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

Mark76Threads: 2 Posts: 22 Joined: Dec 13, 09 ♂	Apr 3, 11, 21:13 #31
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

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Jul 1, 11, 14:35 #32

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!

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Jul 1, 11, 14:39 #33

janusz27:

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)

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.

janusz27Threads: 1 Posts: 3 Joined: Jul 1, 11 ♂	Jul 1, 11, 14:56 #34
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?

janusz27Threads: 1 Posts: 3 Joined: Jul 1, 11 ♂	Aug 22, 11, 11:40 #35
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

gumishuThreads: 17 Posts: 3,943 Joined: Apr 6, 09 ♂	Aug 22, 11, 12:27 #36
Bolshoi ballet , untill i found out that Bolshoi means ballet..! bolshoi does not mean ballet but big, great

mike holt	Oct 31, 11, 15:22 #37
please advise on websits to find a toyota hilux from poland very desperate for a few of them. am in london 07538199244 mikeyxr2@hotmail.com

teflcatThreads: 6 Posts: 1,071 Joined: May 29, 11 ♂	Oct 31, 11, 16:30 #38
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.

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Nov 1, 11, 03:53 #39

Satyanam:

i certainly could write a book about it :-)

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.

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Nov 1, 11, 10:37 #40

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!

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Edited by: delphiandomine Nov 1, 11, 10:51 #41

subarumad:

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.

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.

subarumad:

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.

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.

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Edited by: Richfilth Nov 1, 11, 10:59 #42

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?"

delphiandomineThreads: 42 Posts: 9,954 Joined: Nov 25, 08 ♂ [Suspended]	Nov 1, 11, 11:17 #43
Richfilth: 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.

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