Discussion
Been working out in Qatar most of the year and had a rental car for a while but the white (obviously white in the Middle East) Hyundai Elantra bored me to tears so I took my allowance and decided to buy a car instead.
Regular stuff is fairly cheap out here with plenty of choice. Mostly high mileage though, it’s not unusual to see cars with 2 or 3 hundred thousand km on the clock.
I fancied something I wouldn’t be able to get at home and, since the roads are straight with plenty of speed cameras, I fancied doing some off road eventually.
Enter the FJ Cruiser which I’ve had a little soft spot for since I first saw them the last time I was in the Middle East back when they came out. I guess not everyone will love its looks but I think it’s a bit quirky and fun looking. Despite not being available in the UK, they’re ten a penny here which makes it easy for parts, servicing, upgrades, etc.
It’s a 2015 4.0 V6 with all the options including locking diff and a-trac. Had 143k km’s on the clock when I bought it and was fairly mint. Paid the equivalent of ~12k pounds for it and should probably get most of that back again when I leave and sell.
To me it looks small in pictures or on the road and it probably is small when every second car here is a Land Cruiser or Lexus 570 but it’s about the same size as a Range Rover Sport I guess so not particularly small.
It turned over 150k km’s today and hasn’t skipped a beat since I bought it other than failing it’s MoT equivalent because it was dirty (rain and sand the night before).
The plan is to get it out in the desert and explore a bit and yesterday was it’s first trip with a local club to Khor Al-Adaid. Hopefully more to come after Christmas.
I’ll update with pictures when I get it out on trips if anyone is interested.
Regular stuff is fairly cheap out here with plenty of choice. Mostly high mileage though, it’s not unusual to see cars with 2 or 3 hundred thousand km on the clock.
I fancied something I wouldn’t be able to get at home and, since the roads are straight with plenty of speed cameras, I fancied doing some off road eventually.
Enter the FJ Cruiser which I’ve had a little soft spot for since I first saw them the last time I was in the Middle East back when they came out. I guess not everyone will love its looks but I think it’s a bit quirky and fun looking. Despite not being available in the UK, they’re ten a penny here which makes it easy for parts, servicing, upgrades, etc.
It’s a 2015 4.0 V6 with all the options including locking diff and a-trac. Had 143k km’s on the clock when I bought it and was fairly mint. Paid the equivalent of ~12k pounds for it and should probably get most of that back again when I leave and sell.
To me it looks small in pictures or on the road and it probably is small when every second car here is a Land Cruiser or Lexus 570 but it’s about the same size as a Range Rover Sport I guess so not particularly small.
It turned over 150k km’s today and hasn’t skipped a beat since I bought it other than failing it’s MoT equivalent because it was dirty (rain and sand the night before).
The plan is to get it out in the desert and explore a bit and yesterday was it’s first trip with a local club to Khor Al-Adaid. Hopefully more to come after Christmas.
I’ll update with pictures when I get it out on trips if anyone is interested.
Really makes the Defender look staid.Boring!
How is this OP?
They have climbed in price massively in the UK, and that was pre Covid. No idea why, they're ten a penny in the US too, I have no idea what import taxes are, but unless they're ridiculous on old V8's I'd think importation here would be cost effective these days.
How is this OP?
They have climbed in price massively in the UK, and that was pre Covid. No idea why, they're ten a penny in the US too, I have no idea what import taxes are, but unless they're ridiculous on old V8's I'd think importation here would be cost effective these days.
romeodelta said:
jock mcsporran said:
failing it’s MoT equivalent because it was dirty (rain and sand the night before).
U wot m8jock mcsporran said:
Yeah, you go through the MoT then you have to drive up to a booth with a policeman in it to get your pass/fail. He apparently decided the car was too dirty and failed me. Got to keep up appearances.
Hilarious. We don't even have an annual MOT in Victoria - only when a car changes hands.Which is strange in a country with fairly draconian motoring laws. It's up to the police to pull cars over and 'defect' them for being unroadworthy, but not dirty
Levin said:
Am I right in thinking these have three wipers for the front windscreen? I've only seen an FJ Cruiser in the distance but I got the impression they were enormous. Perhaps it's the presence something so unusual exudes that threw me off.
It’s about the same size as a Range Rover Sport physically and, yeah, 3 wipers. The windscreen is quite upright and more like a postbox so the wipers are actually tiny. jock mcsporran said:
romeodelta said:
jock mcsporran said:
failing it’s MoT equivalent because it was dirty (rain and sand the night before).
U wot m8forrestgrump said:
jock mcsporran said:
romeodelta said:
jock mcsporran said:
failing it’s MoT equivalent because it was dirty (rain and sand the night before).
U wot m8£12k is a bargain IMO. Someone is trying to sell a 2013 UAE car in Spain for £38k
https://www.milanuncios.com/todoterreno-de-ocasion...
Are there any downsides to these in terms of practicality? Could you ferry kids around in it easily enough I've got a 4Runner that I am happy with but have considered the FJ Cruiser as an alternative. They are already in demand in the US and I think in the future they will be worth more than now.
https://www.milanuncios.com/todoterreno-de-ocasion...
Are there any downsides to these in terms of practicality? Could you ferry kids around in it easily enough I've got a 4Runner that I am happy with but have considered the FJ Cruiser as an alternative. They are already in demand in the US and I think in the future they will be worth more than now.
nsa said:
Are there any downsides to these in terms of practicality? Could you ferry kids around in it easily enough I've got a 4Runner that I am happy with but have considered the FJ Cruiser as an alternative.
Not sure on the practicalities, they’re a decent size and the suicide doors leave a big opening to get in and out but might be a pain because the front seat belt is attached to the rear door 
Off out on a drive so hopefully a few pictures later
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