Your Views: 'Nothing better than owning a car'

Reg Cucal, a Filipino expatriate, has had very bad experiences with rented cars.

He said: "I had no choice but to rent a car, since I did not own one till some time back. Every time I rented one, it would not be in a good condition. Even if I was leaving the country soon, I would still opt for buying a car and sell it before travelling."

Cucal is willing to go through the hassles of insurance and maintenance, if it means the car is entirely his.

He said: "Some people rent cars to avoid the registration process. However, I think it is extremely practical and only a step closer to owning your own car."

Abhilash Polassery, an Indian expatriate, agrees.

He said: "I would not feel comfortable driving a rented car. One can easily get financing for his or her car, which means paying monthly installments. That is as good as renting, but at the end of the day, the car is yours."

Even though Polassery talks about his car with pride, he believes that those who are not sure about their stay in Dubai should opt for a rented car.

He said: "Some people do not intent to stay long. In such cases, a rented car would be beneficial, as they would not have to worry about selling off their cars."

Mohammad Ebrahim, a Pakistani expatriate, believes that owning a car gives one a sense of pride.

He said: "There is nothing better than owning a car, instead of using somebody else's. It is a great feeling."

Ebrahim is confident that purchasing a car has many advantages as compared to renting one.

He said: "When buying a car, one can test drive it and make sure everything is fine. However, you can never be sure with a rented car. Recently, I rented one and on returning it was fined for a dent, which I am pretty sure was not my mistake."

While people debate between private and rented cars, there are others who refuse to use either.

Felix Melecio D. Sabiniano, a Filipino expatriate, is against the idea of driving a car every day.

He said: "There is so much traffic these days and I do not wish to add to it. I use public transport on a daily basis. There are at least 50 people in the bus. Can you imagine the state of the same road if all of us were driving individual cars?"

Sabiniano is not planning to buy a car in the near future, but if given a choice, he would prefer to rent one.

He said: "A rented car reduces the hassles of maintenance. All one has to do is pay the rent. If you buy a car on installments, you keep worrying about paying off the loan."