ELIAmerican: Buying a car in the Netherlands or Europe
April 25, 2022 2:38 AM Subscribe
How does a prospective car purchaser in the Netherlands go about researching available vehicles? Researching pricing? Negotiating? Any other questions I should have asked related to purchasing a new vehicle? Bonus points if you have wisdom to share that compares and contrast with the car buying process in the US.
MORE DETAIL ON QUESTIONS
How does a prospective car purchaser in the Netherlands go about:
a/ Researching available vehicles?, e.g. tramp around and talk to sales staff, a specific website, manufacturer websites
b/ Researching pricing?, Are listed prices the actual price? If not, what resources exist to get past the listed price and towards what a vehicle may actually cost
c/ Negotiating? Any rituals, folklore, or other things to be aware of? e.g. "Always buy your new VWs from a dealer in Poland for the best price."
d/ Any other questions I should have asked related to purchasing a new vehicle?
MORE DETAIL ON BONUS POINTS
Any compare and contrast with the car buying process in the US. As examples, almost all vehicles in the US are sold through dealers rather than the OEMs. Many new vehicles are sold through a baroque negotiation process that requires patience and brinksmanship on both sides. I would love any random details from someone that's purchased vehicles on both sides of the Atlantic.
CONTEXT
• I will be relocating from the USA to Amsterdam.
• While I am still considering shipping one of my current vehicles, it is more likely that I will sell them here and purchase a new vehicle on arrival. This question is not about the shipping process.
• I am aware that it is unlikely that I will need a car to get around in daily life in Amsterdam. That's a factor driving the move. Nonetheless, my family has other uses for a personal car hence the question. You're welcome to challenge the premise, but the question is more about "how to buy" rather than "should I buy". I've been bike commuting for the last 15 years in some extremely hostile roads and am looking forward to the change.
REFERENCES
I found the following questions that were related, but not quite the same angle.
• Help choosing and buying a compact family car in Germany
• Probable move to Germany and I have SO MANY QUESTIONS
• First car, newbie buyer. Help me make sure I don't get a bad deal!
• The front page of google results are... not especially useful for this question. They help me understand more about what is entailed in purchasing a car than how to go about it.
MORE DETAIL ON QUESTIONS
How does a prospective car purchaser in the Netherlands go about:
a/ Researching available vehicles?, e.g. tramp around and talk to sales staff, a specific website, manufacturer websites
b/ Researching pricing?, Are listed prices the actual price? If not, what resources exist to get past the listed price and towards what a vehicle may actually cost
c/ Negotiating? Any rituals, folklore, or other things to be aware of? e.g. "Always buy your new VWs from a dealer in Poland for the best price."
d/ Any other questions I should have asked related to purchasing a new vehicle?
MORE DETAIL ON BONUS POINTS
Any compare and contrast with the car buying process in the US. As examples, almost all vehicles in the US are sold through dealers rather than the OEMs. Many new vehicles are sold through a baroque negotiation process that requires patience and brinksmanship on both sides. I would love any random details from someone that's purchased vehicles on both sides of the Atlantic.
CONTEXT
• I will be relocating from the USA to Amsterdam.
• While I am still considering shipping one of my current vehicles, it is more likely that I will sell them here and purchase a new vehicle on arrival. This question is not about the shipping process.
• I am aware that it is unlikely that I will need a car to get around in daily life in Amsterdam. That's a factor driving the move. Nonetheless, my family has other uses for a personal car hence the question. You're welcome to challenge the premise, but the question is more about "how to buy" rather than "should I buy". I've been bike commuting for the last 15 years in some extremely hostile roads and am looking forward to the change.
REFERENCES
I found the following questions that were related, but not quite the same angle.
• Help choosing and buying a compact family car in Germany
• Probable move to Germany and I have SO MANY QUESTIONS
• First car, newbie buyer. Help me make sure I don't get a bad deal!
• The front page of google results are... not especially useful for this question. They help me understand more about what is entailed in purchasing a car than how to go about it.
