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Buying a car from Poland - any site where you can check history of a car?


thebadmonkey  2 | 71  
25 Feb 2012 /  #1
Quick question, is there any site where you can check history of a car ie if stolen, previously crashed etc etc

Similar to motorcheck.ie - appreciate this may be more difficult in PL as unlike Ireland registration plates are not static and change upon ownership

Cheers
pantsless  1 | 266  
25 Feb 2012 /  #2
You can go to the police station (komisariat policji) or erp.pl
hanseat  1 | 7  
9 Mar 2012 /  #3
Either not unimportant:
a car can be confiscated by a bailiff.It can be possible, that not even the owner/seller is knowing something about (or he don't bothers if he is a fraud)

In this case you will get a nice surprice at the registration office :-)
cardenas  - | 3  
31 Jan 2016 /  #4
Merged: used car details

Hello,

i live in Athens,Greece and am going to buy a car that is imported in Athens from Poland.
i would like to ask if there is a polish website where i could enter the car's VIN and/or plate number
in order to find the real details of the car. i am interested mostly for the kilometers.
In greece it is very common for the car dealers to decrease the imported car's real KMs thats why i am asking.

thank you for the help
Dougpol1  29 | 2497  
31 Jan 2016 /  #5
going to buy a car that is imported in Athens from Poland

Now THAT is a very bad idea. Why do you think us living here buy second hand from Germany? Because you get much more car for your money and their suspension etc hasn't been damaged on Polish roads, that's why.
cardenas  - | 3  
31 Jan 2016 /  #6
ouaou!!! i did not know that. i was once in Cracovia one year ago but i did not notice that. so you suggest to avoid that buy?
polishinvestor  1 | 341  
31 Jan 2016 /  #7
All yearly MOT (preglad techniczny) now has mileage inserted so if you know someone in Poland that is friendly with the local stacja diagnostyczna, they will be able to provide you with old mot data and thus mileage. Alternatively get the VIN number from the buyer and go to a main dealer who will be able to access service history for the vehicle. You can probably use a main dealer in Athens to do that. Generally cars are serviced for the first 2 or 3 years while there is still a manufacturers guarantee, so you will have an idea of the mielage work done over that time, even if the service history stops then. Also if buying a diesel, expect it to have heavy mileage if buying in Poland. Most cars have 150-200k on the clock but will have done at least twice that. Often cars get imported from Germany with 300-400k on the clock but you will struggle to find a car on a Polish website with anywhere near that. Here in Poland clocking is rife and stitching up writeoffs and putting them back on the road is just as big a problem. Do your homework and if the price is low then expect problems as in Poland nobody will sell a good car on the cheap.
cardenas  - | 3  
31 Jan 2016 /  #8
the car is a toyota auris diesel 2011 with 75000 on the clock... you think is ok?
polishinvestor  1 | 341  
31 Jan 2016 /  #9
From that information of course I can have no idea. Check the VIN as I suggested. If car has been purchased originally from a Polish main dealer, it is going to 3 years service history, so for a good deal of its life if its an 11 model. 75k isnt much for a diesel thats 4 or 5 years old but its a smaller car so its not beyond the realms of possibility. But check the VIN to be sure. If car has 50 or 60k after 2 years then its likely mileage will be false for example. Accident damage is another area you need to check. Theres been a huge increase in insurance fraud so a lot of cars have been earning money for their owners but the most important area is saefty and making sure the car is mechanically roadworthy. Looking right doesnt mean it is right. Take the car to a local garage or dealer and pay for someone to check the chassis over. You have to assume the worse and use evidence to prove to you that the car is legit.
kpc21  1 | 746  
1 Feb 2016 /  #10
There is such a service: historiapojazdu.gov.pl/strona-glowna

In greece it is very common for the car dealers to decrease the imported car's real KMs thats why i am asking.

In Poland it is also very common. Driving from Berlin towards PoznaƄ (and Warsaw), shortly after crossing the border, you can even see bilboards advertising such services... And the majority of cars in Poland came from Germany as second-hand.

Before buying a car imported from Poland, examine it really in detail.

Take the car to a local garage or dealer and pay for someone to check the chassis over.

But not to a garage recommended by the person who is selling that car.

Have the paint on the car checked to verify if the car didn't have any accident (so that it had to be repainted).
polishinvestor  1 | 341  
1 Feb 2016 /  #11
The chassis check is most important. Paintwork is welcome but not as important. A repainted car doesnt always mean accident damage (I have sprayed mine twice in the last 3 years) but it should warrant caution. Most Poles are very proud of their cars. Often they will treat their cars better than their wives ;) Quite often they will repaint their cars entirely or be forced to paint a panel or two if involved in one of the many car accidents that take place everyday. As far as safety is concerned, you want to check the car has not been technically written off. Quite often cars in Poland are welded together from 3 or more parts. Sometimes a jig is used to stretch out cars that would be deemed unroadworthy. MOTs get done without the car ever appearing at the inspection centre. Theres a saying in the industry that if a car has been imported to Poland from abroad it must have been badly damaged or clocked as otherwise it wont pay for anyone to bring it and sell it on.
Roger5  1 | 1432  
1 Feb 2016 /  #12
Theres a saying in the industry that if a car has been imported to Poland from abroad it must have been badly damaged or clocked as otherwise it wont pay for anyone to bring it and sell it on.

That was undoubtedly true before EU accession, but lots of people, including someone I know, make their living importing cars from Germany, Holland, etc. They aren't all damaged. In fact, some of them are top drawer motors.

I have sprayed mine twice in the last 3 years

I've been thinking of doing that. Expensive?
polishinvestor  1 | 341  
1 Feb 2016 /  #13
People in Germany dont sell solid cars with good history on the cheap. The stuff you see on autoscout or the courtyards run by Turks are for export only and often with dodgy history. Even before the zloty got weak, it was near impossible to privately import an untouched car for less money than a similar car in Poland. Most Poles look for lightly damaged cars, do them up and drive them or sell them on (I used to own an auto garage so I know the trends). There are exceptions where cars are bought direct from insurance companies in Germany, Holland etc and are imported to Poland, but one handler I know of that does this says these cars have new owners found for them before they leave Germany and never make it to otomoto or allegro since there are plenty of people with cash looking for top line motors. The weak zloty is certainly hurting business I expect.

I paid about 2 grand (zl) for a family sized hatchback (like a golf) last year, but that is po znajomosci. Almost no little filling, the odd small dint. Id expect youd have to pay about 3 grand to get it done in a shed somewhere or near 5 or 6 grand in one of the bigger cities in paint booth, as long as there was not much filling work to be done.
Roger5  1 | 1432  
1 Feb 2016 /  #14
3 grand to get it done in a shed somewhere

That's what I reckoned on. I'll have to think about it more. It's just that I feel my old x-type deserves British Racing Green.

otomoto or allegro

Ah, yes. Not good places to buy cars from.
Gicugicu  
10 Jul 2016 /  #15
Hi. I want to buy a car registered in Poland.
What documents I need to register this in other country in Europe (Spain). How can I check if this car it is stolen or it is in leasing.

Thank you!

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