• Lobby

  • Moving to Beirut, getting a secondhand car

Never ever buy a used card from US, they most probably were crashed or got water in the engine in a huge storm, you will get more problems than pleasure.
For second hand go to the Lebanese car companies like Bassoul Hneine, Mazda,dodge, Jeep...they will sell you a used but Lebanese car + a real warranty not a BS of ''ma3rad''
If your budget is in 15000-18000$ you can get a brand new Citroen or Peugeot that are vastly under-rated by Lebanese ''talks'' , I got a Citroen C3 Aircross with the 6 speed Auto and it's a pure pleasure, their gears are now made in Japan by the same company that produces for Mitsubishi, my car is 25000$ but they use the same gear on all their new 2019 Automatic cars. I drove to Faraya and other mountains with this car, and even with 110hp this car flies on mountain roads, sometimes i am surprised to see I am at 90km/s without any effort, it totally destroys my ex-DS3 4 gears Auto 120hp I had before
infiniteloop wroteNever ever buy a used card from US, they most probably were crashed or got water in the engine in a huge storm, you will get more problems than pleasure.
For second hand go to the Lebanese car companies like Bassoul Hneine, Mazda,dodge, Jeep...they will sell you a used but Lebanese car + a real warranty not a BS of ''ma3rad''
If your budget is in 15000-18000$ you can get a brand new Citroen or Peugeot that are vastly under-rated by Lebanese ''talks'' , I got a Citroen C3 Aircross with the 6 speed Auto and it's a pure pleasure, their gears are now made in Japan by the same company that produces for Mitsubishi, my car is 25000$ but they use the same gear on all their new 2019 Automatic cars
Any issues with insurance when it comes to spare parts? Especially new parts after a car accident?
It all depends on your insurance, I always take Tous risques with a covering of original parts 100% the first 4 years, but you can get better at Citroen Lebanon they have a deal with an insurance for the first 5 years.
BTW warranty is on 5 years now
infiniteloop wroteIt all depends on your insurance, I always take Tous risques with a covering of original parts 100% the first 4 years, but you can get better at Citroen Lebanon they have a deal with an insurance for the first 5 years.
BTW warranty is on 5 years now
AROPE insurance couldn't get me an brand new front bumper, all-risk insurance, changed to "Bankers" now. Mind you that Korean cars "mzableen" everywhere, I was shocked especially since it took a week. (with no rebate for rental services)
And yeah, transmissions are underrated in Lebanon, 4 speed auto is very smooth and predictable on high ways and flat areas.
xazbrat wrotein general, you want something small that you can park and wind your way through tight roads.
He mentioned in his first post that the car would be for weekend use (roadtrips?) and occasional city use, and he has a family, so maybe not something too tiny!
Elitism Guru wroteAvoid 4 speed automatic transmissions like cancer
Totally.

You will often find yourself driving between 20 and 40 KM/h which is the worst spot for such a gearbox - too high RPM in 1st and too low in 2nd.
purpleradish wrote
Aly wroteI own a BMW 3 series E90 and my brother an E46, i wouldn't recommend both of them, since the maintenance costs are high compared to other cars, however the performance and driving experience are great.
I would get a Toyota (Corolla or Yaris) or any Japanese popular car like Honda Civic, Mazda etc ...
Interesting that you mentioned this, I was thinking about getting an E90 330i. I don't mind paying a bit extra for fuel and other routine consumables like better oil and spark plugs, but the prospect of having to replace expensive broken parts puts me off.

Currently quite interested in getting either a Kia Cerato or Mazda 3.

Is it a common practice for secondhand car dealers to wind back the odometer? I have encountered this in other places.
My E90 is a 2006 330i, fuel consumption is fine to be honest, but again you get some parts failing sometimes, like the water pump is a common issue, each couple of years (should be changed with the thermostat that's like 300$ total), some small things here and there.
Not to mention the 330i (sport package) has 18 inches rims, which means kind of expensive tires to replace and our roads are full of pot holes so one mistake will cost you a tire or two and guess what ? as of 2006 BMW does not include a spare tire in the trunk and there is no place for you to put one, unless you dedicate your trunk fully for a spare tire .. as of 2006 all BMW ship with Run Flat tires, and the price of ONE good quality RFT tire like Bridgestone is around 400-450$ so this is totally ridiculous. I wouldn't really blame BMW for this one, since this more like a country problems with bad roads but this is a major thing to consider.
As for the Odometer rollback yes it happens here sometimes, you cant be sure 100% though, if the car is from US origin and was never registered in Lebanon, you can check the carfax to make sure they didn't mess with the odometer.
Thanks guys for all the useful information.

Based on your suggestions, I will stay away from used BMW's, due to their dubious origin and potentially high maintenance costs.

Toyota Yaris looks pretty good, I like its looks and the fact that it uses a CVT, either sedan or hatch would do (but I prefer hatch, it looks better).

The Yaris is just big enough for my needs, the engine (1.5L version) should provide just enough power for the occasional excursions out of Beirut. The interior looks a bit spartan and stripped out (even compared to Yaris from other markets). But it should be easy to drive around in the city. The CVT probably isn't going to provide the most sporty driving experience, but it should extract what little power the little 1.5L engine has. Being a Toyota, it should go on and go without breaking. I can find some 2015 examples for about $11k.

The C4 by comparison appears to be better value, it is a lot more car for the money, and a class bigger. Not to sure about long-term reliability and resale value though. There aren't that many advertisements for used C4's, so I presume it isn't that popular of a car over there? There is a 2016 one for $12k, pretty tempting.

What does it mean when sellers state 'company source' in their advertisements? Does it mean the car has been sourced through official dealership in Lebanon (i.e. not a private import), or an ex-company vehicle?
purpleradish wroteThanks guys for all the useful information.

