Should we bring our truck or go small?

Chipmunk:

The underground parking is what I am mostly afraid of as well. We can fit in a standard garage by height but the width makes it tight and usually the length. For parking spots in length we usually just take up two spots in addition to parking in the last spot of a row. We're no stranger to parking at the back of lots and so forth but yeah height for underground will be a concern.

Gas I am a bit concerned with but we were paying $5 gallon in the states before this move to Zamland and then here it's been anywhere between $6-8 a gallon. The number one difference will be commute. We both commuted in excess of over an hour in the States and here and in Warsaw the commute should be about 10 minutes! Although unlike here there will be places to drive around too outside of just to and from work!!!

I'm all for buying there I just haven't found enough supporting detail/confirmation to tell my husband why it's insane for us to ship the truck there. Plus the best part of shipping it back to the States is we'll have a vehicle when we return there! Argh. MEN! I'd drive a small POS if it meant I would be able to get from A to B without inflicting my inner desire of road rage!

ChipmunkThreads: 19 Posts: 73 Joined: Aug 15, 09	Sep 16, 09, 11:22 / #
We have a fullsize left hand drive Nissan Titan truck. We found out we will be living in the Mokotow district (Yay!!) and I'm still waiting to hear back about whether or not there is a garage or at least (hopefully) a driveway for the town house. If not then of course we'll have the street parking. Is it common for meters to be placed in neighborhoods? Excuse my naiveness but I've never lived in an area that has considerable snow fall. So if street parking is all that is available, is it common for the city to plow neighborhood streets? If so, will we have any issues with the truck being parked there as far as shoveling it out etc? (once again I'm sure this is a stupid question but I have not the slightest idea) Will we find it difficult to manuver the truck around Warsaw? I am anticpating the expensive petrol costs. I'm more concerned with how difficult we will find it to manuver around and parking at like grocery stores. If the townhouse does come with a garage I'm quite sure it won't fit but am praying there will at least be a driveway to park it in instead!! I'm currently leaning towards shipping it back to the states and just buying something used, but it would make financial sense to keep it with us. Thank yoU!

dnzThreads: 25 Posts: 804 Joined: Dec 2, 07	Edited by: dnz Sep 16, 09, 11:44 / #
Should be fine, I used to drive the 7 series all over the place and it always managed to fit where i needed it to, Regarding snow, for the winter months a 4x4 is highly recommended, The amount of times I got the m3 stuck wasn't really funny anymore, Definitely worth keeping but if you are selling how much would you be looking for it? Could save you sending it back to the states? edit, just looked at the spec, is it the 5.6 litre engine? Would be worth converting it to lpg to help combat the european petrol prices?

PaulieThreads: 1 Posts: 49 Joined: Aug 15, 09	Sep 16, 09, 12:11 / #
Chipmunk: We found out we will be living in the Mokotow distric Chipmunk: Excuse my naiveness but I've never lived in an area that has considerable snow fall. So if street parking is all that is available, is it common for the city to plow neighborhood streets? If so, will we have any issues with the truck being parked there as far as shoveling it out etc? (once again I'm sure this is a stupid question but I have not the slightest idea) You might be surprised but Average Annual Snowfall in Warsaw is only : 5.2 inches/ 13 centimeters This is the urban myth about it snowing all the time in Poland. For some reason everybody thinks its cold/snowy all year round. You will not have any problem with snow in Mokotow. You're more likely to have problems with leaves from trees than snow. Chipmunk: Will we find it difficult to manuver the truck around Warsaw? Not really, if you can comfortably drive it in a city. It's gonna offer you more protection from the nutters. Chipmunk: If the townhouse does come with a garage I'm quite sure it won't fit but am praying there will at least be a driveway to park it in instead!! In Mokotow it will most likely be an apartment complex with private / secure parking.

