you'll probably have a hard time finding the right spare parts. The Pathfinder is a good choice in my opinion. Took it out with my friends in the dunes a couple of times, does pretty well.
!! HELP OTHERS SO GOD WILL HELP YOU !!
( prado )
kEEP
YOUR
MONEY
IN
hands,,
Thanks, alfa. It really makes sense. Yes, I might as well go for a brand new one to avoid some headaches in maintaining a used car.
Thanks, Withnail. I just saw this morning a new Nissan Pathfinder, maybe a 2008/2009 model, quite big, nice body. If there's still a brand new 2007 SE model that is close to 100K then that would be something worth considering. Just curious though, why they still have these new 2007 model?
Anyway, will check the specs of GMC brands.
Thanks much!
you can also get a brand new trailblazer for about 85-90K. i would imagine that chevrolet will be one of the GM brands that survives the probably bankruptcy filling.
___________________________________________
"Even a stopped clock gives the right time twice a day." Withnail & I
go see the nissan dealership.
they still have some 2007 stock - they have a 2007 pathfinder LE for 115K. the LE is the fully loaded one but maybe they have an SE version for less.
these are new cars and have been sitting around for a bit. might be a better option than a used one.
___________________________________________
"Even a stopped clock gives the right time twice a day." Withnail & I
---------------------------------------------------------
I think you have me confused with someone who gives a sh1t.
PRADO!
Good Fortune always comes knocking at your door...when you are sh*tting in the toilet!! :)
_[]~SMoKE~[]_
You can get new Fortuner for 100K & you won't have to worry for next three years. You can get new Prado 2.7 ltr if you can put in another 20K. Prado has the best resale value. Enjoy new Prado for 3 years then sell & go for new Hummer after adding your savings.
How's that for best of both world.
thanks, austin...but murano is too much expensive. can't afford it :(
So hard to decide now...we really cannot have everything in life :(
If I would consider Toyota, there is an after sales service problem.
If I would consider Hummer, there is a maintenance issue.
How about SUV from GMC, Mitsubishi, Nissan?
What would you recommend?
Thanks!
the best
have had H3 for about a year now and love it........ hummer is the best!
the best it is...
~ LiFe is Unfair.. but it's still GooD ~
better go for a GMC truck...its safer and reliable..
will cost you your arms and legs.
"katas ng qatar"
landcruiser is great also v8
MyHotComments
Two Words: White LandCruiser.
toyota prado,pure black,pure black mags wheel,and a tinted windows at the back,then buy some cobra rayban,just like mine,and i guarantied you if somebody teasing you at the road specially locals,teased them also...yalla!Qatar is waiting for you!
add more and buy a tank. an armored personnel carrier will do nicely. ;)
_______________________________________________________
"You cannot propel yourself forward by patting yourself on the back."
So do you think Hummer would be the best choice to consider rather than Toyota Prado or Fortuner just because of the after sales service?
I guess Hummer dealer (is it Al Mannai?) is considered one of the best in after sales service.
Just wondering also... why are there so many Hummer owners are trying to sell their unit? Is it because of the maintenance issue?
Thanks
but the after sales service of Toyota here make me think twice. So I bought a Honda.
"katas ng qatar"
Consider after sales service.
Toyota dealer here doesn't have that!
get a 6-wheeler GMC..
Prado is by far better
Try them all when you get here and see which you like. Personally I feel claustrophobic in a Hummer with those tiny windows!
Go for the Hummer..