Best answer: What kind of car are you looking for? Friend in Belgium had great success looking for the Prius he bought on Facebook marketplace. He bought an extended warranty from Toyota after purchasing the car and had no problems with the garage, who are also a dealer.
posted by parmanparman at 3:34 AM on April 25, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by parmanparman at 3:34 AM on April 25, 2022 [1 favorite]
Best answer: This is in Italy so YMMV, but there was a notable lack of negotiating when I bought my VW Up a few years back. There was a low-interest deal offered by VW at the time, so we picked out the extras we wanted, showed our last two pay stubs for the financing, made a bank transfer for the down payment, and had our car in 3 weeks. The only freebies the OEM dealer threw in was a branded USB key and a couple of short branded USB cables for connecting our phones to the onboard audio system.
I was sort of flabbergasted at the straightforward procedure to be honest, but apparently the car haggling that is rampant Stateside is just not done here in Italy (or thus sayth my Italian husband when I asked him at the time).
Look for the end-of-year OEM deals and also if the Netherlands are offering any state-based incentives for electric/hybrid/fuel efficient cars; I know Italy is offering 3-5k off certain categories of electric cars at the moment.
posted by romakimmy at 3:51 AM on April 25, 2022 [1 favorite]
I was sort of flabbergasted at the straightforward procedure to be honest, but apparently the car haggling that is rampant Stateside is just not done here in Italy (or thus sayth my Italian husband when I asked him at the time).
Look for the end-of-year OEM deals and also if the Netherlands are offering any state-based incentives for electric/hybrid/fuel efficient cars; I know Italy is offering 3-5k off certain categories of electric cars at the moment.
posted by romakimmy at 3:51 AM on April 25, 2022 [1 favorite]
Response by poster:
We are moving away from a two car household that has a gas SUV and an electric city car. I think that we are more likely to buy new, than used, primarily because my ability as a mechanic was never high and has only decreased as cars have become more complicated. That's not a decision set in stone, just a bias right now.
The cars tend to get used as you might expect:
• Electric for a city commuter, restaurant ferry and errand runner,
• Gas SUV for road trips, larger transports, comfier ride, when there some sort of impediment to charging or an out of city restaurant.
I don't anticipate car commuting, but I do expect there to be enough occasions of the other activities to make supporting one car the right choice for me. If I were going to anchor on a kind of car right now, it would probably be a gas all wheel drive wagon although I will definitely be trying to understand the overall charging infrastructure.
Back to the original question...
posted by minedev at 4:00 AM on April 25, 2022
What kind of car are you looking for?Love this question as I actually expect to ask a follow-up question about anything anybody wants to highlight as a not-exported to the US neat car. e.g. Toyota Yaris GR and Megane RS type fun. I'll save that question though.
We are moving away from a two car household that has a gas SUV and an electric city car. I think that we are more likely to buy new, than used, primarily because my ability as a mechanic was never high and has only decreased as cars have become more complicated. That's not a decision set in stone, just a bias right now.
The cars tend to get used as you might expect:
• Electric for a city commuter, restaurant ferry and errand runner,
• Gas SUV for road trips, larger transports, comfier ride, when there some sort of impediment to charging or an out of city restaurant.
I don't anticipate car commuting, but I do expect there to be enough occasions of the other activities to make supporting one car the right choice for me. If I were going to anchor on a kind of car right now, it would probably be a gas all wheel drive wagon although I will definitely be trying to understand the overall charging infrastructure.
Back to the original question...
Facebook marketplace.Good tip. Are there one or two online marketplaces/websites that capture most of the used market or is it pretty fragmented?
posted by minedev at 4:00 AM on April 25, 2022
Best answer: In Poland dealers have quite limited negotiation margin, but there are lower prices available to people with certain professions (lawyers, doctors etc). Still even that is like 5-7%, nowhere near US ranges, and you have to jump through various hoops.