Based on your suggestions, I will stay away from used BMW's, due to their dubious origin and potentially high maintenance costs.

Toyota Yaris looks pretty good, I like its looks and the fact that it uses a CVT, either sedan or hatch would do (but I prefer hatch, it looks better).

The Yaris is just big enough for my needs, the engine (1.5L version) should provide just enough power for the occasional excursions out of Beirut. The interior looks a bit spartan and stripped out (even compared to Yaris from other markets). But it should be easy to drive around in the city. The CVT probably isn't going to provide the most sporty driving experience, but it should extract what little power the little 1.5L engine has. Being a Toyota, it should go on and go without breaking. I can find some 2015 examples for about $11k.

The C4 by comparison appears to be better value, it is a lot more car for the money, and a class bigger. Not to sure about long-term reliability and resale value though. There aren't that many advertisements for used C4's, so I presume it isn't that popular of a car over there? There is a 2016 one for $12k, pretty tempting.

What does it mean when sellers state 'company source' in their advertisements? Does it mean the car has been sourced through official dealership in Lebanon (i.e. not a private import), or an ex-company vehicle?
If you decided to go with a Japanese manufacturer, why don you check Mitsubishi Lancer?
kareem_nasser wrote
If you decided to go with a Japanese manufacturer, why don you check Mitsubishi Lancer?
Yeah, good suggestion, will keep an eye out for any good Lancers that turn up
purpleradish wroteWhat does it mean when sellers state 'company source' in their advertisements? Does it mean the car has been sourced through official dealership in Lebanon (i.e. not a private import), or an ex-company vehicle?
Exactly, this car was not used in another country and imported to Lebanon, it was bought from BUMC the official Toyota dealer and only driven in Lebanon.
Aly wrote
purpleradish wroteWhat does it mean when sellers state 'company source' in their advertisements? Does it mean the car has been sourced through official dealership in Lebanon (i.e. not a private import), or an ex-company vehicle?
Exactly, this car was not used in another country and imported to Lebanon, it was bought from BUMC the official Toyota dealer and only driven in Lebanon.
which means that it probably wasn't totaled and imported as spare parts here then rebuild. it could however have been totaled locally and repaired, because F logic.

Also, someone mentioned buying second hand from official dealerships, which in my opinion is B.S as i have been firsthand victim of a car that developed major issues 2 weeks after being bought from the official dealership, and who refused to do a single shit about it. it ended up costing me 3K + in repairs

your best bet is to find a good mechanic, i'm sure geeks here could recommend one, and take him with you whenever you are seriously considering a car, or take the car to him, also don't be cheap and pay him for his service, and absolutely do not go to a mechanic recommended by the seller.

Also, learn the basics on youtube on how to recognise a car that had major repairs.
purpleradish wrote The C4 by comparison appears to be better value, it is a lot more car for the money, and a class bigger. Not to sure about long-term reliability and resale value though. There aren't that many advertisements for used C4's, so I presume it isn't that popular of a car over there? There is a 2016 one for $12k, pretty tempting.
I drive a 10 year old C4.

Amazingly the 4 speed auto gearbox has held up so far. Outside of the gearbox being abnormally sluggish, it has only caused minor occasional trouble, as expected considering the age.

But it does show signs of wanting to fall apart and disintegrate.
Some plastic parts are brittle. I had a surprize the other day, big chunks of rubber started falling off the gearbox knob. Hot conditions in Lebanon do that. It is a French car (France being mostly a cool and flat country) and mostly made of cheap plastic.

Some say they made progress. Anyway I believe that for up to 5 years of age and even more you should be OK. If you pick a good engine/gearbox combo, it is quite enjoyable.
However the resale value will not be terrific I am sure.
Get a japanese cheap car..a honda..a hyundai..anhfhi5with cheap parts and simple mechanics
A 4 cylinders with good mileage
BMWs are for drivers, not for people who want to get around. Owning a BMW is expensive because they’re not very reliable. If you don’t care about driving experience it isn’t for you
Never buy a used German car if you're not willing to pay for its maintenance. I cringe every time I see a Merc, BMW or Audi that has an SRS, Check Engine light, etc..on the dashboard and the owner just doesn't want to pay the required amount to get it back to snuff.

I still own an E-Class from 1997 which was bought new and has been maintained at Gargour all its life, there's nothing that beats a well maintained car. Take care of the car and it will take care of you. Mercs are pretty much bulletproof in the drive train, it's all the electronics that make those car unreliable. BMWs have had engine and transmission issues ever since the early 2000s and the excessive use of plastics in critical areas in the engine bay as well as their trashy ZF transmissions.

You want rock-solid reliability go Japanese, especially Toyota & Honda.
Get a Toyota and an old Nokia phone.
rolf wroteGet a Toyota and an old Nokia phone.
Rule 11. Immortality discussions are not allowed.
I had a ton of old nokia phones including the 3310. The battery used to last at least 10 days. The only issue I had with it was the small call log size.
The last nokia phone I had was the C3 before I jumped ships to android phones.
They still make them! I have a new Nokia 105, I bought it a year ago to put my other SIM in it and see if anyone thinks about me (apparently quite a few telemarketers do).

Yes the call log is a problem I have noticed. Old calls just disappear - I guess the call log is allocated 32 bytes or something like that!

A battery charge lasts 5 days. It does not cost you $300 to repair every time it slips from your hand.

I would use Nokia as a main phone and forget about Android - but I would miss a few things:
- Whatsapp
- Maps
- Playing chess or games at home (I don't do it much outside home)

That's all, really.

Sorry I broke rule 11 again!
Just to be clear, what is your budget? And how long will you be staying in Lebanon?