Driving in Brunei and buying a car

Brunei drives on the left, has right hand drive cars and with a relatively small population (around 500K) is much quieter on the roads than UK.  The majority of the roads are a high standard and the law is almost identical to the UK.  Speeds and distances are in the Metric system and petrol/diesel is extremely cheap (around 15p a litre).

Cars are expensive to buy as there is a significant import tax which means that second hand cars tend to hold their value very well.  A low mileage 5 year old petrol family car, like a nissan or a toyota will cost around B$10 to B$15K (£1 is roughly $2). 

Insurance is cheap and there is no annual road tax.

Standards of driving vary but can be truly awful.  Like UK, people speed everywhere, talk constantly on their mobiles, text while driving and most dangerous of all, tailgate badly.  Red traffic lights are routinely ignored and while they have a large police force, they are almost entirely ineffective when it comes to enforcing the traffic laws.

Hi
Driving in Brunei can be a nightmare - not because of traffic, but because people generally do not observe the rules/laws. You need to watch all directions at once, because someone is just as likely to enter a roundabout from the wrong lane as turn infront of you to exit from the inside lane.
Speed is another hazard. And while 4x4's etc will race along at well over 140km, there is just as likely to be a car doing 80 in the fast lane.
Take note what xcaliba says too.
Defensive driving is the answer, but beware, you have been warned!

Just a note : There is a road tax of about $34 per annum for a passenger car (Toyota Vios). i bought a 4yr old model for $12000.

Good luck.

Is it practical to plan to have someone drive me around in brunei? I don't drive and after reading the above posts, don't want to learn and be exposed to dangerous situations as a new driver. BUT the jobs I am applying for require that I purchase a car on arrival. My expected incoem is fairly low ( around 4,000 Brunei dollars a month) so I am not sure whether having a driver is a luxury I can afford. I suppose I could exchange the use of my car for driving duties. Any thoughts? Am I correct in understanding that public transport is almost non existent and taxis difficult to find?
thanks

Hi
$BN 4000 is not a low salary, you can live very well on it - IF you do not have to pay for housing! Housing is expensive and starts at $1500/month in BSB but is a lot higher in the KB surrounds.

You could advertise for a driver but I think it best that you get a car and drive yourself. Surely if the jobs require it you do not have much choice?

Hi,
   I am travelling for the first time to Brunei this Sunday from KL. I will be renting a car there. Do you know if the Garmin GPS from Malaysia works in Brunei ? Is it easy to drive without a GPS in Brunei ?

Thanks,
Priyank

Not sure if the GPS works here as I have never needed it.
I somehow doubt it though, because even the maps that are available are out of date.
If you check Google Maps and Google Earth you will see how inacurate the information is.
Good luck.

never buy a 2nd landrover or 2nd jaguar in brunei no matter how beautifully presented! the mechanics will love u very much!
there are grave yards of them still relatively looking in good condition,

u can get very good deals for them but the locals are too smart to buy one unless they are patriots.

parts are available through agents here but they over price it,u must source your own parts to minimise the costs of repair,genuine parts are another issue
as for new merc&bmw's they are monopolised by monarchy family which means they wont entertain u that well if u make complaints for after sales services!electronics on the new german cars play up alot in Brunei with high humidity&the very bumpy roads here.
forget about peugeot cars,they never seem to leave the workshop.
as for Ford the cars are mostly put together in asia and have constantly suffered from reliability issues & after sales service is sad,i'm one of many with sad stories with my new ford.
my advice is to buy a car made in japan!my vitara just keeps going & going as if its still new after 3 yrs of bumpy roads.poor quality fuels in brunei(the fuels petrol&esp diesel is low grade in brunei!)there is a reason Merc here doesnt sell diesel saloons!
ok u still wanna buy a car,to get a loan as a foriegner u need a guarantor.

there is another car auction coming up from the Brunei govt,this time higher grade cars,car yard behind foreigners Executive housing in Rimba.check it out, u may grab an ex royal sports car.

buy is better than rent, because the rental rate is quite high