Real Estate / Inheritance of apartment in Warsaw [9]


Yea, I sure can. You and your husband didnt give a damn about any of your family until they were long and dead, only to find out about a week ago that granny's apartment/house is worth some serious cash and now it's time to go rushing in and grab everything in sight.

So follow Harry's advice, go to a Polish lawyer, let him promise you immediate action and a swift decision in your favor, have a lot of papers pushed back and forth for years and then lose on a technicality.

Work / Finding work in Warsaw / Poland as an English private tutor [63]


I have a huge favor to ask you. Could you post in this forum when you return to England? I'm making a list of how long "native speakers" stay in Poland.

Life / Let`s compare prices of services and products in Poland [359]


Why would I live in a city like that? Im not retarded. When I want it cold I go to the mountains. What does that have to do with tires? If you want to get personal, then for me its evident you drive like my grandmother and things like curves and turns don't exist in Canada. :) Look, a smiley face.

Btw, did you hear about that other giant conspiracy, the one with vaccinations?!? Those pharmaceutical craporations seriously thing we're going to dish out money on shots on things like tuberculosis... puhleeezzz. Who ever gets tuberculous?

Law / Clocking cars and importation to Poland [47]

Due to a lack of bike paths, inconsiderate drivers and pedestrians, overall road rage, and poor bike infrastructure, I wouldnt count on it. If you want to live longer, dont live in Poland.

Life / Let`s compare prices of services and products in Poland [359]


Wow, you nailed it. Thats me. I also overtake on double lines, speed twice the limit, ride 5 cm behind your bumper and park in handicapped spots! Best of all, I have a shaved head and drive a BMW. I am the pirat drogowy.


Because people are cheap? Clueless? Most people stay home when it snows? Or if they drive its how fast, 10mph? Maybe its cause Canada like the US have huge plowing/salting infrastructures aimed at clearings roads within minutes of snow fall? How the hell would I know what you Canadians do or don't do. You live there, you figure it out. Winter tires use different rubber compounds that are softer in colder temperature, offering more grip, while a bunch of design parameters allow them to actually steer and drive on snow. Yup, for me that sounds like a giant conspiracy by tire manufactures to steal our money.


Why would you. Tires are the one and only thing that keep you on the road in all sorts of adverse weather conditions and speeds for tens of thousands of miles. If theres one thing you can skimp on and cut costs, it's definitely tires. Now a sound system, or tanking premium when your car only needs regular, thats where I'd blow my money. Dont forget to take out your ABS system.

Life / Let`s compare prices of services and products in Poland [359]


Hey, grow some skin. Just because Im direct and confrontational and sarcastic doesnt make me an *******. But then agaiin, I dont know what Im doing talking to someone who has 6000 posts on an internet forum. ZING

Law / Clocking cars and importation to Poland [47]

If hes going to do it like then of course thats the most logical thing to do. Btw, mom is that you? She always calls me an idiot.


When you drove this UK plated car in Poland, did you live in Poland and have zameldowanie?

Life / Let`s compare prices of services and products in Poland [359]


Have you ever even used a dedicated summer or winter tire? Do you even know why you should use a winter tire? Here's a clue, it's not only for snow.


Welp, that's all the proof I need. I'm going to take out my ABS system tomorrow, cause I never use it. And why do I even buy insurance? Silly me.

Law / Clocking cars and importation to Poland [47]


Wow what a great idea. Obtain residency in Holland, buy and register your car there, pay Dutch insurance rates, find a job and work there for a whole year, then pack your bags and head off the Poland. Sure, you still have to pay all the other fees, but you just saved 3.8%!!!! (because who are we kidding, Marcus is probably going to buy something with a <2.0L engine).

Oh yea, being one step ahead here, here are the next three posts thatll appear in this thread.

Wroclaw Boy: "But pantsless LOL, you like big idiot :-) ;-) <3 you dont actually have like like and like work in Holland ROTFL FTW"

Pantsless: So let's forget the serious coin you drop on Dutch insurance (4-6x more expensive than in Poland). How do you plan on documenting your stay in stay in Holland for 12 uninterrupted consecutive months in the form of pay stubs, tax statements?

Wroclaw Boy: I have to go over here now, and like post something.


For all I care the entire "industry" can rot in hell.

Life / Let`s compare prices of services and products in Poland [359]

What??? Harry, this may come as a shock, but you live in Poland. Its your obligation to squeeze everyone dry of every last grosz, then follow up with ripping other people off, complaining, kombinowanie, some lying, a bit of cheating, park badly, and dont forget to take your dog out and let him defecate on every squareinch of sidewalk.

Law / Clocking cars and importation to Poland [47]


Akcyza is excise duty, not customs duty. Any EU country can enforce excise duty. Ah ha, well actually, it turns out if the car's inspection is still valid for more than a year (like in Germany, inspection is every two years) then you dont need one. But not every urzad accepts this. Better get it and avoid any headaches, and who cares, its a complete farce anyway. I will say that the recycling fee is outright theft.


