we were told when we bought our second hand truck that you can't have collision insurance, etc if it is more than 3 years old. can only get liability insurance for it. on the flipside it was pretty cheap for 7 passengers.

we bought second hand without needing a loan. heard from friends who bought new and got a loan that it was a bizarre experience. interest is technically against islam, so the bank probably has a profit rate instead. as well, if the rate would be 10% (as an example), the 1st year it's ten percent, the second year it's 10% of the original loan, not on the amount of loan thats left, the third year, same as the second and so on.

if you buy second hand, be careful as it may have been in an accident or two. best to buy second hand from someone you know or can trust. we bought a big 4x4 so we could be a bit higher up and safer - drivers here are nuts - and it's not just the locals who drive fast and / or poorly. rare that you don't have a close call on a trip around town. yesterday i had no where to go because of the traffic at a roundabout - didn't stop the dump truck driver from honking and flashing his lights at me.