I regularly travel to Belgrade in Serbia to visit family, and we have recently obtained the use of a garage at our flat. So, with car rental charges pushing 600 quid for a two week stay, it's time to think about getting a cheap car to keep there for when we visit.
However, there are problems. Used car supply in Serbia is very limited, and they are much more expensive there than they are here. Then, most of the cars available have been shipped in from Western countries and there is no way of checking their history and provenance, so one could easily end up buying a badly repaired death trap or a stolen car - expensively.
So, the answer would be to buy a cheap car here and drive it over. However, it would have to be registered locally as UK insurance companies do not provide cover for Serbia (insurance for foreign cars entering temporarily is obtained at the border). And the further complication here is that you can not import and register a car in Serbia which is over 6 years old. It's at this stage that LHD cars are out of the equation, as they are very expensive in the UK, and there is nothing under 6 years old within my budget.
So, what I need to find is a car under 6 years old, for around 1500-2000 pounds (that's the most I'm willing to spend on it). It ideally needs to be automatic also.
My short list so far is the Kia Magentis and the Chevrolet Tacuma. Image, economy, and aesthetics are really not concerns here, which is just as well.
It's going to have to be a big enough car to transport a family of four plus an occasional extra adult, so these cars look ideal.
Can anyone come up with any other genius ideas to add to my short list?
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>> . It's at this stage that LHD cars are out of the equation, as they are very expensive in the UK
Why is that?? I thought they will be chaper as nobody in UK wants to buy LHD cars!
Can you not buy a car cheaply in other EU countries and drive it to there?
Add Hyundai Sonata too in your list (which is probably same as Magentis anyway).
What cars are you getting if you look at your budget in Autotrader under 6 years old and not too far from your home?
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How long do you intend to go each year?
I have the same dilemma with my holiday flat in Israel. I rent Mazda 5s and it can cost about £50 per day which can be £3,500pa if the family goes for 10 weeks during the year.
But I still rent. Why? Because I have no tax, insurance, maintenance, repairs and MoT to pay. I collect the car from the airport, so I avoid £100 worth of taxi charges. I am not worried out the car being stolen when I am away, or a fault appearing and having to spend half the holiday getting it fixed or renting anyway when it is fixed. Cars in Israel are like in Serbia; very expensive new and not much less second hand. No RHD cars allowed at all.
And the less time per year I spend the more worthwhile it is to rent.
Have you considered these aspects?
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Hi Espada,
Yes, I've thought about that. Tax and insurance is pretty cheap in Serbia, so that's not a huge problem. A taxi to and from the airport to my flat is only about 20 pounds each way, and added to that I have 2 brothers-in-law there who are happy to run us to and from the airport, so we usually wouldn't need that taxi.
No worries about it being stolen, it will be in a locked underground garage, which also keeps it from deteriorating as it won't be stood outside. And no-one wants a RHD there.
We usually go for at least 4 weeks every year, which racks up 1200 pounds in car hire charges annually. So a 1500 quid car sitting there whenever I want it for years to come is quite a tempting thought.
Mechanically, I think a Magentis is pretty robust and with it only being used for a thousand miles or so a year I don't envisage much in the way of repairs/servicing. Just an oil change every year really. And if it needs anything doing, I can get one of my relatives to sort it out when I'm not there.
I'm not quite as trusting of hire cars as you, I don't think - the last one I had (and this is in the UK) was given to me with bald front tyres - I had to ask them to be changed before I drove it. There's also the potential hassle of damage to the car, and that's also happened a few times to me with rental cars, once in Montenegro and once in Spain. And the last one I had here come to think of it, they wanted me to pay for a new windscreen when I couldn't be sure if the damage was pre-existing (I didn't hear a stone hit me, a crack developed from a tiny stone chip which was at the very bottom of the screen against a black background - I wasn't prepared to trust their word that it wasn't there before I picked it up, considering the fact that they failed to spot bald tyres).
Yes, it's a risk, but not much of one considering the hassles (and increasing expense) of hire cars.
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Second hand car prices are at a premium on mainland Europe..
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>> Second hand car prices are at a premium on mainland Europe..
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Yes, they are far, far cheaper here. Especially unfashionable Korean motors.
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>> Add Hyundai Sonata too in your list (which is probably same as Magentis anyway).
Strangely, there aren't many around (not autos, anyway). There seem to be more Magentis out there, but yes, it's a good option.
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I see there are a couple of 55-reg Magentises on Autotrader for £2,000.
Seems like top value to me, assuming they are roughly as described.
I suppose no one wants them because they've got a boot, are a bit juicy, and are a stodgy drive.
None of those things would bother me for that money.
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My thoughts exactly, Iffy. They look a cracking buy.
There are also some 2005/6 Tacumas for under 2 grand. I expect it's MPG and VED which puts people off these, the 2.0 has a enormous CO2 figure. To say nothing of the revolting looks. But for my purposes, it could be a good buy.
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My gut instinct is the Kia is a better engineered car than the Chevrolet, and would therefore be more reliable.
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I think I'm leaning that way myself. I like the accomodation of the Tacuma, what with nippers and grandparents and all that lark, but yes, my gut is also telling me the Magentis is the better buy.
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I'm not sure that a car sitting idle for months at a time is a good idea. 4 weeks' use a year isn't very much.
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My thoughts also. It seems like a lot of hassle for four weeks a year.
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But is it a better idea than £1200 a year? Ad infinitum?
Yes, the idea has its drawbacks, but the economics of it look like a very strong argument, along with the fact that I have people at the other end willing to help out with maintenance/care, and a safe underground garage.
We've been renting cars 3 times a year for 12 years now. Add that little lot up!
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Just out of curiousity, how long would it take to drive to Serbia?
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Should take two days, HDB.
I'd plan on getting to Calais on a Friday night and kipping at the Formule 1, up and at 'em at 6 and do three chunks of three hours driving, with an hour's rest between them for two days. Should arrive in Belgrade Sunday evening.
I've done it before, but at a more leisurely pace taking almost a week to get there and doing some holidaying (and furniture shopping at IKEA Budapest, IKEA hasn't made it to Serbia yet) on the way.
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Have you considered availability of parts in Serbia?
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Yep, KIA have main dealers in Serbia, and I can always take stuff over from here if needs be.
Like I said, I can't see much wearing out on a car with this kind of useage.
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I quite fancy driving down to Serbia one day. It's on my list.
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Getting there is the fun bit, driving in Serbia itself is a pain in the backside. Roads are in a shocking state (can't really complain, we bombed them to shreds and they're not exactly rich enough to sort it all out), lots of the locals drive like maniacs, and the fuzz are always on the look out for speeders, particularly where speed limit signs are not in evidence. They particularly like hiding behind bridges on motorways, and in bushes on the edges of towns where the limit drops at the edge of urban areas.
I have been done for speeding a few times, and also in neighbouring in Croatia and Montenegro. In Montenegro, the copper who stopped me told me that the limit on the road was different in either direction, and that I'd have been within the limit if I'd been going the other way. 60 Euros please.
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Cheap newish car for second home - movilogo
