Category: Automotive

Someone posted a link to a website the other day when I was looking to rent a car and I thought it was spam. Why? Because the comment said I could rent a Hummer for KD10 and then sent me to a website which looked like a second hand car dealership called Gallardo.

Fast forward to today, I am flipping through an Al-Waseet clone when I found an advert for a car rental agency called Gallardo where you can rent an H3 or a Mini convertible for only KD10. Not only that but I could rent a Ferrari F430 or a Lamborghini Gallardo for KD150 a day which is less then half the price of competitors.

So I called them up to see if there were any strings attached and so far it seems there aren’t any. The cars are fully insured and you can rent them for 1 day if you want there is no minimum. Currently they only had a Bentley, Gallardo and 6-series BMW available but the guy said to call back at 7PM because thats when some of the other cars will be back in. It still sounds too good to be true so something must be up. How is it possible to rent an H3 for KD10 a day when a Corolla is for KD7?

Here is a scan of their advert with prices [Link]
Here is a link to their website [Link]

Just found out how much my car will cost to repair…

Labor: KD496.300
Parts: KD1004.450
Misc: KD30
————-
Total: KD1530.750

note: this is to repair some things in my BMW not Wrangler. Also on a positive note, the service is extremely friendly.

Today morning I returned the Lumina to Europcar. I had found a better deal on another car with another rental agency so I no longer wanted the Lumina. The employee at Europcar was extremely friendly and even though I had rented the car for only 1 day she still gave me the same rate as the weekly one which is KD10 a day.

After that I walked over to Al Sayer rental which was very close by. I had passed by yesterday evening to check out a Toyota Echo he had and I was planning on renting it. The car wasn’t in great condition with hub caps missing and some weird stains on the seat. I figured I could haggle the price down a bit but the guy refused. He wanted KD5.750 per day if I wanted the car for a week but if I brought the car earlier he would charge me KD7 a day. I told him Automax was renting a Corolla for KD6 a day and I was sure it was in better condition. He refused to lower the price and I left the place.

Once I got to work I called Automax and asked for a Corolla. Guy told me if I have the car for less then a week its KD7 a day but if its more then a week its KD6. I asked if they could drop the car off to me and they said it wouldn’t be a problem and it would be at no extra charge.

So now I am driving a 2006 black Corolla. Its not in the best condition either and I have no clue where the car papers are because I couldn’t find them in the car but it’s cheap. I just paid them KD30 deposit and thats it, they didn’t take my Visa card number or anything. I actually don’t think I would have trusted them with my credit card details anyway, the whole thing feels fishy to me. This is why I would rather deal with international franchises but of course those cost more.

I really have to say though renting from Europcar was really great and the service very friendly. If anyone needs to rent a car from them you can call Lisa on +965 6540248. She was very helpful and probably the best person I have ever rented a car from.

Can anyone recommend a car rental agency. I am looking to pay max KD8 a day.

Update: So I called some rental agencies and here are the results:

Avis: No one picked up
Budget: They had a 2007 Lancer for KD8, but they couldn’t have it ready for me before 1PM and the guy I spoke to didn’t know if car smelled of cigarettes or not.
Hertz: For KD8 they only had a Hyundai
AutoMax: They had a 2006 Camry for KD8 but they were located in Salmiya.
Europcar: Very friendly and professional. Only had medium sized car available. Location close to my office.
Sixt: Called them up, they had problems with their automated teller, everytime I pressed 3 for Sixt it would take me back to main menu.

In the end I went for Europcar mostly because I needed a car before 1PM and they were walking distance. I was in contact with the Sheraton branch and the employee there was very friendly. She gave me a 2007 Lumina for KD10 and promised to arrange me a cheaper car from a different branch. I picked up the car at 12:30 and it was in excellent condition with just 1300km on the dial.

