Buying a second hand car in Slovakia

[nitro_warrior]

I have a wedding to attend in Slovakia this summer. I have hit upon the half notion of buying a one way flight, buying a car whilst I am there and driving back to the UK for a bit of an adventure. Preferably the car will be something unusual, ideally eastern block like a Lada Niva, Polonez, trabant, etc at bangernomic prices ie sub €1000. It's a stupid and good plan in equal measure... I think....

But there are lots of questions and I know there are a few Slovakians on this site so any advice would be greatly received!

What's a good Slovakian car website that will give me an idea? A Slovakian gumtree if you will?
What's the buying process? Paperwork etc?
What's the import process for the UK?
What's the likely hood of being, mugged and or murdered in a car park somewhere?
Should I just book return flights like any sane person?

 

[dave]

What's the buying process? Paperwork etc?
What's the import process for the UK?
What's the likely hood of being, mugged and or murdered in a car park somewhere?

JimMagill

 

[homeward]

The guy at Practical Classics (whose name currently escapes me...), who's always bringing back Eastern European stuff, might be able to help....

 

[Palio]

The guy at Practical Classics (whose name currently escapes me...), who's always bringing back Eastern European stuff, might be able to help....

Sam Glover.

 

[Palio]

PC's phone number is on the attached pic. Not at all an excuse to promote Pinky, oh no sirreee!!

 

[nitro_warrior]

Thanks for the replies. I sent Practical Classics an email. I guess if they answer it will appear in the mag.

I did find a Slovakian classified website and now i'm dreaming about rubbish cars!

Wartburg maybe?

Lada Niva...

A dirty oil burner

Or stay true and stick with a Fiat option

Sadly there are no re-invented Volga v12s

 

[Liquid Knight]

A return ticket would be cheaper. Depending where you are going I have a friend in Slovakia who may be able to help.

 

[FIAT126]

I`m from Slovakia, but to be honest I would just forget about it. Enjoy your holiday while you there and book a return ticket.
The buying/selling process is more complicated than here in the UK and if you want to export the car and drive it back you need to add at least 100 Euros on top of the purchase price for all the legal bits and bobs .
Finding a good car in a short period of time won`t be easy either. Most of them would have had a hard life.
I think the most worthwile would be a Fiat 126 as you could find one fairly cheap with low mileage, but I wouldn`t fancy a 1000 mile drive back in one of them.

However if you are determined to buy one try: Bazos sk, or Autobazar EU sk.

When are you going to the wedding?

 

[nitro_warrior]

A return ticket would be cheaper. Depending where you are going I have a friend in Slovakia who may be able to help.

I`m from Slovakia, but to be honest I would just forget about it. Enjoy your holiday while you there and book a return ticket.

Voices of reason! The wedding is in August near Trencin, and to be honest the biggest hurdle is the girl friend. Firstly convincing her and then I would be in a world of pain if something went wrong!

I also guess sellers would be wary of dealing with an international buyer. Like those dodgy scams from Africa we have to deal with.

Thanks for the info though FIAT126 I will have a bit of a study. As it happens I have another wedding in Poland in October so maybe I can do some research in August and go for gold later in the year!

 

[dave]

I think the most worthwile would be a Fiat 126 as you could find one fairly cheap with low mileage, but I wouldn`t fancy a 1000 mile drive back in one of them.

jim n fred drove one back to northern island the other day from poland

 

[Liquid Knight]

The wedding is in August near Trencin,

My friend is the other side of the country.

 

[nitro_warrior]

jim n fred drove one back to northern island the other day from poland

Yeah that side of things doesn't worry me so much. I own a Panda used to have a Lada Niva and covered a lot of miles in my brothers Land rover lightweight. Any journey in that, even as a passenger is physically exhausting, tractors are more refined!

 

[The Beard]

Thanks for the replies. I sent Practical Classics an email. I guess if they answer it will appear in the mag.

I did find a Slovakian classified website and now i'm dreaming about rubbish cars!

Wartburg maybe?

Sadly there are no re-invented Volga v12s

That Vulgar is possibly the only cool Russian/Soviet car I've ever seen. I can remember a friend of my parents who used to buy and sell cars (over here, and long since retired) who used to turn up at their house in all sorts of weird and wonderful contraptions and one day he arrived in a Wartburg. Not the Knight that most of us of a certain age remember, but what I think must have been its predecessor which had what I thought then, and still do today, must be one of the smoothest engines ever to be fitted in a car. It was a 2-stroke triple of about a litre which only had about 8 moving parts.

 

[nitro_warrior]

That Vulgar is possibly the only cool Russian/Soviet car I've ever seen. I can remember a friend of my parents who used to buy and sell cars (over here, and long since retired) who used to turn up at their house in all sorts of weird and wonderful contraptions and one day he arrived in a Wartburg. Not the Knight that most of us of a certain age remember, but what I think must have been its predecessor which had what I thought then, and still do today, must be one of the smoothest engines ever to be fitted in a car. It was a 2-stroke triple of about a litre which only had about 8 moving parts.

A 2 stroke car is on my wish list of cars to own. I'm pretty limited in choice and I missed out on my neighbour's Trabant (formally owned by phil tuffnell as it happens and one of the last of the line with only 6k km on the clock). Her ex husband bought it to annoy another neighbour by using up a parking space. It sat ideal for years, I had half an eye on it but she sold it to scrap yard for £50!! :bang: