advice on car

Al-Hajj
By Al-Hajj

hello guys,

my budget is 30,000 QAR do you recommend buying a Toyota Camery drive under 150,000 km, 2007 or 2008...

Or maybe buying a newer model and a smaller car like Nissan Tiida 2012 for example?

Thanks!

By Jamil1985• 26 Dec 2023 19:57
Jamil1985

Used Spear Parts sall in Qatar

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By Al-Hajj• 29 Dec 2015 09:51
Al-Hajj

guys. hey! i'm looking into Nissam Altima 2008 as well, your views please?

By Al-Hajj• 29 Dec 2015 09:51
Al-Hajj

guy. hey! i'm looking into Nissam Altima 2008 as well, your views please?

By lcapall• 19 Nov 2015 01:20
lcapall

Now this is what i call a role modle thread, well done mohdata!

By Al-Hajj• 18 Nov 2015 10:19
Al-Hajj

great!

By mohdata• 17 Nov 2015 21:38
mohdata

Lol no worries man I read your other post about looking for a group to play football with...i hate football lol but my friends play FIFA on the playstation and play for real too in some amateur tournament somewhere so ill ask them if they have a place on the team or at least where or which ground you can go to find somewhere and someone to play with...take care have a good evening ahead :-)

By Al-Hajj• 17 Nov 2015 20:37
Al-Hajj

mohdata, you are the man... surely i want to get your advise when i consider some options...

also i would like to buy you a cup of coffee when you are free, you'll talk about cars and i'll talk about football...

By mohdata• 17 Nov 2015 20:20
mohdata

alhajj: goo catch, i wouldn't have thought of that lol...its possible that someone would rollback an odometer, but this is rare in qatar and more common in the uae...but yes, even though its difficult to know for sure if a car is tampered with, its not impossible...2007/08 range cars should still have a service sticker somewhere or some sort of dealer history or ownership trail to get a guess...you can compare the reading with the condition of the interior or the brake rotors or how solidly the doors close...i read once that the numbers on tampered odometers don't line-up/align properly and may show irregularity...they may even move if you whack the odometer hard enough...the traffic dept should be able to tell you how many owners have had the car...if the seller has only had the car for a short period, be very suspicious...but yes can't be sure so best to look for a car that is obviously clean...most cars are clean here so you'd have to be really unlucky to get a rolled back car...

my car is a v6 engine so i get poor fuel economy but the four cylinder camry should give you well above 400 km in gentle city driving with traffic and A/C on...it has decent fuel economy...and its a 70 litre tank not 40...when your fuel warning light comes on, you have around 10 litres left...but always fill up before the fuel gets low, otherwise the pump sucks the dirt and sediment at the bottom of the tank into the fuel injectors and blocks them...also, the four cylinder cars run perfectly fine on the normal 'premium' fuel so don't waste your money on the 'super' petrol...

By mohdata• 17 Nov 2015 19:48
mohdata

hahaha brit i don't handle the limelight well at all; that much honour would just spook me and drive me into hiding lol...lets make it 'ql car nut and camry defender' haha...those cars really get some bad press for being boring but they do have their own personality...every car does...but yes i should say thank you i guess and would like you to know that you're my favourite QL'er and i really enjoy your participation and straight faced one liners...keep it going :-)

By britexpat• 17 Nov 2015 18:06
britexpat

Mods. We hereby request that Mohdata be given the title of 'QL Car Guru , Camry promoter and overall nice guy '

By Al-Hajj• 17 Nov 2015 17:51
Al-Hajj

my friend, is the gas cilender is 40 liters? how much do you approx drive per full?

By Al-Hajj• 17 Nov 2015 17:41
Al-Hajj

tremendous advise!!!

By Al-Hajj• 17 Nov 2015 17:38
Al-Hajj

mohdata, you are convincing me more and more to get a Camrey ;-) no not at all my friend, i'm glad that you mentioned all the points, its great advise, and like you said whenever I can do the least important maintenance i will do them.

when buying a used car, should I keep in mind that the milage meter maybe tampered with? for example its says 130000 km and the real milage is 500000 :-)?

thanks a lot budy...

