Why is it especially dangerous to buy used European cars?
- December 6, 2023
- 0
High demand in the Russian market for used cars has led to the revival of seemingly forgotten fraudulent schemes. Experts in the car market talk about new pitfalls
High demand in the Russian market for used cars has led to the revival of seemingly forgotten fraudulent schemes. Experts in the car market talk about new pitfalls for buyers.
Over the past year and a half, fairly “new” used cars have become for many Russian car owners a forced, but the only real alternative to the purchase of new cars that have become much more expensive.
— Now we see that the average price of a passenger car on the secondary market has reached 1.58 million rubles. The growth in demand for cars that are 3-5 years old is particularly noticeable. Because people often buy them with a view to long-term use,” Andrei Grishakov, director of the used car sales department of the Avtodom Group of Companies and the AutoSpetsCenter Group of Companies, told the AvtoVzglyad portal.
In this regard, the trade in not very old cars from abroad has flourished in the Russian Federation. However, experts warn that in recent times a fair number of rogue car sellers have entered the market ‘from there’, who have made a habit of selling cars with very low mileage due to increased demand.
— Checking the mileage of a “Korean” or “American” imported to us is relatively simple. With European cars it is more difficult. Car brands in the EU have ‘cut off’ Russian official dealers from their service databases, making checking a car’s history almost impossible, Grishakov explains.
— Very often you see in an advertisement for the sale of a car from Europe that the mileage is around 100,000 km, but in reality it has been driven for both 200,000 and 300,000 km. To find out the truth, you need to check the maintenance history of the vehicle through a reliable car service center, which has the opportunity to use a temporary solution through a European gas station to get acquainted with the real maintenance history of the purchased car. Often extremely unpleasant facts appear from the biography of an impeccable-looking “European”, says Anton Sumin, co-founder of the Y-Timer.ru project.
– Recently, even some domestic car dealers have been confronted with the fact that they have started supplying vehicles to Russia that are wanted by Interpol and that have been stolen in the EU. Moreover, during the first sale of a criminal car in our country, the traffic police often still have no idea of its bad past. And only later, sometimes a year later, does a routine check of documents en route reveal that the car has been stolen. The car is then taken from the owner and sent ‘under arrest’ – until a European car theft victim takes the car away. That is problematic, to say the least, under the current circumstances, says Andrei Grishakov.
According to him, a domestic car owner can somehow compensate for the loss of a stolen car only if he purchased it through a Russian car dealership – within the framework of consumer protection legislation. If a private owner brings you a criminal ‘car’ from Europe, you will most likely not be able to compensate for the damage, Grishakov believes.
Therefore, when buying a used car from the EU, you should either use the services of an intermediary legal entity, or, above all, carefully check the car on Russian territory through a reliable service center that has “connections” with its own databases of European car brands. .
Photo: MK
Over the past year and a half, fairly “new” used cars have become for many Russian car owners a forced, but the only real alternative to the purchase of new cars that have become much more expensive.
— Now we see that the average price of a passenger car on the secondary market has reached 1.58 million rubles. The growth in demand for cars that are 3-5 years old is particularly noticeable. Because people often buy them with a view to long-term use,” Andrei Grishakov, director of the used car sales department of the Avtodom Group of Companies and the AutoSpetsCenter Group of Companies, told the AvtoVzglyad portal.
In this regard, the trade in not very old cars from abroad has flourished in the Russian Federation. However, experts warn that in recent times a fair number of rogue car sellers have entered the market ‘from there’, who have made a habit of selling cars with very low mileage due to increased demand.
— Checking the mileage of a “Korean” or “American” imported to us is relatively simple. With European cars it is more difficult. Car brands in the EU have ‘cut off’ Russian official dealers from their service databases, making checking a car’s history almost impossible, Grishakov explains.
— Very often you see in an advertisement for the sale of a car from Europe that the mileage is around 100,000 km, but in reality it has been driven for both 200,000 and 300,000 km. To find out the truth, you need to check the maintenance history of the vehicle through a reliable car service center, which has the opportunity to use a temporary solution through a European gas station to get acquainted with the real maintenance history of the purchased car. Often extremely unpleasant facts appear from the biography of an impeccable-looking “European”, says Anton Sumin, co-founder of the Y-Timer.ru project.
– Recently, even some domestic car dealers have been confronted with the fact that they have started supplying vehicles to Russia that are wanted by Interpol and that have been stolen in the EU. Moreover, during the first sale of a criminal car in our country, the traffic police often still have no idea of its bad past. And only later, sometimes a year later, does a routine check of documents en route reveal that the car has been stolen. The car is then taken from the owner and sent ‘under arrest’ – until a European car theft victim takes the car away. That is problematic, to say the least, under the current circumstances, says Andrei Grishakov.
According to him, a domestic car owner can somehow compensate for the loss of a stolen car only if he purchased it through a Russian car dealership – within the framework of consumer protection legislation. If a private owner brings you a criminal ‘car’ from Europe, you will most likely not be able to compensate for the damage, Grishakov believes.
Therefore, when buying a used car from the EU, you should either use the services of an intermediary legal entity, or, above all, carefully check the car on Russian territory through a reliable service center that has “connections” with its own databases of European car brands. .
Source: Avto Vzglyad
Donald Salinas is an experienced automobile journalist and writer for Div Bracket. He brings his readers the latest news and developments from the world of automobiles, offering a unique and knowledgeable perspective on the latest trends and innovations in the automotive industry.