HarryThreads: 62 Posts: 8,508 Joined: May 2, 07 [Suspended]	Sep 16, 09, 14:16 / #
Chipmunk: Will we find it difficult to manuver the truck around Warsaw? I am anticpating the expensive petrol costs. I'm more concerned with how difficult we will find it to manuver around and parking at like grocery stores. If the townhouse does come with a garage I'm quite sure it won't fit but am praying there will at least be a driveway to park it in instead!! Petrol in Warsaw is about 5zl per litre. That's about $9 per gallon. My major concern (other than paying stupid money in fuel costs) would be underground garages. All the malls have them. All apartment buildings have them. I've never bothered to check what the height clearance is but you might have problems. You'll certainly have problems fitting it into the parking spaces. Chipmunk: I'm currently leaning towards shipping it back to the states and just buying something used, but it would make financial sense to keep it with us. Buy something here. There are always diplomats going back and their cars can't be sold to non-dips (too many tax issues), so they're sold within the dip community. When you say "it would make financial sense" have you factored in the $9 a gallon for fuel? Paulie: You might be surprised but Average Annual Snowfall in Warsaw is only : 5.2 inches/ 13 centimeters If that figure is right (and I don't believe for a second that it is), every year for the last ten years (I've lived in Warsaw for ten years) there has been the entire annual snowfall in a single night.

PaulieThreads: 1 Posts: 49 Joined: Aug 15, 09	Sep 16, 09, 14:40 / #
Harry: If that figure is right (and I don't believe for a second that it is), every year for the last ten years (I've lived in Warsaw for ten years) there has been the entire annual snowfall in a single night. www.worldtravelguide.net/city/135/statistics/Europe/Warsaw.html or www.guides.travelchannel.com/warsaw/city-guides/fun-facts

HarryThreads: 62 Posts: 8,508 Joined: May 2, 07 [Suspended]	Sep 16, 09, 15:50 / #
Yes, I did google the figure you gave and found it in a couple of places. However, I'm willing to bet that neither of those pages are written by a person who has ever even been to Warsaw. I've spent the last six years digging my car out of the snow in mornings. Have you?

jonniThreads: 26 Posts: 4,181 Joined: Nov 27, 07	Edited by: jonni Sep 16, 09, 23:18 / #
About on-street parking. You'll probably have somewhere secure to park, but if not, most of Mokotow is outside the paid zone so there won't be a meter. A lot of people park on the street and Mokotow is considered a safe part of town. At least the part where I live is quite safe to park in.

ChipmunkThreads: 19 Posts: 73 Joined: Aug 15, 09	Sep 17, 09, 11:05 / #
Paulie dnz: edit, just looked at the spec, is it the 5.6 litre engine? Would be worth converting it to lpg to help combat the european petrol prices? It is the 5.6 SE king cab I believe it's called. Not sure on price. How much do they go for there? Harry: My major concern (other than paying stupid money in fuel costs) would be underground garages. All the malls have them. All apartment buildings have them. I've never bothered to check what the height clearance is but you might have problems. You'll certainly have problems fitting it into the parking spaces. The underground parking is what I am mostly afraid of as well. We can fit in a standard garage by height but the width makes it tight and usually the length. For parking spots in length we usually just take up two spots in addition to parking in the last spot of a row. We're no stranger to parking at the back of lots and so forth but yeah height for underground will be a concern. Gas I am a bit concerned with but we were paying $5 gallon in the states before this move to Zamland and then here it's been anywhere between $6-8 a gallon. The number one difference will be commute. We both commuted in excess of over an hour in the States and here and in Warsaw the commute should be about 10 minutes! Although unlike here there will be places to drive around too outside of just to and from work!!! I'm all for buying there I just haven't found enough supporting detail/confirmation to tell my husband why it's insane for us to ship the truck there. Plus the best part of shipping it back to the States is we'll have a vehicle when we return there! Argh. MEN! I'd drive a small POS if it meant I would be able to get from A to B without inflicting my inner desire of road rage! Harry: Yes, I did google the figure you gave and found it in a couple of places. However, I'm willing to bet that neither of those pages are written by a person who has ever even been to Warsaw. I've spent the last six years digging my car out of the snow in mornings. Have you? Do you street park? If so am I being deliusional when I think of a snow plow just burying the vehicle even more? jonni: About on-street parking. You'll probably have somewhere secure to park, but if not, most of Mokotow is outside the paid zone so there won't be a meter. A lot of people park on the street and Mokotow is considered a safe part of town. At least the part where I live is quite safe to park in. Hello new neighbor! Thank you!

