• home
  • About me
    • New Year’s Resolutions
    • Bucket List
    • Share Your World
    • Friday Meditation
  • Oman
    • Al-Batinah Region
    • Al-Dhahirah Region
    • Al-Dakhiliyah Region
      • Nizwa
    • Al-Wusta Region
    • Dhofar Region
    • Musandam
    • Muscat
    • Sharqiya Region
  • University of Nizwa
  • Africa
    • african meanderings {& musings}
  • Americas
    • nomad, interrupted: catbird in the united states of america
    • notes from north america
    • United States of America
      • Virginia
  • Asia
    • catbird in china
    • catbird in korea
    • catbird in kyoto
    • catbird in south asia
    • catbird in turkey
    • ride paddies and papayas
  • Europe
    • greek wanderings
    • in search of a thousand cafés
  • Middle East
    • a jaunt to jordan
    • catbird in cairo
    • United Arab Emirates
      • Abu Dhabi
  • photography
    • Sunday Post
    • Travel Theme Photo Challenge
    • Weekly Photo Challenge
    • whatever a moon has always meant
  • Fiction
    • land of make-believe

a nomad in the land of nizwa

~ an American English teacher in Oman

a nomad in the land of nizwa

Tag Archives: Hyundai Sonata

getting wheels in oman

13 Sunday Nov 2011

Posted by nomad, interrupted in GMC Terrain, Middle East, Nizwa, Oman, University of Nizwa

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

GMC Terrain, Hyundai Sonata, Oman

Sunday, November 13: Today, I closed the deal on a car in Oman.  I bought a 2008 GMC Terrain, a four-wheel drive vehicle commonly sold in the Gulf, for 5,550 rials, or around $14,415. The vehicle has about 90,000 km (56,000 miles) on it.  I wanted a 4WD in Oman because much of what there is to see here is off-road. The vehicle was previously owned by an Omani, and expats who have been here awhile tell me that is a dangerous thing.  Maybe it is.  And maybe I’m too trusting. But the deal is now done.  There is no turning back.

My 2008 GMC Terrain

My 2008 GMC Terrain

It was a big debate for me whether to buy a used or a new car.  The cost of a new car is exorbitant here, especially for 4 wheel drives, which are in high demand. But of course, a new car gives an owner peace of mind, and that’s a worthwhile investment. It honestly doesn’t pay to buy a car in Oman unless you’re willing to make a 2 or 3 year commitment to stay here.  I decided I could stay in here in Oman for that long, assuming the university will have me. Life is good here.  I like my job and the university, I enjoy my colleagues.  I love Oman and there’s a lot to explore within the country, as well as outside the country on extended holidays: to Europe and the Middle East, even to India and Africa.  Oman is a modern country and Muscat has everything any Westerner could want. The only major drawback to Oman is the heat.

the rear view of my GMC Terrain sitting in front of Jabrin Fort

the rear view of my GMC Terrain sitting in front of Jabrin Fort

The other debate was whether I should rent a car rather than buy.  Many expats here do just that.  But to rent a car is about 150-170 rials ($390-$440) a month, and that’s for a small car.  To rent a 4WD is much more.  I rented a mid-size car (a Hyundai Sonata) for one month and it cost me 200 rials ($520).  Transportation in Oman ain’t cheap.

while in Jordan at Wadi Rum, I found this graffiti on a rock... Before coming to Jordan I had put a deposit on my GMC Terrain.  Thought this appropriate....  :-)

while in Jordan at Wadi Rum, I found this graffiti on a rock… Before coming to Jordan I had put a deposit on my GMC Terrain. Thought this appropriate…. 🙂

I was here in Nizwa for two weeks without a vehicle. That was way too long.  I am a person who loves my independence and without transportation, I felt trapped.  I spent a year using public transportation in Korea, but Korea has a great public transport system. Public transportation in Oman is sparse, especially in Nizwa.  Mostly you must depend on taxis, although there are some small buses too. I could stand out on a busy road for a long time without a taxi stopping.  One night I came out of the Lulu Hypermarket with a cartload full of groceries.  No taxi was in sight.  I called the 5 taxi drivers I had on my cell phone, and of those, one was in the hospital after just having an accident two days before.  Four told me they were in Muscat.  (Taxi drivers make their biggest fares by driving people to and from Muscat, at 8 rials ~ $21 ~ a pop).  Within Nizwa, they can charge about 200 baisas, or about 52 cents.  It serves them well to drive back and forth to Muscat rather than trying to scrounge up business within Nizwa all day.

