We’re new to Germany, are US citizens here for the US military for 3-5 years and need to buy a second vehicle for when the weather sucks and we don’t feel like biking around town.
This car will get maybe 800 kilometers per month, probably less and will usually just be used around town but still want something reliable and fast enough to drive on the Autobahn about an hour away.
From what I understand used cars from dealerships automatically come with a 2 year warranty unless specified as a 1 year warranty and you have to sign a document that says you’re aware of this or something like that???
But what’s confusing about that is a see tons of older cars for sale for under €1.000, or even nice looking cars for maybe €3.000-4.000 so how could they afford to put a warranty on such a cheap old car? Like I was looking at old Ford Focus’s (I know they’re shit but I’ve always liked them for some unexplainable reason) and went through several pages of them for sale by dealership even under $1.000, cars that in the us would likely be junked due to cost of repairs exceeding the value (labor is really expensive in the US, idk about here though)
Example of what I’m talking about: it looks perfectly good, how could they afford a warranty on a €3.000 euro car like this?
https://www.autoscout24.com/offers/ford-focus-turnier-2-0-ghia-klima-ahk-cd-elfh-zv-automatik-gasoline-silver-a571b409-b207-4d2a-8d7a-78153af713dc?sort=price&desc=0&lastSeenGuidPresent=true&cldtidx=5&position=5&search_id=gv5k1i8wqq&source_otp=t10&source=listpage_search-results&order_bucket=unknown
by Remote-Vanilla-8659
5 comments
I think you are overestimating the “warranty” part of this, it doesn’t cover nearly as much as you probably think.
„Fast enough for autobahn“ is nonsense. You need 130 km/h for the Autobahn and every car can do that. Sure, acceleration is not the same but your budget is tight so torque and HP should be less of your worries.
Than, I wouldn’t go with automatic gears with a car this old. I think many for many cars which are older or have high mileage the automatic transmission is likely to brake and one of the most single expensive parts to replace.
If you don’t need that much space, I would suggest something like a VW Polo or Golf (is bigger). These cars have plenty of spare parts and many workshops can repair them. Of course, Volvo, Mercedes, Audi, BMW… are also reliable but come at greater cost.
I think you are confusing a few things. There is a Händlergarantie which means the dealer is liable for two years for damages *that already existed at the time you bought the car*. As there is also new TÜV on any used car you buy which means the car was checked and deemed fit for the roads, there is little risk for the dealer that such damages exist without their knowledge.
The other thing is a Gebrauchtwagengarantie you get separately from your dealer. It often costs extra or isn’t available for older cars.
Cars younger than 7 years are als covered by the warranty of the manufacturer.
In germany and in the EU (definitely the netherlands where i got my second hand car) there is more of a buyer protection than a warranty. In the netherlands it specifically states mechanical moving parts but excludes all electronics etc. i.e if the head gasket goes or the clutch gives in a few weeks/months after you buy it you can probably return the car or they will cover repairs. But they definitely wont cover tyres, brakes, ECU etc. after 14 days or something.
My advice is to make sure you get a car that has a valid TuV for circulation. Insurance and emissions/road tax is the only red flag with older cars, but in Germany cars are way more affordable than in the Netherlands.
In conclusion: its not really a warranty more of protection against buying a car with a serious mechanical fault. You should still go for it in my opinion.
Depending on what bas you are on there’s probably a “Lemon lot” where people who are PCSing sell their cars. Prices aren’t great, but things seem to hold their value if they are well maintained.