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

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Thanks Totti , thats a useful piece of information.

BTW. Gniezno is a pretty town, a historically significan one at that. Been there lots of times. A little stunned to hear all dealers are scammers..

My comments only relate to private individuals who buy and sell these repaired cars on OLX allegro etc, as for the small corner plot dealers, I would keep well away, main dealer I would probably chance it, but they are expensive.

So I know you can get a polish vehicle history here
historiapojazdu.gov.pl/strona-glowna
But this does not show the name/details of current owner. And does anyone know how you can go about getting a breakdown of vehicle mileage from previous polish "mot"s?

Maryanne1234567:
"But this does not show the name/details of current owner"
And there are perfectly good reasons for it since those are protected personal details. Details of ownership are listed in the vehicle's registration card.

And does anyone know how you can go about getting a breakdown of vehicle mileage from previous polish "mot"s?
Mileage recording became mandatory only last year in PL, so it may not help you much there.

Another clear reason not to be a Polish used car methinks.

You are repeating yourself DP...

Sure, apologies for that. I happen to think that second hand cars bought in Poland are poor value - or they were when I was in the marketplace. I always bought new, but I have plenty of stories to tell, and tried to buy cars a number of times. Thing is, I am an old bloke and know all the usual tricks re: cars.

Thanks Totti

That explains why I only can see two years worth of mileage increases on the government vehicle history report. But makes me feel better since its just had one owner and the mileage looks consistent. It makes more sense that if someone was going to mess with the mileage that they would do it before selling, not during the middle spell of sole ownership.

But I guess you can never be totally sure.

Got a quote from RAC for inspection - £252! Does that sound right??? Its a lot, though it is 2.5 hours long, including test drive and paint check etc

An inspection is always recommended - be it only the peace of mind.
Not sure why so long expensive and long? Is this a Maserati you are buying?
I would think a reliable local mechanic should be able to do it for say 60gbp...
Although for inexpensive cars I would think going by intuition/gut feeling/common sense could be sufficient...

I would pay the £252 and try to get at least half of it off the price of the car, just for the peace of mind, I have bought some lemons myself in the past, I keep kicking myself to this day.

Hi guys!
Was thinking to go and check a car from this Gniezdo. Now I'm sure that I need a mechanic to go with me. Can anyone suggest me good mechanic in Wroclaw or somewhere here around?

Thanks!

better not to buy a car in Gniezno

Gniezno does not have a good reputation - a lot of revived post-accident/major repair sales... I would rather look for a private seller.

@Satyanam
I'm currently living in Warsaw , gonna stay here for a year or two , looking for a used car , question is should I buy the car in Poland or Germany , I lived in Germany for 3 years and I speak the German language quite well .

Plus what would you advice me to buy , if the budget let's say is up to 15 k euros

Omg wow this dude in the first post is talking about checking thickness of a paint job with sensors lol. You can just check the frame, inside of doors, backs of panels ceiling liner etc as no paint job place bothers to repaint that. New paint always will have a different tons.

Be a man and drive the freaken car. Thats the best way to tell if its been in an accident. Carfax and vins won't tell you much unless its been reported to insurance. If you're in a fender bender and your corner mechanic or buddy or whoever fixes your car and you're paying out of pocket chances are no damage report will show up. Drive it at high speed see if it shakes makes noises and when you release the steering wheel see if it goes to one side (demand an alignment before purchase if you really like the car and then retest after alignment - if it still does it it have frame or suspension damage). Check the service records. Check the bottom. Check for rust. If the bottom is all scratched from daily driving and rusty but the car reads 60k km on the dash its b.s.

See if all 4 tires match, check service engine codes (cheap scanner costs 40 50 bucks)

You can also order cars from the dealer if you want a brand new car (rip off imo - get something a year or two old, gently used, maybe up to 16k km on the dash and do your research)

Any fresh views here , I am sure Poland has come a long way during these 10 years . So wondering if things have improved in car buying in Poland .

Appreciate your time and help !

No. Only those who have to, buy a used car in Poland.
Over valued. And damaged from being driven on potholed surfaces. You would have to be mad, or have more money than sense.

That is a stereotypical view, I must say it is false coz it is possible to buy a well maintained second hand car driven in Poland. I did last year and have been very satisfied with the purchase till today. Yes, I was lucky, but the fact is a fact.

Well unfortunately tereotype is driving the world un every aspect !!

Coming back to the topic .
How can I make sure I was not cheated by the dealers? Any tips to be followed ?

Appreciate your help !

The tips to make sure they don`t cheat on you are comprised in a thick book entitled: How to buy a second hand car. This book has been translated into all languages of the world as its contents applies in every country. Find yourself the language version which suits you best coz mentioning them all here would take weeks.

GALANIX AUTOD SP Z.O.O is scammers do not buy anything from them

Would you buy a french used car in Poland, and if yes which one; renault, peugeot or citroen ?

I never bought and will never buy a French car. The French don`t impress me at all so driving a French car would be a drudgery. I prefer Japanese or German cars - much more exciting. .

However, my best mate loves French cars and buys one every year or two.

French cars are not so expensive like German or Japanese cars and they are not really bad, not bad at all. It's pitty nobody wants them. I know you like wine so you know best wine is French wine. Why not a French car?

The worst car I ever owned was a Peugeot. What a pos that thing was!

My worst car was opel and also the worst service. It is not a surprise but the second worst car was a Toyota and it was a surprise for me.

But I mentioned my best friend who is obsessed about French cars, And I see a lot of them on streets. So, it means the French charm still influences people. It completely doesn`t work on me, though.


That is a disputable issue - wines from other countries regularly win main prizes at international events.


Yes, exactly. I fully agree with you. The problem is the French don`t excite me just like Germans or the Japanese do.

My first car was Fiat 126 but my first car in Germany was Talbot Horizon. Very comfortable what was important because my wife was pregnant. Bigger and better than Golf.