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I'm coming to live the dream next week. . .

Last activity 26 July 2010 by Biggy

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Cliffy

Hello,
I will be arriving on the 26th July to start work on the 27th july. My wife and child will be joining me in September. She will need a car, has anybody got any tips on the best way to go about getting a car. Is it better to buy one or rent one on a long lease ? We will be living in Flic en Flac.
Cliffy.

Mariam A

Hi,

Renting a car is like throwing money down the drain especially if you are planning to stay for longer than a year. Check out the local newspaper, L'Express for car ads, they have a primitive website too but with no images. Nissan march are the most popular cars in Mauritius, followed by Toyota. Their spare parts are readily available and are sourced easily. Just keep calling the contact details that are listed in L'Express maybe with the help of somebody who speaks Creol. Another way is to check out the local car dealers, just make sure that you get detailed breakdown of the service they are providing and guarantee in writing. Always bring a trusted mechanic with you to inspect the car whether it is a private sale or a dealer sale.

Mariam

terence

Hey Cliffy,
welcome to Mauritius and hope you see you soon.
Cheers!!!
Terence

fred1205

Hi Cliffy,

Like Mariam said, if you're planning to stay for a long time, it's best to buy a car than rent one. There are plenty of dealers these days in Mauritius; you have some 2nd hand car dealers as well as recon- car dealers....The majority of recon-cars usually comes from Singapore and Japan, but be sure to do a thorough check if you decide on this type of car...like the saying goes, "never judge a book by it's cover"!

By the way, are you bringing lots of things with you? I know a good freight forwarder in London who specialises for Mauritius. He's been doing it for over 20 years!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy your stay in Mauritius!

Take care!
Fred

Cliffy

Hello Fred,
thanks for that, yes I would like the contact details of your shipper please.

regards

Paul.

fred1205

Hi Cliffy,

Contact IMPEX FREIGHT SERVICES

Tel: 0208 882 8151, ask for David or Mehjabeen,

I hope this helps.

Take care!
Fred

Biggy

Hi Cliffy,

We moved to Mauritius in mid-december from London and shipped stuff from there too. If you need, I'll dig out the name of the company we used and details.

By the way, its definitely best to buy a car instead of renting. We bought one for me to use from a good car dealer. If you need details, let me know.

Cliffy

Hi Biggy,
yes please if you have the name of a good dealer I'd appreciate that as the car will be for my wife who will use it to take my daughter to school. So I dont want an old rust bucket. . .!!

Cliffy.

musheer

Hi Cliffy,

Welcome to Paradise :),. Am sure you will have a good time.
With regards to buying a car i agree with the others that its best to buy rather than rent out long term. You may consider renting one out for the first month while you get used to the Country, and then buy one.
Though Dealers are a good option, it saves you the hassle of searching, doing a little search on your own to find sellers works out better and cheaper. I was also looking for a car wen i came, and was initially looking through dealers, but eventually got around buying one directly from a local after searching online ad n newspapers( most newspapers are in French, but you've online versions which the browser can translate for you, thats wat i did :D) Dealer's tend to have their cut, and push their older inventory through. Also, once they know you are an Expat, there is very limited scope for negotiation. Whereas, with the locals, there is more chance of the same, and if you get your car checked from a mechanic b4 buying, it should all be good.
Hope this helps
Catch ya once you are here!!

Cheers!!
Musheer

Biggy

Hi Cliffy,

The car dealership we got our ride from is called Espace Auto and its at Phoenix where Jumbo supermarket is. The contact you should speak to is Azad. The telephone number is 698 1919. Just mention Bighi referred you :) Let me know how you get on

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