Its Official!!!

[Cape Chick]

I received my visa, my flight is booked and I'll be arriving in Dubai on the 29th November!

Any advice on what area is a good place to stay? Bear in mind that I would need to travel out of Dubai towards Abu Dhabi everyday to work. I would probably be looking for a 1 bed as it will only be my husband and I. It would be nice to stay around some other South Africans too....

Also, is it better to rent a car or buy one? If I do buy how does insurance work and taxes etc?

Can anyone help?

[Scouse 6]

Originally Posted by Cape Chick

I received my visa, my flight is booked and I'll be arriving in Dubai on the 29th November!

Any advice on what area is a good place to stay? Bear in mind that I would need to travel out of Dubai towards Abu Dhabi everyday to work. I would probably be looking for a 1 bed as it will only be my husband and I. It would be nice to stay around some other South Africans too....

Also, is it better to rent a car or buy one? If I do buy how does insurance work and taxes etc?

Can anyone help?

If you want to live in Dubai & travel to Abu Dhabi daily, it is about 1 - 1 1/4 hours drive each way & that is from Dubai Marina. The flats in Dubai are cheaper than Abu Dhabi, but think about the extra hours each day. As for South Africans, they are all over the place, we lived there for 23 years. In the latest Wheels magazine they were talking about Renting verses Leasing. You are limited with what you can get when renting. I bought a Honda Accord 3.5 two years ago for AED112000 Emirates spec ( which means everything you can get on the Car)

[bubbles]

I really enjoy living in the Greens. the Greens, JBR, JLT and marina is where you would want to look. They are on the end of Dubai closest to Abu Dhabi. Good luck with that travelling. I am glad I don't have to do that commute.

South Africans are everywhere. We unfortunately do not live in one specific place. But you are bound to meet some...

Rent or buy. Depends on how long you will stay. It is much cheaper buying a car, but then you also have to worry about services and insurance. Insurance is about 5% of your car value per annum, payable in one go. Don't know of any vehicle tax when buying a car. You will most likely have to put down 10% as down payment. If you are going to be commuting to Abu Dhabi, you will probably have to buy a car or join a lift club. Car leasing/rental normally has limits to the amount of kilos you can put on a car a month. 300 kilos a day just for work and back is a lot.

[Cape Chick]

Just to make things more clear...

I will be working somewhere in between Dubai and Abu Dhabi and not in Abu Dhabi itself. The company said that its more or less half way between these cities and is about a 40 min drive from Dubai.

Sorry for the confusion

[Maz25]

The best places to live would be Dubai Marina, JBR, JLT or Discovery Gardens. I wouldn't venture any much further than that as traffic would be an absolute nightmare. I'm not sure you even want to go as far north as The Greens because traffic would be an absolute killer - beautiful place though.

It's better to buy if you are here for a couple of years. If you are buying from a dealer, you can finance the full cost of the car, including insurance and pay a deposit of between 500 - 1000 AED, which comes off the cost of the car. A lot of dealers also offer free insurance as part of the deal, plus discounts if you know how to bargain. If you buy from a private owner, you can also finance the car. However, I wouldn't be able to tell you the ups and downs as I got my car from a dealer. The only 'tax' payable is the car registration fee, which is payable every year.

You can also rent. Monthly rentals do not have any restrictions on mileage. It is advisable to opt for CDW if renting to ensure that you are not slapped with a bill in the event of an accident.

South Africans are everywhere. I've had 2 jobs since coming here and in both jobs, I had loads of SA colleagues.

40 minutes drive is the outskirt of Abu Dhabi, close to the Etihad office, so it is still quite a long way, especially in the evening when there is a lot more traffic and you have to deal with maniac drivers or crawlers!

[bubbles]

Maz. You are incorrect.

Some rentals have restrictions on mileage one. I have rented a car before and could only do a certain amount a month. And when you talk about leasing, you can be sure to have yearly restrictions.

And you will have the same kind of traffic no matter where you live. The greens really is not that far north. You just need to get onto SZR. Discovery Gardens which is the closest to AUH is probably the worst with regards to traffic getting in and out of in peak hour. Ok, I am biased towards the Greens, but I don't think it should be discounted. I would rather live here than in the marina or DG, if i had to do the same kind of traveling.

[Iron Horse]

The rental/leasing companies for cars do have mileage restrictions. I would rent/lease a vehicle unless you can find a great deal on a used one that was abandoned.

I'm biased towards The Greens too and couldn't be asked to move to the Marina. The Marina offers a lot more, but you'll also pay a lot more for it too. I can't justify the increase in travel time for me living there. Just read the fine print on your flat/apartment agreement. In JBR you might end up paying a district cooling fee which can be crazy.


By the way, when you arrive here be prepared for a few National Holiday's at that time. The second Eid is that weekend and then on Thursday 3 December it's UAE National Day. Things will be closed and you won't be able to get things settled as quickly as you might hope.

[Scouse 6]

Originally Posted by Iron Horse

The rental/leasing companies for cars do have mileage restrictions. I would rent/lease a vehicle unless you can find a great deal on a used one that was abandoned.

I'm biased towards The Greens too and couldn't be asked to move to the Marina. The Marina offers a lot more, but you'll also pay a lot more for it too. I can't justify the increase in travel time for me living there. Just read the fine print on your flat/apartment agreement. In JBR you might end up paying a district cooling fee which can be crazy.


By the way, when you arrive here be prepared for a few National Holiday's at that time. The second Eid is that weekend and then on Thursday 3 December it's UAE National Day. Things will be closed and you won't be able to get things settled as quickly as you might hope.

If you are biased towards the greens, then either you love a lot of traffic or don't live there. the traffic jams there are on Radio 2 every morning. I pay AED85000 with 4 Cheques for a 2 bedroomed in Dubai Marina

[cairogal]

I've leased w/o mileage restrictions on a number of cars. The only reason I would lease again over buying would be if I was uncertain about how long I intended to stay here(poor work conditions, for example).

Even if you cut a deal on a longer-term lease, you're throwing away a lot of money. Compare this:

-An owned new Pajero @ 2900 dirhams/month (over three years)

-A leased Nissan Tiida or Toyota Yaris @ 1900 dirhams/month

That's no money down on the owned car. If you opted to by a more economical model like the Yaris, I think you'd find it very easy to sell 2nd-hand.

[bubbles]

I do live in the Greens. For about 6 months now. The traffic is bad, but the whole vibe I get here compared to the marina is worth it. The bridge into media city will open sometime, and that will help with traffic a lot. Not even to mention all the construction still going on in the Marina. Yes I know, obviously depends on where you are. And for the record, there are traffic jams in the marina as well.

Anyway. It all depends on what you are looking for at the end of the day. So you have to see both and decide.