So there I was waiting at the Lulu, with my cartload of groceries, sweating and hoping, just hoping, a random taxi would come along and rescue me.  I waited a good 20 minutes before any taxi appeared.  Twenty minutes doesn’t sound like much, but it feels like an eternity when you are waiting for an unknown future. It also feels like a long time in Oman’s heat, as you think about your groceries slowly starting to spoil.

the Hyundai Sonata I rented from Al Maskry, sitting in the university parking lot

the Hyundai Sonata I rented from Al Maskry, sitting in the university parking lot

That was the end of the line for me.  The next day, my friend Marcia offered to take me to the airport in Muscat to rent a car.  There, I was frustrated to find that no small cars were available for rent because the tourist season had begun.  I checked with every car rental agency at the airport, then I called a slew of numbers other people had given me.  Finally I found the Hyundai Sonata available from Al Maskry.  I told the guy on the phone I’d take it and I went immediately to his office by taxi to pick it up.  I was thrilled to have wheels.

Once I got the Sonata, I started my search to buy a car.  I went first to the Kia dealership because I heard they have a buy-back program for expats who buy new cars.  I was interested in the Kia Sportage, but they didn’t have a single Sportage for me to test drive.  The dealer wanted me to put a deposit down for the next shipment that would come in three weeks later.  I couldn’t bring myself to put a deposit on a vehicle I couldn’t test drive.  Then I saw the Toyota dealer about a small sedan called the Yaris, but I felt it was made of cardboard on the inside and had no pick up. Later I drove a Diahatsu Terios, an adorable car that has the smallest engine imaginable and thus NO pickup.  I checked in Muscat for a used 4WD but they had nothing in my price range.  Only a Ford sedan which I didn’t really want.  My heart was set on a 4WD.  I had seen the GMC Terrain on the Toyota dealer’s used car lot in Nizwa and I kept going back to that.  It handled nicely, the mileage was low, and it was a 4WD.  It was everything I wanted really.

the rental car from Al Maskry

the rental car from Al Maskry

Finally, I put a 100 rial deposit on it before I left for Jordan.  On November 13, I went to Bank Muscat to pick up checks I had ordered and to withdraw the cash for the deposit.  Those two simple things took me over an hour to do because of the slowness and incompetence of Bank Muscat!  I had to put down 25% because it was a used vehicle and because I’m an expat (and probably because I’m a woman too!) which was about 1,400 rials (~ $3,650).  I took the money to Shyam, the Indian salesman, and then he made me sit and sign all 36 checks for my 36 payments of 141 rials ($366) a month.  We drove to the insurance company to buy insurance for 220 rials (for one year).  And then I gave him 5 rials to register the vehicle with the Royal Omani Police.

There was another hassle earlier in the process with the Royal Omani Police.  When the dealer and I were making the deal, he told me I had to have an Omani driver’s license.  I had heard as Americans we had 3 months in Oman before we had to convert our license.  However, to BUY a car, a person must have an Omani license. This is just a matter of going to the zoo of a police station and converting it for a fee.  However, my Virginia license expired while I was in Korea so when I returned home to the USA in March of 2011, I renewed it.  In America, our driver’s licenses do not specify the original date of issue.  It only shows the last date it was renewed.  As far as the Omanis were concerned, it appeared I had only had my license for 6 months and they require that you have been driving for at least one year.  I protested that I’ve been driving my whole life, almost 40 years, but they wouldn’t believe me because the license said otherwise.  I said, “Look at me!  Look at my age!! I’ve been driving my whole life!!” They were unfazed. They told me I’d have to go to my Embassy and get a document showing the original date of my driver’s license.

