Overhaulin'

If moving to Saudi from the US, is it better to buy a car in the US and ship it to Saudi or buy one in Saudi?

Many Saudis in the US are in the business of buying cars and shipping them to Saudi Arabia. This leads me to believe that cars here are much cheaper than there. If I move to Saudi Arabia, should I buy a car in the US and pay to have it shipped to Saudi, or should I just buy one there? Laith, don't embarrass the Lebanese people with your ignorant remarks. If Saudi is so bad, why are so many Lebanese living there?

Public Comments

1. Neither, its better to buy a car in the US then ship it to Lebanon and go live there instead cuz lebanon kicks saudi azz.
2. If you are going to buy a new car, it is better to buy it in Saudi Arabia as there is no taxes on cars here and you may find some brands not available in USA (e.g., Toyota Fortuner, Teris, etc.) as they are made by makers or Asian markets. If you are planning for a used car, you can do either, but there is a flourishing market in Saudi Arabia for used cars imported from USA and Europe and they are usually at a very good condition. The vendor will take 1000 - 1500 Saudi Riyals (SR) over the cost of buying and shipping the car (either from USA or Europe), and most probably the cost for him will be much less than for you, so it is going to be much mor comfortable for you also to buy it from here (I am saying here because I live in Saudi Arabia at the time being). As I was looking for a car myself in the last few weeks, I can give you example of prices: Ford Explorer, 2002 or 2003, in a very good condition, 12,000 USA, Chevrolet Tahoe, 2003, v. good condition, 18,500 USA. You can compare the price to that in USA and decide. Your chance to get a good car is much better in bigger cities like Riyadh, Jeddah, and Eastern province.
3. American cars are usually cheaper in the US. Many buy cars in Florida and ship them to Saudi and sell them there. The difference isnt THAT big though, but you could do it and save some money. Just make sure that the car isnt from the northern colder parts of the country because then you need to work on the engine a bit so that it can survive the heat. Many like American cars because in Saudi, well, you saw the drifting and all LOL. But some of the America cars used to be police cars, and people know that. If you're buying a car from someone young in Saudi, be careful and make sure its professionally checked. Either way, I dont think it makes a huge difference. Id rather not worry about customs etc and just buy one from Saudi. Japanese cars arent as expensive as they are in the US I THINK, btw. Saudis, and gulf cars in general, usually have better interiors etc as the people in the area are kinda picky with cars. I mean a Mercedes made to be sold in Saudi or the gulf would be MUCH better than a Mercedes sold in Germany and brought to Saudi. ( The second would be cheaper as well ) Not sure if its the same with American cars, but you do need to check the engine to see if it can handle the heat. Id name the parts but not sure what they're called in English.
4. if u want to buy a normal or even a luxurious car its better to buy it here in the saudiarabia. i myself am living here and i personally think that the cars over here are at resonable prices. but if u r going for some exotic cars like galardo or ferreri ENZO about that i have no idea they must be really expensive over here
5. dude.. buy the car there in saudi arabia... two reasons why you should. 1) you can bargain your head out with the sales guy. and especially when fresh out of high school kids run the place, its real easy and you might just get a real sweet deal. 2) NO TAXESSSSSS!!! yeppiiiii.. how cool is that, huh huh huh?? think about it... :)
6. i am not an expert on cars at all but i know that the difference is not that big and you would save big headaches dealing with the customs, and shipping
7. let me tell you something I'd like you to notice that almost all the American cars shipped to Saudi are used gas-thirsty cars those cars lose their value in the used cars market in the US, b/c the demand is diminishes on them due to the increasing oil prices. On the other hand, Saudis take advantage of the economical prices of these cars. So they find them cheaper and buy them. (gas in nothing is Saudi) This is why Saudis buy then ship their cars to Saudi so my advice is just buy your car from Saudi, unless you find a thirsty engine with tempting price !! (three weeks ago I saw a 23K new used hummer !!!)
8. Buy your car in Saudi. I was there for 19 years - 5 in Jeddah and 15 in Riyadh. I bought two cars there in that time, both Japanese makes: a Daihatsu Charmant and a Toyota Corolla. It would be foolish to buy a car in the USA and have it shipped to the Kingdom. Wherever you work there, you can probably find a good deal from one of your colleagues. Believe me, you'll save a lot of time and money by buying a car there.
9. We found great deals on used cars from purchasing from those dealers that shipped cars from the US You can find good deals and bad deals.. you just need to look around.. There seems to be an upswing in some used car dealers that ship used cars in bulk from USA (yes from Florida) and they seem to get a ton of cars.. some crap, some really good. if you have a machanic friend that can go with you and test the car over, you might find some hidden gems.. We found a great crown victoria, used and it to me was the type that granma only drove to the post office and back.. that car looks and runs like new, weve had it now about 4 years and not a problem with it.. We got it at a steal from those type dealers...
10. My husband shipped his car from the US, and it was a very very BIG mistake. The main reason is, they don't sell his model of car here. Every time he needs something fixed, he has to order parts from the US. And, if you have an accident and need parts from the US, have fun! We had to have an oversized bag (actually box) on the airplane to get a fender and 2 headlights here because some idiot decided to turn right from the left hand lane right in front of him. If we were going to ship the box here, it would have cost us more than $400 because of the size. Also, because my husband's car is 'different' people have actually purposely scratched his car.....and that was within a week of us fixing it from the accident. Also, we find foot prints and hand prints all over his car sometimes. If you plan to buy a car that's normally sold in Saudi Arabia, then I think you'll be ok, but don't buy any special cars because you'll have nothing but trouble!
11. don't move to saudi. I loved the country but its not forever, and i cant go back now. Bad drug problem too umongst the teenagers.
12. Buy it in Saudi. The roads and the style of driving here - you'll want to have a cheap used car that you don't care about. I heard it's $3,500 or so to send over a car - salt water damage not included.
13. It will cost you like $1,000 to ship a car to saudi. Just buy a car in Saudi Arabia. They are loads cheaper then in the USA. Saudis love big cars.
14. No, It will take long