By mohdata• 17 Nov 2015 16:52
Rating: 4/5
mohdata

alhajj: you're most welcome buddy, glad to be able to help...please do message me anytime you need...and hey see you took it the wrong way as i feared...didn't want you to be scared of the maintenance...honestly, camrys or any toyota will take a lot of abuse before they break...i suggested all those things just as a way to start fresh...if you find a good car, you can just enjoy it and repair things as needed...for most people, those things can be fixed as and when its time...trust me, a good used car will need only normal maintenance like any new car...i should not have said all that i guess its had the wrong effect haha...no you dont need to make a special budget for maintenance..only when needed like any car...there's a 1997 camry in doha with 800,000 kms haha can you believe that?...it drives to dubai or saudi every weekend and that guy just changes oil every 3000 kms...my own camry is almost at 300,000 kms and all i do is change the oil every 5000 kms and brakes...i like my car to be perfect and i did not know its history, so i just changed everything as and when i could...not in one day...over a period of one year...the things i mentioned are normal maintenance items every car needs at some point...for example:

1) oil change at teyseer with oil and filter is 130 qr...you need this every 5000 kms...MOST IMPORTANT MAINTENANCE ITEM FOR ANY CAR :-)...

2) spark plugs and wires for a four cylinder camry should be under 300 (change only if you ever have problems with starting or rough/poor running engine)...once you change they will last about 30000 kms....looooong time...

3) fuel filter is about 50 qr...this also is a once every 30-50000 kms item...

4) fuel injector and fuel system cleaning at teyseer is 400 (you will do this only if you ever have rough running or starting problems, otherwise no need)...

5) wheel alignment should be done for all cars every 6 months to save your tires..this is 150 at pirelli...

6) transmission oil change is about 300...

7) radiator flush and coolant change about 300...only coolant change without radiator flush is under 100...

so you see, it really is not that scary and if you just take care of your car, it will take care of you...

if you take zackm's advice and check the toyota certified cars, those cars will definitely not need anything for a long time and you can just relax...don't be scared of used cars....i think they're a much better plan than new cars if you just play the game well...i personally will never buy a brand new car...best of luck...

By Al-Hajj• 17 Nov 2015 15:35
Al-Hajj

zackm: thanks for the tip man, i will make sure to keep in mind... do anyone of you guys play football ;-) i'm looking for a football group to play with..

By Al-Hajj• 17 Nov 2015 15:33
Al-Hajj

wow great advice mohdata... thanks a lot. seems a second hand car will require a lot of maintenance, but still it will be better than a new car - at least for time being.

do you know approximately how much will all the maintenance you mentioned will cost? cause seems that I will need a budget for the maintenance as well :-)

mohdata, if it is ok with you i will contact you again when i buy the car for more advise?

thanks a lot!

By mohdata• 17 Nov 2015 12:07
mohdata

zackm: thank you buddy :-) and yes, Toyota certified used cars are a fantastic boombastic fabulous fantabulous option to explore..haha :-)

By zackm• 17 Nov 2015 11:44
Rating: 3/5
zackm

Great advice from mohdata! Thumbs Up!

Btw, you can get a good used Camry also from Toyota used section for 30K range, try to check it out first. After that do what mohdata advised here.

By mohdata• 17 Nov 2015 11:41
Rating: 4/5
mohdata

oh and a new fuel filter (Varun or other mechanics can do this for you) and a fuel injector and fuel system cleaning (Teyseer Service Center does this at a very reasonable price, well under 500 I think)...do all these things i've listed as and when you have the time and money...i'm not saying do it all in one day....its like a fresh start for you and the car and you'll know that the basics are taken care of...

By mohdata• 17 Nov 2015 11:30
Rating: 5/5
mohdata

Al-Hajj:

If you do end up with the Camry, here are my suggestions for your maintenance needs:

1) Oil/Air filter changes: Teyseer service station...they have Toyota engine oil and filters...I suggest you not use any other oils or filters and stick to Toyota oils..just be regular with your oil changes and you'll never have to go to Industrial Area inshallah...