I remembered that I still had a copy of the license that had expired in October of 2010.  I asked if I could bring that in as proof I’ve been driving longer than one year.  After much hullabaloo they agreed to accept that photocopy.

the surprise dent on the front hood of my GMC ~ was it there all along??

the surprise dent on the front hood of my GMC ~ was it there all along??

Finally, when Shyam drove me to the insurance office in my own Terrain, he parked the car with the hood facing the sidewalk in front of the office. As I was sitting there, I looked up and I saw a dark green 4WD sitting in front of me with a dent on the hood.   I was just sitting there staring absently when it registered.  I jumped up and I yelled, “What the heck!  Is that my car??”  Shyam said, “What?  What’s wrong?”  I said, “Is that MY car with the dent in it??  What the heck!!! My car did NOT have a dent in it before I went to Jordan!”  He said, “Yes, that car has had a dent in it since I bought it from the previous owner.”  I said, “NO!  That car did NOT have a dent in it!”   We went back and forth, arguing heatedly, while the insurance guys looked on in surprise.  For the life of me, I couldn’t remember that car having a dent in the front.  I said, “What happened?  Did you let someone go out driving it after I gave you the deposit, while I was in Jordan??” He insisted no, that the car was sitting in the lot the whole time I was gone.  I searched inside my brain for a picture of the car as I saw it last.  In my mind, I MIGHT HAVE seen a small dent, but no, no, I really couldn’t see a dent.  Or could I?  I couldn’t remember for the life of me.  Shyam said, “Ask anyone at the dealership.  Anyone will tell you that dent was there all along.”  I thought and thought.  Honestly I didn’t remember a dent, but then I did seem to remember some small flaw.  Wow!  Am I getting Alzheimer’s??

After the deal was closed, that evening I took the car to Precision Auto, the mechanic who checked out the car before I put down the deposit.  He had given me a list of small repairs that needed to be made.  I asked him, “Do you remember this dent in the front of this car?”  He didn’t remember seeing it.  He said maybe the smaller one toward the center may have been there, but he couldn’t remember the larger one.  He asked the mechanic who checked it out.  That mechanic only remembered the smaller dent as well.

Later that evening I texted Shyam and said that the mechanic did not remember that dent being there.  He called me right away and we went around and around about it again.  What could I do?  It was my memory, which is not so dependable any more, and the memory of these two mechanics who saw it for one short hour, against his word.  Shyam said we could forget the whole deal if I wanted.  But I didn’t want to go back to the drawing board searching for another car.  I took the car, dent and all.  It’s mine now, with all its imperfections.

 

Enhanced by Zemanta

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 1,058 other followers

Blog Stats

  • 382,947 hits

Heading to Spain and Portugal!!

To Barcelona & beyond! :-)June 28, 2013
To Barcelona & beyond! :-)

Return home to the USA

Homecoming USA!July 26, 2013
I'm back in the USA!!

where are my readers from?

