Buying A Car in Saudi Arabia...or pushing peas up a sand dune
So as I'm still housebound today and can only doodle on the net I thought I'd share with everyone the experience of buying a car in Saudi Arabia...well more to the point a Land Cruizer in Saudi Arabia because their the only car that's probably safe enough to drive on the roads other than a Hummer and we can't afford one of those.
Step One:
AJ cycles out of camp with a very nice Kamal on a dodgy bike with no brakes into Rahema and goes to the Toyota yard to buy a car. THe dealer informs him very politely that there are no Land Cuizers in stock and that they will have to order one from Jedda which will take six days (inshallah) and the process begins. Oh at the same time they find out that the standard procedure for paying for your car here is to carry the entire amount for the car in cash to the dealership in a dodgy briefcase or backpack...hmmm...so AJ suggests a cheque. The dealer looks surprised as if he's never heard of this before but agrees.
Step Two:
Aj calls the dealership after six days expecting to be collecting the car the next day to be told that it will take another two days (inshallah) for the car to arrive. Duly pacified, he agrees to call back.
Step Three:
AJ calls after two days unfortunately just while the dealer is negotiating his dinner or some other insurmountable task. As a result the dealer appears somewhat surly. AJ asks if the car is ready, the dealer says that it may take "I think, maybe another 10 days inshallah". There is some controlled moodiness at our end and some metaphorical missiling of all things Toyota before AJ asks why it is taking so long. The dealer informs him that he is (thinks...pulls number out of ass) number 50 on a list of people for Land Cruizers. A threatens to go elsewhere the guy doesn't care because aparently he has 50 people waiting for a car.
Step Four:
AJ calls the car company again and gets another guy a few days later who informs him that the only guy who can speak to him has gone on holidays. 'However sir you are on waiting list inshallah.'
Step Five:
AJ hatches an egg
Step One:
AJ cycles out of camp with a very nice Kamal on a dodgy bike with no brakes into Rahema and goes to the Toyota yard to buy a car. THe dealer informs him very politely that there are no Land Cuizers in stock and that they will have to order one from Jedda which will take six days (inshallah) and the process begins. Oh at the same time they find out that the standard procedure for paying for your car here is to carry the entire amount for the car in cash to the dealership in a dodgy briefcase or backpack...hmmm...so AJ suggests a cheque. The dealer looks surprised as if he's never heard of this before but agrees.
Step Two:
Aj calls the dealership after six days expecting to be collecting the car the next day to be told that it will take another two days (inshallah) for the car to arrive. Duly pacified, he agrees to call back.
Step Three:
AJ calls after two days unfortunately just while the dealer is negotiating his dinner or some other insurmountable task. As a result the dealer appears somewhat surly. AJ asks if the car is ready, the dealer says that it may take "I think, maybe another 10 days inshallah". There is some controlled moodiness at our end and some metaphorical missiling of all things Toyota before AJ asks why it is taking so long. The dealer informs him that he is (thinks...pulls number out of ass) number 50 on a list of people for Land Cruizers. A threatens to go elsewhere the guy doesn't care because aparently he has 50 people waiting for a car.
Step Four:
AJ calls the car company again and gets another guy a few days later who informs him that the only guy who can speak to him has gone on holidays. 'However sir you are on waiting list inshallah.'
Step Five:
AJ hatches an egg
posted by George at
9:11 am
1 Comments:
OMG that's ridiculous. I love the way the dealer has no compunction against lying through his teeth to get a sale. That's what they used to encourage me to do when I was selling phones ;-p
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