WTF? For a first timer, its headache of epic proportions and unnecessarily complicated, convoluted and there is not a single website on the net, public of private, that guides someone through it from A to Z, and if there is, it is outdated, missing key details or simply gives incorrect information. And forget getting a clear answer from an urzednik. I know, because Ive done it already four times. How many times have you imported a car from the EU into Poland???

edit: Oh I see, your issue is with the nomenclature. Thats so Polish.

Life / Let`s compare prices of services and products in Poland [359]

Oh, in that sense. After a while I learned when negotiating a price to always ask whether nett or gross. If he says gross and you'd like to pay net and in cash, you could not only knock off VAT but even tell him to take another 19% off.since theres no podatek dochodowy.

Life / Let`s compare prices of services and products in Poland [359]


Hahahahahahahahahahaha. Hook line and sinker.


What does that mean, pay "extra"?

Law / Clocking cars and importation to Poland [47]

You pay 2% tax when buying a car in PL.

Importing a car:
Get the car to Poland
First up is an inspection, pierwszy badanie techniczne w kraju - 98zl
Notarized translation of the car's document (title and registration), from 100-180zl
Duty - akczya: 3.8% of the car's value if the engine is under 2.0l, 18.6% if over
Then you need a piece of paper (VAT25) that states you do not owe VAT - 160zl
My favorite: the 500zl "recycling fee"
Finally you register the bastard, about 270zl
Then you buy insurance

Edit: there is alot of paprwork you need to amass, plus filling out the correct forms, knowing what you should write down, what you shouldnt, and a lot of snags that can drive you insane. all in all, not rushing, it takes me about 2-3 weeks to register a car.

bTW, I'd still recommend doing it. It raises the odds of you not getting burned. Just never buy from a Turk in DE or NL. There are some honest sellers in Poland, its not like all the cars are crap, but maintenance wise its pretty iffy. Regular oil changes are rare. Paperwork, receipts and a service history even more so.

On the other hand, selling a car is also a nightmare, Im selling my Golf right now and its gotten so bad that Ive started to hate Poles. Most buyers do not fathom the concept that cars actually cost money, and if they do, then it has to be half of what your asking. "Why so much, half of the Golfs on Allegro are half your price, and they look so shiny and have more options and only 100000km!". These people literally want to be cheated.

Life / Let`s compare prices of services and products in Poland [359]


Because I was an idiot and didnt know the ABCs of driving with a turbo. After driving at highway speeds or very sprited driving always wait before before switching off your engine, I heard from 20 seconds to one minute. You should do this even if you dont have a turbo. Anyway, if the engine is hot hot hot and turned off, the turbo literally cooks itself since you killed any oil circulation. Do it a few times and bye bye turbo.

Turbos are great great devices if you want power without killing fuel efficiency. The push for turboing most cars today imho is a good decision. I honestly prefer superchargers, but parasitic drag is a major issue.


This is a tricky issue. Technically, there is no law saying you must use winter tires. And the police can't give you a ticket for it. But from what I heard is that if the police do stop you, expect them to measure your tread depth and check if its more than 1.6 mm.

Life / Let`s compare prices of services and products in Poland [359]

I have no problem with paying top dollar for good service. The problem is, as you should know, paying a high price rarely equates good quality or service, in Poland, and anywhere pretty much.

Ripped off, let's see. This was when I was still clueless with cars but drove a lot, like 30-40k a year. Went in to one place to get my rotors and pads changed. Got the quote with parts, they were expensive but I said ok as they were quick and professional (-sounding). Six months later the brake check light came on, why? My pads were almost gone, turns out they didnt do anything. The next garage that did replace them accidently snipped my brake pad sensor cable and didnt tell me about it.

Next. Went to get a turbo problem sorted out. The guy said it needed to be overhauled. 600zl. Drove the car for a month until my turbo blew up (that was my fault). When we took the turbo out nothing was replaced, no sign of him even taking it out. Turns he just hooked it up the computer, fiddled with the air/fuel mixture and thats it.

My cousin went to one garage to check why her ABS light was on. They reamed her good. First it was all the ABS sensors. Nope. Then the computer. Nope. Then they changed the ABS pump. Nope. Then the god damn brake lines. Nope. I thin they even changed her wheel bearings. I think she dropped 3-4k. Light is still on. She went to another mechanic, I dont remember what it was but it cost 50zl.

Ive been to over 30 mechanics in Wroclaw. Almost every single one is a liar or cheat or slips up somehow with some major issue. I got so pissed off that I bought a set of tools and jack and started learning how to do things myself and finally met two mechanics through friends of friends. Now Im a happy camper.


No, you really need real winter tires in Poland and in Europe cause uh... people drive when it snows. In the US, everyone stays home. And in some EU countries its the law punishable by a really hefty fine. And idiots who think 4 wheel drive and all seasons give them an excuse to fly when its snowing or icy... enjoy your accident.

Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]


Because that's really the only ad board in Biskupin. The second area is around the second tram stop, a lot of adverts are put up next to the post office and the nearby Spolem. Also the majority of folk that live here are elderly, so the internet is unheard of and any real estate agent is looked on with suspicion.

Life / Let`s compare prices of services and products in Poland [359]


A late reply, but a reply nonetheless.

I got ripped off a few times. Everyone I know has gotten ripped off at the mechanics. Of course you find out well after the fact. If you haven't, your either living in denial or very very very lucky. I said f this and bought a bunch of tools and started fixing things myself now.

Law / Best inexpensive new car? [23]


Whys that? I used to hate French cars but the newest offerings by Citroen, Renault and Peugeot are not bad at all, if we're talking about Citroen (and I have the most experience with them) the new C3 surprised me (although Kia and Hyundai hands down beat it in terms of options, service, warranty), and the C5 was wow with that special suspension and 2.0L diesel. Im going out on a liimb here but I'd recommend them over anything any German or Japanese manufacturer is putting out in this price range.

Law / Best inexpensive new car? [23]


Not quite. Buying a new car for 30k is an f'ing joke. You're just not in on it. What are you, 17? Yo yo yo, wujek zbigniew gonna hooks me up with mad tyte wheels yo

50k minimum for a new car, and then I'd recommend a Citroen C3, Kia Ceed or Hyundai i30, they go for around 60k+ but you might be able to find one that got damaged while in transit. If you dont plan on keeping it for a long time then also look at former test drive cars.

News / Gangland-style shooting in Wrocław? [12]


No. There was a shooting a few years ago. Who cares.

The media is hyping the event as the start of some gangland turf war. It's not. It's a bunch of pumped up wannaba gangsters.

USA, Canada / Cheap Shipping to Poland from the US? [5]

There are dozens of Polish-American companies that ship from the US to PL. The cheapest is by sea, should run you about $50, but it's slow, about 3-6 weeks. Air freight takes up to a week or two, but's its twice as expensive.

Life / I met Polish girl, she is 15. Moving to Poland to start new life - is it a safe place? [30]


Very very friendly. You'll get to experience a very common Polish greeting almost every waking hour of your life, called the "wpierdol".

Life / Learning Driving In Poland - rules? [55]

Have you ever driven in Europe? Because the signs are almost identical.

A driving school will teach you exactly how you shouldn't drive in Poland.

Use the search feature and read this thread: Driving in Poland, are there any rules at all?

Work / Average wage in Poland (towns / cities) [23]

In small cities? Umm, no.

Wednesday is correct, 1200-1500zl net per month as a "normal" salary.

Real Estate / Cousin stole my dads home in Poland... [49]

oh no, he's already busy moving into granny's house

Real Estate / Cousin stole my dads home in Poland... [49]



my saying has always been that true altruism requires a healthy dose of selfishness. take it as you will

Real Estate / Cousin stole my dads home in Poland... [49]


Yea ha, yo Im's a Polak like you's dog, let me join on up these internet forums and DEMAND that people spend their time in helping me out with my massive legal problems, then berate them for not being licensed practitioners in law, real estate and medicine and give me free advice while providing a bibliographic reference for everything they say.. Oh, forgive the fact that me and family were all f you granny, you and your Polak smelly bigos and cabbage (yo, but I visited my grandma' every year when I was like 10-15 years old yo yo, but thens I said granny too old for me, Poland old and not funky). But nows we learned in de Canada that Poland is expensive and that ol' granny's apartment be worth MAD money. Yo yo! We idiots for shttin on ol grannys, know we gonna fight about her apartment even thought its been twemy years and so, so me and my kids and they kids can all like live in Poland and sht. I dont have to work for life dog.

Look konman or conman or whatever, I've heard you're sob story a dozen times before from second and third generation Poles who suddenly had a few brain cells turn over when they found out property is now worth a ton of money in Poland and that grandma and grandpa and cousin Zbyszek all have apartments in the Krakow's Rynek, only to find out someone decades before them got their hands on it since uh, they were like next to these people when they were dying (hey, but you ASKED cousin Tomek to help her move to that old folks home man, ain't that worth a few cool million?). The answer is real easy, you have no chance in hell at getting anything. None zero. You are literally the twentieth second-gen or third-gen Pole I've met that has had the same exact story, "woe is me we were supposed to get this huge house in a will but someone taking care of her like conned ol' granny into signing it over to him/her".

Life / Free Poland Health Care - Paying minimal to no Zus [105]


Surprisingly, similarly to what's in other Western countries, rich Poles have also adopted a similar kind of "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" mentality in ignoring the abject poverty most Poles live in. Because it's oh so easy to become rich and successful.

Language / Where is that "something" that makes others think you are really good in language [141]


depends on what English (standard BrE or AmE or any other national variety) and what style manual or even in-house standard is used