HarryThreads: 62 Posts: 8,508 Joined: May 2, 07 [Suspended]	Sep 17, 09, 11:32 / #
Chipmunk: The underground parking is what I am mostly afraid of as well. We can fit in a standard garage by height but the width makes it tight and usually the length. For parking spots in length we usually just take up two spots in addition to parking in the last spot of a row. We're no stranger to parking at the back of lots and so forth but yeah height for underground will be a concern. Gas I am a bit concerned with but we were paying $5 gallon in the states before this move to Zamland and then here it's been anywhere between $6-8 a gallon. The number one difference will be commute. We both commuted in excess of over an hour in the States and here and in Warsaw the commute should be about 10 minutes! Although unlike here there will be places to drive around too outside of just to and from work!!! I'm all for buying there I just haven't found enough supporting detail/confirmation to tell my husband why it's insane for us to ship the truck there. Plus the best part of shipping it back to the States is we'll have a vehicle when we return there! Argh. MEN! I'd drive a small POS if it meant I would be able to get from A to B without inflicting my inner desire of road rage! How tall is the vehicle? I need to go to Arkadia tomorrow so I can check the max height there. Ten minutes to get from Mokotow to the embassy is not going to happen at 8.30 in the morning! More like half an hour on bad days. One way to convince your husband that you don't need to ship your truck here is to tell him about the diplomat car tax scam/benefit. All you do is buy a car tax free (as diplomats can) at least six months before you're due to leave Poland, register it and then have it stored (the dip sales divisions will arrange storage and care, so the engine is run for ten minutes or so every week, etc). When you ship it back home, it counts as a personal possession and so is tax free to import to the US. Then you sell it as a new car (it'll have delivery mileage only) and pocket the difference. Chipmunk: Do you street park? If so am I being deliusional when I think of a snow plow just burying the vehicle even more? I don't street park. I park in the grounds of the building. But you're right, snow ploughs are only helpful for clearing the roads.

HarryThreads: 62 Posts: 8,508 Joined: May 2, 07 [Suspended]	Sep 17, 09, 11:51 / #
One thing about average snowfall, according to http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/city_guides/results.shtml?tt=TT0041 40 (and BBC weather is usually pretty accurate) in December Warsaw has 4.4cm of precipitation, in January 2.7cm and in February 3.2cm. Using the old rule of thumb about one inch of rain equaling ten inches of snow, if all precipitation in those months is rain (not an unreasonable assumption given that the average maximum temperature is pretty much freezing point in all three months) that gives us 44cm of snow in December, 27cm in January and 32cm in February.

AmericanGirlThreads: - Posts: 22 Joined: Jul 22, 08	Edited by: AmericanGirl Sep 21, 09, 10:17 / #
Chipmunk: Nissan Dealership Hi there! You are not naive one bit. I wish I would have asked more questions before I moved to Poland! But you came to the right place and hope you will enjoy Warsaw! I know that there is a Nissan dealership on Gorczewska St. (located in Bemowo, I believe). The website is: http://www.nissan-odyssey.pl/ The site is in Polish, so if you need any help, just let me know. :) Edit: my opinion is not to go small.... I'd feel safer in a larger vehicle!! You will see what I mean when you get here! The road rage of (many) drivers is outlandish to me.

HarryThreads: 62 Posts: 8,508 Joined: May 2, 07 [Suspended]	Sep 21, 09, 12:19 / #
Chipmunk: I googled but I couldn't find anything that says there is a Nissan Dealership in Warsaw. Anyone know if there is? There are plenty of Nissan dealerships here. However, the Titan is not sold in Europe, so even if you can find somebody to work on it (I have no idea if the software needed will be the same as for the Nissan Navarra, which the Titan uses a stretched version of the same platform as, would work for the Titan servicing-wise) you may find it takes considerable time, effort and expense to source parts. Having spent a year in Poland with a car that was never sold here, I can tell you that it is a real pain in the arse finding people to work on the car and to get parts. Also, is your vehicle set up for European requirements? Does it have a rear fog lamp? Are the turn signals Euro-compliant? The running lights? Some US cars are very very simple to convert and others require an entirely new wiring loom. A former student of mine had a three-year old US spec Honda Civic which she had to take export to the Ukraine to sell there when it was time to do the first Polish technical inspection because the cost of converting it to Polish requirements was very nearly as much as the value of the car!

dnzThreads: 25 Posts: 804 Joined: Dec 2, 07	Sep 21, 09, 12:27 / #
Regarding converting it to EU spec I can email you the SVA checklist which is a test done in the UK, The checklist could be used as a guideline. I also used to deal with several companies specialising in various things to convert JDM cars to UK spec, speedometer conversions, piggy back ecu things to alter the lights etc, If you need any help i could give you some advice, I spent 2 years of my life importing cars from Japan to sell in the UK and would be happy to help. Regarding keeping it, With a 5.6 litre engine I think you may find petrol a bit of a pain in the wallet, on the same note as fuelling you may need to adjust the timing so that it runs on EU grade fuel which is minimum 95 octane but i'm assuming that it will be fitted with a knock sensor which will adjust things accordingly, Would be worth checking out in case it causes any damage ie burt out valves etc. Personally i would get it eu compliant and sell it over here for a tidy profit, depending on year you could probably easilly get 70k pln for it (assuming its a 2005 model) Poles seem to love huge usdm vehicles :)

negaiThreads: - Posts: 4 Joined: Sep 21, 09	Sep 21, 09, 13:30 / #
learn polish and get to know poland (website) polishclass.dbv.pl

ChipmunkThreads: 19 Posts: 73 Joined: Aug 15, 09	Edited by: Chipmunk Sep 19, 09, 00:12 / #
We have another potential buyer here. *Fingers crossed** That would be the easiest route to go and put $$ in our pocket since vehicles here are so over priced. Personally with me wanting another bum in the oven I'd prefer to buy something more family friendly but we shall see! Additionally it was confirmed we will have a garage and a drive in front of it. yay I saw pictures of the garage and I'm doubting it would fit in there but the drive is long enough. IF we move it he'll just have to throw a bed cover on it. I googled but I couldn't find anything that says there is a Nissan Dealership in Warsaw. Anyone know if there is? Titan height 78.8 inches / 200.15 CM Titans aren't that tall as many American trucks or so it seems. It's just wide as a boat. Let me see what I can find online. Thank you!! Holy moly that is a lot of snow.

ChipmunkThreads: 19 Posts: 73 Joined: Aug 15, 09	Sep 21, 09, 18:25 / #
You guys are all so helpful and we much appreciate it! Our potential buyer is meeting my husband tomorrow morning to transfer the money. So hopefully I don't need to utilize your wonderful advice, but if we do at least now I have it! Like with Poland there is a profit to be made on it. Our Titan is the only one here. In fact the gentleman buying it has the Navarra in almost the similar color and everything but has been wanting an American BIG truck. So we lucked out since we are literally down to the last few days before it either has to be shipped or sold! I'm still happier to have it sold and with the profit but I think my husband would still rather have his truck! lol dnz: If you need any help i could give you some advice, I spent 2 years of my life importing cars from Japan to sell in the UK and would be happy to help. Thank you! I appreciate that offer. If this deal becomes a dud I will have to inquire. I didn't realize there would be so much alternations needed. I was just happy to see that it was left hand drive over there like this vehicle already was. You guys are all so helpful! Thank you!