And new cars are still on low availability due to supply chain issues. There was an article the other day that quoted 6-9 months of wait time for in-demand models. Which in turn has bumped up used car prices, to the point that say a 2015 Volkswagen Golf is now 15% more expensive than that very same model with less mileage was in 2019. I just checked the usual Polish suspects and I could sell my car now with 20K on the odometer for the same price I paid in 2019. The hunt may take a while.
posted by I claim sanctuary at 4:09 AM on April 25, 2022 [1 favorite]
And new cars are still on low availability due to supply chain issues. There was an article the other day that quoted 6-9 months of wait time for in-demand models. Which in turn has bumped up used car prices, to the point that say a 2015 Volkswagen Golf is now 15% more expensive than that very same model with less mileage was in 2019. I just checked the usual Polish suspects and I could sell my car now with 20K on the odometer for the same price I paid in 2019. The hunt may take a while.
posted by I claim sanctuary at 4:09 AM on April 25, 2022 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I've only bought used cars and I haven't found much haggling buying from businesses. In holland you generally get a 6 month guarantee (which I think is some sort of government requirement as it's the same everywhere... I've not ever used it though). I used https://www.autoscout24.nl to figure out what I wanted. Ended up buying my last car here https://www.carnext.com/nl-nl/ (I think they basically sell cars that used to be lease cars). There's are a couple of other search places (autotrader.nl and http://marktplaats.nl) but I think the dealers place their cars automatically and you find the same stuff in all three. (autoscout can be switched to English)
posted by Spumante at 4:24 AM on April 25, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by Spumante at 4:24 AM on April 25, 2022 [2 favorites]
Seconding the idea of carsharing. The families I know in Amsterdam don't own cars. At least give car-free life a try for a few months when you get there before deciding that you actually need to get a car.
posted by pinochiette at 8:29 AM on April 25, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by pinochiette at 8:29 AM on April 25, 2022 [6 favorites]
The Megane was in my experience a very comfortable drive. But if you're looking for a van, the fact is all European vans are shit. Go for something easy to handle and loaded with extras that you'll enjoy: the Citroën C4 Picasso.
posted by parmanparman at 9:42 AM on April 25, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by parmanparman at 9:42 AM on April 25, 2022 [1 favorite]
Seriously, look at car sharing. What koahiatamadl said. I was also in Switzerland. For 8 years, no car needed.
posted by Goofyy at 2:26 PM on April 25, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by Goofyy at 2:26 PM on April 25, 2022 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Anecdata, sorry...
My information is ten years out of date, but memory says there's a luxury tax that bumps up the price of cars in the Netherlands, on top of BTW (sales tax). That means prices will not compare across the border with e.g. Germany (and also that if you try and buy in Germany the Dutch govt will want the additional luxury tax when you import).
No one has said it yet, and but marktplaats.nl is the Dutch eBay. I was never a user and so this is not a recommendation, but it seems to have plenty of listings and might serve as a source for comparison prices.
Remember European cars have smaller engines than US ones, on average. 2 litres is quite big, and 1 litre is not that unusual and perfectly usable on the freeway; at the other end, 3 litres is excessive and 5 litres is almost unheard of. Don't rule out cars with engines that by American standards are unusually small.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 7:26 PM on April 25, 2022
My information is ten years out of date, but memory says there's a luxury tax that bumps up the price of cars in the Netherlands, on top of BTW (sales tax). That means prices will not compare across the border with e.g. Germany (and also that if you try and buy in Germany the Dutch govt will want the additional luxury tax when you import).
No one has said it yet, and but marktplaats.nl is the Dutch eBay. I was never a user and so this is not a recommendation, but it seems to have plenty of listings and might serve as a source for comparison prices.
Remember European cars have smaller engines than US ones, on average. 2 litres is quite big, and 1 litre is not that unusual and perfectly usable on the freeway; at the other end, 3 litres is excessive and 5 litres is almost unheard of. Don't rule out cars with engines that by American standards are unusually small.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 7:26 PM on April 25, 2022
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by koahiatamadl at 3:23 AM on April 25, 2022 [5 favorites]