Buying used cars in Q8

It's not as bad as you think!

All types of used cars can be found in Q8.

Buying a used car can save you a lot, but one must be really careful when deciding to buy a used  car otherwise it would turn into a nightmare.

There are tens of thousands of used cars for sale in Kuwait. A good way of finding a car for sale is to look at any notice board you can lay your eyes in schools, shops, health clubs, hotels. You can also find them in newspapers, by word of mouth and, of course, online websites.

If you are smart enough you will be able to get the best out of these deals and distinguish between the good and the bad. Play your cards right and you may be able to land a very sweet deal.

What to do?

Garages like these can check your used car.

Before you buy a second hand car, it is a good idea to have the car inspected either by a mechanic or by an independent garage (click here to book your free car inspection by email). Some imported vehicles may not have upgraded radiators and air conditioning, which are necessary to withstand the heat in Kuwait. Be sure to check service records and make sure that the car has a spare tire.

However, it can be difficult finding out the history of a second hand car (especially if your Arabic is weak). Here it is not illegal for garages to repair cars which have been written off so a full safety check is very important.

Things to consider

There are many things to consider such as the year of manufacture (newer is better), mileage in km (less km's is better), car place of purchase (locally, GCC, or somewhere else), exterior body condition (any dents or accidents), interior condition, engine performance, warranty still valid or expired, and of course, price.

Showroom and online websites

Car Max provides you with the best affordable used cars.

There are used car showrooms in Shuwaikh and Al Rai on the 4th Ring Road (between roads 60 and 61). Second hand dealers can also be found on the street corners around Salmiya, Fahaheel and Hawally. One of the best places in Kuwait is Car Max (click here for a map). Car Max provides you with a huge showroom that has all types of cars.

Nevertheless, most people would say to look online. And I agree, finding a used car online doesn't require anything except a computer. All you need to do is look for your price range and then phone the person who is selling the car to get better details. If you decide you like the car you can then arrange a meeting with the seller in order to see his car. Its's as simple as that!! Provided below are the top five websites in Kuwait for buying used cars online.

This Porsche is online for only 3000kd!!

Links for online used car websites

• http://www.harajq8.com
• http://www.hrajcar.com
• http://www.q8showroom.com
• http://bazaar4auto.com
• http://kuwait.q8car.com/

Survey

I encourage everyone who reads this post to participate in this survey in order to help in the improvement of the quality of buying used cars in Q8. The survey will help you identify the steps and methods used to find a used car and it will also. The people who participate in the survey are completely anonymous. The results will be sent to the department of transportation and the municipality of Kuwait in order to better understand the mentality behind buying used cars in Kuwait. Thank you in advance. Click here for the survey link.

Gold cars yay or nay?

Arab Money

Ferrari 599 GTB in beautiful GOLD

Arab money does a whole lot more than buy you a spot on hip hop music videos, and its no secret. The key to most of the inventions in the Arab world is that there is disposable income, and so the boys come out to play BIG time.

Though not a very new phenomenon, one of the growing trends that can be seen in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and even Russia, is cars made of gold.

Golden Eye

Q8ty SLS and a golden Buggati Veryon

Diamonds are a girl's best friend, but gold is clearly what kingdoms are made of. The choice car are all high-end, with custom made Mercedes' and Ferrari's spotted on the highways. But this is also not too common. Why because the cost of having a car made of gold runs in excess of  694,000 KD (HOLY C***!!!!).

Mercedes SLR made of PURE WHITE GOLD!!

The car that made the rounds on the internet last year was a Mercedes made of pure white gold that belonged to a prince in Abu Dhabi. Though it runs on bio-fuel, the car was extravagant, to say the least.

But at least this particular beauty had specs to match any super car, including a V10 quad turbo with 1,600 horsepower, 2800nm of torque, and 0-100km/h in less than 2 seconds.

The Russian gold alloy BMW M5

Another such car is a BMW in Russia, owned by a big billionaire businessman there. It's not white gold this time but a gold alloy sheet metal was used to mold this M5.

You can visit here and here to ask on how to get your car wrapped or plated in gold. WARNING : Both shops are quite expensive!

A New Level of Automotive Photography in Q8

Photography and Cars

Sunset and a Porsche. Love the combo!

Photography is currently a trending hobby (haba) in Kuwait. Nowadays, everybody seems to have an expensive camera and it doesn't matter how young or old they are either. People want to capture their everyday moments in life in order to keep them as a memory or to share them with their loved ones.

So, whats all the fuss about?

Automotive photography, in particular, is a type of photography that has been widely acclaimed around the world due to the number of car enthusiasts today. Most people in Kuwait are into cars; so odds are that a lot of these guys will be into photography too.

The sky is the limit!

So what do you get when you combine car and photography enthusiasts? The results are mouth watering and you can already tell by the pictures. Some of these pictures are really good that people question that they were taken by a local Kuwaiti photographer in Q8.

The story

In Q8 there are a lot of amateur car photographers, some of them even take it beyond a hobby and do it as a living.

Nice oasis with the G-Class AMG.

I had the honor to meet some of these talented guys. They talked to me about the different types of cameras they use and the different types of lens that they use (depending on the lighting of the place and the weather conditions), different cars they photograph, etc.

I was impressed, in particular, with one guy called Mishari Al- Reshaid. He started photography as a hobby and now it's an addiction. He is now considered to be one of the best professional automotive photographer in Kuwait (click here for the first part of the interview with Mishari Al-Reshaid). I strongly agree that he is!! He also started up his own business and now people can hire him to take pictures of their cars (click here if you are interested or you can contact him at his email).

Tips and Hints

A classical Ferrari in a beautiful place.

WOW!! Can you believe this was shot in Kuwait.

"Being simple does not necessarily mean bad", these were the wise words of Mishari. What he meant by that was in order to be a good photographer you need to make simple things look astonishing (click here for the 2nd part of the interview with Mishari Al-Reshaid). Another important element of photography that makes a picture perfect is the location of where the photography will take place. Most people don't believe that his shots were taken in Kuwait. He told me that you got to keep it a secret because you don't want other photographers knowing your place. Well, that makes perfect sense to me!
My interview with Mishari really gave me a deeper insight about the world of automotive photography. It's not as easy as it seems. Photographers like him need to be given all the credit they deserve simply because the photographs they come up with incredibly astonishing.