Around two weeks ago I took my BMW to European Center (markaz oropee) in Shuwaikh to service my car. I figured I would save a whole bundle of money by not taking it to the dealer plus they would fix it quicker. I dropped my car in the morning, the guy told me the car would be fixed by noon, I told him I would be at work so I would pick it up at 6. At 6:30 I pass by and they were still working on the car. All they had to do was replace brake pads, gas filter, air filter and fan belts, I was really pissed but there wasn’t anything I could do. Anyway I ended up leaving from them at 7:30 and turned out the wipers has suddenly stopped working and I just felt they did a lousy quick ass job. Anyway forward to yesterday, I start the car and I hear this crackling popping sound and the engine revs were jumping. I opened the hood and the sound was coming from the engine so I guessed one of the spark plugs was acting up. So I was like fuck it, I am taking the car to the dealer, I had some other minor problems in the car and I figured I would get them fixed once and for all at BMW.

I woke up early today and drove the car to the BMW dealer. I get there and they were extremely friendly and professional. I sit down and start talking to the guy about my car troubles and he took notes down like a psychiatrist. He then went out checked the car himself and we came back and sat down again. He told me for them to “check” on the problems I have listed he estimates it would cost me KD200. Not to fix the problems, just to check the problems. I told him how about you skip the checking part and just go straight to fixing the problems because I know what they are. He is like to fix a problem they need to check it first. I was like fine, we started going down the list of problems I had given him and I marked off 3 superficial problems and that managed to bring down the estimate to KD100. He then told me they needed 4 to 5 days to check the car and then get back to me on how much it will cost to fix the problems.

I then asked about renting a car from them since I do that when I drop the Wrangler off at the Jeep dealer for the full service. Turns out they do rent cars but they were completely out of my league. The cheapest car they had was for KD40 a day while I usually pay KD7 when I rent from the Jeep dealer.

So in conclusion I think I am going to get raped with the price.. but psychologically I will at least feel that these guys know what they are doing and they will fix things right… I hope.

I was at a friends place today and I saw a pearl white Gallardo IMSA parked outside. What I understood is that there are currently only 3 in the whole world and this was the first one in the eastern hemisphere. The IMSA tuned version has 600 horsepower, 100 more than the standard car and 80 more than the top spec Gallardo SE. It also has a unique widebody which allows it to accommodate larger wheels. My request for a test drive has already been rejected sadly…

More information and PR photos here [Link]

I never thought much about Porsche Cayman’s until I saw this 700hp RUF version. Sadly this monster is out my league priced at around $300,000. [Link]

Official pictures of the new redesigned Lexus LX are out and no surprise here, its UGLY. It looks pretty close to the Land Cruiser spy shots that were posted online previously. [Link]

via Mr. Bo9agr

Watch Eddie Griffin (from Malcolm & Eddie) crash an Enzo:

[YouTube]

Just saw a rendering of what the new Land Cruiser might look like, hope its nothing like this because it looks like an ugly version of the Touareg. [Link]

So I woke up today morning and realized it had been raining outside. I had two options to get to work, either take my Wrangler which currently has no roof on, or take a cab. After yesterdays experience with cabs I decided I would take the Wrangler. I put on a cap and a weather proof jacket and headed to work and although it rained kind of heavy part of the way it really wasn’t bad. As long as I was moving I didn’t get wet and it was definitely more enjoyable then taking cabs.

[YouTube]

Since a large stake of Aston Martin was purchased by Investment Dar and Adeem Investment Co it makes Aston Martin a Kuwaiti company and this is why I suggest they update the Aston Martin logo with something that relates to Kuwait. This is one suggestion:

Another suggestion would be to replace the dhows on the Kuwaiti currency with silhouettes of Aston Martins…

update: A friend suggested maybe Aston Martin can now release a small white pickup truck (waneyt)

This is cool news, Investment Dar and Adeem Investment Co have agreed to purchase a stake in Aston Martin. Yabeela! [Link]

A bunch of spy shots of the new Land Cruiser. Its starting to look like an over sized Fortuner which isn’t a good thing. [Link]