Locations of visitors to this page

Recent Posts

  • 2014 in review: wordpress sums it all up!
  • Beautiful Oman Filmed in Sizzling Indian Song “Jiya” for the Movie “Gunday”
  • 2013 in review
  • five hours at heathrow’s terminal 5
  • friday meditation: i get up in the morning. i do my best. nothing else matters.
  • our last dinner at the spicy village
  • travel theme: ripples
  • seeking the moonrise on a rocky hill in izki
  • in search of the perfect suitcase combo & dinner at shang thai
  • a sale of “stuff” & a farewell gathering
  • my itinerary for spain: here’s what i’ve got so far…
  • seeking “the essence of Muscat” on a steamy 42 degree day
  • weekly photo challenge: the sign says
  • the ruins and gardens of adam
  • cbbh photo challenge: knobs & knockers
  • caracalla dance theatre: “kan ya ma kan” at the royal opera house muscat
  • travel theme: pathways
  • weekly photo challenge: in the background
  • a stroll through al qasha on jebel akhdar & a farewell to old friends
  • friday meditation: my top ten happy memories in the sultanate
  • travel theme: the four elements
  • weekly photo challenge: escape
  • friday meditation: on choosing one memory to relive for all eternity
  • a fond farewell to the gardens of wekan
  • on preparing for spain & portugal: first steps
  • sunday post: mother’s day
  • travel theme: beaches
  • weekly photo challenge: pattern
  • getting my green fix in the gardens of misfat al abriyyen
  • weekly photo challenge: from above
  • friday meditation: flow
  • a sepia kind of day in nizwa: rain, rain, rain & a shifting weekend
  • travel theme: light
  • friday meditation: “addicted to a certain kind of sadness” ~ a playlist of bittersweet memories
  • happy birthday to sarah!
  • pay day at the lulu hypermarket in nizwa
  • Ma’a salama to my GMC Terrain {trials & tribulations of selling a car in Oman}
  • weekly photo challenge: up
  • friday meditation: a question of fate
  • CBBH photo challenge: multi-colored
  • weekly photo challenge: change
  • breakfast at the chedi
  • a trip to wadi bani kharous
  • weekly photo challenge: color
  • travel theme: pale
  • friday meditation: star-spangling our solitude
  • jebel akhdar: an afternoon of brits & roses, wine & bubbly
  • 2008 GMC Terrain for sale!
  • sunday post: entrance
  • weekly photo challenge: a day in my life

Archives

  • December 2014 (1)
  • January 2014 (1)
  • December 2013 (1)
  • June 2013 (11)
  • May 2013 (18)
  • April 2013 (17)
  • March 2013 (19)
  • February 2013 (17)
  • January 2013 (20)
  • December 2012 (33)
  • November 2012 (27)
  • October 2012 (12)
  • September 2012 (44)
  • August 2012 (7)
  • July 2012 (37)
  • June 2012 (35)
  • May 2012 (38)
  • April 2012 (40)
  • March 2012 (29)
  • February 2012 (17)
  • January 2012 (21)
  • December 2011 (15)
  • November 2011 (14)
  • October 2011 (8)
  • September 2011 (4)
  • August 2011 (1)

Catbird in Oman Menu

  • home
  • About me
    • New Year’s Resolutions
    • Bucket List
    • Share Your World
    • Friday Meditation
  • Oman
    • Al-Batinah Region
    • Al-Dhahirah Region
    • Al-Dakhiliyah Region
      • Nizwa
    • Al-Wusta Region
    • Dhofar Region
    • Musandam
    • Muscat
    • Sharqiya Region
  • University of Nizwa
  • Africa
    • african meanderings {& musings}
  • Americas
    • nomad, interrupted: catbird in the united states of america
    • notes from north america
    • United States of America
      • Virginia
  • Asia
    • catbird in china
    • catbird in korea
    • catbird in kyoto
    • catbird in south asia
    • catbird in turkey
    • ride paddies and papayas
  • Europe
    • greek wanderings
    • in search of a thousand cafés
  • Middle East
    • a jaunt to jordan
    • catbird in cairo
    • United Arab Emirates
      • Abu Dhabi
  • photography
    • Sunday Post
    • Travel Theme Photo Challenge
    • Weekly Photo Challenge
    • whatever a moon has always meant
  • Fiction
    • land of make-believe

what happens when…

May 2022
S M T W T F S
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293031  
« Dec    

Blogs I Follow

Blog of the Year 2012

Kreativ Blogger Award

Genuine Blogger Award

Ligo Circle of Appreciation

Shine On Award

Oman Blogs

  • Adventures of an American ESL Instructor Teaching at an Omani University
  • Andy in Oman
  • Angry in Oman
  • Bethany Duffield
  • Desperate Housewife in Oman
  • Dhofari Gucci
  • English Girl in Oman
  • Hallucinations of a Kitten
  • How to live like an Omani Princess
  • Hunting the Lost Insurgency: Oman
  • Matthew Heines
  • Misadventures in HR
  • Mumoftheanimals's Blog
  • Muscat Confidential
  • Muscat Jet Driver
  • Muscat Mutterings
  • Oh Man…Oman is really nice!
  • Omani Book Mania
  • Omani Cuisine
  • Rural Route Runner
  • Samir's Home
  • Secret Salalah
  • Sleepless in Salalah
  • Sultanate Social
  • Susan Al Shahri
  • The Linoleum Surfer

