An extensive public transport system exists in Bulgaria only in large cities. Therefore, the next step after purchasing real estate is usually buying a car. We described how to register a car and get blue license plates in the previous article. This time we will talk about how to independently choose and buy a car, taking into account the characteristics of the Bulgarian car market.
Car cemetery
In Bulgarian, a car dealership is called “avtokyshta” (kashta means “house”). Cars are stored in an open air cart at any time of the year and in any weather. This fact alone already indicates the seller’s careless attitude towards the product. As a rule, car dealerships are concentrated on the outskirts of large cities, since renting large areas of land is cheaper there. With rare exceptions, you can find an indoor car showroom within the city, but don’t rush to conclusions. In auto shopping, it is customary to choose a car based on the condition of the body and nothing more, so Bulgarian sellers are very surprised when they see a buyer trying to assess the condition of the car using instruments.
Where do the firewood come from?
Junk cars from the EU
The main supplier of used cars for Bulgaria is the European Union. 90% of the cars sold in auto kits are restored cars that were once written off “as a total” in EU countries. Many buyers flatly refuse to believe this, but this does not change the essence.
Sellers of all Bulgarian car dealerships assure that their cars are supplied only from the wealthiest and most prosperous EU countries - Germany or Switzerland. Because it is generally accepted that this is where the most law-abiding and careful car owners live. They lie blatantly! Just think: even if the car really belonged to a neat, thrifty German, for what purpose was it brought for sale to a country with lower purchasing power? The answer is simple - providing knowingly false information when selling a car in Germany is punishable by law. Germans have almost no opportunity to sell a car after an accident in their country, while this law does not apply to Bulgaria.
Lithuanian designer
Having received transit numbers in Germany, the junk cars are sent to Lithuania. Local craftsmen are known throughout the European Union for their super power - to assemble one whole car from the remains of two cars, as well as for the low cost of restoration work. Will they tell you about all this at the Bulgarian car showroom? I think not, but not because the sellers want to deceive you. Usually, they themselves do not always know the history of the car. Those who are especially honest admit that they bought the car from an insurance company, which means that the car was in a serious accident.
By the way, auto dismantling in Bulgarian sounds very eloquently “automorga”
Car prices in Bulgaria
Separately, it is worth mentioning the prices in Bulgarian car dealerships. While in the EU a certain car model costs, for example, 10,000 €, in Bulgaria the price of a car of the same configuration will be 10,000 levs. Magic and that's all! Perhaps the Europeans support the Bulgarians so much that out of respect they send them their cars at a reduced price?
Not entirely true, the fact is that it is almost impossible to sell a car after a total accident in a European country. There is no Carfax-type database in Bulgaria. No check and no problems: the owner of the car printed out a new service book and the car with a mileage of 350,000 km turned into a car serviced by a dealer, with a mileage of 150,000 km. Miracles! Well, in Bulgaria you can buy a car very cheaply and it will even drive for a while, but not for long and unsafely.
Buying a car in Bulgaria second-hand
In Bulgaria, it is not customary to stand on ceremony with budget cars costing from 3,000 to 10,000 € (6,000 - 20,000 levs). Finding an advertisement for the sale of a serviced budget car is comparable to winning the lottery: it happens, but not often and not to everyone. Why is that? Yes, because investing in a car is not customary here. They will drive the car until it literally begins to fall apart. The consumables are not changed, the rust is covered with a sticker, and the air filter, instead of being replaced, is shaken out and put back. Even in official dealership centers, workers are not properly qualified. The average Bulgarian decides to sell a car on mobile.bg only when it begins to create serious problems.
Buying a car with subsequent investments in mind is also not a good idea. Buying for 5,000 €, investing another 5,000 € and getting a car worth 10,000 € will not work. Restoring cars after locals is a thankless task. Bulgarians are good guys, but they treat cars incredibly carelessly. It is worth keeping in mind the fact that there are almost no quality services in Bulgaria. Of course, they will change your oil and tires (although even here they manage to mess up), but not every workshop will help you with more serious repairs (engine, gearbox, electrical). By the way, there are also many resellers among private individuals who, oddly enough, do not even try to put the car in order before selling it.
When buying a car second hand, pay attention to the appearance of its owner: a person who takes care of his appearance is likely to be attentive to his car.
What is the way out?
The law on criminal liability for providing false information has made German car owners more honest when it comes to selling cars. German sites with private advertisements, such as mobile.de and autoscout24.de, as a rule, provide true information about the condition of cars. And in general, there is a larger selection of cars, and their condition is better.
If you want to save money, go buy a car in Germany. At first glance, this is more difficult and more expensive than going to the nearest auto-kit. However, it is much more unpleasant immediately after purchasing a Bulgarian junk car to discover that you need to invest an additional amount into the car, comparable in size to the cost of the whole car.
Now you know how things are on the used car market in Bulgaria. What do you think?