Buying a USED CAR in Poland, my personal experiences and TRAPS to avoid !!

Lived in Poland in the 90's and 00's etc. Seen thousands of crashed cars from Germany, Holland, France etc...at the boarders trailered in for repairs. Would not buy a used car in Poland (overpriced crashed damaged heaps)

However lots of ex-fleet cars now might make an attractive buy if you know the history. Better to go to Germany though. buyer beware

Satyanam or anyone

I am looking to buy a used car in PL and need help with the following:

Once I choose the car I want, how do I go about making sure its owned / registered legally by the selling party.

In other words, in the USA when one buys a used car, one gets a title of ownership (title for short) with the vehicle from the state it was registered in.(as in previous buyer signs it off to you as sold) This official document is proof of ownership. With this document you visit Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and register the car in your name, get a new set of plates that now tie the car to you and you are also issued a new title of ownership. You must also purchase insurance prior to registering the car (depending on the state)

How does all this work in PL? Meaning when I find the car I like/is mechanically sound I hand the person the money and then what?

Thanks to anyone that can help me out on this topic :)

Also is there a carfax type service in PL? (carfax.com) See a brief description of what carfax is if not aware of it

Thanks again all!

Pretty much the same system here, although if the car is insured, you can use the old insurance (as the car is registered, not the person) for..I think 30 days?

There's a document that should be filled in by the buyer - I don't recall the name, but it should contain all the details of the buyer and seller. You also want to make sure that you check their ID before handing over the cash.

Thanks!
So if the car is registered and not the person, do I simply get insurance? As in how do I register the cars plates to me or don't I at all?

Just got a car and the experience entire was not bad at all. Car is holding up well. No different than when I purchased vehicles in US. Use your common sense and if you don't know anything about cars, bring someone that does or take the car to a mechanic for a review. If seller refuses, walk and find a car where seller does not have a problem with a professional review . Happy shopping

bolshoi does not mean ballet but big, great

Merged:Buying a cheap car in Poland without getting screwed

I've only got two more years to spend here in Poznan and would like to get a decent but cheap car to help me get around for the remainder of my time - problem is that I don't know much about cars and neither do any of the other med students I go to school with.

I'm looking for suggestions on buying a car for under 10 000 Zł without getting screwed. Somebody suggested grabbing a Fiat from a dealership - any thoughts on that? I know a lot of people suggest going to Berlin but if I can avoid doing that I'd prefer it since I don't have a lot of free time.

Now that they are starting to renovate the major roundabouts in this city tram travel is no longer a good option so I'm wondering what people would suggest if they were in my position??

Go to Germany and get one there.

Stay well clear of driving in Poznan, things are an utter disaster at the minute and they're going to get a hell of a lot worse in a few weeks.

If you want to buy a car - the best bet is going to Germany. Cars here are just wrecks in general - for less than 10,000PLN, you won't get anything worthwhile.

I have heard Kia's are pretty mechanically decent cars and buying a used one is mostly pretty safe (most Kia's have 7 year guarantee since a good couple of years now) - one of my acquaintances bought a used Kia an was happy with it for the whole time we kept in touch (like 2001 - 2006) , old Mercedeses are said be to a good bet for a used car but they tend to have pretty big engines and I don't really know the price ranges for used Mercedeses - next thing to consider is just buying the cheapest thing that looks decent enough - (perhaps you can try the car for a couple of days - I think it is possible with actuall owners and perhaps with some middle men too) - it may well break down in a year's time but you can spend as little as 4000 PLN (or even less) on it

I have found this Kia for example tablica.pl/oferta/kia-sephia-16-16v-z-lpg-IDh2ZN.html - runs on LPG

or this one - this one looks quite fine to me - tablica.pl/oferta/kia-joice-2001-IDj1uw.html

please advise on websits to find a toyota hilux from poland
very desperate for a few of them. am in london 07538199244

mikeyxr2@hotmail

I know next to nothing about cars so a few years ago I paid my regular mechanic 200PLN to go with me to a buy a car. He saw things I would never have spotted. He managed to get the price down and so I gave him half the difference. Everyone was happy.

Could start with a bit of self education, don't deny that there are a lot of cut and paste cars on the market, but you don't need a science degree to work out which ones they are, if you can't well there probably OK, you pay for what you get, a lot of people buy cars for say 5000zl at places like komis and then cry foul when they find out the car is a dud. A lot of car yards are under licence and need to comply with the customer service charter of the company they represent. I wouldn't expect too much when buying a cheap car, like real estate there a no bargains when buying a good motor car.

I've been living in Poland for many years, and my advice would be, why spend 4,000zl on a piece of ****?
Buy British, British is best! you get a lot more for your money, and you know the MOT is a lot stricter in the UK than it is in Poland.

Don't listen to the squares who whine about not registering it in Poland, I mean, why bother registering it in Poland?
It's your choice if you want an easy life or a hard life. If you get a Polish registered car, you will get the problems that come with it.

speeding, parking, fines etc.

Take my advice, British is Best!

With the slight problem that you can't register it in Poland and thus need to drive back to the UK every year for the MOT. You've also got to pay much higher insurance costs, you can't let just anyone borrow your car and you've also got the huge disadvantage of having the wheel on the wrong side in a country where visibility is everything due to insane drivers.


It's not so clear cut as that - and anyway, British plates are a nice juicy target for being caught for minor driving offences.

British cars are great value, that much is undeniable - but are you really surprised that no-one wants to take a RHD car off you in Poland when it's only fit for parts?

Sorry, but if you want to buy a foreign car in Poland, Germany is just there and far less hassle to buy from.

I drive old cars, it's my hobby, but even then it's not easy to get proper, legitimate components.