Oman Information

  • Albahja Cinema
  • Background Note Oman: U.S. State Department
  • Bait Muzna Gallery
  • BBC News: Oman Country Profile
  • CIA World Factbook ~ Oman
  • City Cinema Shatti
  • Destination Oman
  • Embassy of the United States – Muscat, Oman
  • Lonely Planet Oman
  • Ministry of Information: Sultanate of Oman
  • Oman Daily Observer
  • Royal Opera House Muscat
  • Sultanate of Oman Tourism
  • Sultanate of Oman: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Travel Blogs

  • Dan & Jillian's International Teaching Adventures
  • Dude Travels to Go
  • The Cool Hunter: amazing places to experience around the globe
  • The Traveling Gypsy
  • Wildcard Travels

X-terraneous Stuff

  • CIA World Factbook ~ South Korea
  • Dawn King
  • Let me bite that.
  • Life in the Bogs
  • reinventing the event horizon

my photostream on flickr

Sunny but only 20 degrees today!uploaduploaduploadTaking a walk through the neighborhood#whpsentbymailNext door to port royal post officeNext store in port royalupload
More Photos

Goodreads

Top Posts & Pages

  • "ladies tailoring" ~ killing time at al bustan roundabout & a walk around al riyam park
  • bahla: the sultan qaboos mosque, bahla fort & old bahla
  • the nizwa cemetery
  • the dilemma of the feet in oman
  • the road to jebel harim: petroglyphs, mountain views & graveyards
  • abu dhabi heritage village, the marina mall and marina
  • a morning walk through al hamra & misfat al abriyyen

InterNations

Weekly Photo Challenge

PostaWeek2012

share your world

a-z photo challenge

52 Pick Up

Sunday Post

Six Word Saturday

No Comfort Zone Challenge

I pledge to read the Printed Word

things i write about

"Happiness" 52 Pick Up 2012 A-Z Photo Challenge Abu Dhabi Abu Nooh Building Africa Akrotírion Al-Areesh Camp Al-Batinah Region Al-Dakhiliyah Region Al-Dhahirah Region Al Aqr Al Ayn Al Hamra Al Musanaah Americas Asia As Sifah Beach Athens Bahla Balad Sayt Birkat Al Mouz Cambodia Cappadocia Crete Daegu Ethiopia Europe Falaj Daris Hotel Family Foundation Institute Friday Meditation Geoje-si GMC Terrain Greece India Intercontinental Hotel Jakesprinter Japan Jebel Akhdar Jebel Shams Jordan Kyoto Lake Langano Lalibela Life Matthieu Ricard Middle East misfat al abriyyin Musandam Muscat Muttrah Muttrah Souq Nakhal Fort Nepal Nizwa Nizwa souq Oia Oman Oman Dive Center Phnom Penh Photography Challenges Pokhara postaweek2012 postaweek2013 Rethymno Royal Opera House Sahab Hotel Saiq Plateau Salalah Santorini Seoul Share Your World Sharqiya Region Sharqiya Sands Six Word Saturday South Korea Spirituality Suncheon Bay Sunday Post Travel Travel Theme Photo Challenge Turkey United Arab Emirates United States of America University of Nizwa Virginia Wadi Bani Awf Wadi Bani Habib Wadi Bani Khalid Wadi Damm Wadi MIstal Wadi Muaydin Wadi Shab Wadi Tiwi Wednesday Song Title Interpretation Weekly Photo Challenge Wekan Western Hajar Mountains

oh say can you see?

Free counters!