2) Wheel alignment/balancing/brakes and rotors: Pirelli Service Centres...there are others too but I find the Pirelli technicians to be the most professional and knowledgeable...

3) Spare parts: Al Waha Auto Parts near Crazy signal. Applies the standard discount and if he doesn't have the parts, he'll get them from the Toyota dealership, so you don't need to go to Ind. Area yourself...

4) Minor and semi major maintenance such as timing belts/spark plugs/gearbox oil change/lights/wipers/suspension/steering: call Varun on 77289851...he is near bank street/crazy signal and you'll never need another mechanic for these jobs...friendly and honest and skilled...

5) for major issues related to engine/gearbox or to diagnose a mystery problem, definitely go to Toyota first, get their opinion and then get another two opinions from outside...

6) When you buy a used car, take it to the Bosch or AC Delco Service Centres or best of all to the dealer for a full computerized check...do not go to the non-reliable testing places on Salwa Road or Ind. Area.

7) As soon as you buy a used car, first things you do are get a wheel alignment/balancing and drain and replace every fluid in the car...engine, transmission, coolant, steering and brake fluid...change all those fluids...new spark plugs and spark plug wires too if needed..

best of luck...

By Al-Hajj• 17 Nov 2015 10:31
Al-Hajj

thanks everyone for the advise, I wish I had money for a land criuser :-)

yes if I had a higher budget I might have gone for a new car maybe... But I guess I'm leaning towards a camery 2007 - 2008 under 150,000 km..

anyways i'm new in doha and still to know about car maintenance, i guess fixing any problems through the official car service center is better than going to mechanics in industrial area as I hear it is a pain...

By zackm• 17 Nov 2015 09:30
Rating: 5/5
zackm

Btw you can also get a 2016 Yaris for just under Qar 50,000, if your budget will allow...but I recommend Corolla within QAR 60,000

By zackm• 17 Nov 2015 09:29
Rating: 5/5
zackm

Double your budget and get a 2016 Corolla, you can insure the vehicle for 3 years, given road side assistance and possibly free servicing till 20,000 KM. Better to have full insurance on a new vehicle. As people here bump your car and run away or leave scratches and also run away. With full insurance, your car can be redone through insurance at minimal cost. Plus if you plan to leave, better resale value on a vehicle that was only used for couple of years rather than having high KM and older car, which you may only get scrap value later.

By saju5883• 17 Nov 2015 08:40
Rating: 3/5
saju5883

I'm using camry 2007 for the last 5 years when I bought the km was 100,000 now the running km is 148,000 without any problems.

By Iloveny958• 17 Nov 2015 01:05
Iloveny958

I'll defiantly go with the Toyota

That's just my opinion

By lcapall• 16 Nov 2015 22:11
lcapall

@abracadabra,

Yea but to some people a new car is more expensive and depreciates value over a few years also, to each his own i guess

By mohdata• 16 Nov 2015 22:08
Rating: 5/5
mohdata

Camry the bigger car with excellent reliability and better resale but older....tiida the smaller car with known reliability issues and less resale but newer...you choose...best of luck...

By britexpat• 16 Nov 2015 21:33
Rating: 5/5
britexpat

Given your budget .. Go for a newer , low mileage Tiida

By Basil saeed• 16 Nov 2015 21:32
Basil saeed

+ acchabachha, good advice

By Basil saeed• 16 Nov 2015 21:31
Rating: 5/5
Basil saeed

toyota corolla 2016,if u are alone,toyota camry 200 will also do

if family then,trail blazer any model,land cruiser

By acchabaccha• 16 Nov 2015 21:28
Rating: 4/5
acchabaccha

A new car is a new car and will be trouble-free for couple years at least if maintained properly. A second-hand car will always need maintenance from time to time no matter which brand it is depending how it has been used by the previous owner.

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