I got my Oman driving license on the 4th of July, 2016 — two days before we went to the Philippines for our yearly vacation. We came back on the 26th of August, itching to buy a car that can take us to all of our adventures here in Oman.
Here is our simple criteria:
- Four Wheel Drive. So it can tackle any terrain that we desire to explore. Oman is a country that is beautiful from the shores up to the peak of its mountains. We want to have a car that can run in sandy beaches, sandy deserts, navigate wadis and climb rocky mountains.
- Second Hand. Obviously for economic reasons. There is a always a good chance of getting good second hand cars here which can either be from locals upgrading their cars or expats leaving the country for good.
- SUV Type. Our camping trips require us to carry a lot of stuff. We might need a lot of space for our baggage. It may also serve as an alternative sleeping space if the situation demands us to do so.
- Automatic Transmission. I had my driving lessons and I passed my driving tests on a manual transmission car but I cannot say that I am now an expert. Automatic transmission means it would also be an easier drive, especially on our long drives to the beach. The nearest one is about two hours drive from our home.
- Price is right. We don’t plan on taking a loan to buy a car so we promised to buy one using the money that we have in our bank account.
The Power of the ‘Net
I used the internet to search for our first, but second-hand car. My search led me to olx.com and an ad about an old Land Rover got my attention.
Comparing the ad to our criteria makes it look like it’s a perfect fit.
- Four Wheel Drive ✅
- Second Hand ✅
- SUV ✅
- Automatic Transmission ✅
- Price is right ✅
Our only problem now is checking if this is as good as advertised or not.
The Power of Mobile and Friendship
I called the advertiser, Mr. Abdullah, who happened to be a local and we set up a meeting with him. He agreed to meet our viewing party at his home in Muscat. Our party includes the whole Nomads family and our very good friend Doctor Saji and another friend Madam Anitha.
Mr. Abdullah is a very nice and straight forward guy. He talked to us in excellent English as he does the sales pitch about his car. He told us that his wife used to drive the car and they are about to purchase a new car so they decided to sell it.
Doctor Saji seems impressed by the looks of the car but we decided to sleep on it. After doing all of our inquiries, we said goodbye to Mr. Abdullah and we discussed our impressions about the car on our way home.
The Power of Trust – Omani Style
We set up another meeting with Mr. Abdullah. I told him that I want to take the car to a mechanic for inspection. His reply goes like this: “I am a mechanic myself, but if it makes you happy, by all means…”
Together with Doctor Saji, we went to Muscat and asked Mr. Abdullah if we can take the car for a test drive. Without batting an eyelash, he said okay and handed us the key. He did not even ask for an identification card or anything from us. Just like that.
We took the car out of the garage and we headed straight to the petrol station. Suddenly, a problem came out – we cannot get a gas refill because we don’t know how to open the tank. Luckily, it took us only about five minutes to find the button that needs to be pressed to open the tank.
After paying for the gas, another problem hit us. This time it seemed like we have to just call the Mr. Abdullah and tell him we lost interest with the car. And can you blame us to behave like this? The car won’t start and this is truly a big problem.
But in the end, yes, you can blame us. The car has a safety feature not to start when the stick is not on the park setting. We left it on drive mode while refilling the tank.
After the petrol pump incident, our test drive went so smoothly. We drove around Muscat and we can’t find any problem with the car that might turn us off. So we went back to Mr. Abdullah and pretended our best not to show him we like his car.
Further negotiation led to a discount of 150 Omani riyals which is about 390 US dollars from his originally quoted price. We agreed to meet again on the next day so we can process the papers for the transfer of car ownership.
The next day, we met the owner at the ROP vehicle registration office in Muscat. It took us about 30 min to wait in line and finish the transfer process within 3 minutes. Mr. Abdullah handed me the keys and now The Nomads officially have a wagon of our own.
Two hours of driving later, and I was able to park the car in front of our villa. We named her Naomi. And now we are ready for the new episodes of The Nomads in Oman: Season 3.
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