Tag Cloud

#capturethecolour 7 Super Shots 52 Pick Up @travelsupermkt a-z photo challenge Abu Dhabi Al Amerat Architecture Art Balad Sayt Birthdays Blogging books Bucket List CBBH Photo Challenge Christmas Daydream Saturdays DPchallenge Egypt Empty Quarter Ethiopia GMC Terrain Greece Hyundai Sonata Ibri InterNations Japan Jebel Akhdar Jebel Shams karma's photography scavenger hunt Life middle east Misfat Al Abriyyin Muscat Nepal Nizwa Nizwa Souq No Comfort Zone Challenge Oman Omar Khairat Optimism Pessimism Phoneography Challenge Picture the World! postaweek2012 postaweek2013 Roses Royal Opera House Royal Opera House Muscat Saiq Plateau Salalah share your world Shine On Award Six Word Saturday South Korea Spain Spirituality Story Challenge Sunday Post Tibet Travel travel theme Turkey United Arab Emirates United States of America University of Nizwa Wadi Bani Awf Wadi Tiwi Wedding wednesday song title interpretation weekly photo challenge Western Hajar Mountains Wordpress WPLongform wwwp5k

Blogs I Follow

  • Fairfax County Emergency Information
  • ~ wander.essence ~
  • Living in Paradise...
  • SterVens' Tales
  • PIRAN CAFÉ
  • Word Wabbit
  • Cardinal Guzman
  • Pit's Fritztown News
  • Fumbling Through Italy
  • Empty Nesters on a Green Global Trek
  • snowtoseas
  • Cornwall in Colours
  • Slovenian Girl Abroad
  • Let Me Bite That
  • Running Stories by Jerry Lewis
  • Finding NYC
  • The World according to Dina
  • Cornwall Photographic
  • snippetsandsnaps
  • SITTING PRETTY

Administrative Stuff…

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Creative Commons Attribution

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Categories

Blog at WordPress.com.

Fairfax County Emergency Information

Official Fairfax County Government Emergency Preparedness, Response and Recovery Website

~ wander.essence ~

where travel meets art

Living in Paradise...

SterVens' Tales

~~~In Case You Didn't Know, I Talk 2 Myself~~~

PIRAN CAFÉ

Word Wabbit

Wrestless Word Wrestler

Cardinal Guzman

Encyclopedia Miscellaneous - 'quality' blogging since August 2011

Pit's Fritztown News

A German Expat's Life in Fredericksburg/Texas

Fumbling Through Italy

Empty Nesters on a Green Global Trek

snowtoseas

Cornwall in Colours

inspired by the colours of the land, sea and sky of Cornwall

Slovenian Girl Abroad

A blog about travel adventures written by an Slovenian girl living in Switzerland

Let Me Bite That

Can I have a bite?

Running Stories by Jerry Lewis

Personal blog about running adventures

Finding NYC

exploring New York City one adventure at a time

The World according to Dina

Notes on Seeing, Reading & Writing, Living & Loving in The North

Cornwall Photographic

snippetsandsnaps

Potato Point and beyond

SITTING PRETTY

Fairfax County Emergency Information

Official Fairfax County Government Emergency Preparedness, Response and Recovery Website

~ wander.essence ~

where travel meets art

Living in Paradise...

SterVens' Tales

~~~In Case You Didn't Know, I Talk 2 Myself~~~

PIRAN CAFÉ

Word Wabbit

Wrestless Word Wrestler

Cardinal Guzman

Encyclopedia Miscellaneous - 'quality' blogging since August 2011

Pit's Fritztown News

A German Expat's Life in Fredericksburg/Texas

Fumbling Through Italy

Empty Nesters on a Green Global Trek

snowtoseas

Cornwall in Colours

inspired by the colours of the land, sea and sky of Cornwall

Slovenian Girl Abroad

A blog about travel adventures written by an Slovenian girl living in Switzerland

Let Me Bite That

Can I have a bite?

Running Stories by Jerry Lewis

Personal blog about running adventures

Finding NYC

exploring New York City one adventure at a time

The World according to Dina

Notes on Seeing, Reading & Writing, Living & Loving in The North

Cornwall Photographic

snippetsandsnaps

Potato Point and beyond

SITTING PRETTY

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • a nomad in the land of nizwa
    • Join 1,058 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • a nomad in the land of nizwa
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: