Buying a used car in Holland
February 21, 2006 at 11:26 AM
by Ashleigh
She is a 1999 Mitsubishi Space Star 1.8 GLX which means basically that she accelerates well on the highway (the 1.8 part), she has fuel injection system (the GL bit) and she has airconditioning and 'executive extras' like electric windows (the X bit). She also has only 83 000 km on the clock, and is in pretty good condition inside and out!
I am having trouble in first gear because I don't seem able to synchronise my feet properly so the car judders a bit, but once I get into second its fine. On the times that I do synchronise my feet correctly she goes perfectly. On the highway the car has no difficulty accelerating rapidly up to 100 and I struggled to keep the speed down. The handling is better than the VW Touran I drove when I was learning to drive, and is streets ahead of the Peugoet 206 I drove from Greenwheels. There is hardly any road noise on the highway and I can hear the kids in the back perfectly. The road noise on the Touran was excessive and in the 206 there was virtually no way to hold a conversation with the person sitting next to you!
I think the car will be a decent addition to our household.
For anyone interested in buying used or second-hand cars in Holland here are some things to note:
- They are called 'occasions'. This term is used throughout much of continental Europe!
- When you book a test drive you will be allowed to take the car out on your own - handy if you need to do some shopping ;) You can also ask for a longer test-drive so that you can do things you would ordinarily do with a car, such as pick up kids etc. My test drive was for an hour.
- If you intend to get vehicle finance you will need: your passport, your Dutch residence card, recent payslip, a werkgeververklaring (employers statement) stating that you have a permanent employment. Your records at the BKR (Bureau Krediet Registratie) will also be accessed by the finance company so if you go to a few different places to check on finance they will ask you why you have had 'activity' on your BKR records.
- You need to obtain your insurance before you take ownership of the car - you can't drive it away from the lot without insurance. I found some interesting comparison sites, Independer and Verzekeringsite.nl. You can enter in your details and get estimates on your insurance from there. There are three types of insurance available and they don't sound particularly self-explanatory so I'll give a breakdown:
The difference in price is obviously quite substantial. We ended up insuring via Ohra and for the Volledige Casco we pay around 75 euros per month. The WA, in comparison is 48 euros per month.
- WA or Wettelijke Aanspraaklijkheid - this is what English-speaking countries call 'Third Party Insurance'. This covers the other car/other party if you have an accident but doesn't cover any repairs to your own vehicle. This is the minimum insurance required by law.
- WA + Beperkte Casco - this is third party + partial insurance. This would cover WA and in addition, fire, explosion and lightning, windscreen damage, damage caused by collision with animals or birds, and storm and weather damage.
- WA + Volledige Casco - this is 'full insurance' and covers the above as well as damage to your own car in the event of an accident.
You can get insurance effective immediately by phoning the insurance company. For your insurance you need: your drivers licence details, your bank account number, the registration number, make, model and year of the car as well as the mileage on the car and the 'meldcode' which is part of the chassisnumber of the car. You will also need to estimate how many kilometres you intend to drive per year.
- You can barter on the price of the car in Holland, despite what some websites may say. At the very least you should be able to get the 'rijklaarmakenkosten' (cost of half a tank of petrol and of driving the car off the showroom floor basically!) reduced from the bill. If you are lucky and have no trade-in you can get up to 8% off the price of the car. If you buy a brand-new car and have no trade-in you should definitely be able to get the price reduced by 8%. If you want to find out what the price of a second-hand car is according to the BOVAG organisation (which issues your guarantee on your used-car) you can check at the ANWB's website. You need to be a member of the ANWB to access the list but it gives you a very good idea of the market value of your car once you have entered in the make and model plus mileage of your car. If you aren't comfortable navigating the internet in Dutch you could always call the ANWB for the same information. If you sign up for membership on the website you immediately receive your membership number which means you can make use of all the areas of the website reserved for members - handy when you want to check car prices!
- Remember to check the owners manual to make sure that the car has a regular service history and make sure that the garage you buy it from is a member of the Nationale Autopas. This gives you an assurance that your car hasn't had its odometer turned back.:
- And finally, it is obligatory from 1 March 2006 for all children under the age of 12, or 1.35 metres or 36 kilograms to be in a car seat that has been tested to be safe. There are exceptions to the rule. If you have three children and space for only two car seats then the child who is over 3 years old may sit in the centre of the back seat using only the seatbelt for restraint. If you have to ferry children who are not your own for short distances, you can also allow the child to sit on the seat without a car seat, but restrained by the seat belt of course. If you are transporting your own child and they are not in a car seat you may be liable for a fine if stopped. I can't find out what the fine will be but seeing as this is now law I would imagine it could be fairly expensive if one doesn't comply!
Comments
Your new car sounds great. You guys really put a lot of thought into it. I am impressed. Does it give you a feeling of freedom to have your own vehicle?
Nice car, Ash! It sounds like you really did your homework and your information should be very helpful to others in a similar circumstance. So, how does it feel to own your own car? :)
Looks like a great car for you. I found your info very interesting - even if I'm unlikely to need it. :D
Enjoy your new-found freedom!
Wow! This is so helpful because buying a car here in Europe is so different from buying one in the U.S.
Ash, I think you should submit this article to Expatica.com. This is excellent.
BTW, your car is so CUTE. Definitely a Grrrl car. : )
as you might know, I live in the Netherlands too and I was tired even before reading it... I'm lucky enough not to have to buy an occasion, but reading this, I never want one too!
but good luck with your 'new' car!!!
enjoy your driving license
Dear Sir's
We are new registered company " Nataly global international" for saling used cars in the territory of Belarus. We would like to establish strong contract connection with Holland autohause and to buy used cars from Holland. We are planning to buy 8 cars per one time.
To try our Belarussian market we would like to buy cars 1998 and up years old cars and not expensive one. We would like to come to Holland and to conclude the contract. Would you be so kind to tell us about your conditions and would you be so kind to send us invitation.
I wil be waitng for your answer.
Director
Pyatrova NatallyA
mobile number +375293619789
Nice read. Thanks!
Hello I'd like to purchase a used car in Netherlands. Could you send me some contacts of Amsterdam's car dealers please.Thank you Stepan
Dear Ash,
thanks for the update on how to buy a car in Holland. At the moment, i am interested in buying a second hand jeep. either a Honda Crv or toyota Rav 4 will do. Could you please provide me some links or information on how to do this? I live in Rotterdam. Regards
Jay
Love your new car! It looks exactly what I have been searching for over the past few weeks! If and when I get one, I'll put a pic of mine on my blog, and we can compare notes - lol!
February 21, 2006 2:21 PM