I'm on the lookout for a replacement engine, and I want to do everything by the book; buy an engine WITH the paperwork, get the change registered with the authorities, inform my insurance company

I put offers on every club page for that brand of car in Poland, and I contacted every engine seller on Allegro. "Do you have the documents for this engine so that I can register it?"

Unsurprisingly, the unanimous reply (nine so far, and counting) was "um, well, no, I don't, but what do you need them for anyway? Why do the authorities need to know?"

Not that the black economy is flourishing here and distorting the official figures, or anything.

Lesson should have been learned before, the same happened again. We were looking for a car for my girlfriend, we went to check the car around 80 km. She was so excited to buy it, we took it for a check- not detailed-but like suspension, brakes and so on- it looked okay. We also took a test drive and everything seemed well.

It is the first owner and he said there is just local painting on the back and etc. Then we gave them an amount to keep the car so we were gonna buy it tomorrow. Today it came to our mind that we should have checked it more detailed- I went back to that city and took it to the brand's service department and oh my god-whole body got painted apart from the top-leaks with turbo and oil pipes-chassis is damaged-probably it had a big accident . It was big shock!

And the so called "family guy"- the thief, who was saying the car was tiptop, refused to give the money back that we gave him as advance.

I was thinking it was mostly happening in Turkey, but the same happened here in Poland, I am really so angry, I could hardly stop myself hitting him.

Be extra careful when you buy a car and do not trust even to your father!

There are A LOT of threads here istannbullu. Never, EVER buy a used car here for under 30,000 - meaning - roads are poor - cars are damaged - it's a sellers' market - which is a joke. Poles are absolutely not to be trusted on this subject, as their post-communist economy was built on buy cheap, sell for inflated prices (buying from them is their worst character, maybe their really only one).

Buy used cars in Germany/Holland/Belgium.

Over and out.

PS Go back mob-handed and offer him out on the street and get your money. Do not involve the police or lawyer. If you try to be decent you will lose your money. Threaten him badly and he will pay up on the spot, little ******.

Yes I know but you know we are trying private persons- I bought my car from a guy in Krakow- whatever he said was true when I went to the service after a full check- and I am pleased with that- there was a small accident he had from the front and the bumper was changed, he also had the photos after accident. I am using it for a year and pleased with that.

I would say that okay - if there was just leaks they did not realize but c'mon whole body painted and chassis is damaged? I was thinking he would be ashamed after seeing the result but he flippantly refused to give it back.


I was thinking about that, probably I will take something from Germany.


After that when he wıll be going to the police I will be the one who will suffer- maybe even deported. It is not worth for such money- I am just angry about myself, it is my mistake, do not f.... trust!

Sorry but I don't buy that.

After 23 years living here I am still a guest myself, but if anybody, in the UK, or Poland, I don't give a ****, tries to rip me off, like this guy, he isn't going to be big enough. I have never cared about the consequences, and neither should you.

Otherwise these slimeballs will think they can get away with it. Front them up and back it up with the promise of violence. That is the only language they understand.

Normal people don't steal, and you are allowed to change your mind on a purchase.

23 years is an awful lot! Some consolation for you may arise from the fact that out of these as many as 21 years passed without the Kaczyński brothers in power...

Hello, can someone advice me if i want to buy a truck and ship it to African . What is procedure do i need to take for both document and condition of the truck ?

Just bought a 2 year old Jeep Wrangler CRD over the internet (Moto Allegro) circa one hundred thousand Zloti........asked the guy if the car was as good as it looked in the pics? asked for more pics........When it arrived, we paid the driver cash after inspection, mileage was spot on.......the underneath was scary clean....(I know steam cleaners work wonders) but this looked like it had never been off road and it looked like no one had ever sat in the back.......Looked the documents over and the service schedule, found the last owner in France (nice young doctor girl in her 30,s).....why a girl and a New Jeep? she was into mountain hiking (you know - with those mad sticks!!!) she used it to drive up into the mountains so she didn,t have to hike so far to the top. Car was genuine. Can give the dealers name if you want. We also bought our last car like that, but it was a different kettle of fish.......More an enthusiasts car, a fully restored UAZ 469B with all the pics of the restoration....It too was in great condition and exactly as it was in the pics.

if they dont want to return your deposit... keep the car.

Goods paid for

:)

you do not have to buy it but consequences Dougpol1, I need to think about...

By the way I saw 2 more but resprayed from important places, even if they say they do not have accidents, it is hard to trust.


Very nice way of thinking :))

good luck and best wishes and I encourage you to buy your car in Gniezno. I dont know what background you come from, perhaps you have some Nigerian descent it so seems :- ) no wonder you know all their tricks ! cheers

Poles and Turks share many common traits, among other the willingness to cut corners. Whenever you buy something second hand in either countries, the same motto applies: caveat emptor!

Bollocks... All depends what you are looking for and what your needs are. I was looking for a small, fuel efficient, cheap car mainly for city driving and I've found a Renault in great shape for age for 12k, with dealer installed LPG system, directly from from its... third owner. So you could still find a real deal, but I admit it is tougher than say, in the UK.

I bought my diesel renault for 15k 1 year ago and also happy with that. of course I have checked in Renault to see if everything is okay and everything that the guy said seem to be true and he also admitted that he does not know much about the early history of the car as it was imported from Germany.


I believe so, when money comes into the topic, looks like most of the people lose their honesty.

We found finally something nice for my girlfriend (end of august) from the brand`s dealer, we were more and more careful and checked everything in another service. Thanks everybody for the comments.

looked for 2 months until finally finding a car that:
1- had a clear vin check (some were declared a total loss in the US)
2- ready to drive status
3- passing ok the technical test (you pay 50zl for a non official one)
4- had a service book nicely filled
search ans look and repeat, until you find one like that. Unless you are a mechanic.