I've been asked what kinds of car have I seen here. It's an interesting question, I suppose, because we tend to wonder what it's like in other places besides our home town. Fortunately, I've made some mental notes and should be able to give a good answer based on my keen observational skills.
In short: Y'all, they've got almost everything here!!
From the most basic to the biggest, it's here someplace. There are VW Beetles, Cooper Minis, and Fiat 500s. There are Humvees, Cadilac Escalades, and Ford Excursions.
From the simplest to the most exotic, that's here too. There are little tiny cars from Europe that I don't even know the make - 4 seats, standard gearbox, and a speedometer and fuel gauge is about the extent of the equipment. At the other end are supercars - I've seen the white Audi sport coupe from Iron Man. This little beautiful McLaren graced the parking lot for a month or so - I've seen it on the road once or twice elsewhere. What a pretty car.
Ferrari, Bentley, Jaguar, Corvette - they're here. Some of the folks who've been in this business a long time have saved up some dough, and don't mind spending it on nice wheels.
On the more mundane side, there are loads of SUVs of all sizes and shapes, even my favorite - the Mitsubishi Pajero, which is the European name for the Montero. They stopped selling this terrific car in the US in 2006 and I never learned why, but it is still sold abroad. Wish I could get one here and take it home!
There are lots of BIG sedans here. I must guess that the most common is the Ford Crown Victoria - Aramco has a big fleet of these. In addition to Chevy Impalas and Ford and Chevy SUVs. The Crown Vic is also a favorite for limo services.
But there are loads of smaller cars here too, with brands from around the world - Volvo, MG, Subaru, Toyota, Peugot, Honda. All the cars here are left hand drive, although speedometers are in Kilometers per hour. It is a crazy place to drive. Saudi drivers are well known to be the most unsafe in the world, and sadly that reputation is well-earned. Not all the cars here are new, either. There are lots of beaters that look and sound like they're on their last legs and should've been recycled a long time ago. But they can still be kept running, and just like at home not everyone can buy a new car every year.
Toyota is very popular here, with models from their tiniest to their fanciest. The new Dodge Challenger and Chevy Camaro are very popular with the younger guys - can't imagine why, unless it's the same stuff that we enjoyed when the originals came out - great styling, great engines!
I'll mention that conditions here are extremely dry and dusty most of the year. There is quite a cadre of intrepid young men who work the huge parking lots, armed with buckets, soap, rags, and 5 gallon jugs of water. They work the lots all day washing cars for the equivalent of about $4 each. No hoses, no wasted water, and these cars are kept spotless! Quite a little underground business.
In November there was a car and motorcycle show on camp, and I went down and got a few shots. Here are a few of the collectible vehicles shown that day! I'm not certain on the years for these guys:
1949 Cadilac
1960 VW Beetle
1964 Chevy Impala
1960s Cooper Mini
1967 Chevy Camaro
In short: Y'all, they've got almost everything here!!
From the most basic to the biggest, it's here someplace. There are VW Beetles, Cooper Minis, and Fiat 500s. There are Humvees, Cadilac Escalades, and Ford Excursions.
From the simplest to the most exotic, that's here too. There are little tiny cars from Europe that I don't even know the make - 4 seats, standard gearbox, and a speedometer and fuel gauge is about the extent of the equipment. At the other end are supercars - I've seen the white Audi sport coupe from Iron Man. This little beautiful McLaren graced the parking lot for a month or so - I've seen it on the road once or twice elsewhere. What a pretty car.
Ferrari, Bentley, Jaguar, Corvette - they're here. Some of the folks who've been in this business a long time have saved up some dough, and don't mind spending it on nice wheels.
On the more mundane side, there are loads of SUVs of all sizes and shapes, even my favorite - the Mitsubishi Pajero, which is the European name for the Montero. They stopped selling this terrific car in the US in 2006 and I never learned why, but it is still sold abroad. Wish I could get one here and take it home!
There are lots of BIG sedans here. I must guess that the most common is the Ford Crown Victoria - Aramco has a big fleet of these. In addition to Chevy Impalas and Ford and Chevy SUVs. The Crown Vic is also a favorite for limo services.
But there are loads of smaller cars here too, with brands from around the world - Volvo, MG, Subaru, Toyota, Peugot, Honda. All the cars here are left hand drive, although speedometers are in Kilometers per hour. It is a crazy place to drive. Saudi drivers are well known to be the most unsafe in the world, and sadly that reputation is well-earned. Not all the cars here are new, either. There are lots of beaters that look and sound like they're on their last legs and should've been recycled a long time ago. But they can still be kept running, and just like at home not everyone can buy a new car every year.
Toyota is very popular here, with models from their tiniest to their fanciest. The new Dodge Challenger and Chevy Camaro are very popular with the younger guys - can't imagine why, unless it's the same stuff that we enjoyed when the originals came out - great styling, great engines!
I'll mention that conditions here are extremely dry and dusty most of the year. There is quite a cadre of intrepid young men who work the huge parking lots, armed with buckets, soap, rags, and 5 gallon jugs of water. They work the lots all day washing cars for the equivalent of about $4 each. No hoses, no wasted water, and these cars are kept spotless! Quite a little underground business.
In November there was a car and motorcycle show on camp, and I went down and got a few shots. Here are a few of the collectible vehicles shown that day! I'm not certain on the years for these guys:
1949 Cadilac
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